State Grant Helps PA School Buy Biodiesel

John Davis

A $40,000 grant is helping a Pennsylvania school district go green. The Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant will help the Radnor Township School District purchase nearly 94,000 gallons of B20 biodiesel, as well as helping cover two storage tanks for the green fuel.

The district received praise from Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty through her agency’s press release:

mcginty.jpg“Schools, truck drivers, small businesses and families across the commonwealth are feeling the pressure of higher fuel bills on their budgets and wallets,” said McGinty. “Switching from conventional fuels to homegrown biofuels will help break our addiction to foreign oil, bring down costs, strengthen national security, and grow our economy.

“The Radnor Township School District is leading by example on this front. Rather than sending all of its diesel fuel dollars out of state, it’s making an investment in Pennsylvania.”

The move is also touted for its benefit to the environment and district’s students:

Biodiesel provides significant environmental improvements compared to traditional diesel fuels. Running the district’s diesel-powered vehicles on the renewable fuel will result in the following emissions reductions each year, according to district calculations:

• Particulate matter, linked to asthma and respiratory ailments, 12 percent,

• Unburned hydrocarbons, 20 percent,

• Carbon monoxide, 12 percent,

• Sulfur dioxide, linked to smog and acid rain, 20 percent, and

• Carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas, 16 percent.

Ninety-four thousand gallons of biodiesel might not seem like a lot, but it is a start that one school district was able to make toward a greener future… with just a little help.

Biodiesel, Government

How to Get to $1 a Gallon Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

The CEO of Coskata claims they will be able to make ethanol for $1 a gallon or less in the near future.

The Green Tech Blog reports on a meeting with Coskata’s William Roe where he explained how this will happen.

CoskataRoe explains that Coskata combines both biological and thermochemical processing and can use a wide variety of feedstocks, from wood chips, weeds and non-food crops like miscanthus, to even human waste and carbon-heavy garbage like tires.

Coskata, which has received an investment from General Motors, also makes fuel from the lignin in biomass. Some companies making ethanol from strictly biological processes can’t use lignin to make fuel.

“You can imagine biorefineries in every single state. This is an enormously efficient process,” Roe said. “We don’t need ‘eurekas’ anymore. We think it comes down to execution.”

In basic terms, Coskata’s process converts all the different feedstocks into synthetic gases, then feeds it to microbes that convert it to liquid fuels.

Coskata plans to make a formal announcement later this month about its 40,000 gallons a year demonstration facility which is already under construction at an undisclosed location.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Flex Fuel Vehicle Sales Up

Cindy Zimmerman

A record number of alternative fuel vehicles were sold in the U.S. last year, according to the latest figures from automotive research firm R.L. Polk.

Yellow Gas CapSales of alternative fuel vehicles in the United States, including flex-fuel and hybrid electric, reached 1.8 million last year, about 250,000 more than in 2006.

Dave McCurdy, president and CEO Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, says that gas prices, consumer incentives, and the increasing number of models available continue to play a role in the popularity of alternative fuel vehicles but he is concerned about the need for more stations to offer 85 percent ethanol. “Out of more than 170,000 refueling stations in the U.S. less than 1,500 offer (E85) ethanol,” he said. That actually represents a 100 percent increase in the number of stations since 2006.

Currently there are more than 12 million AFAs registered in the U.S. and automakers are hopeful that this year’s sales may exceed 2 million. Morre than 70 models of AFAs are being offered for sale this year, up from only 11 models in 2001.

Car Makers, E85, Ethanol, News

Duel Fuel Strategy for Gulf

Cindy Zimmerman

GulfGulf Ethanol Corporation is pursuing a dual biofuel development strategy focused on processing feedstocks for ethanol in the U.S. and manufacturing biodiesel in Central America.

Company officials say they will mainly focus on using its technology to develop non-food feedstocks for ethanol manufacturers in the United States. In Central America, Gulf will utilize feedstocks, such as palm oil, for the production of biodiesel.

“Alternative energy is developing with a strong regional focus,” noted JT Cloud, Gulf’s President. “In Europe it is solar and biodiesel, in Brazil it is ethanol, in the U.S. it has been wind and ethanol. We are tailoring our technology to fit the feedstocks of the regions where we expect to develop operations.”

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Demo Cellulosic Plant Enters Start-up Phase

Cindy Zimmerman

Verenium Corporation has announced that its demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Jennings, Louisiana has entered the “startup” phase.

Verenium PlantAccording to officials, the site has been electronically energized and the turnover of individual systems to start-up and operating teams has begun so that the functional capabilities of each system can be tested. In total, more than forty separate systems will be evaluated over approximately the next three months.

Verenium CEO Carlos Riva said in a statement, “The next several months will be critical in terms of scaling our process and technology and garnering the insights needed to begin construction on our first commercial facility — which will truly be a landmark for the emerging next-generation biofuels industry.”

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

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