RFA Wins TRANSCAER Award for Ethanol Safety

Joanna Schroeder

For the fourth time, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), has won the TRANSCAER National Achievement Award for hosting its series of ethanol safety seminars last year for first and emergency responders. The award is given in recognition of great achievement in rfalogo1support of the TRANSCAER initiative, a volunteer coalition that works to ensure the safety of emergency responsders, in this instance how to prepare and handle hazardous material incidents. In 2015, RFA held 15 ethanol safety seminars and two Train the Trainer events, which trained 541 emergency responders on how to properly respond to an ethanol incident.

Additionally, RFA Technical Services Manager Missy Ruff received a TRANSCAER Individual Achievement Award for her work last year in planning the ethanol safety events.

“We are honored to receive this award for the fourth year in a row, and for Missy’s outstanding work in coordinating these essential events,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “Safety is the ethanol industry’s top priority, and while recent data shows ethanol has been delivered 99.999 percent of the time without incident, we know accidents can happen. We want first responders to be prepared in the rare instance a release occurs.”

Since December 2010, RFA has held 167 ethanol safety seminars spanning 29 states, training more than 5,000 emergency responders.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA, safety

Generations of Agriculturalists

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How many generations has your family been involved in agriculture?”

It is always humbling to see the number of farmers and ranchers across the country who have been in the business for many generations. But honestly, I am more excited to see so many people involved in agriculture for the first generation. Farming isn’t easy. It is far to often hard to meet ends meet. However, there is nothing more rewarding. I am proud to say my family has been involved in agriculture too many years to count.

Here are the poll results:

  • 1st gen – 20%
  • Under 5 generations – 18%
  • 5-10 generations – 31%
  • Too many to count – 31%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, How concerned are you about feeding 9 billion by 2050?

Demographers project we will have over 9 billion people to feed by 2050. Do you think this is a realistic prediction? If so, it opens a lot of opportunity for agriculture but also adds pressure to do so in a sustainable way. If not, then perhaps we don’t have too much to worry about. Just how concerned are you about #Feedingthe9?

ZimmPoll

5 Surprising Sources of Renewable Energy

Joanna Schroeder

*This is a special feature to DomesticFuel from Rebecca Paredes with Green Future.

Weird renewable energy sourcesAccording to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Earth’s average temperature has risen by 1.5°F over the past century — and as long as we continue to burn fossil fuels, that number “is projected to rise another 0.5 to 8.6°F over the next hundred years.”

Human activities have released large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. The majority of greenhouse gases come from burning fossil fuels to produce energy, and one of the prime offenders is coal — a resource that some estimate will last no more than another 250 years at today’s consumption rate.

So, not only are we increasing the planet’s overall atmospheric temperature, but we’re also steadily running out of the energy source that powers places like the Gibson generating station in southwestern Indiana, which churns out “more than 3,000 megawatts of electric power, 50 percent more than Hoover Dam,” writes Tim Appenzeller.

Fortunately, promising developments in the renewable energy sector have created greater opportunities for widespread change. For instance, the city of San Francisco recently became the first major US city to require the installation of solar panels on new buildings. This unanimous decision came as part of San Francisco’s goal to meet 100 percent of the city’s electricity demand with renewable energy.

Unexpected Sources Of Renewable Energy

At the same time, solar isn’t our planet’s only promising source of renewable energy; wind and hydroelectric power have also demonstrated that it’s possible to power large-scale electric grids. But some sources of renewable energy are distinctly out of the ordinary — and in some cases, they’re downright weird.

Clean Energy, Hydro, Renewable Energy, Solar, Wind

#IE02016 Projects Strong Renewable Energy Growth

Joanna Schroeder

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released its International Energy Outlook 2016 (IEO2016) with updated projections for world energy markets through 2040. During this timeframe, world energy consumption is projected to increase more than 48 percent led by strong increases in Asia as well as China and India.

IEO_2016webimage“Developing Asia accounts for more than half of the projected increase in global energy use through 2040,” said EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski. “This increase will have a profound effect on the development of world energy markets.”

The report finds that clean energy technologies play an important role in the outlook, with renewables expected to be the fastest-growing energy source. IEO2016 projects renewables as the fastest-growing global energy source increasing 2.6 percent each year through 2040. However, fossil fuels will still supply more than three quarters of world energy use, albeit falling.

By 2040, coal, natural gas, and renewable energy sources provide roughly equal shares (28%-29%) of world electricity generation. This is a major change from 2012 when coal provided 40 percent of all power generation. Going forward, wind and hydropower are predicted to be the two largest contributors with an estimated two-thirds increase.

Interestingly, if the forecasts prove accurate the move away from fossil-fuel based electricity will not be enough to stave off carbon increases. IEO2016 finds worldwide energy-related carbon dioxide emissions will rise from 32 billion metric tons in 2012 to 36 billion metric tons in 2020 and then to 43 billion metric tons in 2040, a 34 percent increase from 2012 to 2040.

Electricity, Hydro, Solar, Wind

Montreal-Trudeau Airport for Biojet Pilot Program

Joanna Schroeder

The next step in Canada’s Biojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI) has been determined. Air Canada has announced the three-year collaborative project will take place at the Montréal-Trudeau Airport. The goal of the program, that includes 14 stakeholders, is to use 400,000 litres of aviation biojet (biofuel) into a shared fuel system.

Air Canada's first biojet fueled flightAviation fuel is not new to Air Canada. The airline has flown with biojet fuel but the biofuel was segregated from traditional jet fuel and loaded separately into the aircraft via a tanker truck. However, this program aims to integrate the two fuels together and create the ability for a multi-user, co-mingled airport fuel supply system. One goal of the project is to identify and help solve supply logistic barriers that arise when aviation biofuels are introduced at major Canadian airports.

“We are pleased that this important initiative will be held at Montréal-Trudeau Airport,” said Teresa Ehman, director – Environmental Affairs at Air Canada. “Air Canada has invested billions of dollars in fleet renewal to reduce our fuel consumption and meet our current emission reduction goals. Biojet holds the potential to be an important part of our strategy for achieving our longer-term industry goals of carbon neutral growth from 2020 and a 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050, relative to 2005 levels. The CBSCI project will contribute significantly to advancing a biojet supply chain in Canada by facilitating the logistics involved in the introduction of biojet to an airport’s shared fuel system.”

This is the first of its kind project in Canada and one step in getting the aviation industry closer to creating a sustainable supply chain of renewable feedstocks for use in biojet fuel. The bioject used in the CBSCI project will be sourced from commercially available, certifiably sustainable Canadian oleochemical feedstocks using the Hydroprocessed Esters and a Fatty Acids (HEFA) conversion process. The biojet will be blended with petroleum jet fuel to meet all technical quality specifications before being introduced into a shared fuel tank at Montreal-Trudeau Airport.

“This initiative is consistent with Aéroports de Montréal’s (ADM) efforts to reduce GHG emissions. We are proud that Air Canada has chosen Montréal–Trudeau for this project. Let’s hope that this will be just the start of a strong short- and medium-term partnership to ensure the project’s success,” added ADM President and Chief Executive Officer James Cherry.

advanced biofuels, aviation biofuels, biojet fuel

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1A new initiative has been launched as part of the U.S. DOE’s Sunshot program – Orange Button. The initiative is designed to simplify and standardize data across the solar project lifestyle, enhance data quality, and make solar transactions more efficient. SGIP and partner Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) are organizing a wide array of market participants to drive strategy and to collect business requirements from a variety of perspectives. They are asking industry leaders to join them in defining the strategy and business requirements to make solar projects more bankable by signing up to participate in one of five working groups. More info about Orange Button and how to participate can be found here.
  • Green Plains Inc. has announced that its board of directors appointed Ejnar Knudsen as an independent director, effective May 5, 2016. Mr. Knudsen has joined the board as its tenth director, filling a vacant position, whose term expires at the 2017 annual meeting.
  • According to a new report released by the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, “Advanced Energy Jobs in Texas,” employment in Texas’s advanced energy industry stands at an estimated 143,023 workers. This is more people than are employed in chemical manufacturing and petroleum refining, twice as many as employed by airlines, and nearly as many working in building construction in the Lone Star State. Employers engaged in advanced energy business expect to increase their workforce by 7% this year, which would bring Texas’s advanced energy industry to over 152,000 jobs.
Bioenergy Bytes

Bill Attempts to Cap Ethanol Blends

Joanna Schroeder

A new bill was introduced this week that would cap ethanol blends in the U.S. transportation fuel system to no more than 9.7 percent by volume. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.), all biofuel critics. This bill is in conflict to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), an energy policy designed to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign sources of oil.

Ethanol Pump Photo May 2016 Joanna Schroeder

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen responded to the bill by saying, “Passage of this bill would represent a complete capitulation to the oil industry that steadfastly refuses to provide consumers higher octane, lower cost alternative fuels at the pump. They whine about a so-called blend wall even as they continue to build it themselves by denying consumer access to E15 and E85. The RFS was made necessary by oil company intransigence. It was intended to break the stranglehold oil companies have on the motor fuel market by forcing access. This bill would gut the RFS and send America’s energy and climate change policy back decades. Americans want choices at the pump, they want to see lower carbon fuels, they want to spend less on motor fuel, and they want to stimulate investments in new technologies and new fuels to drive our economy in a low carbon world. This bill would sacrifice all of that at the altar of Big Oil, and that is why it will never pass.”

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA, RFS

Setting the Record Straight: #Ethanol & Marine Engines

Joanna Schroeder

Engine and marine experts called on Washington lawmakers this week to get the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) back on track. The White House Office of Management and Budget is expected to release its review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed blending requirements for biofuels in 2017 soon. Fuels America hosted a panel discussion and press call with several certified mechanics, engine performance experts and professional fisherman who discussed the benefits of ethanol including the environmental benefits for marine life and engine performance as well as dispelled myths about ethanol. In addition, the panelists addressed misconceptions about ethanol use in classic cars in response to recent comments by Jay Leno.

From left to right: Marc Rauch, Executive Vice President and Co-Publisher at the Auto Channel; Joel Hennen, President and Owner of Hennen’s Auto Service; Brian Sowers, Co-Host of Crappie Masters TV; & Keith Holmes, President and Owner of CK Motorsports

From left to right: Marc Rauch, Executive Vice President and Co-Publisher at the Auto Channel; Joel Hennen, President and Owner of Hennen’s Auto Service; Brian Sowers, Co-Host of Crappie Masters TV; & Keith Holmes, President and Owner of CK Motorsports

According to Keith Holmes, president and owner of CK Motorsports based in Nunica, Michigan, the National Boat Racing Association exclusively uses E10 for all of its races. “We work on a wide variety of racing engines for watercraft, and they run at their absolute best on a high-octane ethanol blend.” Holmes, who is a certified marine racing technician, stressed that ethanol burns cleaner and cooler and since the introduction of E10 into the sport, many racers have found that many engine parts have a 25 to 50 percent longer lifespan.

“It doesn’t matter whether a boat has a two-stroke or four-stroke engine, an in-board or out-board motor, or a built-in or portable fuel tank,” explained Marc Rauch, executive vice president and co-publisher at the Auto Channel, based in Louisville, Kentucky. “Decades of experience with modern engines shows that E10 is the best fuel for marine applications. As an oxygen booster, ethanol replaces toxins like MTBE, which are notorious for contaminating water supplies. And it reduces CO2 emissions by 34 to 100 percent or more compared to gasoline.”

While Rauch and Holmes stressed the marine engine performance benefits of ethanol, also noting that E15 is not approved for use in marine engines, Brian Sowers, the co-host of Crappie Masters TV stressed the biofuels environmental benefits. “I want to take my grandkids fishing someday. That means having clean water and clean air. Mixing ethanol into our fuel is the best way to reduce the pollutants that fossil fuels leave behind, so our lakes and rivers stay clean and marine life can flourish.” Sowers covers the Crappie Masters All American Tournament Trail based in Clinton, Missouri and noted that 100 percent of the tournament winners use ethanol blends.

Major boat manufactures approve the use of E10 and Joel Hennen, president and owner of Shakopee, Minnesota-based Hennen’s Auto Service, said that if a boat owner properly takes care of his boat, then ethanol will pose no problems. He also noted that in his area, boaters ask for and use, ethanol. “We serve communities on the Minnesota River and Prior Lake, and our customers expect to have choices at the pump. Companies like Kawasaki, Mercury Marine, OMC, Pleasurecraft, Tigershark, Tracker, Honda, and Yamaha all approve the use of E10 in their engines. The labels are clear, and whether customers have a flex fuel vehicle or a race boat, we make it easy to pick the most affordable option with the lowest emissions.”

Learn more about ethanol, marine engines and other ethanol myths by listening to the full press conference: The Truth About #Ethanol & Marine Engines

Audio, biofuels, Boats, Ethanol, Fuels America, RFS

USDA, DOE Invest $10M in Green Energy Research

Joanna Schroeder

Biomass Photo Credit Joanna Schroeder

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

A joint venture has been forged between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help fund green energy research designed to develop more efficient biofuel production and agricultural feedstock improvements. The venture has been allocated $10 million from the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI).

“Advancements in bioenergy research will help protect our national energy security, reduce pollution, and bolster our energy supply,” said Cathie Woteki, under secretary for USDA’s Research, Education & Economics mission area. “Producing more renewable and biobased energy can also revitalize rural communities with a new economic market and provide farmers a profitable and sustainable investment through on-farm energy resources.”

Funding recipients include:

  • University of California-Riverside, Riverside, Calif., $1,297,725
  • University of Montana, Missoula, Mont., $1,403,868
  • Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., $1,849,940
  • State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, N.Y., $906,722
  • North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Durham, N.C., $1,873,987
  • The Department of Energy funded projects by Ohio State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The grant awards will be administered by the NIFA and DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. BRDI is a program designed to foster the development of sustainable sources of biomass and increase the availability, technology and economics of renewable fuels and biobased products.

advanced biofuels, biomass, bioproducts, USDA

RFA Expands #E10 Boat Campaign to The Hill

Joanna Schroeder

As the summer season kicks off (at least in the Midwest), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has kicked off an #E10 Boating campaign. This week, RFA ran an ad in The Hill to help combat misinformation on boating and #ethanol. Look for more to come as part of RFA’s extensive ethanol boating campaign.

IMG_0095

biofuels, Boats, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA