EcoJet On Display at CMA

Chuck Zimmerman

EcoJetWhen I traveled to Jay Leno’s Garage recently the EcoJet was still being worked on and we couldn’t take pictures of it. Now it’s out on tour and the latest stop is the CMA Music Festival at the New Holland tent. Jay has a New Holland Boomer tractor to pull cars around in his garage and it runs on a biodiesel blend.

Jay wanted a jet engine of a car and he got one. The EcoJet runs on 100% biodiesel and cranks out 650 horsepower showing that this alternative fuel is high performance.

I interviewed Steve Reich about the car. He works for Jay Leno doing logistics which includes traveling around with this car lately. The EcoJet was designed by Jay working with General Motors. Steve says that the car is very light weight and should be able to hit about 220 mph. I’m guessing that when Jay drives it to the studio to do his show he’ll be doing the speed limit. Right?

Having the car on display here at the New Holland tent came about after Gene Hemphill, New Holland Public Affairs Director, met with Steve and Jay in Burbank when Jay decided to get his New Holland Boomer. Here’s my interview with Steve: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/new-holland/cma-07-reich.mp3]

Biodiesel

Wind Industry Dodges Bird Bullet

John Davis

Cong. Nick RahallThe wind generation industry in America breathed a collective sigh of relief when a U.S. Congressman from a coal-producing state pulled a measure that would have effectively killed wind power generation as an alternative to coal-powered plants.

Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, D-West Virginia had been pushing for regulations that would require the U.S. Interior Department to protect birds and bats by regulating the siting and operation of energy wind turbines to ensure the safety of wildlife. According to this AP article in the Jackson Hole (WY) Star Tribune, wind industry officials said those rules would have halted the development of wind farms:

His action unleashed intense lobbying by the wind industry and renewable energy advocates, who argued that such restrictions would stop wind farm development at a time when wind is viewed as the most viable renewable alternative to fossil fuels and nuclear power for producing electricity.

Cong. Edward MarkeyAs his committee began final crafting of the energy package Wednesday, Rahall relented and agreed to support, instead, a less-sweeping measure offered by Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. It calls on the Interior Department to develop “guidelines” for protection of wildlife from wind turbines, not regulations.

“I think it was a good compromise. It will allow the development of wind and still allow for a process” to protect wildlife, Rahall said after his committee recessed for the day. A final vote on the energy package was expected today.

This “will allow wind power to continue to thrive,” said Markey. Rahall said he expects Markey’s amendment to get final approval, although it must still go through a formal committee vote.

The article goes on to say the turnaround shows how much more clout the wind power industry has now compared to a few years ago. Having some big allies, such as General Electric, now in the game sure doesn’t hurt either.

Wind

On the Road in Jenny Owen Youngs’ Biodiesel Van

John Davis

Jenny Owen YoungsSinger Jenny Owen Youngs, known for her music on the Showtime series Weeds, is incorporating some green (different kind of green in this case) in the van she’s using to tour the country.

This article from HARP Magazine features Youngs:

On her current tour, Jenny Owen Youngs will be tooling around in a biodiesel van. She got the idea from touring mate Vienna Teng’s “Green Caravan” concept of putting all touring musicians in environmentally friendly rides. “It’s all about minimizing [our] impact on the environment,” says Youngs. She, Teng and Teng’s band are also toting their own eating utensils (no disposables), keeping a Brita water purifier onboard (cuttin’ down on plastic bottles), and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity on off days.

Check out Youngs and her music on her web site www.jennyowenyoungs.com or on her My Space page.

Biodiesel

Portland Mandates Biodiesel

John Davis

Portland sealStarting next month, all diesel sold in Portland, Oregon will have to have at least a five percent biodiesel content.

And according to this story on eTrucker.com, the City Council has made the standard even higher for city vehicles:

City-owned diesel vehicles must use fuel with a biodiesel content of more than 20 percent.

The rule also mandates that all gasoline sold in the city must contain at least 10 percent ethanol. City gasoline-powered vehicles that can operate on 85 percent ethanol will be required to do so.

The council argued that the mandate will help Oregon farmers and reduce the city’s annual petroleum fuel consumption while not hurting vehicle owners, as vehicles can run on biofuels without modification.

Biodiesel, Government

Michigan’s BIG Program Installing Biofuels Pumps

John Davis

That’s the Biofuels Infrastructure Grant Program that gets federal money to help gas station owners/operators install E-85 and B20 (or higher percentage) pumps to encourage the Earth-friendly fuels.

Gov Jennifer GranholmThe latest was a station the Quick Sav Food Store in Swartz Creek. That station got about $8,400 to put in the new pumps… one of six stations in Michigan that received about $43,400 in grants to help put in the infrastructure that will get ethanol and biodiesel into the hands (or more accurately, into the tanks) of drivers – check out this press release posted on Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s web site.

It’s not a huge amount of money… it’s not a huge amount of fuel affected, but just think if each station across the country was able to offer customers the choice of using biofuels. Most people in the U.S. say they would use more ethanol and biodiesel… if it were more readily available.

For details on the BIG Program, click on this website.

Biodiesel, Ethanol

DuPont Turns Corn Into Oil

John Davis

No, it’s not corn oil… it’s propanediol, a corn-sugar based product that replaces petroleum in many uses.

DOE - Samuel BodmanU.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman today in Loudon, Tennessee joined officials from DuPont Tate & Lyle in a joint venture to open a $100 million Bio-PDO(TM) facility… the world’s first of its kind. Check out this release posted on PR Newswire:
DuPont Tate & Lyle logo
Bio-PDO(TM) is a versatile, biodegradable and high-performance ingredient that can be used in cosmetics, liquid detergents and industrial applications such as anti-freeze and many other applications that currently use glycols. It also can be used as a monomer to produce unsaturated polyester resins as well as other specialty polymers such as DuPont(TM) Sorona(R) and the latest renewably sourced polymer, DuPont(TM) Cerenol(TM). In addition, renewably sourced Hytrel(R) thermoplastic elastomers and a new line of renewable DuPont automotive finishes are two new product lines scheduled to launch later this year. The first commercial product was sold in November 2006, and demand for new uses of Bio-PDO(TM) continues to grow with nearly a dozen product applications.

The plant will use a special fermentation process developed jointly by DuPont and Tate & Lyle to produce Bio-PDO using corn sugar instead of petroleum-based feedstocks.

PDO ProcessThere are two products that come out of Bio-PDO: Zemea(TM) and Susterra(TM) propanediol. Zemea is used for personal cleaning products and liquid detergents due to its high purity and low irritation. Susterra is used in de-icing fluids, anti-freeze and heat transfer fluids because of its low toxicity and biodegradability.

You can see more about this interesting new product at the Dupont Tate & Lyle web site (www.duponttateandlyle.com).

Miscellaneous

Ethanol Merger in the Works

Cindy Zimmerman

Countryside Farmer-owned Dakota Ethanol of South Dakota is merging with Countryside Renewable Energy of Iowa.

Under the proposed merger announced this week, Dakota Ethanol owners Lake Area Corn Processors would exchange 100 percent of its ownership for a combination of cash and equity shares in Countryside.

dakotaAccording to a press release, Dakota Ethanol board member Brian Woldt said the company has been successful in the eight years it has been operating.

“But we also know that our members are always looking to move forward,” Woldt said. “We have entered into this process with Countryside to become part of a larger ethanol production organization which we believe will help us to improve profitability, our competitive position and our long-term prospects.”

Ethanol, Facilities, News

E85 for East Tennessee

Cindy Zimmerman

pilotPilot Corporation has opened the first fuel pump in East Tennessee to sell 85 percent ethanol (E85).

pilot openHelping with the grand opening was Alan Jones, manager of Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Environmental Policy Office, who is pictured fueling up a state vehicle with E85 at the Walker Springs Road Pilot location just off of I-40 in Knoxville.

“Pilot is proud to take this first step in bringing E85 fuel to Knoxville and East Tennessee,” said Jimmy Haslam, CEO of Pilot Corporation. “As it is feasible, we will continue to install E85 pumps at other locations in Knoxville and elsewhere. E85 is an important breakthrough alternative fuel source. It’s American made and can help U.S. farmers since ethyl alcohol comes from crops. As production increases, E85 will help ensure that our country has the proper supply of energy in light of continually increasing world-wide demand for gasoline.”

Haslam said that Pilot is grateful to Tenn. Gov. Phil Bredesen and the State of Tennessee for providing funding for alternative fuel resources such as E85. He said that this kind of support will allow fuel distributors like Pilot Corporation to continue to install E85 pumps.

E85, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News

Blogging POET

Cindy Zimmerman

POET POET is composing a “Rhapsody in Green.”

That’s the clever title of POET’s new blog site, created and maintained by POET Director of Public Relations Nathan Schock. It’s a very nice looking and well done blog.

Nathan says the purpose of the site is to “give you an inside look at the largest dry-mill ethanol producer in the country. An inside look at the company that is developing the next generation of biofuels: cellulosic ethanol.”

Most of all, we intend to introduce you to the people inside POET. They are a talented group of individuals who are constantly innovating in the ethanol industry. As we build plants, speak at conferences, develop technology and produce ethanol, we’ll talk about it here.

Check it out. We’ve also put a link to Rhapsody in the side bar.

Ethanol, News

Interest PERC’d in Propane

Chuck Zimmerman

PERCHere’s a heads up about a short trip I’m taking next week courtesy of the Propane Education & Research Council. I’ll be attending Propane Days, which is sponsored in part by PERC. Propane Days is put on by the National Propane Gas Association to educate policymakers on the benefits of propane. I’ll be there for a couple of days to chronicle and write about PERC’s involvement.

Propane DaysWhile I’m there I’ll be conducting interviews, taking pictures and talking with PERC staff and members about what they do. It’s going to be a learning experience which we’ll do together.

Propane Exceptional EnergyOne of the topics I’m sure you’ll be interested in is the Roush F-150 liquid propane injection truck. One thing is for sure. We’ll learn why they call it “exceptional energy.” Look for some reports starting on Wednesday.

Propane