New Leaders Found for NE Biodiesel Plant Readying to Open

John Davis

flinthillslogoA Nebraska biodiesel plant completed in 2007 but never opened has received new leadership as company officials prepare to open the refinery. This article from the Beatrice (NE) Daily Sun says Flint Hills Resources named Russell Leighton as plant manager and Jeremy Morse as production manager as Flint Hills and Benefuel eye next year’s opening of their joint Duonix biodiesel plant in Beatrice.

Leighton has more than 25 years experience in the oil, gas and chemical industries and will be responsible for overall management and administration of the facility.

Prior to joining Flint Hills Resources, Russell oversaw quality management systems in the U.S. and abroad as Director of Operations for TETRA Technologies.

Morse will serve as production manager, focusing on the startup and commissioning of the new plant. He was previously the plant superintendent of AGP in Algona, Iowa, where he was responsible for maintaining plant operations and product quality.

Michael Harris, biofuels ventures manager for Flint Hills Resources, said in a press release the pair’s experience will be a beneficial addition to the business.

“We are excited to welcome Russell and Jeremy to the Flint Hills Resources team,” he said. “Their leadership will help drive our biodiesel operations as we prepare to start full-scale production next year and bring this innovative new biodiesel technology to life.”

When the plant is operational, hopefully next summer, officials say it will produce 50 million gallons of biodiesel per year using an innovative biodiesel technology from Benefuel, Inc. called ENSEL.

Biodiesel

New Anti-Dumping Tariffs Will Slow U.S. Solar Industry

Joanna Schroeder

The U.S. Department of Commerce has imposed new anti-dumping tariffs as high as 165.04 percent on imports of solar products from China and 44.18 percent on imports from Taiwan. It should be noted, that China has instituted anti-dumping tariffs on solar panels entering their country as well.

In response to the announcement, Jigar Shah, president of the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE), said, “Today’s determination is another unnecessary obstacle for the U.S. solar industry that will hinder CASE-logothe deployment of clean energy by raising the prices of solar products. Due to these tariffs, previously viable projects will go unbuilt, American workers will go unhired and consumers that could have saved money through solar energy may not be able to benefit.”

Shah noted that SolarWorld has issued a request to expand the scope of products affected by the solar dispute, but the U.S. Department of Commerce has made no decision. CASE members a disappointed and Shah said accepting a broader scope would eliminate decades of legalalize that defines scope using the ‘single country of origin’ and ‘substantial transformation’ trade rules. The proposed new scope is also fundamentally inconsistent, said Shah, with the Department’s own previous determination in the 2012 solar cell dispute.

“We urge SolarWorld AG to work with the U.S. solar industry and choose to end their continued litigation in favor of a win-win solution like the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) settlement proposal,” added Shah. “CASE members, which represent the industry majority, demand a solution that ends uncertainty in the marketplace by preventing further trade litigation and that allows solar power to compete cost-effectively with traditional energy sources, thus enabling the market’s further growth. To aid in this process, we ask President Obama to make resolving the solar trade dispute a priority on his clean energy agenda and convene the parties for negotiations.”

According to the 2013 National Solar Job Census, the U.S. solar industry currently employs over 142,000 Americans, 70 percent of which are employed downstream in the system installation, sales, distribution and project development sectors. Solar product manufacturing remains robust, employing over 29,000 Americans, but the narrow solar cell manufacturing industry that would benefit from these tariffs represents less than 2 percent of overall U.S. solar employment.

John Morrison, COO of Strata Solar, based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and representing over 1,000 jobs added, “Due to their scale, the utility and large commercial solar sectors are particularly sensitive to the uncertainty and price increases caused by these tariffs. Until this dispute is resolved, our industry will build fewer projects and install less solar. It’s time to end the litigation, negotiate a solution and put more Americans back to work.”

International, Renewable Energy, Solar

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFMosaic has announced that financial services and solar industry veteran Bruce Ledesma has been named the company’s Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Ledesma will be responsible for scaling operations to service Mosaic’s growing base of investors, borrowers and solar installers. Ledesma has a proven track record of successfully growing businesses through rapidly evolving market conditions.
  • The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced the extension of the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebate program, which will continue to provide $2,000 rebates for 500 additional large-battery system plug-in hybrid electric and battery-electric vehicles, or until Dec. 31, 2014.
  • According to The Global Biodiesel Market 2014-2018 report, the growth of the global biodiesel market is primarily dependent on the availability, quality, and yield of feedstock because the source material accounts for more than 80 percent of the cost of biodiesel production. On the other hand, biogas is gaining traction as a versatile energy carrier with significant potential to meet growing demand in the power, heating, and fuel markets.
  • Westermeerwind BV reached financial close on July 25, 2014 for the construction of the Westermeerwind wind farm in IJsselmeer. The Westermeerwind wind farm consists of 48 wind turbines with a capacity of 3 MW to be installed in the water between 500 and 1100 metres from the dikes of the Noordoostpolder. Installation work is scheduled to start in March 2015. The first turbines are expected to start delivering power to the existing grid at the end of 2015. They will supply sustainable energy for nearly 160,000 homes.
Bioenergy Bytes

USGC Calls on China to Approve Biotech Cert for DDGS

Joanna Schroeder

China is considering whether it will approve MIR 162, a biotech certification requirement for distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) by the Chinese import inspection authority (AQSIQ). Today, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is calling on China to approve the certification that would follow the point of origin. In this case, U.S. shipments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, guaranteeing that the shipment is free of the biotech trait. Although MIR 162 is not been approved, the country has already passed a mandate against biotech traits that have caused disruptions in existing DDGS trade and making future trade more difficult.

distillers_grains_ Photo US Grains Council“China is asking for something that cannot be done. This certificate they’re asking for does not exist,” said Tom Sleight, USGC’s president and CEO. “It’s time for China to look at and approve this trait. It’s been approved for commercialization in the United States since 2010, and it’s been approved by all importing countries, including the European Union, for quite some time. We think that the lack of approval of MIR 162 is becoming an undue impediment on trade.”

The Council is working to address the new disruption to DDGS trade with the U.S. government and the U.S. ambassador to China, as well as with MAIZALL, which represents grower organizations in several major corn exporting countries. In addition, USGC staff and consultants around the world are working with other markets interested in DDGS, in part because prices have declined.

Sleight concluded, “We have some really excellent prospects that are panning out quite nicely, particularly in Mexico, Taiwan, Canada, the rest of Latin America and Korea. There’s a lot of interest in this product.”

Distillers Grains, Ethanol

GEA Announces 2014 GEA Honors Winners

Joanna Schroeder

In advance of the 2014 GEA Summit to take place in Reno, Nevada on August 5-6, the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) has announced the winners of their 2014 GEA Honors. The awardGEA logos, which will be presented during the Summit, recognize companies, projects and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the geothermal industry. The winners were selected in categories including Technological Advancement, Economic Development and Environmental Stewardship. Now in its fourth year, GEA also provides special recognition of companies and individuals who have made notable advances and achievements for geothermal energy.

The following companies and individuals will be awarded 2014 GEA Honors in the following categories:

  • Environmental Stewardship – Awarded for fostering outstanding environmental stewardship through the use of geothermal systems: Salton Sea Restoration & Renewable Energy Initiative
  • Technological Advancement – Awarded for developing a new, innovative or pioneering technology to further geothermal development: Baker Hughes, POWER Engineers, and Ormat Technologies, Inc.
  • Economic Development – Awarded for making a substantial contribution to the development of local, regional or national markets through the development of geothermal systems: Dewhurst Group/Grupo Dewhurst.
  • Special Recognition companies – Mono County Board of Supervisors, AltaRock Energy Inc. and The National Geothermal Data System (NGDS)
  • Special Recognition people – Bill Price, Enel Green Power North America; Dita Bronicki- Ormat;  James C. Hanks, President, Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors along with: Greg Mines who is recognized for his work in Power plant, GETEM and other analysis work he has performed in the last 30 plus years; and Hillary Hanson and Rachel Wood who are interns at the Idaho National Laboratory who have been working with public information provided to federal and state agencies by geothermal operators to improve the DOE Geothermal Technologies Office’s understanding the evolving performance and operation of geothermal power plants.

Click here to learn more about the award winners.

Geothermal, Renewable Energy

Oily Palms

Joanna Schroeder

According to Americans United for Change (AUC), Iowa Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst has attracted national attention with her stance on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) – that she is not supportive of subsidies. This before the news broke last week that the billionaire oil baron Koch brothers maxed out their contributions to Ernst’s campaign on top of the over $20,000 the Koch donor network has funneled to her campaign coffers. The new breaking news is that ExxonMobil PAC is toasting Ernst at a $1,000 a plate in Washington, D.C. this Wednesday, July 30, 2014.

In response, AUC, a pro biofuels and pro-RFS organization, is hitting the radio waves this week in Des Moines, Iowa calling on Ernst to choose a side: Iowa jobs, or Big Oil profits. However, AUC said Ernst seemed to side with the latter.

The group cites that when Ernst was pressed to take a firm stand on the RFS, Ernst stressed she’s “philosophically opposed” to farm subsidies and that she “want[s] people to choose products that work for them and not have them mandated by the United States government.” Not exactly the ringing endorsement for ethanol that Iowa rural communities may be hoping to hear, said AUC.

Jeremy Funk, Comm. Dir., Americans United for Change, which recently ran full page ads in Iowa urging Ernst to clarify her muddy RFS position, said, “There’s easy choices and there’s hard choices. For someone hoping to represent a state that leads the nation in renewable fuels production, you might think that unconditional support for the Renewable Fuel Standard and 73,000 Iowa jobs would be a no-brainer. But for some reason, it’s a hard choice for Joni Ernst.”

“Big Oil has taken notice of Ernst’s begrudging support for the RFS while remaining ‘philosophically opposed’ to it. What is a telling choice is for Ernst to welcome Big Oil’s support with open arms at a decadent Washington fundraiser this week,” continued Funk. “Big Oil lobbyists would love nothing more than to be able to say, “You see, even a Senator from Iowa thinks the RFS is unnecessary.” Big Oil would love to be able to use Ernst as a poster child in their multi-million smear campaign to drive ethanol out of business. They hate that consumers have a cheaper and cleaner option at the pump thanks to Iowa renewable fuels. They hate that every gallon sold of ethanol produced domestically means one less gallon sold of gas made from dirty crude oil from unstable regions like Iraq.”

Funk noted that the more money Ernst receives from Big Oil interest, the more reluctant her support for renewable fuels.” Ernst needs to get her priorities straight: choosing between Iowa’s economy and the special interests shouldn’t be a choice at all,” Funk concluded.

Audio, Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Oil, RFS

Grease Still Hot Item in Biodiesel Feedstock Thefts

John Davis

scalesofjustice1We’re still seeing stories pop up about how thieves are targeting the used grease from restaurants for biodiesel production. The latest story comes from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch where police broke up a mutli-state ring of stolen used grease and cooking oil from O’Fallon, Ill. and the surrounding area.

The suspects — Bo Lin, 32, of Fairview Heights; Tuo Li, 25, of Chicago; and Kentvy Wong, 30, of Flushing, N.Y. — were arrested overnight July 16 at a barn here in the 900 block of Talon Drive. The building, police said, contained about 10,000 gallons of filched grease.

[Police detective Lt. Robert] Schmidtke said the suspects had been selling it to rendering and biodiesel plants.

He said estimating the value of the grease was difficult, but that it easily exceeded $10,000. The National Renderers Association has estimated that grease sells nationally for about $3 a gallon.

Grease thefts have increased since biofuels were introduced to a market once dominated by animal feed and soap industries.

Police say most restaurants might not even report grease thefts, because they don’t realize the value of the commodity being stolen. I guess that’s understandable when you figure it wasn’t that many years ago when before biodiesel became so popular that restaurants paid a price (and many still do) to have it hauled away.

Biodiesel

NASCAR Races 6 Million Miles on E15

Joanna Schroeder

On Sunday, July 20, 2014 NASCAR drivers raced at the Brickyard in Indianapolis, Indiana and hit a historic milestone – 6 million miles raced using Sunoco Green E15. The feat was three years in the making and took place at one of the most famous racetracks in the world – Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In 2011, NASCAR and American Ethanol partnered to bring E15 to the sport. Since the beginning of the 2011 season, Sunoco Green E15 has fueled every car and every truck in each of NASCAR’s national race series. According to NASCAR, the introduction of Sunoco Green E15 has been a pivotal part of the NASCAR Green initiative, and has successfully increased horsepower and decreased emissions for the sport.

NASCAR 6 Million Miles on E15Brian France, CEO of NASCAR, released a statement in response to the 6 million mile-milestone saying, “NASCAR conducted an exhaustive analysis before making the seamless transition to Sunoco Green E15, a race fuel blended with 15 percent American Ethanol. As we eclipse six million tough competition miles across our three national series, we can definitively say this renewable fuel stands up to our rigorous racing conditions while significantly reducing our impact on the environment. We are proud to celebrate this milestone at Indianapolis Motor Speedway along with our partners at the National Corn Growers Association and Growth Energy.”

The 6 million mile-mark is especially significant because it mirrors the 6 million miles of testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy to initially approve E15 for all light duty cars and trucks, model year 2001 and newer.

“NASCAR validates what a great performance fuel [E15] is, said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “If you meet with the teams and talk with the owners – they’ve got increased horse power, they’ve got higher performance, and, as Richard [Childress] said, it’s cleaner.”

Through NASCAR, Buis said American Ethanol has proven that E15 is a high performance, low cost fuel option that is homegrown and better for our environment. It supports American jobs that will never be outsourced, bolsters rural economies and enhances our nation’s energy and national security.

Listen to the press conference here: NASCAR Races 6 Million Miles on E15

*Special thanks to Meghan Grebner with Brownfield Ag News for providing audio and photo from the press conference.

American Ethanol, Audio, biofuels, E15, NASCAR, Racing

RFA to DOE: Update Your E85 Data!

Joanna Schroeder

Today the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is calling on the Department of Energy (DOE) to accurately account for all stations selling E85. According to RFA, the DOE’s Alternative Fuels Data Center is missing a vast number of E85 stations – nearly 1,000- after comparing the list to the “crowd-sourced” website E85Prices.com that lists 3,449 retail locations offering E85.

RFANewlogo“The AFDC database is way off in its reporting of E85 stations, and this is negatively influencing discussions over the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blending requirements. It isn’t just a handful of stations that are missing; we are talking about the exclusion of hundreds of stations nationwide. In fact, they missed 40 percent of the stations that are included in other databases! That’s simply unacceptable,” said Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the RFA.

In a letter sent to the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, the RFA illustrates the central role of the database in crucial policy decisions, stating, “EPA’s mistaken belief that existing E85 refueling infrastructure is insufficient to distribute the 2014 RFS volumes specified in the statute is based in large part on information from the AFDC. As a result, the Agency wrongly proposed to reduce required renewable fuel blending volumes in 2014.”

Dinneen stressed the urgent need for updated, accurate information as the EPA decides the final 2014 RFS blending requirements. He noted, “Accurate data is the foundation of well informed decisions. The so-called ‘blend wall’ — the level at which oil companies claim they can no longer blend ethanol into gasoline — can be scaled through increased use of E85. Therefore, an accurate accounting of E85 stations distributing low-cost, renewable fuels is vital to informing the debate over RFS implementation.”

The letter concludes, “The correctness and completeness of the database has never been more important, as crucial policy and regulatory decisions are being informed by the information. Inadequate data leads to ill-informed policy decisions, which can have significant consequences for affected industries.

biofuels, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA, RFS

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFEmerging markets will play a major role in the expansion of global nuclear installed capacity, which will increase from 371 Gigawatts (GW) in 2013 to 517 GW by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.5%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. According to “Emerging Nuclear Power Countries- Market Forecast, Key Companies and Development Analysis to 2030,” while the world’s nuclear power generation decreased in 2011 and 2012 in the aftermath of the Fukushima meltdown, the market is gradually recovering, with large-scale capacity additions expected in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
  • Legislative support is waning for biofuels blending requirements in the European Union (EU) and the United States, according to analysis in a just-released Platts Commodity Pulse video. During the video, Platts Agriculture Editors Tim Worledge, Guilherme Kfouri and Sean Bartlett review biofuels’ role in the global energy supply mix during the past decade and discuss the current legislative challenges in the biodiesel and ethanol markets in the U.S. and EU.
  • According to the report from Juniper Research, “Green Mobile: The Complete Guide to Vendor Strategies & Future Prospects 2014-2019,” charging mobile devices will generate more than 13 megatonnes CO2e (CO2 equivalent) of greenhouse gases per annum globally by 2019, against an anticipated 6.4 megatonnes this year. Nearly 50% of these 2019 emissions –equivalent to annual emissions from 1.1 million cars – will come from coal-fired Asian electricity grids powering growing smartphone use. The report also found there is low consumer awareness of renewable energy and sustainable habits in these markets. It is down to vendors to take the lead in making energy companies provide more green electricity for both industry and consumers.
  • Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene is the latest of NG Advantage’s customers to change its heat source from fuel oil to compressed natural gas (CNG). The Medical Center joins a growing number of large institutions and industrial sites not located on a gas pipeline in New England and northern New York State. These sites were referred to as “stranded properties” by the gas industry. NG Advantage LLC offers a new service of trucking CNG using its “virtual pipeline” – a fleet of high–tech carbon fiber trailers – to very large energy users not located on a pipeline.
Bioenergy Bytes