U of Iowa Selects REPREVE Renewables

Joanna Schroeder March 16, 2015

The University of Iowa has selected REPREVE RENEWABLES to provide agricultural and business development services for their Biomass Fuel Project. The goal of the project it to assess and improve environmental aspects of new and existing biomass crops and subsequent fuels. In addition, REPREVE RENEWABLES’ perennial grass, giant miscanthus, will be used to power the U of I’s power plant, whose has a goal of using 40 percent renewable energy by 2020.

REPREVE RENEWABLES will employ its Accu Yield System – a proprietary, precision agricultural system, to plant and establish giant miscanthus. According to the company, use of the Accu Yield System reduces the cost of establishment and increases yields, two factors that will make this project economically feasible.

REPREVE RENEWABLES will move forward by securing land commitments for 2,500 acres in the Iowa City area, including the Eastern Iowa Airport where giant miscanthus will be grown to improve soil and water quality by reducing soil erosion.

“The University of Iowa is a leader in sustainability, just as REPREVE RENEWABLES is a trailblazer in biomass production and logistics,” said Jeff Wheeler, CEO of REPREVE RENEWABLES. “The Biomass Fuel Project provides the opportunity to achieve breakthrough renewable energy solutions. Working as a team with the local community, we can create new revenue sources for farmers and landowners, improve the soil, mitigate erosion and runoff, and increase the use of renewable energy to reduce the carbon footprint. We are honored to be a part of the University’s 2020 Vision.”

bioenergy, biomass, Electricity

Orlando Home to Clean Energy Fuels CNG Station

Joanna Schroeder March 16, 2015

A new compressed natural gas fuel (CNG) station has opened in Orlando, Florida installed by Clean Energy Fuels. The station is located at Orlando International Airport and open to the public and will serve a range of vehicles including passenger cars to airport support vehicles to heavy-duty trucks.

“With over 57 million tourists annually, Orlando is one of the most important tourist destinations in the United States. There is a tremendous opportunity to utilize natural gas in transportation to cut emissions, improving air quality throughout the region,” said Mark Riley, vice president, Clean Energy Fuels.

The CNG station is under a 20-year lease agreement with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. The station joins Clean Energy’s public-access CNG station located at Tampa International Airport. Clean Energy Fuels cites natural gas can cost up to $1.00 less per gallon than gas or diesel. They also cite that CNG reduces greenhouse gas emissions up to 30 percent in light-duty vehicles and 23 percent in medium to heavy-duty vehicles.

“Orlando International Airport is committed to pursuing and promoting green initiatives that reinforce our reputation as a conscientious community partner,” said Phil Brown, executive director of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “This station is an important component of our sustainability effort and is an environmentally responsible way to ensure the natural beauty of Central Florida is protected for future generations.”

Alternative Vehicles, Natural Gas

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder March 16, 2015

Ecotech Institute is hosting a “Competitive Landscape of the Green Revolution” seminar on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 from 12-12:30 pm MDT. The event will be held at Ecotech Institute in Aurora, Colo. and will also be simulcast live, for those who cannot attend in person. The free forum, which will be led by Craig Mataczynski, the CEO of Gradient Resources, will offer students and guests, interested in a green energy career, an employer’s perspective on what it takes to succeed.
Solar Power, Inc. has announced that Yue Dong has joined SPI as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Mr. Dong joins SPI from lvmama.com, one of China’s largest B2C online travel agencies, where he served as CTO. Dong will focus on overseeing the technical operations and ongoing optimization of SPI’s online investment platform, Solarbao.com, and providing technology support for SPI’s solar power plant operations and maintenance system. He will also lead SPI’s initiatives in big data analysis for power efficiency optimization management.
Ceres, Inc. and Brazilian energy company Raízen S.A., have announced that they have signed a multi-year collaboration agreement to develop and produce sweet sorghum on an industrial scale. Sweet sorghum can be grown to complement existing feedstock supplies and extend the operating season of Brazilian sugarcane-to-ethanol mills. Under the collaboration, the companies will each contribute in-kind services and resources and share in the revenue from the ethanol produced from Ceres’ sweet sorghum above certain levels. This season, Raízen has planted Ceres’ sweet sorghum evaluation in a single location and plans to expand to multiple mills in the seasons to come.
SolarCity and DIRECTV have announced a first-of-its-kind program. Under the new service relationship, DIRECTV technicians visiting customers’ homes will be able to offer those homeowners the opportunity to use solar electricity from SolarCity, making it possible for them to pay less than their current utility rates. To celebrate the new relationship, qualified SolarCity customers who sign up to go solar between March 11 and March 18, 2015 are eligible for a special $400 rebate to be paid upon installation.

Bioenergy Bytes

NASCAR Tops 7 Million Miles with American Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman March 16, 2015

NASCAR began running Sunoco Green E15 in its three top national series back in 2011 and on Saturday at the Phoenix International Raceway the league surpassed seven million miles of racing on the fuel with American Ethanol.

“NASCAR has shown under the most demanding competition that E15 is safe, reliable and it works,” said Dr. Michael Lynch, Vice President, NASCAR Green Innovation and STEM Platforms. “NASCAR fans are 80 percent more likely than non-fans to support the use of ethanol blends in their own car on the street, because they understand that NASCAR and our diligent race teams did our homework from the start with thousands of miles and hours of testing.”

Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing, says the move to Sunoco Green E15 has actually boosted the performance of the race cars – lowering emissions and increasing horsepower. “Since this change took place, we have seen increased horsepower from a higher-octane ethanol fuel blend and decreased emissions. In our own internal tests at RCR, we used ethanol blends up to E30 and found no issues with that fuel, either,” said Childress.

NASCAR made the fuel change in conjunction with their NASCAR Green® Platform, the largest and most comprehensive recycling, tree planting and renewable energy programs in sports.

American Ethanol, E15, Ethanol, NASCAR

New Oregon Gov Ends Sunset on Clean Fuels Law

John Davis March 16, 2015

The new governor in Orgeon has signed a measure that ends the sunset on the state’s clean fuels law, something which is seen as a boost to biodiesel and ethanol on the West Coast. Governor Kate Brown cited global warming concerns and neighboring areas’ own rules on alternative energy for signing the Clean Fuels legislation:

“I strongly support SB 324’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is difficult to deny that we are seeing the effects of a warming planet. This year, 85 percent of our state is experiencing drought, with 33 percent experiencing extreme drought. This directly impacts 1.5 million Oregonians, hitting our rural communities the hardest. With California, Washington, and British Columbia moving forward with their own clean fuels programs, which will shape the West Coast market, it is imperative not only that Oregon does its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also that we build a program that meets the needs of Oregonians.

“I appreciate the years of work by countless Oregonians who helped develop this law, and I applaud the Oregon Legislature for its thorough examination of these issues. The work begins now to ensure this program is well implemented and well managed.”

The measure ending the sunset of the Clean Fuels program passed by a very narrow margin in the state legislature. It also comes on the heels of the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission approving earlier this year phase two of the Oregon Clean Fuels Program. The new rules, developed by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, went into effect February 1.

Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Wind Industry Reacts to Wind Vision

Joanna Schroeder March 13, 2015

The Wind Vision report released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is spurring reaction across the wind industry. The report describes a new scenario for wind to reach 10 percent by 2020, 20 percent by 2030, and 35 percent by 2050, and provides a road map for government and industry to get there. Wind industry executives are going on record saying they can and will deliver the goals set forth in the plan.

“We can do this and save you money by doing it,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “This definitive report provides the wind industry with aggressive targets for the growth of wind energy in America, and we stand ready to meet them. It starts with getting common-sense policies in place, so we can double U.S. wind energy in the next five years.”

In response to the report, AWEA along with the Wind Energy Foundation will set forth more than 50 industry executives and professionals to serve as ambassadors to educate Americans and elected officials about wind power benefits. In addition, over 400,000 supporters of wind energy have signed a petition calling on state and federal lawmakers to support the needed policies.

“This report documents how wind energy already provides major economic and environmental benefits to America, including protecting consumers against energy price spikes, and making deep cuts in pollution and water use,” added John Kostyack, executive director of the Wind Energy Foundation. “As wind becomes one of the country’s top sources of electricity, Wind Vision promises even bigger benefits for decades to come.”

Wind Vision envisions how consumers will immediately benefit from more stably priced energy. With more wind energy, electricity prices would be 20 percent less sensitive to fluctuations in the price of fossil fuels, the report finds. Consumers would see $280 billion in economy-wide savings from reduced natural gas prices alone. Investing in more U.S. wind turbines would pay further economic dividends, such as by creating more jobs and causing further reductions in air pollution. The up-front investment to achieve these benefits will cost electric consumers only pennies a month in the early years, the report shows.Read More

Clean Energy, Electricity, Wind

Bobby Likis to Spotlight Ethanol Exports

Cindy Zimmerman March 13, 2015

Syndicated car-talk program “Bobby Likis Car Clinic” will feature a discussion on global demand for U.S. ethanol and its co-products on this week’s globalcast which airs live on Saturday morning March 14.

Judd Hulting of Patriot Renewable Fuels will talk with Bobby about the operations, products and statistics of Patriot’s ten-year old, ethanol plant located near the Quad Cities and not far from Chicago. “Demand for American-made ethanol and distillers grain is growing worldwide as countries are coming to understand and value the cost-saving and environmental benefits of high-octane ethanol and farmers continue to demand the high-protein distillers grain,” says Hulting, who is the commodities manager at Patriot. Hulting will also talk about Export Green, his recent trade mission to Brazil in collaboration with the U. S. Department of Commerce.

“The advantages to the production and use of ethanol nationally – and export internationally – are striking,” says Likis. “Join us to hear Judd discuss the export of U.S. produced ethanol and his trade mission to Brazil. You may be surprised to learn that E27 (27% ethanol) – up from E25 – is now the baseline for retail gasoline in Brazil.”

To view Hulting’s interview in its entirety, tune it to WatchBobbyLive.com on Saturday, March 14, at 10:25a ET.

automotive, Ethanol, Ethanol News

North Carolina Leads Path to Solar

Joanna Schroeder March 13, 2015

North Carolina installed the second most new U.S. solar power capacity in 2014 according to the report released this week, “Solar Market Insight 2014 Year in Review”. America’s 12th state is poised to become the first in the South to exceed 1 gigawatt (GW) of installed solar.

In 2014, North Carolina added 397 megawatts (MW) of solar electric capacity, bringing its total to 953 MW – just 47 MW short of cracking the 1 GW barrier. The report also demonstrated that North Carolina’s biggest solar gains came in utility-scale installations. Of the new capacity added, 390 MW were utility scale, 4 MW were residential and 3 MW were commercial. Together, these installations represented a $652 million investment in the state in 2014.

“North Carolina is a case study of how solar works as well on the East Coast as it does on the West Coast – with the Tar Heel State now having more installed solar capacity than Oregon and Washington combined,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “To put the state’s remarkable progress in some context, the 953 MW installed today in North Carolina is more than our entire country had installed by 2007. That’s an amazing achievement.”

North Carolina’s notable solar projects include:

Apple’s Data Center Solar Farm in Maiden was developed by SunPower. This photovoltaic (PV) project has the capacity to generate 20 MW of electricity — enough to power more than 2,200 North Carolina homes.
At 20 MW, Capital Partners Solar Project is among the largest solar installations in North Carolina. Recently completed by SunEnergy, this PV project has enough electric capacity to power nearly 2,000 homes.
Several large retailers in North Carolina have also gone solar, including Verizon, SAS and IKEA.
Apple has installed one of the largest corporate PV systems in the state with 20 MW of solar capacity at its location in Maiden.

The residential market began to show some promise in 2014 with installed system prices dropping again – and down a total of 49 percent since 2010. But the big driver in the state’s solar market has been in utility-scale installations. A recent study by Duke University found that North Carolina now has 150 utility-scale solar facilities, with another 377 facilities planned. “Our assessment of the North Carolina utility-scale solar value chain finds that at least $2 billion in direct investment has been made in the state, affecting at least 4,307 direct jobs in 450 companies,” the report stated.

Clean Energy, Electricity, Solar

Utilities Show Appetite for Solar & Energy Storage

Joanna Schroeder March 13, 2015

A new paper released from research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance has found that North American utility companies focused on two sectors in 2014: advanced energy storage and solar. Analysts tracked 52 clean energy requests for proposals (RFPs) released in 2014, and found that solar dominated the field with more than 27 RFPs, and that Western states sought the most capacity. The white paper details several trends including:

Solar dominated the market, both in capacity (1.8GW) and quantity (27 RFPs). There was also a significant amount of interest (at least 12 RFPs) in energy smart technologies, particularly energy storage.
Western states represented the biggest region for RFPs, with 1GW being requested. The Southeast was the second-largest region in terms of capacity requested, almost all of it solar.
Wisconsin-based Alliant made the biggest splash in capacity sought with a single RFP.
Collectively, the US armed forces issued seven RFPs.

Bloomberg Energy Research Utility RFP study

Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance, companies issuing RFP’s.

“The data reveals particularly strong interest in energy storage,” said Will Nelson, head of analysis for Bloomberg New Energy Finance in North America. “Interestingly, most storage RFPs are looking for a relatively small amount of capacity, evidence that these may be initial experimental forays into a rapidly changing sector.”

Nelson said RFPs are a leading indicator for trends in the utility industry because they are solicitations issued by companies to potential vendors. The issuers of RFPs specify the products or services they are seeking. In response, bidders submit proposals, competing against each other on the basis of pricing, capabilities, and other factors. In the world of clean energy, RFPs could involve procurement for renewable electricity-generating capacity or for technologies to make the grid more flexible or resilient.

“For project sponsors and equipment vendors, RFPs are the lifeblood of their business development efforts,” added Mark Taylor, product manager for Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “They also give an early but concrete glimpse into which sectors are catching the eye of the market, and about the strategic direction of utilities and other energy-consuming organizations.”

Clean Energy, Electricity, Energy Storage, Solar, Utilities

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder March 13, 2015

The National Hydropower Association (NHA) Marine Energy Council is hosting its inaugural International Marine Renewable Energy Conference (IMREC) and the 3rd Annual Marine Energy Technology Symposium (METS). Co-locating the events with the NHA Annual Conference provides an invaluable opportunity for water power technology professionals, policy makers, NGOs, academia, consultants, component suppliers and service professionals to address the full spectrum of marine energy and put the latest issues on the table for discussion. All three events will take place this April 27-29, 2015 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.
Velo Solar has acquired Bright Idea Energy LLC, an efficient lighting and energy consulting company, Velo Solar Chief Operations Officer Keith Berger announced. The combined company offers a full range of pioneering energy options for home and business that combine to make modern energy needs significantly more affordable in the market’s rapidly rising costs. Bright Idea founder Jett Hattaway and will remain with the company.
Sunvault Energy Inc. has announced the creation of a joint venture company, Supervault Energy Inc. The newly formed joint venture company is 50% owned by Sunvault Energy Inc. SuperVault Energy Inc. has signed a license and development agreement to use certain UCLA developed patented Graphene technology for use in the area of Electricity storage such as battery alternatives.
Infocast has announced its 3rd Annual California Energy Summit, scheduled on May 11–13, 2015 in San Francisco, CA. Topics will include the impacts of Governor Brown’s new renewable energy goals on the California energy market; prospects for radical changes to IOU’s distribution grid planning processes and integration of DERs; Retail Rate Design reforms and their effects on solar PV and other distributed resources; how emerging Resource Adequacy, Flexible Asset and Preferred Resource requirements will impact future procurements for gas-fired generation; energy storage and other alternative technologies; and more.

Bioenergy Bytes

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