U.S. Toyota Makes Cars with ‘Green’ Gas

Joanna Schroeder

Toyota will soon be manufacturing cars with “green” gas. The company announced its efforts to nearly eliminate all CO2 emissions from its factories and vehicles and will achieve this, in part, with electricity produced from methane. The “green” gas, also known in some instances as renewable natural gas, is a byproduct of trash decomposition from the nearby Central Kentucky Landfill.

Screen Shot 2015-11-18 at 12.26.51 AM“We will generate one megawatt (1 million watts) per hour at the site,” said Toyota’s environmental strategies manager Dave Absher. “That’s enough annual energy generation to produce approximately 10,000 vehicles. The system can eventually be scaled up to 10 megawatts per hour.”

Toyota has announced aggressive global emission reduction goals for all of its production plants as well as for the cars they produce. This year the company launched the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and has made the technology available for use by other automakers. In addition, they are developing manufacturing technologies that also use hydrogen as a power source within their plants. The company has also integrated other renewable energy power sources including wind, solar and locally produced renewable energy. Toyota hopes to reach its zero emissions goal by 2050.

“The landfill gas generator represents the kind of thinking that our company is asking us to do to reduce our carbon footprint over the next 35 years,” said Kevin Butt, Toyota’s general manager for environment strategies. “It’s a small step, but a significant one. These types of changes to our manufacturing operations coupled with other global initiatives will help us reach this very aggressive goal.”Read More

automotive, biomethane, Clean Energy, Renewable Energy, Solar, Wind

Biodiesel Leaders Push for Tax Credit Renewal

John Davis

Biodiesel leaders from across the nation descended on Washington, D.C., to push lawmakers to renew the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax credit. The National Biodiesel Board points out producers have been without the credit for all of 2015, and that’s the fourth time in six years Congress has allowed it to lapse.

nafb15-nbb-gregDuring the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, NBB board member Greg Anderson, a soybean producer from Nebraska, said they’d like to get the tax credit done for two years – retroactive for 2015 and for the upcoming 2016 calendar year. He said it’s important to get this passed.

“It levels the playing field,” said Anderson. “We know that oil is subsidized, and biodiesel is a young industry [in comparison]. It would give incentives and confidence to the plants out there that have the production capacity, want to make new hires, provide great jobs and energy independence. We’re lacking when [the tax credit] is not in place.”

Anderson feels confident it will get done, because he knows the NBB’s Washington office has been working legislators hard. He hopes those lawmakers will realize just how valuable the fuel is and how it fits with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“Biodiesel is the tip of the spear toward the RFS’ success. We’re the only advanced biofuel commercially available,” showing success from coast-to-coast, heating homes and fueling vehicles cleanly, he noted.

Anderson added the NBB is also working with the Environmental Protection Agency that could see more aggressive RFS growth for biodiesel than what the EPA is currently proposing.

Listen to interview here: NBB board member Greg Anderson

Audio, Biodiesel, Legislation, NAFB, NBB, RFS

Wind Energy Can Lead Europe in 2030

Joanna Schroeder

According to a new report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), wind power can exceed gas, coal and other forms of energy by 2030 if European member states follow the ambitious policy framework put in place through 2030.

EWEA Report - Aiming HighThe report finds total wind installations in Europe could reach 392GW with 294GW of onshore and 98GW of offshore wind. Today, Europe’s 128.8GW can meet 10 percent of European power consumption in a normal wind year. Giles Dickson, CEO of the European Wind Energy Association, noted wind power can be the foundation of the European energy system within the next 15 years.

The report outlines a number of policy priorities that need to be addressed including the development of national renewable energy action plans for member states; streamlining national permitting procedures; proposing legislation for well-functioning energy markets and driving reform of the Emissions Trading System. Should these policies be implemented the report finds the measures will result in a net gain of EUR13 billion, the equivalent of the EU’s funding for transport infrastructure over the next 5 years. The wind industry would also support up to 366,000 direct and indirect jobs.

“Wind power makes economic sense. But policymakers must demonstrate more determination than is on show today,” said Dickson. “Wind power can deliver economic growth in Europe by boosting investments, creating jobs and reducing electricity bills. A new market design, a reformed ETS and rigorous accountability on 2030 targets are essential if these goals are to be achieved.”

“Already onshore wind is cheaper than any form of new power generation. Last year wind power installed more than gas and coal combined in the EU. Europe’s energy and economic transition is underway.” Dickson added, “Now politicians must decide whether to accelerate this transition or drag their heels, which would damage investments and job creation.”

Clean Energy, Electricity, offshore wind, Wind

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1New Hampshire is crashing into an arbitrary cap on solar, and without swift measures before the next legislative session begins in January, New Hampshire’s competitive solar market and local jobs are in jeopardy. Tell Utilities Solar Won’t be Killed (TUSK) and their Chairman Barry Goldwater Jr. are urging New Hampshire’s leaders to preserve competition by lifting this cap on energy choice and preventing disruption to a growing market.
  • Concurrent Design, Inc. has received a one-year, $1 million cooperative award from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative. With support from Pecan Street Inc., the company will develop an advanced prototype of Energy Switch, a home energy device that manages the flow of electricity between a home, the home’s solar panels, an on-site battery, back-up generation, and the electric grid.
  • Invenergy has announced that it has signed a 125 MW wind power purchase agreement (PPA) with Owens Corning to provide the insulation, roofing, and fiberglass manufacturer with renewable energy supporting their new corporate sustainability goals.
  • Representatives from C.A.T., U.S. Venture Gain Fuel Canada, and Gaz Métro, along with local and regional dignitaries, celebrated the grand opening of the first GAIN Clean Fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) public station in Quebec. The GAIN station, located at 4 Transport Street in the industrial park of Coteau-du-Lac, will provide the North American carrier with alternative fuel to support C.A.T.’s growing fleet of CNG trucks.
Bioenergy Bytes

Effect OSG Unveils “Hybrid” House

Joanna Schroeder

The Effect Operational Sales and Systems Group (Effect OSG) has unveiled a “hybrid” house on a private home in Laurentians in Quebec. The home is powered by an Enerdynamic Hybrid Technologies (EHT) wind and solar hybrid system. The systems, coined EnerCubes, consists of eight vertical axis wind turbines featuring an innovative vane design and solar panels fully integrated into an automated battery management and control system.

PaulDionneThe Outback Power management system controls eight 500 watt EnerCubes, 3.8 kilowatt (kW) of solar panels and batteries with 54 kWh energy capacity. According to Effect OSG, the roof mounted EnerCubes has features such as:

  • self-start at wind speeds as low as 1.7 meters per second (3.8 miles or 6.1 kilometers per hour) sustained rotation;
  • low maintenance since the system has no drive shaft, no gear boxes, no brushes, bushings or slip rings;
  • modular design, which allows ‘flat-packed’ shipping to the deployment site with plug and play installation;
  • scalable, since they can be installed either as single functioning units or grouped together for additional power, low vibration, through the use of precision matched bearings, which are the only turbines’ moving parts; and
  • no electromagnetic interference (EMI) since the generator emits a frequency of 14 HZ when operating at its rated output, which is too low to produce EMI.

21892-effect-osg-wind-solar-hybrid-de-300x172President and CEO of Enerdynamic Hybrid Technologies Inc., John Gamble, said, “We are most pleased to deliver an advanced wind and solar hybrid resource with key performance parameters.

Paul Dionne, President Effect OSG, added that, “as a specialist firm in linking client needs to custom fit energy solutions, we felt that introducing this wind generator technology, which turns with much greater ease than traditional turbines, gave our clients a significant edge in using an ultra-efficient wind energy system to be less dependent on electric utilities.”

Other companies involved in the project included O² Globale Énergie, Phase3 Energy and EnShift Power. Other contributors include Gagnon & Zollner Maîtres Artisans, for system installation and building structure; Triacta Power Solutions, for power monitoring system; and Budget Propane, for gas heating systems, as an alternative to further reduce customers’ electrical bills.

Clean Energy, Electricity, energy efficiency, Solar, Wind

Consumer Food Opinions & Mass Media

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What’s mass media’s impact on consumer food opinion?”

This poll made it clear that mass media does impact the opinions consumers have on food. Is this a good thing or bad? It seems good news doesn’t make front page. How do we get consumers to look at the science behind the food they eat? Maybe that should be an upcoming ZimmPoll.

Here are the poll results:

  • Big – 71%
  • Small – 19%
  • None – 0%
  • Doesn’t matter – 10%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, Does your agribusiness/operation have a crisis communications plan?

Consumers are more interested than ever about our diverse food supply. We as an agriculture community have a great challenge when it comes to communicating in an ever-changing world where information is just a click away. Agribusinesses and farming/ranching operations need to be proactive in communicating with the consumer. Do you have a crisis communications plan set in place? Have you had to use it?

ZimmPoll

Military Jets Could Fly High on Roadside Gumweed

John Davis

Glenn Miller gumweed1Researchers in Nevada are finding a way to turn a roadside weed into a high performance military jet fuel. This article from the University of Nevada, Reno, says the school’s Glenn Miller is leading the effort in a project that refines roadside gumweed into biofuel.

“The plant grindelia squarosa, known as curly top gumweed, has extractable hydrocarbons with the potential use as a biodiesel or biomaterials crop,” Miller, a professor in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, said. “Gumweed is native in Nevada and grows on the side of freeways and, more importantly, is an arid land crop that requires less water than other substitutes like alfalfa. Alfalfa takes five feet of water to grow while gumweed uses no more than a foot of water.”

The collaborators on the project planted the gumweed at the University’s Valley Road Field Laboratory and the Main Station Field Laboratory using minimal water and fertilizer resources. After growing and harvesting the gumweed, it went through biomass processing where it was broken down to liquid that smells like tar.

The researchers say the crop and process can produce up to 122 gallons per acre on a biennial basis on the semi-arid lands of Nevada. The project received $500,000 in grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture and has the potential to supply up to 20 percent of fuel demand for the military.

“It is estimated that if even 10 percent of sagebrush-covered lands in Nevada are used to grow gumweed for aviation biofuels, 400 to 600 million gallons per year of jet biofuels could be produced,” Hongfei Lin, a collaborator from the College of Engineering, said. “That’s definitely incredible. There’s lots of potential.”

Biodiesel, biofuels, biojet fuel, Research

Testing to Begin at Nebraska Biodiesel Plant

John Davis

fhr-logoThe retrofitting of a Nebraska biodiesel plant is nearly complete, and officials are ready to start testing the equipment for its actual opening. This article from the Beatrice (NE) Daily Sun says the Duonix biodiesel plant is almost ready to go after originally being built in 2007 and bought in 2011 by Flint Hills Resources, which is a subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc., and Benefuel Inc.

Mayor Stan Wirth said the company will begin testing the plant before putting it into operation sometime next year.

“For the past year, they have been retrofitting the plant for the first commercial sale use of their biodiesel technology,” Wirth said. “In preparation of that startup, they will be conducting safety checks on the plant and its equipment over the next couple months.”

According to a letter sent to the company’s “neighbors,” the safety checks may result in a “blowdown,” which is the venting of high-pressure gas or water.

The routine procedure is used to check the integrity of piping work, the letter stated, that produces a sound similar to the roar of a jet engine and may last for a few minutes.

Workers will also test the flare gas recovery system, designed to minimize the need for flaring, a safety mechanism that reduces pressure and maintains balance in industrial systems.

Biodiesel

Save the Date for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

Joanna Schroeder

2016-Summit-LogoMark your calendar for the 10th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit taking place Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at The Meadows Conference Center at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. Hosted by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), the event is free and open to the public.

“Our 10th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit is set to be bigger and better than ever,” said IRFA Managing Director Lucy Norton. “With so much discussion over the Renewable Fuel Standard, and with the Iowa Caucuses right around the corner, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit will be a great place to learn and engage on the latest renewable fuels issues.”

Although the Summit is free, registration is required and now open. Click here to learn more about the event, to register and to obtain information about sponsorship and trade show opportunities.

Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Iowa RFA

ACE Ads Feature RFS Success Stories

Joanna Schroeder

As the deadline for the final Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rules nears for 2014, 2015 and 2016, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is promoting members with RFS success stories in Washington, D.C.  One such story is being featured in Morning Consult’s daily energy brief and another in the November 18, 2015 edition of The Washington Post.

Delayne Johnson WaPo AdOne story features Delayne Johnson, CEO of Quad County Corn Processors and other features Jeff Oestmann, CEO of East Kansas Agri-Energy. Both are part of ACE’s Power by People campaign, an initiative that highlights people in the ethanol industry who are doing extraordinary things for the economy and the environment.

“ACE’s ads draw attention to the milestones that East Kansas Agri-Energy and Quad County Corn Processors have achieved in advanced and cellulosic biofuel thanks to the RFS, evidence that should help the Obama Administration stand strong on RFS blending volumes instead of caving into oil company demands,” said Brian Jennings, executive vice president of ACE.

Jeff Oestmann WaPo AdMorning Consult’s daily energy brief is read by more than 41,000 subscribers inside and out of the Beltway and ACE’s advertisement runs today through November 23. In addition, ACE is sponsoring a “cover wrap” print ad in copies of The Washington Post delivered to Capitol Hill on November 18. The print ad is available on the ACE website.

During the month of November, ACE’s social media platforms are also showcasing people from all walks of life, including retailers and consumers, who benefit from a strong RFS using videos, infographics, and profiles on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and featuring hashtags #RFSWorks, #PowerByPeople, and #RFSOnward.

ACE, biofuels, Education, Ethanol, RFS