Summit on Energy Security

Cindy Zimmerman

LugarThe 2nd Annual National Summit on Energy Security is taking place today at the National Press Club in Washington DC, presented by 2020 Vision.

This year’s summit has the theme of “National Security and America’s Addiction to Carbon: Solutions to Oil Dependence and Climate Change” and features Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), among many other distinguished speakers.

The event kicked off this morning with a presentation of the first annual Energy Security Leadership Award to Sen. Richard Lugar.

StegerThe day will wrap up with a reception for and presentation by Arctic explorer Will Steger. Mr. Steger has recently finished a four month journey across the Canadian Arctic’s Baffin Island to experience and document how the Inuit culture is coping with global warming. He will present photos and information about this trip, as well as three upcoming trips, at a special VIP reception.

The event has been organized by 2020 Vision, which was formed in 1986 to promote global security and protect the environment. I spoke with executive director Tom Collina about the summit.

Listen to that interview here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/epic/energy-summit-collina.mp3]

Audio, conferences, EPIC, Ethanol, global warming, Government, News

Letter Urges Dropping “We Can’t with Ethanol” Attitude

John Davis

I don’t usually post opinion pieces, but I saw this letter-to-the-editor and thought it rose to the level of a post for Domestic Fuel.

Glenn Gryka of Mesa sent this letter to the Arizona Republic:

Ethanol is not cost effective, so we are told.

Infrastructure is not available. Ethanol can’t be transported.

Yada, yada, yada.

We import almost 50 percent of this nation’s ethanol from Brazil. Now that is a long trip. Oh, but it can’t be piped or trucked to the corner gas station?

The reason we can’t transport ethanol is because the fuel has trouble with condensation. The changes in temperature cause the fuel to condensate in the presence of air.

This condensation may rust pipelines, tanker trucks and your automobile gas tank.

Take a tip from the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs and Mike Rowe, who climbed into a wing of a military aircraft to change the bladder.

The bladder would expand and contract with fuel in the tanker truck and the pipeline volume. That would in turn prevent condensation, which would prevent rusting metal – not to mention that it would just keep the corrosive ethanol off the metal to start with.

I am tired of hearing “we can’t.” If we can build a dam to hold back the Colorado River in 1931, we can do this.

It is more like “we don’t want to.”

Well said… in my opinion.

Ethanol, News, Opinion

Iowa Goes Over 225 MGPY of Biodiesel; Poised for More

John Davis

A new, 30-million-gallon-per-year biodiesel plant has pushed Iowa’s biodiesel production over the 225 gallon annually mark… and more is waiting in the wings.

iowarenewenergy1.GIFThis story posted on Grainnet.com says the Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC refinery at Washington, Iowa is just part of what’s making the Hawkeye State a world leader in renewable fuels:

The refinery was built by the Renewable Energy Group (REG). REG President Nile Ramsbottom stated: “The start of biodiesel production at this state-of-the-art facility is a great accomplishment.

“With cutting-edge technology and an in-house laboratory, Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC is poised to produce high quality biodiesel.”
IRE photo

Iowa is the leader in renewable fuels production.

Iowa has 12 biodiesel refineries with a combined annual capacity of nearly 230 million gallons in operation.

Two biodiesel refineries under construction will add 90 million gallons of capacity.

In addition, Iowa has 28 ethanol refineries with the capacity to produce over 1.9 billion gallons annually.

There are 20 ethanol refineries under construction or expansion that will add nearly 1.5 billion gallons of annual capacity.

Biodiesel

Saltwater Mallow Could Be Biofuels Source

John Davis

A University of Delaware researcher is looking at turning seashore mallow plants into biodiesel and ethanol.

Dr. John GallagherDr. John Gallagher, professor of Marine Biosciences and co-director of the Halophyte Biotechnology Center at UD’s College of Marine and Earth Studies says the seeds from the plant has oil traits similar to soybeans and cottonseed. And, as this AP story in the DelMarVa Daily Times explains, it grows in an area inhospitable to most other biodiesel sources:

“You don’t have to divert land that is presently used for producing food and feed to the process of making biodiesel,” said Gallagher, who runs UD’s Halophyte Biotechnology Center with his wife and fellow researcher, Denise Seliskar.

With the threat of sea water encroaching on farmland and coastal aquifers in response to global warming, Gallagher believes the seashore mallow could help preserve the economic value of arable land transitioning to marsh land.

The leftover mallow seed meal make a good livestock feed, and the plant body can then be turned into cellulosic ethanol. Meanwhile, the roots are made into an industrial gum.

“It’s almost like the pig of the vegetable world; you can use everything but the squeal,” Gallagher said, noting that the roots are efficient at sequestering carbon pulled from the atmosphere, making the plant a “carbon-neutral” source of energy.

Funding the research can be an issue, and Gallagher says he’s looking for help from the federal government and private industry.

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, Ethanol, News, Research

Liberty for Michigan

Cindy Zimmerman

LibertyLiberty Renewable Fuels of Ithaca has announced plans to build Michigan’s largest ethanol plant.

The plant will be located in the middle of Michigan corn country and will produce 110-million gallons of ethanol per year.

Liberty officials have also announced the opportunity for local investors to contribute to the alternative energy plant.

“We are thrilled to have progressed to this point in our project. We are now able to invite the public to join in our effort,” said David Skjaerlund, President and CEO of Liberty. “Too often these opportunities go only to Wall Street. We’re giving Main Street Michigan a chance to invest on the ground floor. We know of no other ethanol plant in Michigan that has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to allow a public offering in the state prior to plant construction.”

Meetings are scheduled throughout the state this month to provide information for those who are interested in investing in the plant.

Liberty Fuels officials were in Lansing at the State Capitol Wednesday for the announcement and to display an ethanol-powered race car they plans to run at Michigan International Speedway later this summer.

Ethanol, Facilities, News

Ethanol Sunrise

Cindy Zimmerman

Poet LadonniaYou may have heard of a Tequila Sunrise – well, this is an Ethanol Sunrise.

Chuck Zimmerman took these shots of the sun rising on the Poet Biorefining plant in Laddonia, Missouri Tuesday on his way to the 2007 InfoAg Conference in Springfield, Illinois.

According to POET’s website, POET Biorefining – Laddonia began operations in September of 2006. The state-of-the art ethanol production facility consumes approximately 16 million bushels of locally-grown corn to produce 45 million gallons of ethanol annually.

Poet Ladonnia 2POET Biorefining – Laddonia was formed by East Central Ag Products, North East Missouri Grain and POET. POET Biorefining – Laddonia is proud to enhance the local economy with improved corn prices, value-added markets for farmers, good-paying jobs, and increased local tax revenue.

EPIC, Ethanol, Facilities, News

First Sugarcane Ethanol Plant Planned

Cindy Zimmerman

Gay Rob SugarGay & Robinson Inc. and Pacific West Energy LLC have formed a partnership to develop the first fuel ethanol plant in America to create renewable power and clean-burning ethanol fuel from sugarcane. The new 12-million-gallon-per-annum plant will use sugar juice and molasses as feedstock.

According to a news release, “the newly created partnership, Gay & Robinson Ag-Energy LLC, will also ensure the continuation of the Gay & Robinson agricultural enterprise, one of the oldest in Hawaii. Approximately 230 jobs will be preserved, and a large area of West Kauai will be maintained in sustainable agriculture.”

The initial $80 million phase of capital investment will include installation of a new biomass boiler and turbine generator to efficiently produce renewable electricity. Design and engineering work has begun, and an air permit for the ethanol plant has been secured. Future business plans call for additional stages of energy production, including biodiesel production, a methane recovery system, the processing of municipal solid waste, hydro power, the conversion of biomass into liquid fuels and solar energy production.

Ethanol, News

Governor’s Ethanol Challenge

Cindy Zimmerman

CACThe Minnesota Governor’s Ethanol Challenge is happening this week at four Wissota dirt tracks– July 10 in Alexandria, July 11 in Madison, July 12 in Willmar and July 13 in Montevideo.

According to the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest, the Midwest Modified class races are “auto racing at its roots – loud, local and promoting an alternative fuel grown, produced and sold in Minnesota.”

“This annual event means a lot to local racetracks, the communities and to the Midwest Modified racers who have embraced this renewable fuel,” said Chad Willis, a member of the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council and big fan of dirt track racing. “I have attended just about every race since the Governor’s Challenge began. The racers often tell me they prefer using ethanol because it has high octane, burns cooler and allows them to use smaller engines and get the same horsepower.”

Ethanol, News, Racing

California Plans World’s Largest Solar Farm

John Davis

cleantech.pngSan Francisco-based Cleantech America, LLC says it will build a solar power farm possibly a square mile in size… making it seven times bigger than the world’s largest and 17 times bigger than anything else of its kind in America.

This story from CNN.com says the project is slated to be completed in 2011 and would produce 80 megawatts of electricity:

Bill Barnes, CEO of Cleantech, said the scale of the Kings River Conservation District Community Choice Solar Farm will change renewable energy and make California the global leader for huge solar projects and replace Germany as the solar energy hub of the world.

“We’re pretty confident that solar farms on this scale are going to have an industry-changing impact,” Barnes said by telephone on Friday. “We think it’s the wave of the future. This scale of project, I think, creates a tipping point for renewable energy.”

Barnes declined to give the estimated construction cost of the Community Choice farm.

“We think the impact for it will be similar to the impact of the computer chip,” which gained computing power once made on a large scale, Barnes said.

When finished, the project will power almost 21,000 homes. Cleantech also has plans to build another 80-megawatt plant… if enough California land can be found.

Miscellaneous

Rising Feedstock Prices Squeezing Biodiesel End Product

John Davis

USDA logoFederal Agriculture Department officials are warning that the rising demand for biodiesel is pushing up the demand, and the price, for the feedstocks that go into biodiesel… and that is cutting into already thin margins biodiesel are working under.

USDA Chief Economist Keith Collins says soybean oil prices have already been going up, and farmers are planting 15 percent fewer acres of soybeans to make way for corn to produce ethanol… pushing supplies down even further… and prices for the biodiesel feedstock even higher.

Keith Collins“As we look out over the coming year, we still think we’re going to have adequate supplies of soybeans, but the price for soybean meal and soybean oil is going up, and biodiesel, made from soybean oil has already been on a very thin margin over the past year.”

Officials say rising regular diesel prices have stayed up as well, and that has helped.

Click here to hear the USDA’s story on this subject.

Biodiesel