Association Motor Club Proudly Supports Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

Gene Hammond, Co-Owner with Association Motor Club Marketing (AMCM), supports the use of E15. Over the past few years, despite evidence to the contrary, AAA does not support the use of E15. However, competitor AMCM does and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is calling on drivers to support a company that supports ethanol.

Gene Hammond Association Motor Club MarketingHammond explained that four years after EPA approval of E15 and two years after AAA declared it was premature back in 2012, his company began looking into their claims, and not one service claim in two years was related to ethanol. As a result, Hammond approached ACE with their findings and a partnership was solidified.

Hammond was born on a farm in South Dakota and he knows first-hand what ethanol has done for America. So have others, he said. Many new customers have joined because his company supports the use of ethanol blends.

The 50+ year old motor club has more than 19 million members in 50 states and Hammond said his company’s focus is on providing unmatched service for their members. As a result, “reality” trumps all and with no car problems related to the fuel, he encourages drivers to give E15 a try.

Ethanol supporters ready to make the switch (I did) should go to amcm-online.com and click on the “Ethanol Supporters” tab to receive a membership discount.

To learn more about the Association Motor Club Marketing and their support of ethanol, listen to my interview with Gene Hammond: Interview with Gene Hammond, AMCM

2015 ACE Annual Meeting Photos

ACE, ACE Ethanol Conference, Audio, E15, Ethanol

NCGA: We Will Not Stand for RFS Attacks

Joanna Schroeder

Rob Elliot NCGAThe National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is continuing to fight back said NCGA president Chip Bowling of Maryland during a press conference at the Farm Progess Show. “It’s about the many people who attack us [farmers] in DC like the DC bureaucrats, radio talk loudmouths and fearmongers on social media.”

Among other issues, Bowling was referring to the attack on ethanol through the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). He noted that growers must find a way to stay in business when market prices drop below the price of production. “That is why we’re not standing by while government regulators ignore the law when it comes to ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard,” said Bowling.

In addition to defending the RFS, Bowling said NCGA is working to help build infrastructure for higher ethanol blends such as E15 and E85 while working with their allies at the U.S. Grains Council to increase ethanol and by-products exports such as dried distillers grains DDGs.

To learn more about NCGA’s biofuel and bioproducts intiatives, listen to their Farm Progress Show press conference here: NCGA #FarmProgressShow Press Conference

Check out the Farm Progress Show photo album.

Agribusiness, Audio, corn, E15, E85, Ethanol, NCGA, RFS

Farm Equipment Sales Outlook

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How are farm equipment sales this year?”

The 2015 Farm Progress Show was a huge success and the streets were packed. But with crop prices lower this year, the question was, are people buying? It looks like we have responses all over the board, but leaning towards not so good. Whether you are buying this year or not, you can not deny farm equipment and technology companies have stepped it up this year and are providing their best.

Here are the poll results:

  • Good – 13%
  • Not so good – 27%
  • Steady – 27%
  • Really down – 20%
  • Unsure – 13%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, What is most important personal issue to today’s farmers?

No one can argue the passion farmers and ranchers have for the products they produce. It is not a job, it is a way of life they proudly live. We want to know what issues farmers today take the most personally. Is it producing a sustainable product, securing the farm for future generations, the ability for new farmers to get started, consumer education or maybe learning and utilizing new technologies? Are there other things…let us know.

ZimmPoll

Tokyo Scientists Increase Algal Oil Production

Joanna Schroeder

Hiroyuki Ohta, a researcher at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, together with scientists based at institutions across Tokyo, Japan, have discovered a way of increasing the oil production in algae. The oils are used to create biofuels and biochemicals and researchers are looking for ways to increase the production of triacylglycerols in the Nannochloropsis algal strain NIES-2145.

Triacylglycerols, or TAGs, are a class of lipids which form the backbone to biofuels in algae. The molecules are comprised of glycerol attached to three fatty acid chains, and microalgae is known to produce more TAGs under nutrient stress conditions. When the algal strain Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is starved of phosphorus, TAGs accumulate rapidly following the overexpression of an enzyme known as CrDGTT4, which in turn is triggered by gene promoter SQD2.

03_chlamydomonas6-2_color1aOhta and his team conducted genetic analysis of NIES-2145 and uncovered a homolog of the SQD2 gene. This implied a common expression control system between algal species in response to nutrient stress. The researchers decided to place both CrDGTT4 from C. reinhardtii and its SQD2 promoter into NIES-2145 to find out if this combination could control levels of TAGs production. Their attempt was successful – the SQD2 promoter was able to drive CrDGTT4 expression in NIES-2145 under phosphorus starvation without disturbing the membrane structure of the microalgae, and the production of TAGs in NIES-2145 increased as a result. Notably, incorporation of oleic acid (a preferentially utilized substrate by CrDGTT4) into TAG molecules was enhanced.

The findings point to the possibility of manipulating the production of TAGs, and thereforebiofuel oil production, in multiple microalgal strains. Further research is needed in order to fully understand the processes behind lipid remodeling during phosphorus starvation in algae before these methods are trialled on a larger scale.

advanced biofuels, algae, Research

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1Global Bioenergies has joined aireg – Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany. The company, which is currently developing its demonstration plant in Leuna, Germany, will soon be able to produce alternative jet fuel from sugars. Through their cooperation both organizations plan to expedite the market uptake of renewable, low-carbon fuels in the aviation sector.
  • DEINOVE and Tyton BioEnergy Systems have announced they have entered into a technological and commercial partnership. The main goal of the partnership is to combine Tyton’s energy tobacco feedstock, process and production infrastructure with DEINOVE’s Deino-based fermentation solutions in order to produce green chemical compounds of high commercial value.
  • SunEdison has announced the successful installation and operation of eight solar systems for India’s Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The newly finished Badarpur-Faridabad line is the first metro line in the DMRC network to integrate solar into the design of the buildings. The solar systems are built on the roofs of the stations and depot and are expected to generate 1.9 MW of solar energy.
  • Jointly organized by the African Development Bank / Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa), the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and the Climate Technology Initiative – Private Financing Advisory Network, the second West Africa Forum for Clean Energy Financing (WAFCEF2) business plan competition will take place at AfDB Abidjan headquarters, September 17, 2015 as part of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy & Investment High Level Forum. WAFCEF2, will feature 10 West African clean energy projects carefully selected as finalists in a West African region-level contest.
Bioenergy Bytes

Ohio Biodiesel Plant Moves Forward

John Davis

agro biofuels1A new biodiesel plant in Ohio is moving forward. This article from the Dayton Daily News says the planning commission in Carlisle approved zoning changes for Agro BioFuels and BioEnergy Inc. to build the refinery.

Gerry Smith, of Miller Valentine Group, said the more than $10 million project includes building the 6,800-square-foot plant on 10 acres near the end of Business Parkway. He said it will be the first facility of its kind in Ohio and at full capacity, it would be able to produce about 15 million gallons of biofuel a year…

He said Miller Valentine Group will design and build the facility.

“The property purchase is pending regulatory reviews, but the goal is to open by next summer,” Smith said. “I think it’s going to be a great project.”

Village Manager Sherry Callahan told this news outlet that the Carlisle Business Park’s proximity to the Norfolk Southern rail line was an important factor that attracted Agro to that site in the village.

Callahan said the project’s re-zoning will be considered by Carlisle Village Council at an upcoming meeting. She said the bioenergy production plant will create 25 to 30 new jobs and a $1.5 million payroll.

Agro Biofuels and BioEnergy is a joint venture between Sim Agro Inc. and JatroDiesel along with other individual investors.

Biodiesel

REG’s Geismar, LA Plant Has 2nd 2015 Fire

Joanna Schroeder

Renewable Energy Group’s (REG) hydrocarbon diesel (RHD) refinery, located in Geismar, Louisiana, has had its second fire this year.

REGAccording to REG, on Friday, September 4th, at approximately 12 a.m. central, a fire occurred at their Geismar biorefinery. In a statement, REG said emergency crews quickly responded to contain the fire and it was declared completely extinguished at 4:20 a.m. All employees on site were accounted for. Four people-one REG employee and three contractors-were injured and are being treated at Baton Rouge General Hospital. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families,” the REG statement said.

Back in April, the same biorefinery has a fire injuring two people. The refinery was brought online in November 2014.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, REG

What Do You Think About the Brazilian Bioeconomy?

Joanna Schroeder

Leading up to World Bio Markets Brasil, taking place November 30-December 1, 2015 in Sao Paulo, GreenPower Conferences asked over 100 people their thoughts on the Brasilian bioeconomy and the factors influencing it, including: What the biggest change in the last 12 months has been; the biggest threat to the industry; and the most important factor over the next year. And the survey said…Screen Shot 2015-09-07 at 10.42.48 AM

Click here to see the full infographic.

bioenergy, biofuels, biomaterials, Brazil, conferences

Residential Solar Tax Credit for Community Solar

Joanna Schroeder

Community-shared solar had a win last week when the IRS ruled that an owner of offsite PV panels is eligible to take advantage of one of the primary incentives offered to homeowners – the 30 percent federal residential income tax credit, or the residential ITC. Community-shared solar allows electric customers to buy an interest in an offsite solar array and to receive credit on their electricity bills for their ownership interest. While the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recent Private Letter Ruling is only legally applicable to the individual taxpayer in question—a solar panel owner in Boardman Hill Solar Farm, a Screen Shot 2015-09-07 at 10.27.18 AMmember-managed 150-kW off-site solar array in Vermont—the ruling will be taken as a positive development by community-shared solar participants and project developers.

The solar industry has been working through the issues of whether a residential owner purchasing power for a solar community project can qualify for tax incentives. Working with stakeholders in Massachusetts and Vermont, and with attorneys in the Boston office of law firm Foley Hoag, LLP, and the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), arranged for the submission of a Private Letter Ruling request to the IRS to help clarify this issue.

“This new Private Letter Ruling represents the first instance in which the IRS has publicly weighed in on the applicability of the residential ITC to an owner of solar panels in a shared, offsite array,” said Warren Leon, the executive director of CESA. “The ruling suggests that the IRS may be receptive to claims for the residential ITC when a project mirrors the structure used in this case.”

Screen Shot 2015-09-07 at 10.27.23 AMFoley Hoag attorneys Nicola Lemay and Adam Wade provided the legal work leading to the issuance of the private letter ruling request and facilitated discussions with the IRS.

“This letter ruling fills an important gap. It adds a previously unavailable written resource to the growing body of authority which can be used by courts, IRS personnel, and practitioners in structuring community shared solar projects,” added Adam Wade. “Pairing the 25D credit with the lower installed cost and economies of scale of mid-scale and larger-scale distributed solar holds tremendous potential in enabling direct ownership of community-shared systems by groups of individuals in utility territories with supportive net metering and bill-crediting programs.”

Clean Energy, Electricity, Solar

K2 Wind Farm Operating, Canada Exceeds 10GW

Joanna Schroeder

The K2 Wind Power Facility located in Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW) in southwestern Ontario is official generating wind energy. The 270 MW facility was commissioned recently during an event hosted by Samsung Renewable Energy, Capital Power Corporation and Pattern Energy Group Inc. Canada now has more than 10 GW of installed wind energy capacity making it in the 7th country in the world to reach this lever of wind energy production according to the Canadian Wind Energy Association.

siemens-aerogeneradores-wind-turbines-672x372“On behalf of the Council of the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh I would like to congratulate everyone who had a part in this long and complex project that created one of Canada’s largest wind-energy facilities,” said Deputy Reeve Roger Watt. “We would especially like to thank K2 Wind for its commitment to the Community Benefit Fund. This will enable the Township to undertake infrastructure-improvement and community-development projects over the next 20 years that we otherwise simply would not be able to pursue.”

K2 Wind has created a Community Benefits Fund Agreement with the Township of ACW to deliver approximately $15 million in funding for community initiatives over the next 20 years. K2 Wind will also support local residents living near the facility through lease agreements and other benefits.

The facility’s wind turbine components were manufactured in Ontario. A total of 700 turbine tower sections were produced in Windsor by CS Wind and the 420 blades were built in Tillsonburg by Siemens, directly supporting over 800 manufacturing jobs in Ontario. K2 Wind expects to have approximately 20 full-time operations and maintenance employees, along with an additional 10 seasonal positions.

Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Energy added, “This event is to thank the community, the landowners and the local officials that worked to make this project possible. Going forward, K2 Wind will return many benefits to the community by providing ongoing funding for important community projects and initiatives at the same time helping to reduce pollution for Ontario and the globe.”

Clean Energy, Electricity, Wind