Murphy USA Expands E15, E85 and Biodiesel Iowa Offerings

John Davis

logo-murphy-usaFuels retailer Murphy USA expands its list of stations offering E15, E85 and biodiesel in Iowa. The move to convert stations in Fort Dodge, Mason City, Clinton and Davenport, along with the previously converted Indianola location, won praise from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA).

“It’s exciting to welcome four more Murphy USA fueling sites to the growing list of stations in Iowa providing more American-made fuel choices to motorists,” stated IRFA Managing Director Lucy Norton. “With five Murphy USA stations already converted, and another two stations on the way, motorists in seven large Iowa cities will have greater access to cleaner-burning, lower-cost ethanol and biodiesel blends.”

“Murphy USA is excited to expand our product offerings with E15 and E85,” stated Murphy UA Senior Retail Fuel Supply Specialist Jennifer Forbess. “We proudly support communities across the state of Iowa who have called for higher ethanol blends such as E15 and E85. Murphy USA will continue to pursue opportunities to offer the fuels our customer’s desire.”

The newly converted Murphy USA fueling sites are located at:

3010 1st Ave., South in Fort Dodge, IA
4059 4th St., SW in Mason City, IA
5805 Elmore Ave. in Davenport, IA
2346 Virginia Ave. in Clinton, IA

To meet summertime fuel regulations, E15 will initially be sold to flex-fuel vehicles throughout the summer driving season at Murphy USA locations and will be offered as a registered fuel to 2001 and newer vehicles starting in mid-September.

Murphy USA has 1,200 stations in 23 states. The chain already offers E10, a 10 percent ethanol blend, in three grades of gasoline at Iowa stations.

Biodiesel, E15, E85

Ethanol on the Road to Sturgis

Leah Guffey

Fueled with Pride 2014 Motorcycle RallyMany bikes are already rolling into the Black Hills of South Dakota ahead of the 74th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally which officially kicks off on Monday. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will once again be there at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip campground to promote ethanol to the motorcycle set. Approximately 500,000 motorcyclists from all over the world gather in Sturgis, S.D., for the week-long rally that offers a unique opportunity to promote the benefits of high-octane, low-cost ethanol.

Robert White, director of market development for RFA, says this year marks the 6th year that RFA has been involved in the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the Free Fuel Happy Hours are back by popular demand, offering motorcycle riders a free tank of E10 93-octane fuel. The fuel is brought in specifically for the rally and riders can receive their free tank at 1–4 pm Tuesday-Thursday, August 5-7. Robert says that they really just want to help educate the riders about using E10 in their bikes.

I’ll be attending the rally this year with RFA and looking forward to the Legends Ride as well as spending time at the Buffalo Chip Campground that turns into quite the entertainment junction where many of the concerts will be taking place. Domestic Fuel will have all your coverage from Sturgis Motorcycle Rally once again. Stay tuned!

Interview with Robert White, RFA
Ethanol, Ethanol News, Motorcycle, RFA, Sturgis

Ethanol Safety Seminars Head to Alabama & Kansas

Joanna Schroeder

The Ethanol Safety Seminars are heading to Alabama and Kansas. The first seminar will be held August 7, 2014 at the Alabama Fire College in Tuscaloosa and is co-hosted by Alabama Southern Railroad and the second seminar will be held on August 8, 2014 at Doster Community Center in Prattville and is co-hosted by Autauga Northern Railroad. Tuscaloosa is hosting two sessions: from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm.
Seminars are free, but registration is limited. Lunch and dinner will be provided. Certificates will be awarded to attendees at the completion of the course.

The Ethanol Safety Seminars then head to Kansas. The first seminar is August 11–12, 2104 at the Overland Park Fire Training Center near Kansas City co-hosted by the Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad with sessions from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. The next seminar is August 13, 2014 at the Webster Conference Center in Salina, followed by the final seminar on August 14, 2104 at Pratt Community College near Wichita. Both will be co-hosted by Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad and both will have morning sessions (9 am- 2pm) and evening sessions (5 pm- 10 pm).

Ethanol Safety Seminar LogoAll seminars are funded by a Federal Railroad Administration grant through TRANSCAER. RFA has been a TRANSCAER member since 2007.

The goal of these seminars is for attendees to gain full ethanol emergency response training experience that they can put to use immediately in the field as well as pass along to other first response teams. A majority of this training is based on the “Training Guide to Ethanol Emergency Response,” a training package created by the Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition (EERC) that has been distributed throughout the United States and to several countries worldwide.

“Rail has proven itself to be one of the safest modes of transportation for hazardous materials over the years,” said Jimmy Patterson, general manager at Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad. “We must be mindful of possible risks, however, and be ready to respond should an incident occur. The Ethanol Safety Seminars provide emergency responders with the training they need to effectively react to a sudden event.”

Attendees will receive in-depth information on proper training techniques that first responders and hazmat personnel need to effectively respond to an ethanol-related emergency. While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, it is also open to the general public.

“The public relies on the nation’s first responders to protect them during the worst of emergency events,” said Kristy Moore, RFA vice president of technical services. “With these seminars, RFA makes sure that personnel receive the training they need to tackle these safety challenges before venturing into potentially hazardous conditions.”

biofuels, Ethanol, RFA, safety

Invateus Solar Starts Solar Farm on Superfund Site

Joanna Schroeder

Inovateus Solar and participated in the development of a 43-acre ground-based solar array project sited on an existing Superfund Site with previous ground contamination. The Maywood Solar farm is located near Vertellus Specialties headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and was supported by Indianapolis Power & Light’s (IPL) Rate Renewable Energy Production (REP) Program. The 10.82 MW project is part of a renewal energy production program administered by the Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL).

Maywood Solar FarmThe Maywood land is a Superfund project site that was remediated in 1992 under the supervision of the United States Environmental Protection Agency EPA) and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), and is now in a monitoring-only status. The solar array was constructed by Hanwha Q CELLS USA along with the EPA, IDEM, IPL, and Vertellus Specialties Incorporated.

“We were excited to start the development of this project with Vertellus Specialties, and hand it over to Hanwha Q CELLS for completion,” said Inovateus Solar President T.J. Kanczuzewski. “This is another example of how public utilities and private companies can work together to achieve the goal of introducing more renewable energy in the state of Indiana. Our company is looking forward to making other announcements on projects built in the IPL Rate REP program soon.”

Under the voluntary feed-in tariff program, IPL will pay Hanwha Q CELLS 20 cents per kW hour for the project. A total of 100 MW of renewable energy projects are allowed under the IPL Rate REP program, of which Inovateus is involved with approximately 24 MW of qualified solar energy generation through the Maywood Solar Farm and other projects.

Renewable Energy, Solar

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFYingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Yingli Green Energy International AG, has entered into a strategic alliance with AMB Energia Wytwarzanie , a subsidiary of AMB Energia S.A. to co-develop 30 MW of solar projects in Poland. Within the framework of the agreement, AMB Energia as a local partner will fully develop the projects with the support from Yingli throughout all project stages.
  • Finavera Wind Energy Inc. has announced it has received a final $16.5 million of consideration, primarily in the form of debt forgiveness, from Pattern Renewable Holdings Canada ULC, a subsidiary of Pattern Energy Group LP as the final amount payable under the Purchase and Sale Agreement for 184 megawatts (MW) of wind projects, previously announced on April 29, 2013. The final consideration has been received earlier than the anticipated date in Q1 2015, based in part on the successful development of the Meikle Project.
  • Boralex Inc., through its subsidiary Boralex Europe S.A., has acquired Calmont 14 MW wind power project in the Midi-Pyrénées region in France. With a 15-year power sales contract with EDF France, construction work on the Calmont wind farm will begin during the first quarter of 2015 with commissioning scheduled for year end 2015. In all, Boralex will invest approximately €25 million to complete this project. Calmont is located a few kilometers from Boralex’s Avignonet-Lauragais hybrid solar/wind site offering attractive operating synergy opportunities.
  • Amicus Solar Cooperative, a purchasing cooperative that is 100% owned and managed by its member companies, has obtained an initial allocation of $50 million for qualifying businesses desiring solar through LFC Capital’s Solar Ownership Program. This Amicus/LFC Capital collaboration represents the first round of a multi-stage rollout of program funds planned for future solar photovoltaic (PV) projects.
Bioenergy Bytes

Amyris & GOL Take to the Skies with Biojet Fuel

Joanna Schroeder

Amyris along with Brazilian airline GOL have flown the industry’s first commercial flight with farnesane, a recently approved jet fuel. Flight 7725 left from Orlando, Florida July 30 at 5:15 pm ET and landed in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

GOL committed to fly its Boeing 737 fleet with up to a 10 percent blend of the renewable farnesane fuel starting with this initial flight on July 30, 2014. According to Amyris, Farnesane can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80 percent compared to petroleum fuels. When blended with Jet A/A1 fuel at 10 percent, farnesane can also reduce particulate matter emissions, decreasing pollution near airports and major metropolitan areas.

The global aviation industry has committed to aggressive goals to reduce its GHG emissions, including achieving carbon neutral growth by 2020 and reducing emissions by 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2005. In addition to improving the efficiency of airplanes and flight operations, this renewable biofuel represents a major opportunity for commercial aviation to reduce emissions. The approved renewable jet fuel is drop-in and can be blended directly with petroleum jet fuel without any changes to airplanes, engines or fueling infrastructure. Amyris will now begin to quantitatively measure the positive impact to GHG emissions and air quality with every flight using the renewable jet fuel.

advanced biofuels, biojet fuel, International, Video

China Solar Panel Maker to Install Panels in Malaysia

John Davis

Wuxi Suntech Power Co LtdOne of the world’s biggest makers of solar panels will work to power rural schools and villages in Malaysia. China-based Wuxi Suntech will put in photovoltaic (PV) panels that will generate 7.5 MW of power under the Rural Solar Hybrid Electricity Project for Villages and Schools in the Interior.

The project was launched recently and is set to be completed in several phases and continue into 2017. The first phase will provide 960 kW to power three schools – SK Nanga Metah, SK Nanga Janan and SK Sungai Tunoh – as well as to 20 surrounding villages. The subsequent rollout of the project will reach a total of 7.5 MW of electricity to additional rural schools and villages.

The PV modules will form a micro-grid system set to provide 24 hour electricity to three schools and 20 surrounding villages. The system will consist of Suntech’s high-efficiency, VDE Quality Tested modules.

“We have been working diligently with our partners Helios Photovoltaics and the Malaysian government for several years to launch this revolutionary project. We’re using diesel generators and German battery packs to backup Suntech’s best in class PV Modules in this system. Many locations in the region are only accessible via boat or helicopter and have previously been left to rely on diesel generation for power. These new micro-grid systems will help to significantly reduce diesel costs and cut 10,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year, providing clean, reliable energy for the schools and villages in Sarawak. We are extremely proud of our work with Helios and the Malaysian Government that has enabled us to bring this project to fruition,” said Samuel Zhang, sales director for APMEA & China at Suntech.

Suntech officials say the company’s recent acquisition by Hong Kong-based Shunfeng Photovoltaics Ltd. has helped its balance sheet and allows it to pursue a a new business strategy that will make it the largest integrated clean energy provider globally.

Solar

Varying Opinions on Farming Tech

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How can technology make farming even better?”

We all seem to have a different opinion on what type of farming technology would be the most beneficial. Right now I am leaning towards weather control. It would be nice to simply click a button when we need some rain. I still believe that is a little farfetched. However, I know we will all be seeing drones and robots in our near future.

Here are the poll results:

  • Remote control tractors – 15%
  • Drone crop management – 22%
  • Robot livestock feeders – 19%
  • Remote crop & livestock sensors – 15%
  • Weather control – 15%
  • Can’t imagine it yet – 7%
  • Other – 7%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, I prefer to get my farm news from:

In this day and age we can get news at the drop of the hat. It is pretty much everywhere we look. But we all have our preferred source for the latest news in the agriculture community. Let us know where you prefer to get your farming news.

ZimmPoll

Plug-In Electric Vehicles Talk in the Cloud

Joanna Schroeder

Plug-In electric vehicles (EV) will soon be “talking in the cloud” as Ford Motor Company collaborates with seven of the world’s largest automakers and 15 utility companies to develop technologies for EVs to talk to the utilities via the cloud. According to Ford, this would help manage energy use and improve the efficiency of the power grid.

The pilot program will create a standards-based communications platform for use by plug-in EVs and the electric grids. This platform will enable the utilities to contact vehicle customers who have opted-in to the program, sending a request for those cars to stop charging temporarily to help manage a grid that is DCF 1.0becoming overloaded. This approach uses existing communications technology and standards, such as Ford’s MyFord® Mobile App, and pushes to advance those systems by enabling two-way communication between the electric grid and electric vehicles.

“This innovative platform provides a critical enabler for the next step in vehicle electrification,” said Mike Tinskey, associate global director, Electrification Infrastructure for Ford. “It’s a way for plug-in electric vehicle drivers to be financially rewarded for their willingness to help manage the electric grid.”

Participating utility companies are prepared to offer financial incentives to owners who make their cars available to the grid, similar to utilities offering customers discounts for allowing their home air conditioning to run intermittently during times of high demand. Customers who opt-in to the program can charge their cars at a location of their choice and have the ability to ignore the utility’s request to stop charging.

The formal collaboration between the automakers, utilities and Electric Power Research Institute began in fall 2012. However, the concept and application of electric vehicle/grid integration has been studied extensively by numerous research groups for more than 10 years.

Alternative Vehicles, automotive, Electric Vehicles, Energy, Utilities

UIC Researchers Convert Waste Carbon to Fuel

Joanna Schroeder

University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) scientists, under the lead of Amin Salehi-Khojin, UIC professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, have synthesized a catalyst that improves their system for converting waste carbon dioxide into syngas. The syngas is a percursor of gasoline and other energy-rich products and this recent achievement in the the research team’s process has brought the production of CO2 to energy closer to commercial viability. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications on July 30, 2014.

The research team developed a unique two-step catalytic process that uses molybdenum disulfide and an ionic liquid to “reduce,” or transfer electrons, to carbon dioxide in a chemical reaction. The new catalyst improves efficiency and lowers cost by replacing expensive metals like gold or silver in the reduction reaction.

UIC researcher Amin Salehi-KhojinMohammad Asadi, UIC graduate student and co-first author on the paper said the discovery is a big step toward industrialization. “With this catalyst, we can directly reduce carbon dioxide to syngas without the need for a secondary, expensive gasification process,” explained Asadi. In other chemical-reduction systems, he noted, the only reaction product is carbon monoxide. The new catalyst produces syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide plus hydrogen.

Salehi-Khojin, principal investigator on the study continued the explanation by noting the high density of loosely bound, energetic d-electrons in molybdenum disulfide facilitates charge transfer, driving the reduction of the carbon dioxide. “This is a very generous material,” said Salehi-Khojin. “We are able to produce a very stable reaction that can go on for hours.”

The proportion of carbon monoxide to hydrogen in the syngas produced in the reaction can also be easily manipulated using the new catalyst, said Salehi-Khojin.

“Our whole purpose is to move from laboratory experiments to real-world applications,” he said. “This is a real breakthrough that can take a waste gas — carbon dioxide — and use inexpensive catalysts to produce another source of energy at large-scale, while making a healthier environment.”

Alternative energy, biogas, Carbon, Research