Panda Puts Ethanol in Texas

John Davis

Panda EthanolTexans in Sherman County can expect a new ethanol refinery. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has given Panda Ethanol the okay for an air permit for the company’s plans to build a 115 million gallon-per-year ethanol refinery. Panda says the refinery will be fueled by biomass.

The facility will be designed to annually refine an estimated 38 million bushels of feedstock-grade corn into a clean burning, renewable fuel for the nation’s transportation needs. The biofuel produced by the Sherman plant could displace approximately 2.6 million barrels of foreign oil a year.

Unlike other ethanol facilities which burn natural gas to generate the steam used in the ethanol manufacturing process, the Sherman facility will be engineered to gasify up to 1 billion pounds of cattle manure per year. By using biogas to fuel the plant, Panda is both conserving the energy equivalent of 1,000 barrels of oil a day and helping to address a significant environmental problem for the Texas Panhandle.

Once built, the Sherman refinery should be equal in size to Panda’s Hereford facility, currently nearing completion, which will be the largest biomass-fueled ethanol plant in the United States with one of the lowest carbon footprints of any similar-sized ethanol facility in the nation.

Agribusiness, corn, Energy, Ethanol, Facilities, Production

SolarCity Establishes 100th Solar Learning Station

John Davis

SolarCitySolarCity says it is committed to educating youth about solar energy. That commitment seems to stand as the company plans to install its 100th solar learning station in California.

Leading solar service provider SolarCity today announced at the Green California Schools Summit that the company plans to connect 100 solar learning station installations through the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s “Solar Schools Program,” greatly inspiring renewable energy awareness in educational centers across the state.

SolarCity developed Solar Learning Stations to provide community touch-points for experiencing solar electric generation and illustrate how energy is produced in a tangible and understandable way, further encouraging communities to explore clean, renewable energy alternatives.

SolarCity Solar Learning Stations consist of three elements: a power station, made of a visible solar photovoltaic installation and SolarGuard monitoring services, that provide customized, real-time information on each system performance and live comparisons with other towers. SolarGuard is particularly useful in the classroom setting, providing students with a platform for learning how solar power works and opportunities for integrating solar data into science curriculum.

Energy, Facilities, Solar

Three out of Four Kansans Want Wind Energy

John Davis

kansas-flag.gifA new poll shows that three-quarters of Kansans who were surveyed prefer the expanded use of wind energy, as opposed to more conventional coal-fired power plants.

The Kansas City Star reports the survey comes on the heels of a decision not to allow two coal-fired power plants to be built in Western Kansas. Participants by a two-to-one margin also said they supported that decision by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment:

The poll was done mainly for research.

“We did not intend to initially make the poll public,” said Nancy Jackson, head of the Lawrence-based Climate and Energy Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan project sponsored by The Land Institute near Salina. “We found (the responses) striking and surprising. We thought it was worthy of sharing publicly.”

The coal power plants were rejected because of concerns over carbon emissions from those plants. Wind energy advocates point out the carbon-less nature of wind power.

Wind

Missouri Governor Unveils Incentives for E-85 Pumps

John Davis

blunt.jpgMissouri Governor Matt Blunt has unveiled a plan to provide $2 million in tax incentives to fuel retailers who install E-85 ethanol pumps.

According to a press release from the governor’s office, there are only 92 gas stations capable of pumping E-85 out of the more than 4,300 stations in the state. These tax credits would help offset the cost of installing or modifying pumps and tanks to dispense E-85, estimated to cost between $3,000 and $40,000. The proposal comes on the heels of the January 1st E-10 mandate in Missouri:

“We have made several policy changes that make Missouri more energy efficient, environmentally-friendly and a leader in alternative fuel use, such as requiring gasoline to be blended with 10 percent ethanol,” Gov. Blunt said at the Claycomo (near Kansas City) Ford Assembly Plant, home of the Ford Hybrid Escape. “The creation of the Missouri Renewable Fuel Standard was a major step we took to position Missouri as a leader in ethanol production and use, but we can do more. I am proposing we further promote alternative fuel use and better protect our air quality by expanding access to E-85 and provide tax incentives for Missourians who purchase hybrid vehicles.”

The proposal also calls for a $1,500 tax break for those who buy a flex-fuel vehicle, such as the Ford Escape Hybrid, capable of operating on blends of fuel containing as much as E-85. In addition, individuals who buy E-85 could get a $500 a year tax break.

The measure would have to get lawmakers’ approval, and Blunt plans to make it a priority for the coming legislative session that begins next Wednesday (January 9th, 2008).

E85, Ethanol, News

Biodiesel, Algae Makers Merge

John Davis

betterbiodiesel.jpgUtah biodiesel maker Better Biodiesel has announced it will buy GeoAlgae Technologies (GAT). The Arizona-based GAT makes inexpensive feedstock for the production of biodiesel.

This story on C|Net News’ Green Tech Blog says it will give the biodiesel producer a chance to recover from a devastating fire this summer:

The buyout is Better Biodiesel’s first public news since announcing this summer that it would suspend fuel production after its manufacturing fuel processor caught fire. (Better Biodiesel produces roughly 3 million gallons of biodiesel annually, according to the company.) The company said it has developed a waterless technology that can produce biodiesel from low-grade feedstocks without expensive pre- and post-processing of materials. That process, it said, reduces the costs of biodiesel manufacturing and its environmental impact.

The merger will give Better Biodiesel access to GAT’s feedstock and political connections. GAT’s executive team includes former Arizona State Senator Kenneth Bennett. “We are very excited about the opportunity to become a part of Better Biodiesel’s evolving business plan and are looking forward to optimizing shareholder value with a combination of our next-generation GeoAlgae feedstock technology,” Bennett said in a statement.

Biodiesel

Butter Sculpture To Become Biodiesel

John Davis

pafarmshow.jpgThe centerpiece of the Pennsylvania Farm Show will be turned into green energy.

This story in the Centre Daily Times (State College, PA) says the show starts tomorrow (Saturday), and a 900-pound butter sculpture of a cow and a school bus with three children boarding the bus made for the eight-day show will be recycled into biodiesel:

The sculpture will be chopped into pieces, melted and turned into biodiesel by students at State College Area High School and Penn State — another project by the local school and university aimed at teaching kids how to turn waste into alternative fuels. “The key thing about these projects here is that the generation of people in school now is the generation that is going to have to find the solution to the energy crisis,” said Glen Cauffman, manager of farms and facilities at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Science.

This year’s butter masterpiece by Jim Victor, of Conshohocken, is the largest created in the 17 years the butter sculptures have been on display at the Farm Show, said Jessica Pomraning, public relations manager of the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, a sponsors of the sculptures.

In the past, the butter had been thrown away.

“Rather than just discarding it,” she said, the association began donating it for alternative fuel. Last year’s Ben Franklin and Liberty Bell sculpture went to Philadelphia Fry-O-Diesel, Inc., which turned it into biodiesel.

Penn State is already a big biodiesel supporter already converting all of its regular diesel-powered equipment to run on a 20 percent biodiesel mix.

Biodiesel

Obama’s and Huckabee’s Biofuels Stands

John Davis

Well, it looks like Iowans have chosen Illinois Senator Barack Obama and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as the top vote-getters in the Democratic and Republican caucuses in the Hawkeye State.

While there’s still a lot of election left to go with all of the rest of the country’s primaries and caucuses still up for grabs, Iowa is many times seen as a bellwether for the presidential contest. With that in mind, I’d like to draw your attention to Obama’s and Huckabee’s renewable energy stances from their campaign web sites.

From Obama:

obama.jpgSupport Next Generation Biofuels

* Deploy Cellulosic Ethanol: Obama will invest federal resources, including tax incentives, cash prizes and government contracts into developing the most promising technologies with the goal of getting the first two billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol into the system by 2013.
* Expand Locally-Owned Biofuel Refineries: Less than 10 percent of new ethanol production today is from farmer-owned refineries. New ethanol refineries help jumpstart rural economies. Obama will create a number of incentives for local communities to invest in their biofuels refineries.
* Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard: Barack Obama will establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard to speed the introduction of low-carbon non-petroleum fuels. The standard requires fuels suppliers to reduce the carbon their fuel emits by ten percent by 2020.
* Increase Renewable Fuel Standard: Obama will require 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be included in the fuel supply by 2022 and will increase that to at least 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol by 2030.

And from Huckabee:

huckabee1.jpgWe have to explore, we have to conserve, and we have to pursue all avenues of alternative energy: nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biodiesel, and biomass. Some will come from our farms and some will come from our laboratories. Dwindling supplies and increasing demand from newly-industrialized countries of fossil fuels are driving up prices. These price increases will facilitate innovation and the opportunity for independence. We will remove red tape that slows innovation. We will set aside a federal research and development budget that will be matched by the private sector to seek the best new products in alternative fuels. Our free market will sort out what makes the most sense economically and will reward consumer preferences.

Let me reiterate, it’s still early in the election cycle. In addition, not everyone who has won Iowa has gone on to win the presidency, including Bill Clinton in 1992 (remember the Comeback Kid in New Hampshire). Plus, no one is exactly running away with the race at this point as the winners garnered only about a third of the caucus goers. What I am doing is encouraging each of you to check out all of the candidates and see where they stand on renewable fuels. Then, make sure you vote for who you think is best for all of our futures.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Imperium Cancels IPO Plans

John Davis

imperium-logo.gifThe biggest biodiesel producer on the U.S. West Coast has withdrawn a plan to have an initial public offering (IPO) that could have raised more than $345 million for several biodiesel plants across the country.

This story from Reuters says officials with biodiesel giant, Imperium Renewables out of Seattle, Washington, has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to withdraw the IPO:

“Given the current market conditions, our board has determined that it is not the right time to pursue a public offering,” John Plaza, Imperium’s founder, president and interim CEO, said in a release.

Plaza did not elaborate on market conditions. Prices for soy, one of the main sources of biodiesel, have shot to more than 30-year highs recently on growing global demand for food and fuel from alternative sources.

Imperium had filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in May 2007 to raise as much as $345 million from its IPO.

Imperium has been having its share of difficulties lately including a change in leadership at the company with CEO Martin Tobias leaving in late December (see my Dec. 27th post).

Biodiesel

New Ethanol Book

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol BookTwo brothers with plant and environmental science backgrounds have just released a new book about the “past, present, and future of ethanol fuel.”

“Sustainable Ethanol,” written by Jeffery and Adrian Goettemoeller, attempts clear up myths and misconceptions about fuel ethanol. They tackle topics such as ethanol’s fuel economy, energy replacement ratio, transportation issues and food versus fuel arguments.

It explores the technologies making ethanol better for our environment and economy. It will help you decide for yourself whether ethanol and other biofuels can be part of the energy solution.

The book is available from Barnes and Nobel or Amazon.com, or from the authors’ blogspot.

Ethanol, News

OJ and Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Xethanol Xethanol Corporation is looking for a grant from the state of Florida to make ethanol from citrus waste.

According to a company release, Xethanol subsidiary Southeast Biofuels LLC has filed a grant application with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to expand the company’s work on converting waste to energy, using citrus waste as the raw material and converting it into ethanol.

Xethanol intends to build a demonstration plant for converting citrus peel waste into ethanol. The company is negotiating an agreement to locate the plant at an existing citrus facility in Florida owned by one of the largest citrus processors in the state. The planned cost for the two-year build-out of the demonstration plant is approximately $6,000,000, and Southeast Biofuels is seeking a $500,000 grant.

Ethanol, News