San Fran Change to Renewable Diesel Complete

John Davis

sfleeSan Francisco’s city fleet is off of petroleum. This news release from Mayor Edwin M. Lee says the City and County of San Francisco has completely replaced it with renewable diesel, a change that will achieve a significant 50 percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

“As the global climate negotiations conclude, San Francisco and cities worldwide must continue to lead by taking bold actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions immediately,” said Mayor Lee. “These actions cannot wait. San Francisco has ended its use of petroleum diesel to fill up the City’s fleet of vehicles and will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality for our residents immediately today.”

Mayor Lee first made the announcement in Vatican City at the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences’ Modern Slavery & Climate Change: The Commitment of the Cities conference, joining Pope Francis, Governor Jerry Brown, representatives of the United Nations and mayors and local governors from around the world to drive awareness, dialogue and action at the local level on climate change and modern slavery – two pressing, interconnected issues highlighted in the Pope’s encyclical, Laudato Si’.

San Francisco completed the switch to renewable diesel at all of the City’s fueling sites. The City’s Fleet Management Division estimates a 50 percent reduction, or 50,000 metric tons, in greenhouse gas emission as a result of ending the use of petroleum diesel and replacing it with renewable diesel. Using renewable diesel will also reduce the emissions of harmful air pollutants that harm the health of local residents and which disproportionately hurt San Francisco’s low-income communities because so much heavy duty vehicle traffic occurs in and near those communities.

“San Francisco is leading by example through the innovative management of our fleet of vehicles to combat climate change,” said City Administrator Naomi M. Kelly. “The use of renewable diesel is cost-neutral to San Francisco due to state and federal incentives to use renewable diesel. And it will also result in cleaner air for our transit operators, firefighters, and men and women in our bus yards and garages.”

renewable diesel

Austin Dabney Joins Growth Energy

Joanna Schroeder

Austin DabneyAustin Dabney has become the newest addition to the Growth Energy team as the new communications assistant. In his role he will be responsible for monitoring media coverage of the biofuels industry, as well as increasing Growth Energy’s digital and social media presence on various platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, Dabney will provide support for the overall mission of the communications team and work closely with Growth Energy’s members.

“We are very pleased and excited to have Austin join the Growth Energy team,” said Growth Energy Co-Chair Tom Buis. “Austin brings a good deal of knowledge and enthusiasm, and we are excited for him to begin working with our members and contributing to the renewable fuel industry’s cause.”

Company Announcement, Growth Energy

Shell Uses Football + Solar to Create Energy

Joanna Schroeder

Shell has been working on some creative ways to create renewable energy and one of their latest projects has been unveiled in Africa using human energy and solar power to create electricity. Music star Akon helped to bring attention to the project at the Federal College of Education in Akoka, Lagos. The new pitch is part of Shell’s #makethefuture program.

Shell and Akon unveil Africa's first player and solar powered football pitch in Lagos (PRNewsFoto/Royal Dutch Shell plc)

Shell and Akon unveil Africa’s first player and solar powered football pitch in Lagos (PRNewsFoto/Royal Dutch Shell plc)

The football pitch was refurbished by Shell using more than 90 underground tiles that capture kinetic energy created by the movement of the players. The kinetic energy is then stored and combined with power generated by solar panels to operate the new floodlights. This allows the students to play at night and provides a safer and more secure space at the heart of the community.

Osagie Okunbor, Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria & Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) said, “Shell makes a significant contribution to energy solutions for Nigeria, and we are committed to supporting the Nigerian economy and its people. We need bright energy ideas. Some of these will come from Shell but naturally, others will come from outside our business. So it’s crucial that Shell supports energy entrepreneurs, and we hope that this pitch will inspire more entrepreneurs and young people to help us make a smarter energy future.”

The tiles are the invention of a young British entrepreneur and founder of Pavegen, Laurence Kemball-Cook, whose idea is being brought to fruition through the Shell LiveWire program. The LiveWIRE programme was launched in Nigeria in 2003, and since then it has trained more than 6,000 youths in enterprise development and management, of whom more than 3,000 have been provided with business start-up assistance.

Akon, also a solar entrepreneur, joined Shell to open the pitch as part of his commitment to teaching young Africans the importance of harnessing the power of Africa’s renewable energy. The singer is spearheading, through Akon Lighting Africa, a large scale effort to develop solar-powered solutions that will provide African communities with access to clean and affordable sources of electricity. As part of the celebration at the Federal College of Education, Akon and DJ artist Philip “Hardwork” Constable debuted their new song “Tell Me We’re OK” in an exclusive performance on the pitch before its release in 2016. The innovative football pitch will be featured in the upcoming music video.

Akon added, “New, reliable and smarter energy solutions play a major role in driving human progress in Africa. Projects like this innovative football pitch draw attention to the major opportunity that Nigeria as well as the whole of Africa have if we look to better harness new technologies and the continent’s abundant renewable energy resources. That is why Hardwork and I will feature this pitch in our upcoming video for “Tell Me We’re OK” because I want young people, whether they are in Lagos, Los Angeles or London to think about how they too can help us make the future.”

Clean Energy, Electricity, International, Solar

Sing Along to the Climate Change Deniers’ Anthem

Joanna Schroeder

Funny or Die has done it again with their latest video “produced” by the Koch Brothers, the fossil fuel billionaires. In the video spoof, the Koch brothers pay celebrities to sing climate change denier’s anthem to the “We Are the World” music.

The video features actors Beau Bridges, January Jones, Darren Criss, Jennette McCurdy, Emily Osment, Ben Feldman, Estelle and more.

Like what you see? Then consider visiting ClimateTruth.org to fight back against the Koch brothers and all those blocking climate change action.

Clean Energy, Climate Change, Video

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1Alkane Truck Company has completed D.O.T. compliance with their Class 7 Cab Over truck and has announced plans to manufacture a Humvee-type vehicle they have branded The Alkane Dominator. The first Alkane Dominators off the assembly line will be powered by Liquid Propane Gas (LPG), but will be available with an optional Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuel system.
  • SemaConnect has installed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at The Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon, Colorado. The EV stations will be the first free and sustainably powered stations in Eagle County. The stations will be free and open to all members of the public to use. Power will be provided by PV solar panels along with renewable energy from Holy Cross Energy. Mobile applications for iPhone and Android as well as charging station websites can be used to find the stations and check availability.
  • UBM India will host the first edition of RenewX 2015, December 17-18, 2015, Renewable Energy trade show at Hitex, Hyderabad. Augmented further by the legacy of its flagship Renewable Energy India Expo (REI India), RenewX 2015, will provide an industry platform for organizations to capitalize and penetrate into the lucrative south Indian renewable energy market.
  • JA Solar Holdings has announced that it has won a contract to supply 100 MW of photovoltaic modules to one of the first three large-scale ground-mounted solar power facilities in Zimbabwe. The projects will have a combined installed capacity of 300 MW.
Bioenergy Bytes

Biodiesel Board Applauds Ore. Clean Fuel Program

John Davis

nBBOregon has joined a pair of its West Coast neighbors to finalize its Clean Fuels Program (CFP), gaining praise from the National Biodiesel Board, who points out how biodiesel can help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent by 2025.

“Biodiesel is the most sustainable fuel on the planet,” said Don Scott, National Biodiesel Board director of sustainability. “We expect to play a major role in the Oregon program, just like we have in California and British Columbia.”

Oregon’s announcement leaves Washington as the only state on the West Coast without a program to reduce GHG emissions.

Rather than conducting its own lifecycle analysis, Oregon will generally use the values created in California, which have concluded that biodiesel decreases GHG emissions by 50 to 80 percent.

“We are pleased that a regional carbon market has developed on the West Coast and that Oregon will primarily be using California values,” Scott said. “This should improve the efficiency and liquidity of the programs.”

California and British Columbia already have similar programs.

Biodiesel, NBB

School Teaches Farmers to Brew Own Biodiesel

John Davis

Farmers are known to be a pretty independent breed, and a school is teaching them to be energy independent by brewing their own biodiesel. This story from RFD-TV says Tennessee State University’s Agricultural Research and Education Center has a unique outreach program that teaches farmers about making their own on-farm biodiesel.

jdekoff“This is something where they can grow it, and they can make it themselves and they can use it on the farm,” says Jason de Koff, an assistant professor in agronomy and soil science at Tennessee State University. The school’s mobile demonstration trailer – think of it as a workshop on wheels – is making waves across the volunteer state.

“We were awarded a grant by the USDA back in 2012,” de Koff explains. “The grant was to create a demonstration that we could use to talk to farmers about producing their own biodiesel on the farm.”

TSU created this mobile biodiesel demonstration trailer at the university’s Agricultural Research and Education Center…where they even grow their own canola.

“The reason why we wanted to do this,” says de Koff, “is because we’ve estimated that anywhere between 1% and 3% of the farm acreage can be devoted to growing some of the oilseed crops for biodiesel production. The farmer can produce enough biodiesel from that to power their diesel equipment for the entire year.”

“The canola seeds are stored here inside this bin and then they funnel their way down through this tunnel on the equipment. You can seed that the seeds are then pressed for their oil, dripping down into this container. Down here on the end is everything that’s left over. Something that can break off and be used in your animal feed. Once we’ve got the oil from the seed press, we can take it and put it in this biodiesel processor. This is where the actual conversion and actual production of biodiesel takes place.”

The article goes on to point out that the cost to produce biodiesel on the farm is just $2.90 per gallon, a savings from buying at the pump. And farmers can apply for a Rural Energy for America grant program to help pay for 25 percent of the brewing equipment costs.

Biodiesel

Biodico Westside Bioenergy Facility Begins Production

Joanna Schroeder

The Biodico Westside bioenergy facility is now in production in San Joaquin Valley, California. Biodico President and Rounder Russ Teall says the 20 million gallon-per-year biodiesel facility is the first world’s first fully sustainable liquid biofuel facility.

(From Right to Left) JJ Rothgery, Chairman of the Board at Biodico; Russ Teall, President and Founder of Biodico; Janea Scott, California Energy Commissioner; John Diener, President and CEO, Red Rock Ranch; Jim Costa, U.S. Congressman; Jim Houston, Undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture; Dr. Frank Gornick, Chancellor of the West Hills Community College District; and Captain Monty Ashliman, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station Lemoore, at Biodico Westside Facility Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Red Rock Ranch in Five Points, Calif. (Photo: Business Wire)

(From Right to Left) JJ Rothgery, Chairman of the Board at Biodico; Russ Teall, President and Founder of Biodico; Janea Scott, California Energy Commissioner; John Diener, President and CEO, Red Rock Ranch; Jim Costa, U.S. Congressman; Jim Houston, Undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture; Dr. Frank Gornick, Chancellor of the West Hills Community College District; and Captain Monty Ashliman, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station Lemoore, at Biodico Westside Facility Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Red Rock Ranch in Five Points, Calif. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Biodico Westside Facility is a result of years of research and development to produce biofuels that make good environmental, social and business sense,” said Teall during the commissioning event. “Today, we are forging a new path in biofuel production by utilizing sustainable solutions to convert diverse feedstocks into renewable sources of fuel and energy.”

Biodico Westside is located at Red Rock Ranch in Five Points, Calif., which is in one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions. According to Biodico, the facility operates entirely on renewable heat and power and incorporates advanced real-time and remote monitoring leading to complete system automation. In addition to processing multi-feedstocks, including used cooking oil, vegetable oil, and animal fats to name a few, the facility also utilizes anaerobic digestion, gasification and an advanced utility scale solar cogeneration system.

“We developed proprietary technology to greatly enhance the economics of producing high-quality biodiesel, as well as create a modular system that is easy to deploy on a global scale,” said JJ Rothgery, Biodico’s board chair. “The facility is uniquely designed to meet the practical needs of regional transportation companies, and at the same time, provide a solution to address energy security and sustainable farming practices.”

The development of Biodico Westside was supported, in part, by grants from the California Energy Commission and in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, UC Davis, UCSB and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In addition, many of the jobs at Biodico Westside were created in partnership with West Hills Community College, a region with high unemployment rates. Biodico developed an internship program specifically for West Hills and hires graduates of their two-year Industrial Technology Program, which gives many farm laborers higher skills and more lucrative employment says Teall. Read More

advanced biofuels, Agribusiness, Biodiesel, Renewable Energy, Solar

U.S. Solar Market Shines Brighter Than Ever

Joanna Schroeder

SMI-2015Q3-PR-fig-1

FIGURE: Cumulative U.S. PV Installed Capacity, 2007-2016E. Source: GTM Research / SEIA U.S. Solar Market Insight

The U.S. solar market is shining brighter than ever according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Report, Q3, 2015. Installed solar PV capacity in the U.S. was 1,361 MW, marking the eighth consecutive quarter in which the U.S. has installed more than a gigawatt of capacity. It also sets the stage for the best year in history for solar installations. The report was prepared by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

“This past quarter marked the calm before the storm,” said GTM Research Senior Solar Analyst Cory Honeyman. “The one-gigawatt mark for quarterly capacity additions will serve as a distant floor as project developers ramp up installations in the next five quarters before the planned step down of the 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC).”

GTM Research expects the fourth quarter of this year to be the largest quarter for solar installations in U.S. history. Led by the utility-scale segment, representing 42 percent of the nationwide total, the U.S. will install more than 3 GW. Looking further out, cumulative PV installations will nearly double between now and the end of 2016, bringing the nationwide total to 41 GW.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • The U.S. installed 1,361 MWdc of solar PV in Q3 2015, marking the eighth consecutive quarter in which the U.S. added more than 1 GWdc of PV installations.
  • Throughout the first three quarters of 2015, 30% of all new electric generating capacity brought on-line in the U.S. came from solar.
  • As of Q3 2015, more than 50% of all states in the U.S. have more than 50 MWdc of cumulative solar PV installed.
  • Totaling 18.7 GWdc, the current utility PV development pipeline is greater than all U.S. PV installations brought on-line through the end of 2014.
  • GTM Research forecasts that 7.4 GWdc of new PV installations will come on-line in 2015, up 19% over 2014. Growth will occur in the residential and utility PV segments, while for the second straight year, non-residential solar will dip 5%.
  • 2014 was the largest year ever for concentrating solar power, with 767 MWac brought on-line. The next notable CSP project slated for completion is SolarReserve’s 110 MWac Crescent Dunes, which entered the commissioning phase in 2014 and is expected to become fully operational by early 2016.

Read More

Clean Energy, Electricity, Solar

EDF EN Commissions Mont-Rothery Wind Project

Joanna Schroeder

The Mont-Rothery wind project has been commissioned. The 74 MW wind farm is sited on public lands in the MRC of Haute-Gaspésie and MRC of Côte-de-Gaspé. Construction of the project, owned by EDF EN Canada Inc., began in 2014 and features 37 turbines of 2 MW each supplied by Senvion. The electricity will be delivered to Hydro-Quebec Distribution under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement.

Mont-Rothery Wind Project“Throughout the development and construction phases, EDF EN Canada has worked hand in hand with the host community and elected officials of the region. The project is a practical example of our company’s philosophy in action – achieving sustainable development through cooperation and harmonious relations with our host communities,” said Al Kurzenhauser, Chief Operating Officer for EDF EN Canada.

Throughout the 20-year contract with Hydro-Quebec, the MRCs involved will share a combined annual contribution of CAD $185,000. By the end of 2017, EDF EN Canada will have placed in service 1,599 MW of wind and solar projects in Canada.

Alex Couture, Director of Generation for EDF EN Canada added, “We extend a special thanks to Mr. Gaétan Lelièvre, deputy of Gaspé, Ms. Délisca Ritchie-Roussy, the mayor of Murdochville and the prefect of the MRC of Côté-de-Gaspé, as well as Mr. Allen Cormier, the prefect of the MRC of Haute -Gaspésie. We are grateful for the spirit of partnership and for the confidence they have showed since the first steps of Mont-Rothery development. We look forward to many years of continued collaboration and success with them.”

Clean Energy, Electricity, Wind