RES America’s Border Winds Project Blows Ahead

Joanna Schroeder

The Border Winds Project is blowing ahead in Roulette County, North Dakota. Renewable Energy Systems Americas has received notice to proceed on construction. The company is the developer and engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project. RES purchased the partially completed project from Sequoia Energy in August 2013. However, when completed, ownership and operation will be transferred to Xcel Energy.

Located near the U.S./Canada border, the 150 megawatt (MW) project is comprised of 75 V100-2.0 MW Vestas turbines. Construction of Border Winds is expected to begin in June 2014 with completion in October 2015. The project is expected to employ up to 300 workers during peak construction.

vestas-v100“Technological improvements in the wind industry continue to drive down the cost of generating clean, carbon-free electricity for consumers,” said Andrew Fowler, chief operating officer of RES Americas. “RES Americas is committed to playing a leading role in developing and constructing wind and solar projects that will further advance a sustainable energy future for North America. Border Winds puts us one step closer.”

Xcel Energy estimates that Border Winds will reduce customer costs by approximately $45 million over the project’s life and avoid approximately 320,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The Vestas V100-2.0 MW turbine, launched in 2013, generates approximately 13% more energy than earlier models at medium wind speeds, according to RES, who expects that the cost of energy generated by the project will be competitive with or below wholesale power prices in the region.

Dave Sparby, president and CEO of Northern States Power Co.-Minnesota, an Xcel Energy company said of the project moving forward, “We are committed to meeting our customers’ needs in clean and affordable ways. The Border Winds project is one of four new wind projects under development in our Upper Midwest region. These projects will add 750 megawatts of clean wind energy to our system and demonstrate that we can achieve both environmental and economic benefits for our customers.”

Renewable Energy, Wind

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFConsumers Energy has chosen 22 new projects offered by businesses and homeowners across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula to produce solar energy. Five non-residential projects in four counties were selected. The projects will provide 546 kilowatts of electric capacity, and they range in size from 21 to 150 kilowatts. Seventeen residential customer projects in 13 counties – Bay, Barry, Clinton, Eaton, Gladwin, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Kent, Monroe, Newaygo, Ottawa and Washtenaw – also were selected. The projects will provide about 171 kilowatts of electric capacity, and they range in size from 2.5 to 20 kilowatts. The customers were chosen as part of the company’s Experimental Advanced Renewable Program (EARP). The program provides for the long-term purchase of renewable energy generated by solar energy systems owned by electric customers.
  • SunEdison, Inc. has announced the closing of a US $155 million non-recourse debt financing arrangement with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and CorpBanca, a prominent Chilean commercial bank, who also provided a local Chilean Peso VAT facility equivalent to US $35 million. The debt proceeds will be used in Chile for the construction of a 72.8 MWp (megawatt) merchant solar power plant.
  • Vernier Software & Technology has launched the Renewable Energy with Vernier lab book and the Vernier Energy Sensor to help students explore renewable energy concepts through engaging, hands-on investigations. The lab book, which was written and aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), contains 26 experiments that use the Vernier Energy Sensor, as well as KidWind Experiment Kits, which are exclusively manufactured and distributed by Vernier.
  • VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has joined forces with Lappeenranta University of Technology and the Finland Futures Research Centre at the University of Turku in the launch of an extensive development project for a brand new energy system and its associated business sector in Finland. The NEO-CARBON ENERGY project, targeting the storage of solar and wind energy, has been granted major strategic funding by Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation for the next couple of years.
Bioenergy Bytes

Corn Interns Educate About E85 Cost

Chuck Zimmerman

Illinois CornLet’s put those interns to work. That’s what Illinois Corn is doing. Interns Tim Marten, a student at SIU-Edwardsville, and Elizabeth O’Reilly, a student at ISU, have been tasked with creating short videos that promote corn. The internships are funded by two communications scholarships from the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. Here’s an example of one of them below. You can find others here.

The first video highlights how gas prices are determined, illustrating the cost that E85 SHOULD be at the pump when priced appropriately.

biofuels, corn, E85, Video

Nebraska Ethanol Sector Leads Manufacturing Wages

Joanna Schroeder

Nebraska Ethanol Economic ImpactAccording to Nebraska Department of Labor’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program, over the last decade, Nebraska’s ethanol production sector outpaced all other manufacturing groups in the state in terms of wages earned. For example, in 2013 the average annual wage in the ethanol sector was $59,541 while the average for all other manufacturing sectors was $39,966.

“Nebraska’s ethanol industry now has twenty-four operating plants located across the state with the capacity to produce more than two billion gallons annually,” said to Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board. “The impact of ethanol production goes far beyond rural Nebraska. Virtually every sector of the state’s economy benefits from ethanol’s growth. Economic benefits accrue to technology and manufacturing sectors that provide software and sophisticated equipment to the agricultural sector that provides the raw materials processed in the plants.

Sneller added, “A vibrant agricultural economy is a major component of Nebraska’s economic success and the growing importance of ethanol is particularly notable. The ethanol industry generates 7,700 jobs, increases Nebraska’s annual economic base by $5.8 billion, and pays more than $38 million in local and state tax revenues each year.”

biofuels, Ethanol

Turning Biodiesel By-Product into Valued Chemicals

John Davis

RiceWong1Researchers have discovered a catalyst of precious metals that is uncovering some real treasure in a biodiesel by-product. Rice University says engineers at the school have found palladium-gold nanoparticles, used as catalysts for cleaning polluted water, are also surprisingly good at turning glycerol into valuable chemicals.

Through dozens of studies, [Michael] Wong’s team focused on using the tiny metallic specks to break down carcinogenic and toxic compounds. But his latest study, which is available online and due for publication in an upcoming issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal Chemical Science, examined whether palladium-gold nanocatalysts could convert glycerol, a waste byproduct of biodiesel production, into high-value chemicals.

In scientific parlance, the data from the study produced a “volcano plot,” a graph with a sharp spike that depicts a “Goldilocks effect,” a “just right” balance of palladium and gold that is faster — about 10 times faster — at converting glycerol than catalysts of either metal alone.

In previous studies, the nanocatalysts were used in reduction reactions, chemical processes marked by the addition of hydrogen. In the latest tests on glycerol conversion, the nanocatalysts spurred an oxidation reaction, which involves adding oxygen.

“Oxidation and reduction aren’t just dissimilar; they’re often thought of as being in opposite directions,” Wong said.

You can read the full study here.

Biodiesel, Research, University

Ethanol Report on Advanced Ethanol Concerns

Cindy Zimmerman

ethanol-report-adAdvanced Ethanol Council (AEC) executive director Brooke Coleman commented last week on a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) so we got him on the phone for this edition of “The Ethanol Report.”

colemanIn this interview, Coleman talks about his take on the CBO report, as well as Phantom Fuels legislation in Congress, and the delay on EPA issuing a final rule for 2014 volume obligations under the RFS.

You may recall that EPA officials said earlier this year that they expected to have a final rule by the end of spring, or at least the end of June, but that has not happened yet and Coleman explains they now have until the end of September. “They were saying the end of June because they had to get it done by July 1st because they had extended the RFS compliance year through June,” he said. “They then extended it again through September.”

Ethanol Report with Brooke Coleman, Advanced Ethanol Council

Subscribe to “The Ethanol Report” with this link.

advanced biofuels, AEC, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA, RFS

Supreme Court Turns Down California LCFS Case

Cindy Zimmerman

supreme-courtIn the flurry of decisions by the Supreme Court released the morning, justices declined to review California’s low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) decision.

A federal trial judge ruled against the LCFS in 2011 but the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling last year and denied rehearing the case in January.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy issued a joint statement regarding the decision.

“We are extremely disappointed that the Supreme Court has declined to review the Ninth Circuit’s decision, despite the broad support for the petition – including 21 states. We will continue our efforts to protect the American biofuel industry and the national interest and will continue to ensure that all consumers have access to low-priced, American-made biofuels.”

The ethanol industry was joined in challenging the California law by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM). “The Supreme Court’s decision not to review this case is disappointing and leaves in place a state regulation that discriminates against fuels and other products produced outside of California,” said AFPM General Counsel Richard Moskowitz. “California’s efforts to dictate how fuel is produced outside of its borders ignores Constitutional safeguards that have long protected against one state controlling the conduct of private parties beyond their borders.”

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, Low Carbon Fuel Standard, RFA

Geothermal Bill Makes Progress in California

Joanna Schroeder

The California Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee approved the proposed geothermal legislation S.B. 1139 with a 6-2 vote. Earlier in the week, the Utilities and Commerce Committee also passed the bill, by 8-5. The Senate approved it in May. This bill, should enacted, will strengthen the geothermal industry’s position in the state as it moves to lower carbon energy solutions.

California_Geothermal-3“The Geothermal Energy Association supports existing geothermal power facilities in California and efforts to expand geothermal power production in the state,” said Karl Gawell, GEA’s executive director said upon passage of the bill from the two committees.

The next step is for the bill to be heard in August by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. If the bill is enacted, retail sellers would need to increased their geothermal-powered electricity use by a combined total of 500 MW by 2024.

GEA has noted that California has great potential for geothermal power development throughout the state. In other California geothermal news, a concurrent initiative by the Imperial Irrigation District in Imperial County would use geothermal energy in a plan to restore the Salton Sea habitat and shorelines.

Geothermal, Legislation, Renewable Energy

Solar Power Helping to Power the U.S. Economy

Joanna Schroeder

Made in the USAWith the U.S. 4th of July holiday celebration just a few days away, IBISWorld has announced the top five industries that have helped to “re-power” the U.S. economy since the recession. The industries are characterized by strong employment growth and increasing revenue, with both trends expected to continue through 2019.

The top five industries include:

  1. Car and Automobile Manufacturing
  2. Solar Power
  3. Apartment and Condominium construction
  4. Craft Beer
  5. 3D Printing and Rapid Prototype Services

In more detail, IBISWorld has estimated solar growth from 2010-2014 at 70.0 percent per year on average with estimated average revenue growth from 2015-2019 at 7.6 percent per year. IBIS reports that while solar energy has been around for some time, the industry has struggled to gain traction until recently. Industry growth has been due in part to favorable Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) legislation, Implemented in more than 30 states. RPS legislation requires local utilities to generate a percentage of their total energy portfolio from renewable sources, thereby increasing demand for industry services. State mandates, coupled with consumers’ growing propensity to patronize environmentally friendly industries, have led to explosive revenue growth for operators over the past five years.

IBIS forecasts that over the next five years to 2019, the solar power industry is expected to continue growing. Continued government assistance via tax incentives and other regulations will help the industry remain competitive with other energy sources. Moreover, increased electricity consumption is expected to spur industry operators to meet growing demand by providing cleaner energy. Finally, the price of solar-generated energy is expected to continue falling to be either at or below parity with the traditional retail rate of grid power. As a result of these trends, IBISWorld expects revenue for the Solar Power industry to increase at an annualized rate of 7.6% over the five years to 2019.

Renewable Energy, Solar

Iowa Congressman Visits Biodiesel Producers

Cindy Zimmerman

braleyCongressman Bruce Braley (D-IA) visited the REG biodiesel plant in Mason City, Iowa on Friday to meet with members of the state’s biodiesel industry concerned about the proposed lowering of volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The current RFS proposal would set biodiesel volumes at 1.28 billion gallons, a sharp cut from last year’s actual production of nearly 1.8 billion gallons. “We’re grateful to Rep. Braley for his support on renewable fuels, and we’re asking for his help specifically in increasing the proposed biodiesel volume to at least 1.7 billion gallons,” said Grant Kimberley, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board.

braley-biodiesel2A recent national survey of producers conducted by the National Biodiesel Board found that more than half have idled a plant this year and 78 percent have reduced production from last year. Nearly two-thirds have already laid off employees or anticipate doing so. “Iowa is the leading biodiesel state, which generates jobs and economic advancement,” Kimberly said. “The future of these promising businesses is threatened.”

Braley, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Tom Harkin promised that he will “continue to reach out with strong voice and talk about importance of biofuels for Iowa and nation.”

Biodiesel, Government, REG, RFS