Ethanol-Gas Price Difference Back to Normal

Cindy Zimmerman March 31, 2015

Ethanol and gas have settled back into a more normal price differential after three months of being nearly the same once gas prices started to plummet late last year.

RBOB – Reformulated Blendstock for Oxygen Blending

Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen notes that “wholesale ethanol prices traded near parity with—or even above—gasoline prices intermittently in November, December, and January,” but since the end of January, ethanol prices “have been below gasoline prices every day.”

Dinneen refuted a statement by the Petroleum Marketers Association of America that ethanol was “taking a hit” because of the price parity noting that “since January 1, 2011, daily ethanol prices have been below gasoline prices 91% of the time” averaging about 50 cents per gallon. Since January 30, 2015, ethanol has averaged 26 cents less than gasoline.

Market analyst Randy Martinson with Progressive Ag says there was definitely a concern when ethanol prices were higher than gasoline in December. “But the price of corn has dropped and we’ve gotten ethanol back in line and the profitability is improving for ethanol plants,” said Martinson, who adds that the bigger concern for ethanol declining gasoline use.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Biodiesel Group Files Petition over Argentina Imports

Cindy Zimmerman March 31, 2015

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) wants a recent decision to streamline Argentinian biodiesel imports to the U.S. put on hold pending public review and comment.

In a petition filed Monday with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, NBB cited the lack of public comment on the EPA decision and “little transparency regarding the plans Argentinian producers can use to demonstrate compliance” with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“We have serious questions about how Argentinian producers will certify that their product meets the sustainability requirements under this new approach and whether U.S. producers will be operating under more strict regulations,” said NBB Vice President of Federal Affairs Anne Steckel. “The U.S. biodiesel industry is in a state of crisis right now as a result of EPA’s continued delays in finalizing RFS volumes. An influx of Argentinian biodiesel will only exacerbate the domestic industry’s troubles at the worst possible time.”

The EPA approved the application from Argentina’s biofuels association CARBIO at the end of January.

Typically under the RFS, foreign producers must map and track each batch of feedstock used to produce imported renewable fuels to ensure that it was grown on land that was cleared or cultivated prior to Dec. 19, 2007 – when the RFS was established. The EPA’s January decision allows Argentinian biodiesel producers to instead rely on a survey plan being implemented by a third party to show their feedstocks comply with the regulations. The goal of the survey program is to ease the current map and track requirements applicable to planted crops and crop residues grown outside of the United States and Canada, resulting in a program that seems far less stringent and more difficult to verify.

Read more from NBB here.

Biodiesel, EPA, NBB, RFS

U.S. Continues Support for Hydropower

Joanna Schroeder March 31, 2015

Three federal U.S. agencies have renewed their support of hydropower in America. The Department of Interior and the Department of Energy (DOE) in conjunction with the Civil Works division of the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers, have extended their MOU for hydropower for five additional years. The purpose of the MOU is to meet the need for affordable energy, in part, through hydropower.

“This agreement among three key federal agencies is great news for the federal hydropower system, and even greater news for the millions of American homes and businesses that rely on clean, affordable, and reliable hydropower,” said Voith Hydro U.S. President and CEO Bob Gallo. “In the MOU’s first five years, the agencies have already made significant progress in laying the groundwork for expanded hydropower production, with tangible results to show for their efforts. Voith is pleased to support efforts to strengthen the backbone of American hydropower, and believe the agencies’ continued collaboration will create jobs and economic growth throughout the U.S.”

According to Voith, Phase II of the MOU will focus on several key areas:

Improving the accuracy and reducing costs of water flow measurement technology.
Reducing the size and weight of generators for new hydropower projects, potentially leading to reduced costs and increased generator output for existing facilities.
Developing low-impact, low-cost hydropower technologies suitable for demonstration and deployment at non-powered dams and conduits, potentially providing power for 1.5 million homes.
Enhancing the environmental performance of hydropower turbines for responsible deployment.
Assessing the risks to U.S. hydropower generation and water infrastructure posed by climate change.

Since the last MOU, signed in 2011, non-federal development at Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps facilities has increased, with over 70 additional projects in some stage of development.

Clean Energy, Hydro, Renewable Energy

Burundi Moving Towards Solar

Joanna Schroeder March 31, 2015

Burundi is moving towards solar. Via the Power Africa and Power Africa’s Beyond the Grid sub-initiative, Gigawatt Global has been awarded two grants to bring solar to the country, where only four percent of the population has access to residential power. The proposed project, a 7.5 Megawatt (MW) solar field, will increase the country’s generation capacity by 15 percent. Currently, Burundi experiences a high frequency of blackouts, with downtime in electrical access an average of two days a week. Burundi has a total of only 52 MW of installed electrical capacity, including 15.5 MW of diesel-generated power.

The effort in Burundi is being supported by two grants totaling nearly $1 million, from Power Africa via the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP), a coalition representing the British, Finnish, and Austrian governments. Gigawatt Global plans to develop and manage a 7.5 MW solar PV field on a 15-hectare site in the Gitega region, 65 miles from the capital of Bujumbura. The facility will produce electricity needed for 60,000 households. The total cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $20 million.

“Our impact investment model is to strengthen developing nations, both economically and environmentally, by providing renewable energy sources where they are most needed,” said Yosef Abramowitz, President of Gigawatt Global, an American-owned Dutch developer. This announcement follows Gigawatt Global’s launch last month of East Africa’s largest utility-scale solar field, which added 6 percent to Rwanda’s electricity generation capacity and for which it was nominated for the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. “We plan to build 1,000 solar megawatts in Africa by 2020, thereby providing electricity to millions of households and institutions that are currently without the most basic of human needs.”

USTDA’s grant will fund a feasibility study that will address key technical and economic aspects of the solar project, conduct environmental and social impact assessments, and provide the necessary analysis for the project to secure financing. The grant funds awarded by EEP will be used for pre-development works and legal costs.

“USTDA is pleased to provide Gigawatt Global Burundi S.A. this grant for a feasibility study, which will utilize U.S. industry expertise to advance this important project,” said USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. “This activity supports Power Africa’s objectives of increasing access to power and promoting greater private investment in Africa’s energy sector.”

Clean Energy, Electricity, International, Solar

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder March 31, 2015

NV Energy has announced that it is seeking proposals to procure an additional 54 megawatts of company-owned planning capacity in Nevada. This solicitation is related to the company’s Emissions Reduction and Capacity Replacement plan that is retiring 812 megawatts of coal-fired generation by 2019. The company is seeking proposals for, but not limited to: A build-transfer option for a 140-megawatt single axis tracking solar photovoltaic facility at a location provided by the bidder; and Alternative proposals that would allow the company to acquire or partner to construct a renewable energy resource that would satisfy the remaining 54 megawatts of planning capacity.
The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) has just approved a USD 780,000 preparation grant for the development of a first phase 40 MW of Starsol Solar PV Plant near N’Djamena in Chad as the first Independent Power Producer (IPP) scheme to be connected to the national grid. Specifically, the SEFA grant will finance the costs related to technical assistance for the completion of the plant design and grid study, as well as advisors for legal and financial structuring of a bankable IPP.
Iberdrola Renewables today announced it is seeking applicants for its 2015 Wildlife Protection Program (WPP) grants. The company’s ongoing “Legacy of Caring” campaign for wildlife and habitat awards WPP grants to avian rehabilitation groups. These partners play an important role in rehabilitation, community education and scientific understanding of birds of prey.
Siva Power, pioneering the next generation of thin film solar technology, is pleased to announce that Dr. Billy J. “BJ” Stanbery has joined the team as President of Siva Power effective March 23, 2015. Dr. Stanbery has had an illustrious career spanning more than 30 years in the solar industry and is an expert in the field of photovoltaics (PV). Dr. Stanbery is especially well-respected by the solar industry as a pivotal early-developer of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) technology, the same technology being commercialized by Siva Power.

Bioenergy Bytes

Methes Biodiesel Maker to Refine Corn OIl

John Davis March 31, 2015

A Canadian company has bought a Methes Energies International Ltd. biodiesel processor and will make the gaining plant the first facility in the world to use Methes’ pre-treatment system to process corn oil from a local ethanol plant. This Methes news release says the Denami 600 biodiesel processor and a PP-MEC pre-treatment system will be installed in Havelock, Ontario, Canada, for Drain Bros and will come from Methes’ Mississauga facility.

John Loewen, COO of Methes said, “We are glad to have finalized this transaction and to be able to use the Denami 600 in Mississauga. The Denami 600 has recently been used for research, testing and marketing but has not been used in commercial biodiesel production in over two years so it made sense for Drain Bros and Methes to move it to their location. More importantly, we will be installing a pre-treatment system that will be running on corn oil and we’ll have the ability to showcase the technology in action to other potential clients. This is a major milestone and we are looking forward to help Drain Bros with their new biodiesel facility.”

Furthermore, Methes announced on January 20th 2015 that it had entered into an agreement to license its technology to a US client in exchange for an upfront payment of $4 Million which, as per the agreement, was due February 20th, 2015. Methes provided an extension to the payment date to allow its US client to finalize a pending transaction. At this time, though they express continuing interest in the transaction with Methes, they still have not finalized their other pending transaction.

The refiner will take about 3 weeks to dismantle the equipment at the Mississauga facility.

Biodiesel, corn, Ethanol

Efforts to Cease Solar Net Metering Continue

Joanna Schroeder March 30, 2015

The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASK) is pushing back on Turlock Irrigation District (TID) for wanting to cease solar net metering. The nonprofit explains that net metering is a fundamental policy that enables rooftop solar consumers to secure fair credit for excess solar energy sent back to the grid. Without net metering, says TASK, a thriving solar market and robust solar job creation cannot exist.

TASK says ending net metering means wiping out the savings that TID solar customers will be able to earn from their solar systems. They cite TID’s net metering elimination program harms solar customers in the following ways:

Eliminates the most fundamental solar policy – net metering – which exists in 44 states including California.
Imposes a discriminatory fee on residential solar customers – the first of its kind in California.
Charges customers a new $600 meter fee before TID will allow a system to operate.

“It appears that this new billing structure will render solar financially nonviable for TID customers, which will hinder us from taking advantage of green energy in the future,” said John Miller of Miller Farms, Inc., a TID customer. “This is unfortunate because we believe that anything we can do to improve our business, the local economy, and our environment at the same time is good for all parties involved.”

According to TASK, the end of solar net metering may not be permanent. There are efforts in the California Senate to standardize net metering throughout the state.

“TID’s new solar billing structure appears to have a major impact on savings that TID customers can achieve with solar,” added Todd Filbrun, CEO of Kurios Energy, a Manteca solar company. “Keeping utility consumers informed on what options they will have to recoup these savings, such as battery back-up or off-grid solar systems, will be important moving forward.”

Clean Energy, Electricity, Solar

DOE Releases 2014 Geothermal Tech Report

Joanna Schroeder March 30, 2015

“We’ve turned the corner … the potential growth curve for geothermal is extremely exciting,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Power, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, United States Department of Energy, Douglas Hollett. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released its annual report, “2014 Annual Report Geothermal Technologies Office,” and highlights 35 project successes in program areas including EGS, Hydrothermal, Low-Temperature, and Systems Analysis.

The report notes that DOE’s geothermal flagship project over the next five years in its FORGE initiative that Director Doug Hollett says is “the first dedicated field site of its kind for testing targeted enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) R&D. The intent is to use this collaborative site for transformative science that will create a commercial pathway for large-scale, economically viable EGS.”

As the report explains, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are engineered reservoirs, created beneath the Earth’s surface where there is hot rock but limited pathways through which fluid can flow. During EGS development, underground fluid pathways are safely created and/or their size and connectivity increased. These enhanced pathways allow fluid to circulate throughout the hot rock and carry heat to the surface to generate electricity.

The FORGE initiative was announced in July 2014 and is a $31 million funded program that will develop and support a geothermal field observatory, the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), dedicated to researching pertinent questions that will move geothermal technology and and opportunities forward.

The FORGE site, explains the report, “will enable cutting-edge research, drilling, and technology testing, allowing collaborating scientists to identify a replicable, commercial pathway to EGS. It is hoped the field site will yield breakthrough tools and technologies for to improve future geothermal energy production.”

To learn all about DOE geothermal projects, including more information on the FORGE initiative, read the report.

Clean Energy, Electricity, Geothermal, Renewable Energy

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder March 30, 2015

According to, “World Wind Energy Market Update 2015,” worldwide wind power installations grew by 42 percent year-over-year in 2014. The report from Navigant Research covers developments in the wind energy sector during 2014, including an analysis of the important changes in the industry over the last 3 years and global market forecasts through 2019. As in previous editions, this report assesses important changes over the last 3 years and provides a 5-year market forecast, followed by a projection of likely market progress for the next 5 years. This 20th annual edition of the World Wind Energy Market Update includes a special report highlighting advances occurring in the wind blade market through three expert commentary and analysis submissions.
An Executive Order issued by President Barack Obama cuts the federal government’s emissions of greenhouse gases by 40%. The details are in a FACT SHEET: “Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Federal Government and Across the Supply Chain“.
Green Lake Capital, recently acquired by Atlantic Tele-Network, is now Ahana Renewables. San Francisco-based Ahana is an owner and operator of commercial distributed generation solar power systems in Massachusetts, California and New Jersey. The company has 28 unique commercial solar projects with an aggregate 47 megawatts of electricity generating capacity. Customers include strong credit counterparties including corporations, utilities, schools, and municipalities.
Pro-Tech Energy Solutions recently completed a 1.7 megawatt (MW) solar installation on the capped Sullivan’s Ledge landfill in New Bedford, Mass. At the 2015 PV America East Conference held in Boston this month, Pro-Tech received the 2015 PV Project of Distinction Award, along with project partners BlueWave Capital and SunEdison. Presented by the Solar Energy Industries Association and the Solar Electric Power Association, the award recognizes major achievements in the solar industry in the Northeastern United States. Pro-Tech served as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm that designed and installed the project.

Bioenergy Bytes

Growth Energy Applauds E15 Bill

John Davis March 30, 2015

Growth Energy is applauding new legislation seen as favorable for E15 ethanol. This news release from the group says the Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act sponsored by Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) contains a provision to extend the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) volatility waiver to E15, a moved welcomed by Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy:

“We certainly support efforts by Senator Paul and Senator Grassley to remove a major hurdle preventing consumers the opportunity to purchase higher blends such as E15. This has been a major obstacle ever since Growth Energy led the successful effort to get E15 approved for commercial use.

“We are hopeful that Senators Paul and Grassley’s legislative efforts are successful in granting this much needed waiver to overcome the single largest regulatory hurdle to ensuring consumers have access to higher blends such as E15.”

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Legislation

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