A group that trains technicians, fleet managers, law enforcement and first responders on how to handle today’s vehicles fueled by biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, propane and other renewables has added another college to its list of training sites. BlueRidgeNow.com reports that Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginia is the latest member of the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC), …
Ethanol Buses Gaining Ground in Sao Paulo
Ethanol-powered buses are gaining ground in Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. While it is unusual to see ethanol used in replacement of diesel fuel in diesel engines in the States, it is not so uncommon in other areas. In 1993, a group of companies began working together to discover a solution for mass transport and its relationship to …
NREL Tests Sorghum for Cellulosic Ethanol
Representatives of the National Sorghum Producers (NSP) witnessed a pilot test of bioenergy sorghum at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) this week. NSP collaborated with NREL to provide almost 100 different sorghum samples for testing, eventually choosing two for pilot testing. The resulting data shows that high biomass forage sorghum demonstrates great potential to fit into cellulosic ethanol conversion. …
Coalition Seeks Ethanol Blender Pump Tax Fix
A broad coalition of companies and organizations have signed on to a letter asking Congressional tax writers to fix a program intended to promote the installation of fuel pumps that dispense mid- and high-level ethanol blends. Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis sent the letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and …
Iowa Biodiesel Backer Grant Applications Due Dec. 11
This coming Friday, Dec. 11 is the deadline for Iowa schools to get in their application for two, $2,500 grants from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association’s (IRFA) Biodiesel Backer Award Program. This IRFA press release says schools eligible for the grants must educate their communities about biodiesel, incorporate biodiesel and renewable fuels into their school programming, as well as getting …
World Biodiesel Demand Predicted to Double by 2015
The demand for biodiesel worldwide is expected to double by the year 2015. Fortunately, the supply is supposed to triple. Those predictions came from Tammy Klein, executive director of global biofuels services for Hart Energy Consulting, as she spoke at the recent Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit earlier this week in Vancouver, British Columbia. Biodiesel Magazine reports that Klein told the …
Mass. Offshore Wind Farm Takes Big Step Forward
The company building a proposed wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts possibly has found a market for its wind energy … once it starts actually generating the green power. Wind energy company Cape Wind and utility National Grid are negotiating a long-term contract for the utility to purchase the electricity generated by the proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound. …
ACE Confident EPA Will Approve E15 by Mid-2010
The ethanol industry continues to let the EPA know its thoughts on the postponement of the decision regarding the E15 Waiver request, but like many other organization, is confident that the EPA will approve up to E15 blends by mid-2010. Brian Jennings, the Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and one of the ethanol groups to …
Ethanol Industry Reacts to EPA Decision
Ethanol industry groups are reacting to the announcement this morning from the Environmental Protection Agency that may be another six months before a final decision can be made on increasing the allowable ethanol content in fuel to 15 percent. Growth Energy, the coalition of U.S. ethanol supporters that filed the Green Jobs Waiver seeking E15, is optimistic that the agency …
Ethanol Industry Waiting on EPA Decision
December 1 is the deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency to issue a decision on the waiver to allow up to 15 percent ethanol in regular gasoline and the industry is anxiously awaiting a positive outcome. The waiver request was submitted by Growth Energy and an alliance of ethanol producer organizations and companies in early March and by law EPA …