A Destiny of Sustainable Energy

John Davis

Destiny, Florida, the first eco-sustainable city in the country, is creating Florida’s first sustainable energy farm.

This press release from the green city just south of Disney World in Central Florida says the Destiny Sustainable Energy Farm will be a learning center, applying and showcasing 21st century farming technologies and practices to produce alternative fuels:

“Destiny’s Energy Farm will be a proving ground for technologies and practices of the future and is a testament to our commitment to create a truly eco-sustainable community in the state,” said Anthony V. Pugliese, III, Destiny founder. “It’s just the beginning of building a city that operates with minimal impact on the environment and serves as a scientific hub where the latest green technology innovations will emerge.”

The Energy Farm is a result of a cooperative effort between several private/public individuals and companies, including the University of Florida; GreenTechnologies, LLC; Everglades Farm Equipment; American Drilling Services, Inc.; Global Renewable Energy; Southern Farms; Energy Structures & Systems, Inc.; and Bio Greens Oil USA, LLC.

The energy farm is growing 20 acres of sweet sorghum, which requires less water and fertilizer and is hardier in bad soils. Samples of the grain are being tested at the University of Florida to measure yield and ethanol potential.

Officials say they’re trying to grow crops that are good for alternative fuels, while looking at new food production for the community.

Ethanol, News

Colorado Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Confirmed

Cindy Zimmerman

A cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant is planned for Grand Junction, Colorado.

Lignol BiofuelLignol Energy Corporation has received approval from the U.S. Department of Energy to locate the facility on the western slope of Colorado. The approved location is a change from the originally proposed site adjacent to Suncor Energy refinery in Commerce City, Colorado. According to the company, the Grand Junction location offers logistical advantages including access to feedstock and ethanol distribution efficiencies.

In January 2008, the DOE approved Lignol’s funding application for a proposed cellulosic ethanol plant, including up to $30 million in funding to construct the facility. The proposed facility will be designed to process hard and soft woods and agricultural residues such as straw and corn stover.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Lab to Test Ethanol Feedstock Powders

Cindy Zimmerman

Gulf Ethanol Corporation has contracted a commercial testing laboratory to perform analysis on its preprocessed feedstock powders.

Microbac Laboratories has over fifteen years’ experience in analyzing a wide range of biomass products. They work directly with national Renewable Energy Laboratories and various private entities to characterize and analyze biomass materials.

GulfAccording to a company release, Gulf Ethanol CEO Bill Carmichael says their goal is to establish the credibility of our cellulosic pre-processing technology and confirm the performance characteristics of our products. “Our clients as well as our investors will want to see scientific proof of the efficiencies created by this process,” Carmichael said. “We expect this processing technique to be a standard component of all cellulosic ethanol production in the future because of the increased yield and processing efficiencies we believe it will produce.”

Initial product samples will be provided to the lab this week.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Ag Secretary Defends Ethanol in WSJ

Cindy Zimmerman

The Wall Street Journal published a letter to the editor this week from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer that defends ethanol and the nation’s biofuels policies.

Florida Farm to Fuel Ed SchaferSchafer wrote the letter mainly in response to an op-ed by Texas Governor Rick Perry that appeared in the paper after EPA’s recent decision to deny his request to waive the Renewable Fuels Standard.

Shafer writes:
This decision has recently generated some critical commentary in your pages. I, however, support and applaud the EPA’s decision. Renewable energy is a tremendous American success story. We are the world leader in biofuels. Since 2000, U.S. ethanol production has quadrupled. Biodiesel production soared from two million gallons to 450 million last year. Cellulosic ethanol, which will derive fuel from non-food feedstocks, is moving into production.

Schafer also noted that the rising cost of food in recent months is due to a number of factors, including higher oil prices. “…the sharp rise in global grain prices in recent years is driven primarily by soaring energy costs, improved diets in rapidly developing nations, two years of bad weather in some countries, and new export restrictions in several nations. U.S. biofuels production contributed only an estimated 0.2%-0.6% to the 5.1% rise in U.S. consumer food costs.”

Read the entire letter here.

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Government, News

Transition to Bioeconomy Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer will be the keynote speaker at the Oct. 15-16 conference, Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts. Secretary Schafer will address public policy challenges for the bioeconomy. Also featured on the program will be Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr.

Transition to BioeconomyThe conference is is a collaboration of Farm Foundation, and USDA’s Office of Energy Policy and New Uses, Rural Development, Economic Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.

“Building a biofuels industry puts demands on natural, human and community resources, while at the same time generating potential returns for investors, workers and communities where the industry operates,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “This conference is designed to build understanding of the short-and long-term impacts of those demands and potential returns, identify issues that must be addressed and options for the future.”

The “Transition to a Bioeconomy” conference series is designed to inventory current knowledge of key issues of the bioeconomy, identify options for the future, and determine information and research needs. The conferences provide government, industry, academic and community leaders with objective information and analysis on key issues of the evolving bioeconomy.

More information about the conference can be found here on the Farm Foundation website.

Energy, Ethanol, News

Wind Power Stored as Compressed Air

John Davis

New Jersey-based Energy Storage and Power says it is investing $20 million over the next three years to develop an underground compressed-air storage system for wind turbines and other power sources.

This story from C|Net.com says Energy Storage and Power is a joint venture formed by energy developer PSEG Global and Michael Nakhamkin, who designed the only compressed air-storage facility in the U.S.:

With Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES), air is pumped into underground formations, such as depleted natural gas wells or salt caverns, using a natural gas-powered machine. The pressured air is released later to drive a turbine to make electricity.

The system allows for several hours or even days of stored energy, which allows power producers to deliver electricity during peak hours when the demand for electricity–and price–is highest.

Energy Storage and Power said that it intends to develop equipment for storing renewable power resources at a large scale. Utilities are already using more wind and solar, but energy storage means that they can be used more broadly since electricity can be “dispatched” as needed.

Energy Storage and Power joins General Compression in the commercial compressed-air storage wind energy business. General Compression is also designing a wind turbine that has a compressor built into the nacelle, the housing at the top of a wind turbine tower.

Wind

Enterprise Taps Sayre to Head Biofuel Efforts

John Davis

St. Louis-based Enterprise Rent-A-Car has named Dr. Richard Sayre, a leading biofuels researcher, to head its Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis.

This press release says the company created the Institute in 2007 with a $25 million gift from the company’s founding family, the Taylors… who own Enterprise, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car and operate the world’s largest automotive fleet, with more than 1.1 million vehicles:

“Just as we are committed to using our fleet to grow the market for commercially viable new fuels and engine technologies, we believe it is important to play a role in the search for sustainable, renewable fuels that can curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependency on finite fossil fuels,” said Andy Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer of Enterprise. “Dr. Sayre and his team bring tremendous leadership to this effort.”

Dr. Roger N. Beachy, president of the Danforth Center, said Sayre’s deep experience in plant science will advance the mission of the Danforth Center and the Institute for Renewable Fuels. “Attracting a researcher of Dr. Sayre’s caliber speaks volumes about the work we have done over the last decade – and the pioneering work we will do in the future,” Beachy said.Read More

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Two Biodiesel Companies Among Fastest Growing

John Davis

The rising popularity of biodiesel is helping many companies grow rapidly. Two privately-held biodiesel-related companies are being recognized as among the nation’s 500 fastest growing of any type of company.

This article from Biodiesel Magazine says Inc. Magazine has rated Greenline Industries and Blue Sun Biodiesel among the fastest growing:

Larkspur, Calif.-based Greenline Industries, a manufacturer of biodiesel production equipment, as listed seventh on Inc.’s overall list and was the No. 1 energy company for 2008. The company was also at the top of the 100 businesses in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif., list. According to Inc. Magazine, Greenline has experienced a 10,000 percent growth rate since it was founded in 2002. In 2004, the company had $318,000 in revenue; in 2007, Greenline reported $35.1 million in revenue.

The only biodiesel producer to make the list was Golden, Co.-based Blue Sun Biodiesel. Of the 23 energy companies to make the top 500, Blue Sun ranked tenth. Overall, the company was ranked 242 on the top 500 list.

Blue Sun marketing director Steve Bond said the ranking proves that despite a tough year experienced by the biodiesel industry, companies can continue to grow. Blue Sun has enjoyed a 1,000 percent growth rate in the past three years and reported $14.1 million in revenue last year. Bond attributes the company’s prosperous nature to its trademarked premium B20 biodiesel blend – Fusion. “We’re doing the right thing by having premium biodiesel fuel that people can trust for their vehicles,” he said. “This shows this is the right path. People are responding to that.” Bond told Biodiesel Magazine that Blue Sun plans to expand its business in 2009 to include locations in Nebraska, Colorado and other states in the western United States.

Companies on the list must be privately-funded, U.S.-based, and not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies since December 2007; have been generating revenue since the first week of 2004; revenues in 2004 must have been no less than $200,000; and revenue in 2007 must have been at least $2 million.

Biodiesel

USDA Announces Renewable Energy Grants

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development, Tom DorrUSDA announced Wednesday that 639 individuals and businesses in 43 states and the Virgin Islands have been selected to receive $35 million in grants and loan guarantees for renewable energy systems or to improve energy efficiency in farm and business operations. USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Tom Dorr announced the funding at the 2008 Farm Progress Show in Iowa on Wednesday.

The program provides financial assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to support renewable energy projects across a wide range of technologies encompassing biomass (including anaerobic digesters), geothermal, hydrogen, solar and wind energy. It also provides support for energy efficiency improvements, helping recipients reduce energy consumption and improve operations. Of the $35 million announced, $27.5 million are grants and $7.4 million are guaranteed loans.

You can listen to Sec. Dorr’s press conference here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/farm-progress/fp-08-dorr.mp3]

Audio, Energy, Government

E85 Gets a Push at the Republican National Convention

As the Republican National Convention approaches the week of September 1, the state of Minnesota prepares for the crowd. Minnesota boasts the largest number of E85 fueling locations throughout the country, 354 to be exact, and they will flaunt it.

The American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest confirmed that when walking through the skyways in Saint Paul during next week and throughout the month of September, visitors are likely to see the ‘Addicted to Oil?’ E85 skyway signs in the US Bank Building and Town Square. Others driving to Saint Paul from Minneapolis and the western suburbs will also see a similar billboard beside I-94. In addition, E85/FFV :30 ads will be playing during coverage of the Republican National Convention on the local NBC affiliate.

Finally, a special E85 promotion will be available for flexible fuel vehicle owners in Eagan, Minnesota on Wednesday, Sept. 3. Holiday Station Stores and the MN Clean Air Choice Team will offer E85 for an extra $1.00 off the current posted price between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at 2660 Eagan Woods Drive.

E85, Ethanol, Facilities, News