Roller Coaster Ride for Team Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

It was a roller coaster ride on a wet track for Team Ethanol at the IndyCar Series Honda Grand Prix in St Petersburg, Florida on Sunday.

Team Ethanol St. PeteSpirits were high for driver Ryan Hunter-Reay at the start of the race where he had qualified for sixth pole position. After ten laps behind the pace car in the rain, the field opened up and Hunter-Reay spun out, dropping him down to 23rd.

The 2007 Rookie of the Year fought his way back to the top, led for four laps, and had third place pretty well sown up – if he had just been able to stretch his ethanol for another minute or so. He finally finished 17th.

(Read Motorsport.com’s description of Ryan’s race and “why he is considered one of the better road racers in the IndyCar Series.”)

There were no complaints about the finish from No. 17 car owner Bobby Rahal of Rahal Letterman Racing. He was one proud papa as his 19-year-old son Graham won the race, making history as the youngest major open wheel race winner ever. It was Graham’s first Indy win in his first Indy race. Bobby Rahal had said at the beginning of the race that he was “conflicted” about who to root for – his own driver or his own son. So, call it a bittersweet victory for Rahal – probably more sweet than bitter. A third place finish for Team Ethanol would have just been icing on the cake.

Photo Credit: Chris Jones, Indy Racing League

EPIC, Ethanol, Indy Racing, News

Cellulosic Ethanol Fueled Vette Makes History

Cindy Zimmerman

Corvette Racing made motorsports history Saturday, scoring the first victory on 85 percent cellulosic ethanol racing fuel (E85R) in American Le Mans Series competition.

Corvette in St. PeteDrivers Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta won their second consecutive class victory on the waterfront street circuit in St. Petersburg, Florida.

“This was our first race running cellulosic E85 ethanol, and we had great performance and great fuel efficiency,” Gavin said. “We could have done the entire race on one pit stop. There were question marks about that from some people, but it’s been proven it’s a great fuel to run and it’s doing a bit for the green issue.”

The reigning champions won the GT1 division in the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg with a 4.754-second margin of victory in their No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R over Johnny O’Connell and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R.

“I think we demonstrated not only to our fellow competitors but also to the world of racing that E85R is a viable and powerful fuel,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “We’re very pleased with how it turned out.”

Photo Credit: Dan Boyd, American Le Mans Series

American LeMans, Cellulosic, E85, EPIC, Ethanol, News

Ohio Funds Fuel Cell Research

John Davis

Crown Equipment CorporationHydrogen fuel cell technology is getting a boost from the state of Ohio. The Ohio Department of Development and Ohio’s Third Frontier Commission has awarded Crown Equipment Corporation nearly one million dollars in grant money for additional fuel cell research.

The development of fuel cells is a natural extension of Crown’s ongoing focus on environmental sustainability. As a technology leader in the lift truck industry, Crown is committed to supporting its customers via the emerging hydrogen economy.

The Crown project will focus on addressing the technical and commercial barriers to the application of available battery replacement fuel cell power packs in industrial lift trucks. The study will facilitate the creation and growth of material handling equipment used in warehouses and distribution centers to be powered by fuel cells.

Crown intends to review the performance of each unique combination of its lift trucks with fuel cell power. This study should reveal any necessary modifications required to maintain the intended use of the lift truck while complying with industry standards.

Alternative power is a hot topic, and the material handling industry is poised to be an early adopter of this new technology, setting the standard for other industries to follow. Fuel cell technology will likely simplify and speed up the way lift trucks are powered and batteries recharged. Ohio is a leader in exploring and developing technologies that advance the Hydrogen Highway.

Energy, Government, Hydrogen, News, Research

Green Racing Showcases Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

St. Petersburg, Florida will be the site of the greenest racing event in history this weekend when both the IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series will compete on the streets in the Honda Grand Prix and Acura Sports Car Challenge. This is the second year that the IndyCar Series is racing on 100 percent ethanol and the first year the American Le Mans Series is offering cellulosic E85 racing ethanol to its teams.

Doug Robinson, executive director of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which is the sanctioning body of the American Le Mans Series, says allowing the use of 85 percent cellulosic ethanol in that racing venue is part of their “green racing” platform that helps test alternative fuels and create public awareness.

“In rolling out that green racing strategy, the first step was to look at the renewable fuels and the greenhouse gas emissions,” Robinson said.

As a result, Robinson says, they set into motion a plan to develop a high performance, high octane, gasoline-based racing fuel as a baseline and allow alternative fuels into the series.

“Our base fuel has ten percent ethanol, much like many of the pumps that you buy fuel for your road car,” he said. “Then this year we started with an E85 fuel and we aligned ourselves with the first company to be producing second generation, cellulosic ethanol made from wood waste from the Black Hills forest.”

Ethanol Semi in St PeteThat company is KL Process Design Group of South Dakota, which has been contracted by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, the leader in bringing “green” fuels to motorsports, to provide cellulosic E85 racing fuel (E85R) for Corvette Racing.

The Team Ethanol transporter carrying the #17 Team Ethanol Indy Car arrived at St. Pete earlier this week, fresh off a 7th place finish in last week’s season opener under the lights in Homestead.

Team Ethanol driver Ryan Hunter-Reay is a big believer in ethanol and using it in racing to prove performance and environmental benefits. “Racing is the forefront of what goes on in the automotive market,” Hunter-Reay said. “So, it fits for racing to be going in this direction.”

This weekend’s American Le Mans Series and IndyCar Series races highlighting ethanol will be broadcast globally. ABC will televise the one-hour, 55-minute Acura Sports Car Challenge starting at 1:30 p.m. ET on April 5. The IndyCar Series Honda Grand Prix at 2:30 pm ET on April 6 will be broadcast on ESPN.

(Photo credit Steve Snoddy, Indy Racing League)

American LeMans, Cellulosic, E85, Ethanol, Indy Racing, International, News, Racing

Growing Oil in the Texas Desert

John Davis

valcentproducts.jpgWhile finding oil in the hot, dry regions of Texas might not be something new, how one company is going about it certainly is.

Last September, I told you about Valcent Product’s algae-growing operation that has the potential of producing 100,000 gallons of algae oil a year for every acre. That compares to corn’s 30 gallons per acre from corn and soybean’s 50 gallons per acre. Now, the company has attracted the attention of the national media in this CNN story:

“Algae is the ultimate in renewable energy,” Glen Kertz, president and CEO of Valcent Products, told CNN while conducting a tour of his algae greenhouse on the outskirts of El Paso.

Kertz, a plant physiologist and entrepreneur, holds about 20 patents. And he is psyched about the potential algae holds, both as an energy source and as a way to deal with global warming.

“We are a giant solar collecting system. We get the bulk of our energy from the sunshine,” said Kertz.

Algae are among the fastest growing plants in the world, and about 50 percent of their weight is oil. That lipid oil can be used to make biodiesel for cars, trucks, and airplanes.

Most people know algae as “pond scum.” And until recently, most energy research and development projects used ponds to grow it.

valcentbags.jpgBut instead of ponds, Valcent uses a closed, vertical system, growing the algae in long rows of moving plastic bags. The patented system is called Vertigro, a joint venture with Canadian alternative energy company Global Green Solutions. The companies have invested about $5 million in the Texas facility.

“A pond has a limited amount of surface area for solar absorption,” said Kertz.

“By going vertical, you can get a lot more surface area to expose cells to the sunlight. It keeps the algae hanging in the sunlight just long enough to pick up the solar energy they need to produce, to go through photosynthesis,” he said.

The article goes on to point out that the idea is not new, as the U.S. Department of Energy experimented with algae oil for about 20 years from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s. But the price of a barrel of oil in the mid-90s was only about $20. Now, with prices over $100 a barrel, experts think the process could now be profitable.

Valcent has a pretty cool video of the process on its web site: www.Valcent.net. Check it out!

Biodiesel

Former Imperium VP Joins Harris Group

John Davis

harrisgroup.gifInternational engineering firm Harris Group, which has a stake in the alternative energy game, has named former Imperium Renewables Vice President Mark Warner as the company’s director of the program management services.

A company press release says Warner’s experience with Imperium will serve him well at Seattle-based Harris Group:

Mr. Warner led the effort to build the largest biodiesel production facility constructed in the US, which was permitted, designed and constructed in 14 months. He is a chemical engineer with extensive background in chemical plant operations and maintenance, as well as environmental consulting. Mr. Warner will be the Director of Program Management Services for HGI’s Process Solutions Business Unit. In that role he will help develop and expand the services we can offer HGI’s biofuels customers.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Government Dispels Biofuels Myths

John Davis

doe.jpgA new paper from the U.S. Department of Energy tries to put to rest some of the myths that still swirl around biofuels.

The document, posted on the DOE web site, takes on some of the most-often repeated arguments against renewable energy with solid facts:

doereport1.jpgMYTH: In terms of emissions, biofuels emit the same amount as gasoline or more.
FACT: Biofuels burn cleaner than gasoline, resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and are fully biodegradable, unlike some fuel additives.

MYTH: Ethanol cannot be produced from corn in large enough quantities to make a real difference without disrupting food and feed supplies.
FACT: Corn-based ethanol is only one source of biofuel. As we address the technical hurdles associated with the efficient and cost-effective production of biofuels, ethanol will increasingly play a more significant role.

doereport2.jpgMYTH: Ethanol gasoline blends can lower fuel economy and may harm your engine.
FACT: Ethanol blends in use today have little impact on fuel economy or vehicle performance.

MYTH: More energy goes into producing ethanol than it delivers as a fuel.
FACT: Each gallon of corn ethanol today delivers as much as 67% more energy than is used to produce it.

Although the document is just a couple of pages long, it should be must reading for anyone in the biofuels industry so they can dispel the myths with the facts.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, News

Report: World Biofuel Demand Will Continue to Skyrocket

John Davis

freedonia.jpgA study by the Freedonia Group Inc. says that demand for biofuels throughout the world will grow by 20 percent a year to 92 million metric tons in 2011.

This article from the International Business Times says the Cleveland-based industry research firm says the demand will increase despite the current food-versus-fuel and environmental debates:

Market expansion will come from a more than doubling of the world market for bioethanol, and even faster increases in global biodiesel demand, the study said.

Other biofuels will also experience strong growth, though much slower than either biodiesel or bioethanol.

The world market for biofuels has expanded rapidly in recent years as combination of domestic politics, rising oil prices, increasing concerns about global warming, and potential economic opportunity have spurred a broad range of countries to pass laws that support biofuel industries.

World biofuel production will track increases in demand as most countries seek to foster domestic biofuel industries, both to reduce reliance upon imported oil and to spur domestic economic development.

This will continue to favor the development of cereal based (maize and wheat) bioethanol capacity in North America and Western Europe, as well as sugarcane based bioethanol production in Latin America.

The article goes on to say in America, biodiesel production will center on soybean oil, while rapeseed oil will be the feedstock of choice in Europe. Asia and the Pacific region will feature palm oil with jatropha increasing in popularity. In addition, ethanol from cellulose and algae-based biodiesel will gain commercial significance in the long term.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Farm Foundation to Host Carbon Footprint Forum

John Davis

carbonfootprint.JPGFarm Foundation, a non-profit group that works as a catalyst for farm policy discussion, is holding a forum on the lifecycle carbon footprint analysis of biofuels, this coming Tuesday, April 8 from 9 am to 11 am in the First Amendment Lounge of the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

Speakers providing opening comments will be:

* Bruce McCarl of Texas A&M University, discussing lifecycle analysis.
* Brooke Coleman of the Renewable Energy Action Project, presenting the renewable fuels perspective.
* Laurent Javaudin, Delegation of the European Commission to the United States, addressing European Commission proposals on biofuels sustainability and GHG methodology.

This discussion will be opened up to the floor with Charlie Stenholm moderating.

The forum is free, but you are asked to RSVP by 10 a.m. CDT, this coming Friday, April 4, to Mary Thompson, Farm Foundation Director of Communication, mary@farmfoundation.org.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, Miscellaneous, News

New Iowa Plant Gets Approval

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol start-up, Red Rock Renewables LLC, is moving into the next phase of development on a new fuel ethanol plant to be located in Pleasantville, Iowa.

Last week, the company received approval on a final development agreement with the city of Pleasantville and the plant will now move into the next and most critical phase for ethanol plant construction, funding.

Iowa RFAAccording to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, only two Iowa ethanol plants started construction in 2007, the lowest number of starts since 1999. But there are at least four ethanol projects, including Red Rock Renewables, that have a good chance of getting launched this year.

Iowa currently has 28 operating ethanol plants and is the number one ethanol producing state with an annual capacity of 2.2 billion gallons.

Ethanol, Facilities, News