UNICA: Ethanol Cut 300 Mil Tons of CO2

John Davis

unicaEthanol has cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 300 million over the last 12 years. Brazil’s sugarcane ethanol industry group UNICA says to get the same results from growing trees, it would be necessary to plant and maintain over 20 years more than 2.1 billion native plants.

Hosted on the site ‘ Verde Ethanol ‘, the Carbonômetro indicates the high potential of sugarcane biofuel helped the country to mitigate CO2 more than the sum of the annual emissions of Argentina (190 million tonnes), Peru (53.1 million tons ), Ecuador (35.7 million tons), Uruguay (7.8 million tonnes) and Paraguay (5.3 million tons).

For the consultant on emissions and Technology of UNICA, Alfred Szwarc, the result shows that sugarcane ethanol produced in Brazil is one of the cleanest energy alternatives commercially available worldwide.

“The reduction is quite significant. The data are of the same order of magnitude as the annual emission of CO2 from Poland (317 million tons), country considered one of the major global emitters of greenhouse gases, “says Szwarc.

The consultant notes that, despite its benefits, the global promotion of ethanol is still limited and needs more incentives, especially in Europe.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, International, UNICA

Alliance Autogas Obtains first EPA certification

John Davis

AllianceAutoGasAlliance Autogas has obtained the first EPA certification for the new Ford Transit.

“Our order queue has been off the charts even when the certification was pending,” notes Ed Hoffman, president of Blossman Services. “The Ford Transit 3.7L Bi-Fuel autogas system conversion by far and away, is Alliances’ largest and most popular platform yet. The number of conversion requests exponentially exceed all prior platform conversion requests we’ve ever seen,” add Hoffman.

The Bi-Fuel system conversion on the Transit is precedent-setting in that no intake manifold drilling, cutting, or splicing of wiring is required. The Ford Transit is the first engine to employ the “Plug and Play” technology, reducing installation time in half, and ensuring consistent performance.

Significant fuel cost savings of 35% or more are achieved without buying a new vehicle. The Bi-Fuel autogas system allows a fleet owner to operate wherever the fleet needs to be and eliminates range anxiety. Multiple tank options are available to meet all range requirements.

The Transit conversion is backed by the Alliance AutoGas 5-year,100,000 mile warranty. New conversions additionally come with the ultra-low emissions Staubli refueling nozzle, the safest and most efficient in the market.

Propane

Corn Growers Rally for RFS in DC

Joanna Schroeder

Hundreds of corn farmers from across America were in Washington D.C. today to rally for the cuts to corn ethanol in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFs) to be overturned. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed cutting corn ethanol by 3.75 billion gallons through 2016. According to the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), which sponsored the rally, this represents nearly 1.5 billion in lost corn demand.

NCGA RFS Rally“Our message to the EPA is clear and unequivocal: Don’t mess with the RFS,” said NCGA Chairman Martin Barbre, a farmer from Carmi, Illinois. “We are gathered here today because we all understand what’s at stake.”

Barbre spoke with DomesticFuel.com from the Hill this afternoon and said that legislators really don’t understand how the RFS works. When corn growers and others who support the RFS sit down with them and their staff and walk them through the legislation, he explained, and get a better understanding that corn growers can meet the demand for food, fiber and fuel, they support the RFS returning to levels in which they were intended to be as set forth by the legislation.

Rally attendees heard from Senator Mark Kirk, Representative Tammy Duckworth, farmers, and ethanol industry leaders on the importance of ethanol to strengthening rural economies and protecting our environment and national security. Following the rally, corn farmers visited their congressional offices to spend some one-on-one time in dialogue about the RFS, its importance to rural America, and to assure them, stressed Barbre, that the industry will continue to meet and exceed national and global demands.

Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill) note during his rally remarks, “Illinois farmers export more than a billion bushels of corn annually. That is why I supported them on trade and will continue to support them in the fight for a fair Renewable Fuel Standard.”

Representative Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill) added, “American investors and consumers at the gas pump are better off supporting American jobs and access to clean, secure American energy, rather than Middle Eastern oil. As a veteran and a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I see renewable, home-grown fuel as not only critical for our environment and our economy, but also as a national security imperative.”

To close the rally NCGA President Chip Bowling, a farmer from Newburg, Maryland, urged farmers to stand up and make their voice heard. “Now is the time for farmers to stand up for your farms, your families, your communities, and our country,” said Bowling. “We must hold Congress to its promises – and hold the EPA to the law.”

Hear more about the rally and why the EPA shouldn’t mess with the RFS by listening to my interview with Martin Barbre here: Martin Barbre RFS Rally Interview

Agribusiness, Audio, corn, EPA, Ethanol, NCGA, RFS

Vaisala: Q4 U.S. Wind Production to Remain Low

Joanna Schroeder

Vaisala is predicting that wind energy performance is expected to remain below normal in most regions into the fourth quarter (Q4). The company said earlier this year there were record low wind anomalies that challenged many wind operators, and due to a persistent El Niño that is forecast to remain in effect throughout the end of the year wind production will be lower than average.

The wind forecast anticipates that power producers in the Northeast, Northwest, and much of the U.S. wind belt will see below average wind speeds in Q4 2015. While the El Vaisala Q4 Wind PredictionsNiño pattern largely has a negative impact, particularly along the Rocky Mountains, it will have a positive impact in some areas with significant wind generation according to the report.

However, the analysis finds the Southwest, Southeast, Indiana, and southern Texas should see above normal wind speeds. California is an especially bright spot with a high likelihood of elevated wind speeds, which should signal a return to smooth profitability for investors following the lows of the last six months.

“For managing portfolio risk, it is imperative to have a detailed understanding of how over or underperformance at each of your project sites fits within the historical record,” said Dr. Jim McCaa, manager of advanced applications at Vaisala. “As acquisition and merger activity increases, the industry also needs to start thinking strategically about the variability of the assets they are looking to buy and how they fit within the existing portfolio.”

Vaisala has been following the evolution of North American wind anomalies in particular detail since the release of its Q1 study revealing 40-year record low wind speeds. The low wind event caused significant reductions in generation for utilities and project owners, a number of whom reported expected shortfalls in quarterly and annual wind production.

The company’s forecast is based on the wide agreement of the atmospheric research community and all the major global weather models that the current El Niño climate signal will continue through the end of the year. The forecast was created using an ensemble approach blending mesoscale model predictions with three of the leading reanalysis datasets, each representing 35 years of climate data.

Clean Energy, Electricity, Wind

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1Gevo, Inc. has announced the appointment of Johannes Minho Roth to Gevo’s Board of Directors. Roth is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FiveT Capital Holding AG, a Zurich based independent asset management firm, established in 2006, that specializes in investment solutions for high net worth clients, family offices and institutional investors. Roth is also a member of the Board of Directors for Plug Power Inc. Ganesh “Kish” Kishore who joined the Board in 2008, will resign from the Board after many years of service to the Company.
  • Shunfeng International Clean Energy Ltd. (SFCE) has announced a strategic cooperation agreement with the NARI Group Corporation. Under the agreement, SFCE and NARI Group will focus on joint development and deployment of the cutting-edge technologies and commercialized applications in clean energy sector, total collaboration in the PV power plants development and construction, and co-promotion of smart city and low carbon solutions around the world.
  • Ampt LLC, a leader in power conversion technology for solar power plant optimization, has announced $20 million in Series C funding and $5 million in working capital to support continued growth. The funding will be used to expand production and accelerate global sales and partnership activities, as well as to support ongoing product innovation. The funding round was led by Bohemian Investments – a prominent investment firm named 2014 Investor of the Year by the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association. Existing strategic investor and co-founder of Ampt, Doug Schatz, also participated in the round through the Schatz Family Trust.
  • JuiceBox Energy recently graduated its 50th solar energy storage installer as part of their certified installer network. The Certified Installer Program is building a network of highly qualified solar installers to design and install safe and code-compliant residential energy storage systems. The one day class is a mix of classroom presentation and practical labs and covers battery fundamentals, JuiceBox value streams, site design and finishes with an actual installation. Graduation includes a certification and a commitment by JuiceBox and the installer to work together to bring the JuiceBox system to their home markets.
Bioenergy Bytes

UNICA Joins Global Renewable Fuels Alliance

Cindy Zimmerman

global-rfaThe Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) with its president Elizabeth Farin has become the newest member of the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA).

“Brazil is truly a trailblazer in the global biofuels industry, not only as one of the world’s largest producers of biofuels, but one of the first,” said Bliss Baker, spokesperson for the GRFA. “As the largest ethanol producer in Brazil, we are honoured to have UNICA join our ranks to represent the industry on the world stage.”

UNICA is the largest organization in Brazil representing sugar, ethanol and bioelectricity producers. UNICA members represent more than 50% of all ethanol produced in Brazil and 60% of overall sugar production.

“As a global leader in ethanol production, UNICA is proud to be a member of the GRFA,” said Ms. Farina. “We look forward to working with the other members of over 44 biofuel producing countries to collectively promote the expanded use of renewable fuels throughout the world and advocate for sound public policy and responsible research.”

The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biofuel friendly policies internationally. Alliance members now represent over 90% of the global biofuels production from 45 countries.

biofuels, Brazil, Ethanol, Ethanol News, UNICA

Bacteria Can Help Boost Ethanol Production

John Davis

noguera1Microbes play an important role in ethanol production, and researchers in the Midwest are finding a way to get more out of the little bugs to get the most green fuel out of feedstocks, especially waste materials. This news release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison says scientists there teamed up with Michigan State University researchers to create a process for making the work environment less toxic — literally — for the organisms that do the heavy lifting in turning biomass into cellulosic ethanol.

When industrious bacteria like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Zymomonas mobilis and Escherichia coli go to work converting the sugar in corn stover and other plant-derived materials into ethanol, they also run into aromatic compounds, which, for these particular organisms, are toxic. This slows down the conversion process, a big problem in a field that needs to economize as much as possible to compete with fossil fuels.

“There’s about a billion tons of that biomass material that the U.S. could produce in a year, separate from food production,” says Daniel Noguera, Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW-Madison. “If that material could be converted to just glucose, that would be perfect. But there are other materials that are part of the plants.”

Noguera — along with a team of chemists, microbiologists and engineers associated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and the Wisconsin Energy Institute at UW-Madison — proposes sending in a sort of microbial cleanup crew to make things safer for the glucose-eaters.

The plan relies on Rhodopseudomonas palustris, a versatile bacterium that feeds on the aromatics but isn’t interested in the sugars. This offers an advantage over currently available chemical processes for removing the aromatics, which also remove some of the valuable glucose.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Research

MIT Finds Way to Help Ethanol Yeast Thrive

John Davis

MIT1Ethanol producers might get more production out of the yeast they use, thanks to researchers at MIT. This news release from the school says scientists have added potassium and an acidity-reducing compound to the yeast that helps it tolerate higher concentrations of the ethanol it’s making without dying.

Aided by those “supplements,” traditionally underperforming laboratory yeast made more ethanol than did industrial strains genetically evolved for ethanol tolerance. The supplements also enabled lab yeast to tolerate higher doses of high-energy alcohols such as butanol, a direct gasoline substitute. In other “firsts,” the researchers described the mechanism by which alcohols poison yeast; they defined two genes that control ethanol tolerance; and they modified those genes in lab yeast to make them out-produce the industrial strains — even without the supplements.

Manufacturers worldwide rely on yeast to convert sugars from corn or sugar cane into ethanol, a biofuel now blended with gasoline in cars and trucks. But there’s a problem: At certain concentrations, the ethanol kills the yeast that make it. As a result, a given batch of yeast can produce only so much ethanol.

“The biggest limitation on cost-effective biofuels production is the toxic effect of alcohols such as ethanol on yeast,” says Gregory Stephanopoulos, the Willard Henry Dow Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. “Ethanol is a byproduct of their natural metabolic process, as carbon dioxide is a byproduct of ours. In both cases, high doses of those byproducts are lethal.”

Efforts to grow genetically modified yeast weren’t successful, but it did give the researchers the idea for adding the common chemicals.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Research

Natural Gas as a Marine Fuel

Joanna Schroeder

Natural gas is being tested in Canada as a marine fuel. The NM F.-A.-Gauthier has officially been commissioned and is the first ferry in North America to be fueled with liquified natural gas (LNG). It is also the first ship of any kind running on LNG in Canada. Gaz Métro, a company that sells LNG, applauded the trial and the noted in a press statement that by choosing natural gas as the fuel for its new admiral-ship, the Société des traversiers du Québec is reaching an important milestone in the Québec maritime transport sector and paving the way for local shipowners to use a proven, high-performance and cleaner technology.

NM F.-A.-Gauthier, the first ferry to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) in North America. Photo Credit: Gaz Metro.

NM F.-A.-Gauthier, the first ferry to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) in North America. Photo Credit: Gaz Metro.

Gaz Métro also states the use of LNG makes it possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25 percent, compared with marine diesel, in addition to almost completely eliminating fine particle emissions and other air pollutants. LNG motors are also quieter and produce less vibration, which is more respectful of marine life.

LNG motors are a proven technology widely used for many years in road and maritime transport worldwide, particularly in Europe. “It’s extraordinary that this major first is happening here in Québec, and Gaz Métro is very proud to be a part of it,” highlighted Martin Imbleau, vice president, Development and Renewable Energies at Gaz Métro. “In support of Québec’s Maritime Strategy, LNG is a concrete solution for fighting climate change and allows local shipowners to comply with the increasingly stringent standards regarding polluting emissions onNorth America’s waterways.”

Following an agreement concluded in 2013, Gaz Métro, through its subsidiary Gaz Métro LNG L.P., was chosen as the LNG supplier to fuel three new Société des traversiers du Québec ferries, including the NM F.-A.-Gauthier. Today this ship is replacing the NM Camille-Marcoux for the Matane–Baie-Comeau–Godbout ferry service. The two other ships will be assigned to the Tadoussac–Baie-Sainte-Catherine crossing.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG)

Colorado’s RPS Going Forward

Joanna Schroeder

Colorado’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is going forward. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the constitutionality of the legislation stating the RPS does not impose unlawful regulations on out-of-state companies. In their written opinion, the judges determined that Colorado’s RPS would not harm interstate commerce.

Current state law requires electric generators to ensure that a percentage of the electricity they sell to Colorado consumers comes from renewable sources. That prompted the Energy and Environment Legal Institute (EELI), which has longtime ties to the coal industry according to the renewable energy industry to file suit in federal court – arguing that out-of-state companies wereScreen Shot 2015-07-14 at 10.14.43 AM unfairly and adversely impacted.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Interwest Energy Alliance (a regional partner of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)) were two of several organizations to intervene on behalf of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and in support of the state’s RPS.

“Because electricity can go anywhere on the grid and come from anywhere on the grid, and because Colorado is a net importer of electricity, Colorado’s renewable energy mandate became a ‘target’ for people and groups hoping to freeze or rollback RPS programs – not only in Colorado, but also in other states around the nation,” said SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch. “By ruling on the substance of the issue, we believe the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals decision sends a clear signal that renewable energy standards are, in fact, legal under the Constitution’s dormant commerce clause. We applaud the court for its clear guidance.”

Colorado was the first state in the U.S. to adopt a renewable energy standard by a popular vote. The renewable energy industry said the law has widely benefited the state as wind power supports up to 7,000 well-paying jobs, including manufacturing jobs at 22 facilities around the state and wind has attracted $7.8 billion in capital investment to the state’s economy.Read More

Clean Energy, Electricity, Renewable Electricty Standard (RES), Solar, Wind