Media Communication Tips for BioEnergy

Joanna Schroeder

I had the opportunity to facilitate a lively discussion on effective stakeholder messaging during the BioEnergy 2105 conference. “Reaching Your Stakeholders: Effectively Engaging and Educating Key Audiences,” discussed success stories, best practices and lessons learned that have helped to improve public perception of bioenergy at all levels. The panel featured: Melissa Savage, Senior Program Director with the National Association of State Energy Officials; Aaron Wells, Communications Consultant for Fuels America; Wendy Rosen, Leader, Global Public Affairs for DuPont Industrial Biosciences; and Emily York, Vice President of Communications for Abengoa.

BioEnergy 2015 communication panaelists. From left to right: Melissa Savage, Senior Program Director with the National Association of State Energy Officials; Joanna Schroeder, Editor, DomesticFuel.com;Wendy Rosen, Leader, Global Public Affairs for DuPont Industrial Biosciences; Aaron Wells, Communications Consultant for Fuels America; and Emily York, Vice President of Communications for Abengoa.

BioEnergy 2015 communication panaelists. From left to right: Melissa Savage, Senior Program Director with the National Association of State Energy Officials; Joanna Schroeder, Editor, DomesticFuel.com;Wendy Rosen, Leader, Global Public Affairs for DuPont Industrial Biosciences; Aaron Wells, Communications Consultant for Fuels America; and Emily York, Vice President of Communications for Abengoa.

The discussion kicked off with acknowledging that perception is reality and the industry needs to change its perception a bit. One way to do this is to tell the story the right way. Oftentimes, however, public relations professionals don’t provide enough information for journalists to make a valid assessment of the story. Rather, a company needs to package all they want to say. The hook is critical because this will entice a reporter to want to tell the story or a person seeking information what to hear the story. Once you have a journalist hooked, tell the story through the lens of one person, an engineer or farmer, for example. Include visuals – photography, videos and infographics. Also, be mindful of using too much jargon – this is a story killer.

As a journalist, I appreciate the advice of the panelists in telling the story. I receive dozens of press releases each day and some are so horribly written that I delete them even though I know there is probably a good story hidden somewhere in the jargon. On days there is too much news, the stories I focus on have not only a good story but also visuals to accompany that story (and no, a logo is not the visual us reporters are looking for). Another good piece of advice, pitching a few strategic stories is better than flooding the market. If you send me an email or release every day, I’m going to start ignoring you and ultimately miss a great story.

Some other helpful advice from the panelists:Read More

communications, Renewable Energy

Are You Social Media Savvy?

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How are the crops in your area looking?”

After reviewing these poll results I feel a glimpse of optimism for the crop outlook. However, it is still raining here in the Midwest and like one poller commented, soybeans are taking a hit. Chuck and Cindy have been talking with growers throughout the corn and soybean belt and it sounds like the weather is becoming more cooperative. However, they have talked to some this week that are just finishing a first planting of their soybeans!

Here are the poll results:

  • Bad – too much moisture – 16%
  • Bad – too dry – 15%
  • Some crops not planted – 8%
  • Ok – could be better – 13%
  • Real good – 38%
  • Not sure – 7%
  • Other – 3%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, Do you consider yourself social media savvy?

The era of social media marketing is upon us. Many across the agriculture community have reaped the benefits and others are making due without. I don’t believe anyone can call themselves a social media expert, because it is always changing. But are you savvy and staying up on the trends, do you need some more training or are you seeing no need to utilize it?

ZimmPoll

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1Renewable Edge has reached a milestone by installing its 1000th Integrated Wireless Solar Payphone Power Supply System Kit to New York City payphones. The patent pending technology replaces the utility grid power connection previously needed to operate New York City payphones with a solar powered battery system powering wireless routers that communicate with existing cell towers. The Solar Kit system turns the payphones into coin operated cell phones without any dependence on utility power lines.
  • MMA Energy Capital has entered into a joint venture with affiliates of Fundamental Advisors, LP, a leading alternative asset manager, that will provide capital for the development and construction of solar power projects located throughout the United States. The joint venture will operate under the name Solar Construction Lending, LLC and will be administered by MMA Energy Capital.
  • DEINOVE has unveiled a bio-based muconic acid production program. This promising proof of concept has been completed for the effective production of muconic acid by Deinococcus bacteria from a variety of renewable sugar sources. The market size and their growth outlook, combined with an unmet demand for bio-based solutions, have led Deinove to structure and initiate a specific R&D program focused on this versatile molecule with a large number of applications, notably in plastics, textile fibers and food.
  • With a growing need to design and implement effective O&M strategies across Europe’s offshore wind projects Wind Energy Update spoke with 235 of Europe’s leading O&M executives to find out exactly what’s going on in the world of offshore wind O&M. The results provide you with the following: Where farm owners are allocating budget or procuring new suppliers for a view of new business opportunities; How much time farm owners are allocating to different industry challenges for an understanding of where your services could be used; A view of how farm owners are trying to get greater transparency from their OEMs and where the OEMs are spending their budgets when in charge for a fuller understanding of daily O&M activities; and Which O&M model owners will use once their current contract comes to an end.
Bioenergy Bytes

Bi-Partisan Group of Senators Want Biodiesel Growth

John Davis

nBBThirty-six U.S. senators from both sides of the political aisle urged the Obama administration to strengthen biodiesel volumes in a pending Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) proposal from the EPA. The National Biodiesel Board welcomed the call.

“While the proposal is a positive step for biodiesel, we remain concerned that the proposed biodiesel volumes for 2016 and 2017 fail to adequately recognize the domestic biodiesel industry’s production capacity and its ability to increase production,” the senators wrote in a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and other administration officials. “Biodiesel is the first EPA-designated advanced biofuel under the RFS to reach commercial scale production nationwide. It is exceeding the goals that Congress envisioned when it created the RFS with bipartisan support in 2005, while creating jobs, generating tax revenues, reducing pollution, and improving energy security. We urge you to support continued growth in the domestic biodiesel industry by making reasonable and sustainable increases in the biodiesel volumes for 2016 and 2017 in the final rule.”

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) led the letter, which was signed by Democrats and Republicans from 24 states.

“We want to thank Sens. Grassley, Murray, Blunt and Heitkamp for their leadership on this effort, as well as all of the senators who supported it,” said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs. “It’s not every day that you have Republicans and Democrats from such a diverse group of states uniting around an issue like this. We hope the EPA and the White House will listen and improve this proposal before it is finalized later this year.”

The current RFS proposal calls for a gradual rise in biodiesel volumes by about 100 million gallons per year to a standard of 1.9 billion gallons in 2017. NBB had requested more aggressive growth to a biodiesel standard of 2.7 billion gallons by 2017, along with additional growth in the overall Advanced Biofuel category.

Biodiesel, EPA, Government, RFS

Renewable Tax Credits Before Committee

John Davis

grassley-head1A Senate committee will consider a package of tax credits for wind, biodiesel and cellulosic ethanol. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa included the tax incentives in the bipartisan tax extenders bill the Finance Committee will consider today.

“Certainty and predictability in tax policy are both important for retaining and creating jobs,” Grassley said. “The Finance Committee leaders deserve credit for getting an early start on extending tax provisions. The energy items not only help support jobs. They also support the renewable energy that consumers want for a cleaner environment and energy independence. The higher education deduction helps families and students afford college.”

The inclusion of the wind energy provision comes after Grassley urged the committee chairman to include it, noting it deserves a fair shake compared to many long-standing tax provisions benefiting non-renewable energy sources. Grassley authored and won enactment of the first-ever wind energy production tax credit in 1992. The incentive was designed to give wind energy the ability to compete against coal-fired and nuclear energy and helped to launch the wind energy industry. He has worked to extend the credit ever since.

Renewable production tax credit. Under the provision, taxpayers can claim a 2.3 cent per kilowatt hour tax credit for wind and other renewable electricity produced for a 10-year period from a facility that has commenced construction by the end of 2014 (the production tax credit). They can also elect to take a 30 percent investment tax credit instead of the production tax credit. The bill extends these credits through December 31, 2016.

Cellulosic biofuels producer tax credit. Under the provision, facilities producing cellulosic biofuels can claim a $1.01 per gallon production tax credit on fuel produced before the end of 2014. The bill would extend this production tax credit for two additional years, for cellulosic biofuels produced through 2016.

Incentives for biodiesel and renewable diesel. The bill extends for two years, through 2016, the $1.00 per gallon tax credit for biodiesel, as well as the small agri-biodiesel producer credit of 10 cents per gallon. The bill also extends through 2016 the $1.00 per gallon tax credit for diesel fuel created from biomass.

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, Legislation, Wind

Canadian Solar Connects 3 Japanese Solar Projects

Joanna Schroeder

Canadian Solar has grid connected three solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants in Japan with a total of approximately 5.2 MWp.

Canadian Solar logoThe 2.2 MWp Tsukuba Stones Solar Power Plant was connected to the grid on June 26, 2015. Powered by 8,448 Canadian Solar CS6P-260P modules, it will generate approximately 2,474 MWh of clean, emission-less solar electricity every year and the electricity generated from this project will be purchased by Tokyo Electric Power Co., Ltd. under a 20 year feed-in-tariff contract at the rate of JPY40.00 ($0.33) per kWh.

The 2.0 MWp Tomigaoka Solar Power Plant was connected to the grid on June 29, 2015.  Powered by 7,920 Canadian Solar CS6P-255P modules, it will generate approximately 2,415 MWh of clean, emission-less solar electricity every year and the electricity generated from the project will be purchased by Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. under a 20 year feed-in-tariff contract at the rate of JPY36.00 ($0.30) per kWh.

The 1.0 MWp Isa City Solar Power Plant was connected to the grid on June 9, 2015. Powered by 3,654 Canadian Solar CS6P-255P modules, it will generate approximately 1,175 MWh of clean, emission-less solar electricity every year and the electricity generated from the project will also be purchased by Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. under a 20 year feed-in-tariff contract at the rate of JPY40.00 ($0.30) per kWh.

“We are very pleased to announce the successful completion and grid connection of these three projects, which well demonstrates the execution ability of our local project development and EPC teams in Japan,” said Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar Inc., “We are well on track to complete more projects in the quarters ahead in this important market that is expected to make an important contribution to our planned YieldCo.”

Clean Energy, Solar

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1Abengoa has announced that it has closed, together with its partner the Israeli global infrastructure group Shikun & Binui, the non-recourse project financing for Ashalim. The total investment of the project will be approximately USD 1 billion. The 110 MW Solar Thermal Electricity (STE) plant Ashalim will be able to store energy in order to produce electricity whenever required after sunset. It will be the largest solar plant in Israel and it will feature parabolic trough technology with a 4.5 hour thermal energy storage system using molten salts.
  • TerraForm Global Operating, LLC, intends to offer, in a private transaction, up to $800 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2022. The offering is subject to market conditions and other factors. TeraForm intends to use the net proceeds of the offering, in whole or in part, to fund renewable energy projects that includes the financing or refinancing of, or investments in, equipment and systems which generate or facilitate the generation of energy from renewable sources, such as solar, wind and hydroelectric energy.
  • SunEdison will acquire Vivint Solar for approximately $2.2 billion. In connection with SunEdison’s proposed acquisition of Vivint Solar, SunEdison has entered into a definitive purchase agreement with a subsidiary of TerraForm Power which, concurrently with the completion of SunEdison’s acquisition of Vivint Solar, will acquire Vivint Solar’s rooftop solar portfolio, consisting of 523 MW expected to be installed by year-end 2015, for $922 million in cash.
  • Nor-Cal Controls is releasing a new product which will increase efficiency and reduce costs to wind project owners and operators. The “WindTalker-1000” is an innovative smart relay device designed to allow any existing sensor to integrate seamlessly into an existing wind turbine control platform, no matter the age, type or communication characteristics of the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Nor-Cal Controls partnered with Lufft, manufacturer of the VENTUS ultrasonic wind sensor, to provide a state of the art, turnkey wind sensor replacement solution resistant to the elements as well as time.
Bioenergy Bytes

Mycogen Supports Ethanol at Brickyard 400

Cindy Zimmerman

mycogen-nascarMycogen Seeds and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) have unveiled a new paint scheme for the No. 3 Mycogen Seeds Chevrolet SS, which Austin Dillon will drive at the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on July 26.

“Mycogen Seeds is proud to partner with RCR to support the legacy of the No. 3 car,” says Damon Palmer, U.S. Seeds marketing director, Dow AgroSciences. “As one of America’s fastest-growing seed companies, we’re excited to be at the Brickyard 400 to cheer on one of the quickest-rising stars in NASCAR, Austin Dillon.”

Palmer says the company’s support of the No. 3 Mycogen Seeds Chevrolet SS goes deeper than its new red paint scheme. The car runs on 15 percent ethanol-blended fuel, which has powered every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car since 2011. In 2014, ethanol production used more than 5 billion bushels of American-grown corn.

NASCAR drivers have traveled more than 7 million miles on the track with ethanol-blended fuel since its adoption. Ethanol use increases race car horsepower and reduces emissions.

“Just as NASCAR is improving efficiency on the track, Mycogen Seeds is improving productivity in the field,” Palmer says. “We provide American farmers with high-performance grain corn hybrids. Ethanol, which helps fuel the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, is an important market for U.S. corn.”

The 2015 Brickyard 400 is set for Sunday, July 26, at 3:30 p.m. ET at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and is scheduled to air live on NBC Sports.

American Ethanol, corn, Ethanol, NASCAR

Hope for Renewable Energy Tax Credits

Cindy Zimmerman

The Senate Finance Committee is set to vote Tuesday on a two-year extension of tax benefits, including the production tax credit for wind power, and credits for biodiesel and cellulosic biofuels production.

wyden-hatch“This markup will give the Committee a timely opportunity to act on extending a number of expired provisions in the tax code that help families, individuals and small businesses,” Hatch said. “This is the first time in 20 years where a new Congress has started with extenders legislation having already expired, and given that these provisions are meant to be incentives, we need to advance a package as soon as possible.”

“The tax code should work for, not against, Americans,” Wyden said. “We need to extend these tax provisions now in order to provide greater certainty and predictability for middle class families and businesses alike. However as we look beyond next week, it’s critical we all recognize and take action to end this stop and go approach to tax policy through extenders.”

A group of biofuel trade organizations have sent a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) encouraging extension of the critical advanced biofuel tax incentives. The incentives include the Second Generation Biofuel Producer Tax Credit, the Special Depreciation Allowance for Second Generation Biofuel Plant Property, the Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel Fuels Credit, and the Alternative Fuel and Alternative Fuel Mixture Excise Tax Credit. Groups supporting the extensions are the Advanced Ethanol Council, Advanced Biofuels Association, Algae Biomass Organization, Biotechnology Industry Organization, Growth Energy, National Biodiesel Board, and Renewable Fuels Association.

advanced biofuels, AEC, BIO, Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, Growth Energy, NBB, RFA

REG Upgrading Illinois Biodiesel Plant

John Davis

REGRenewable Energy Group is investing $31 million to upgrade and enhance the company’s Danville, Illinois biodiesel refinery. This company news release says the improvements will add biodiesel distillation capabilities to the 45-million gallon nameplate capacity biorefinery, as well as making pretreat capacity improvements, along with storage, logistics and other optimization enhancements.

“REG Danville already has a proven record of success as part of our network of multi-feedstock biorefineries,” said Daniel J. Oh, President and CEO. “Enhancing the capabilities here, as we have done at several of our other plants, can allow REG to provide greater volumes of lower cost, lower carbon, higher quality advanced biofuel to our customers that increases energy security, food security and environmental benefits for North America.”

The distillation process removes impurities and leaves behind a pure form of biomass-based diesel that far exceeds industry quality standards, while meeting REG’s more rigorous REG-9000™ specifications. The fuel also performs better in colder temperatures.

“These upgrades increase this biorefinery’s strong and healthy appetite for lower cost, waste feedstocks which are sourced locally and regionally from our supply chain partners,” said Brad Albin, Vice President, Manufacturing.

REG bought the Danville biorefinery in 2010. During the upgrade, 80-100 full-time contract workers will add to the current 34 full-time workers at the plant.

This is the sixth major biorefinery enhancement REG has undertaken since late 2012, following completed upgrades at their Albert Lea, Minnesota, Seneca, Ilinois, Mason City and Newton, Iowa biodiesel plants and ongoing improvements at the Company’s renewable hydrocarbon diesel biorefinery in Geismar, Louisiana.

Biodiesel, REG