USDA Predicts Another Record Corn Crop

Cindy Zimmerman

usda-logoThe U.S. Department of Agriculture released its initial assessment of the nation’s corn crop for the coming year on Friday, calling for another record based on the March 31
Prospective Plantings report.

Corn production is projected at 13.9 billion bushels, up slightly from the 2013/14 record with higher expected yields more than offsetting the year-to-year reduction in planted area. The corn yield is projected at 165.3 bushels per acre, up 6.5 bushels from 2013/14, based on a weather adjusted yield trend model and assuming normal mid-May planting progress and summer weather.

Farm organizations welcomed the news but sounded a note of caution.

corn-plant-14“America’s corn farmers continuously strive to improve and, in 2014, they certainly will make their achievements evident should these projections be realized,” said National Corn Growers Association Chairwoman Pam Johnson. “As farmers, we take great pride in our work and feel that the projections recognize our efforts. Yet, our optimism is tinged caution as we have all seen conditions change quickly and a crop shift course in a few short weeks.”

“Farmers are still out there facing the reality of unpredictable weather as they work to get their crops in the ground, favorable weather during the growing season and then cooperative weather again at harvest time,” added American Farm Bureau Federation crops economist Todd Davis. “There’s still a long way to go before the crops are in the bin.”

The USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand estimate projects U.S. corn use for 2014/15 will be two percent lower than in 2013/14, while corn used to produce ethanol in 2014/15 is expected to be unchanged on the year with gasoline consumption expected to remain flat in 2015.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farm Bureau, NCGA, USDA

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFAvantha Group Company CG, has successfully installed a transformer substation at the Amrumbank West offshore wind farm. The renewable energy unit consists of 80 multi-megawatt wind turbines located 100 km off the German coast in the North Sea. The Amrumbank West offshore wind farm Bio is scheduled to enter service in the autumn of 2015. The wind farm extends over 32 square kilometres, and its 80 technologically advanced 3.6 MW turbines will give it a total capacity of 288 MW, enough to power 300,000 households.
  • Sedex Global is partnering with the World Bank Institute to develop Open Supply Chain Platform – a new initiative to address global gaps in the availability and visibility of responsible supply chain data. The Open Supply Chain Platform will help companies better understand their performance, increase sustainability and diversity, and generate shared values along global supply chains. Developed as part of the World Bank Institute’s Open Private Sector Platform, the web-based and user-managed online platform will offer comprehensive supply chain information and enable businesses to conduct online assessments on their suppliers and consumers, based on a series of governance and sustainability indicators.
  • McPhy Energy will collaborate in the development of the public HTEC refuelling (hydrogen) station in Woodside, California, by providing an electrolyzer which will produce green hydrogen fuel using renewable electricity. The station, which will incorporate Powertech’s innovative station and dispenser design, is planned to be operational at the end of the summer next year. It will be capable of fuelling over 25 hydrogen vehicles per day and easily expand as demand grows. Fills will take 3-5 minutes to provide the cars enough fuel to travel over 300 miles (480 kms).
  • Clean Energy Collective (CEC), a leading community solar developer, has signed an agreement with RGS Energy to act as an authorized reseller of its community solar solution. The agreement with CEC allows RGS Energy to expand its reach to provide solar solutions to customers who rent or lease their property or are otherwise unable to install onsite systems due to site orientation, shading or restrictions imposed upon historic properties.
Bioenergy Bytes

ECOZ & CDP to Accelerate Renewable Energy

Joanna Schroeder

ECOHZ and CDP have signed a partnership to create an open source standard for ECOHZ’s GO² product, allowing other providers around the world to offer this new solution and participate in advancing renewable power generation. The product allows enterprises to track their renewable power consumption as well as develop new renewable generation. ECOHZ says with this system, companies will be able to send a clear signal to the market of what energy type is preferred. In addition, the companies using the technology will also be helping to finance the deployment of new renewable power.

ECOHZ is a provider in Europe of Guarantees of Origin (GO), the only way to document renewable energy from production to consumption. CDP is an international NGO that works with investors, companies, and governments to drive environmental disclosure and action to deliver sustainable economies.

“The EU Parliament’s recent vote in favour of a new law governing corporate reporting of non-financial information, and increased political pressure for everyone to respond to climate change, make enterprises look for certified solutions to stand out with their commitment to sustainability,” said Nigel Topping Executive Director of CDP. “GO and now GO2, are solutions that enable enterprises to take concrete steps to consume renewable energy, and even contribute to building new renewable sources. ECOHZ is the leader in this market and we are excited about the opportunities we see for our partnership.”

There has been a call for more transparency from companies on their non-financial performance and contribution to sustainable development. With climate change issues, governments, regulators and investors are all looking for concrete ways to measure performance. This solution delivers that means of measurement by building on the GO system and bundling renewable energy consumption with a contribution to new renewable energy production. GO² unleashes power plant projects previously blocked due to lack of financing. GO² is a new way to achieve energy neutrality through the creation of new renewable production accessible to corporations that want the lead the way to a cleaner energy future.

Tom Lindberg, Managing Director in ECOHZ AS, added, “We experience increasing interest from large enterprises for documented renewable energy. With GO2 we give increased choice to companies who want to be a leader in sustainability and actively communicate it to their stakeholders. By joining forces with CDP, a global organization accelerating action to achieve sustainable economies, we will drive increased awareness among leading corporates of the opportunities for purchasing documented renewable energy, and linking this directly to the building of additional renewable power capacity.”

Electricity, Renewable Energy, Video

Methes Finalizing Deal to Ship Biodiesel to U.S.

John Davis

Methes1Methes Energies International Ltd. will send 40 Railcars of biodiesel per month to the U.S. The company announced the deal to send about 1 million gallons of the green fuel each month from its production facility in Canada.

Nicholas Ng, President of Methes Energies, said, “We’re very excited about the opportunity to bring our Sombra facility to full current production capacity. At current prices these new arrangements can add up to $4 million per month to our biodiesel sales. Also, the fact that we can now sell directly to U.S. buyers will make things much easier for us and enhance our ability to attract additional U.S. customers. This might get us to increase capacity in Sombra sooner rather than later.”

Methes Energies was able to make the deal since it is now qualified to be an importer of record of biodiesel into the U.S., which will allow it to generate Renewable Identification Numbers to provide better margins and give Methes Energies the ability to sell directly to U.S. buyers.

Biodiesel

New Utah Biodiesel Law Met with Tepid Welcome

John Davis

utahflag1A new law in Utah to encourage the use of biodiesel is getting a tepid reception from the industry it purports to help. This article from Biodiesel Magazine says H.R. 5 is supposed to support the continued development and implementation of biodiesel in the state, but at least one biodiesel maker is less than enthusiastic about its approval.

“It appears that H.R. 5 is just a simple resolution and lacks any real substance to further the promotion and use of biodiesel in the state of Utah,” Graydon Blair, owner of Utah Biodiesel Supply, tells Biodiesel Magazine.

While the resolution is clearly supportive of biodiesel, exactly how the state plans to promote biodiesel is less clear.

“By passing these two coordinated bills—H.R. 5 and S.B. 242—aimed at advancing biofuel production and utilization in the state of Utah, the state has recognized the value of biofuels as a means both to improve air quality along the Wasatch Front, and to advance other key goals such as job creation and the environmentally sound recycling of waste materials,” Nate McDonald, public information officer for the office of Utah Gov. Herbert, tells Biodiesel Magazine.

Blair told the magazine he would have liked to have seen some kind of action plan built into the bill that would have actually increased the use of biodiesel in Utah.

Biodiesel

Juhl Energy Purchases 2 Iowa Wind Farms

Joanna Schroeder

Juhl Energy is purchasing two Iowa wind farms. The wind farms are located in North Central Iowa outside the towns of Manley and Kensett and utilize GE turbines. Operating since November 2011, combined nameplate capacity is 3.24 megawatts.

“This transaction underscores our ongoing commitment to building our residual, Juhl Energy Wind Farmindependent power production business made up of wind farms today and – we hope – other forms of renewable energy in the future,” said John Mitola, president of Juhl Energy. “We believe that building our asset ownership and operating division, with its predictable revenue and cash flow, is the foundation for the ongoing strength of our company. These two Iowa projects are representative of the thousands of projects under 50 MWs –the market sector where Juhl stands head and shoulders above others in its ability to own, operate and maintain such assets.”

The wind turbines are installed on private farmland approximately 10 miles apart from each other. Juhl Renewable Assets, Inc., Juhl Energy’s wholly-owned subsidiary, will purchase both projects by acquiring 100 percent of the membership interests held by the existing owners for $2.0 million and the assumption of debt in place at the project level. The $2.0 million required to close on the Iowa projects will be raised through JRAI’s 9.0 percent Series A Preferred equity offering to individual accredited investors and qualifying institutions that have an existing relationship with the Company.

Mitola said the projects are being financed with bank debt and their Juhl Renewable Assest preferred stock- only available to current accredited stockholders. He added that similar to other “yieldcos” their stock is paying 9 percent yield annual since inception. After the close of the Iowa projects the JRAI division will own and operate five wind projects totaling approximately 25 megawatts.

“We maintain our long-term goal of building ownership capacity and hope to progress to management’s stated goal of up to 200 megawatts – which would represent energy production assets with an initial installed cost of approximately $400 million,” Mitola added. “We believe we can get there by adding small projects alongside medium sized projects one step at a time over the next few years.”

“To put our platform of accumulating energy assets in perspective, currently there are over 6,000 MWs of wind farms with nameplate capacity of less than 50 MW operating in North America. As a result, we believe our goals for additional asset acquisitions are reasonable given Juhl’s presence in wind power industry and our position in the smaller wind space,” Mitola concluded.

The company created its JRAI Preferred Stock as a direct result of significant interest. The stock allows investment directly into renewable energy projects. Mitola believes with the creation of their JRAI Preferred equity vehicle, they will continue to prove the company can secure assets quickly with a competitive cost of capital and provide investors a solid annual yield.

Renewable Energy, Wind

Alstom’s Team Awarded DOE Offshore Wind Grant

Joanna Schroeder

Alstom is part of a team awarded a $47M grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for phase II of the Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project (VOWTAP) led by Dominion Virginia Power. This next phase includes the completion of Front End Engineering Design (FEED), installation and testing of two Alstom Haliade 150-6MW (megawatt) offshore wind turbines approximately 24 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

Alstom Wind TurbineAlstom says the award strengthens the long-standing partnership with Dominion and advances their common goals to improve the competitiveness of offshore wind in the U.S. The team will explore innovative approaches to optimize turbine and balance of plant designs while addressing environmental conditions including hurricanes, transportation and installation strategies, and operations and maintenance (O&M) methodologies. The group, which includes the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), among others, is one of three teams selected to receive funding for phase two of the project.

“After successful and highly collaborative completion of the initial Front End Engineering Design we are looking forward to implementing this innovative and challenging project with our strategic partner Dominion and the other world class members of the team,” said Andy Geissbuehler, head of Alstom’s North American Wind business. “We are getting closer to the DOE goal of providing clean, affordable offshore wind energy to homes and businesses throughout the East Coast.”

Alstom’s Haliade 150-6MW offshore wind turbine is engineered to achieve the goals and objectives outlined by VOWTAP. It’s 150-meter rotor contributes dramatically to reducing the cost of offshore wind power while the direct drive permanent magnet generator and the Alstom Pure Torque technology increase reliability, availability, and efficiency.

VOWTAP is one of several offshore wind R&D programs led by the DOE that Alstom is collaborating on. This month a team led by Alstom was awarded an additional $3.4M by the DOE for phase II of its program to develop, test and validate advanced control technologies and integrated sensors for offshore wind turbines.

Electricity, offshore wind, Renewable Energy

Evolving Distillers Grains: Take the Survey

Joanna Schroeder

Iowa State University is looking at how the use of distillers grains have changed in the United States over the past several years. Interested growers are invited to participate in a survey currently being conducted by Iowa State University Assistant Professor Dr. Kurt Rosentrater. The survey findings will create a better overall picture of the roll distillers grains play in the livestock industry today and provide important insight into possible points of improvement in the future.

The survey is funded, ddgsin part, by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Ethanol Committee as part of the team’s efforts to increase understanding of how this ethanol co-product benefits farmers, ranchers and ethanol producers alike.

“I encourage anyone who might be able to provide information on how they use distillers grains on their operation to take a few minutes and complete this survey,” said NCGA Ethanol Committee Chair Jeff Sandborn, a Michigan farmer. “As the use of distillers grains continues to grow and evolve, data gained through this survey will enable producers to improve their offerings and thus will benefit the very livestock producers that we would like to participate. Using corn to produce fuel and feed is already a win-win-win situation. Now, we want to make it that much better.”

To take the survey, click here.

Agribusiness, corn, Distillers Grains, livestock feed, NCGA

Rep Conaway Re-Introduces Anti-Biofuel Amendents

Joanna Schroeder

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) has reintroduced his anti-biofuels amendments and they have been passed. The amendments have been included in the House version of the FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act. One amendment, H.R. 4435 prohibits the Department of Defense from purchasing biofuels unless the biofuels until certain date requirements are met:

Except as provided in subsection 3 (b), none of the amounts authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for the Department of Defense may be used to purchase or produce biofuels until the earlier of the following dates: ( 1) The elate on which the cost of the biofuel IS equal to the cost of conventional fuels purchased by the Department. (2) The date on which the Budget Control Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-25), and the sequestration in effect by reason of such Act, are no longer in effect. (b) EXCEPTIONS. the limitation under subsection (a) shall not apply to biofuels purchased ( 1) in limited quantities necessary to complete test and certification; or (2) for the biofuel research and development efforts of the Department.

Navy Blue Angels flying on biofuelsRep. Conaway said of the passage of his amendments, “It is foolish to require the military to purchase biofuels that are far more expensive than traditional petroleum products, which is why I offered an amendment that would allow the Department of Defense to only produce and procure biofuels if the cost is equal to conventional fuels or sequestration is replaced with an exemption for research and development.”

He continued, “I also offered an amendment that would prohibit the Department of Defense from developing their own biofuel refineries. Allowing the Pentagon to subsidize and develop its own biofuels industry is an abuse of the Defense Production Act. These amendments are necessary at a time when our military is already facing enormous budget constraints.

“It is not the job of the Department of Defense to develop the biofuel industry,” added Conaway. “As the bill moves forward, I will continue to fight to reverse these efforts to use the Department of Defense to prop up the biofuels industry.”

Truman National Security Project Executive Director Michael Breen responded to the amendments proposed by Rep. Conaway to the House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act that would constrain the Department of Defense (DoD) from investing in energy security initiatives.

Breen, a former U.S. Army officer and leader of the clean energy campaign, Operation Free, said: “This is Déjà vu all over again. In what has become an annual tradition, Congressman Michael Conaway has proposed amendments that would limit the Pentagon’s use of advanced biofuels, directly affecting the mission capability of our deployed forces. Our military leaders have been crystal clear: developing next generation fuels and using energy smarter are national security imperatives.”

“The military is investing in renewable and energy efficient technologies that are promoting energy security for our troops abroad and here at home,” Breen added. “Congress needs to stop prioritizing politics over national security and listen to our military leaders who have stated over and over again that these investments are crucial for strengthening our national and economic security.”

advanced biofuels, biofuels, Government, military

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFA new $15 million gift by Lynda and Stewart Resnick in support of the Resnick Sustainability Institute at Caltech will help scientists and engineers advance research aimed at helping humanity sustainably meet its needs for energy, food, clean water, and a healthy environment. This brings total funding of the Resnick Sustainability Institute to nearly $60 million, beginning with a foundational $21 million gift from the Resnicks in 2009.
  • Genscape is hosting a “Prepare for the 2014 Growing Season,” Tuesday, May 20 at 3:00 pm EDT targeted to the ethanol industry. The webinar will discuss the tangible savings and benefits ethanol plants can expect from utilizing the most accurate, personalized crop assessment in the industry. Topics to be covered in this webinar include: What Genscape’s experts and experienced agronomists are seeing and predicting early in the season; how to assess corn supply ahead of market movements and improve hedging and risk management strategies; and more.
  • American fashion retailer Forever 21 has unveiled plans to install a 5.1-megawatt (DC) high efficiency SunPower solar power system at Forever 21’s headquarters in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. The system will be the largest single-roof solar power system in Los Angeles County and the third-largest in California. The planned system makes Forever 21 the latest business to Participate in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (LADWP) Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Program. Also it will become the first project to use both of LADWP’s solar site programs-the FiT100 Set Pricing Program and the Solar Incentive Program at one location.
  • Voith has been awarded a services contract for the extensive modernization of three hydropower generators at the Kettle Generating Station in the province of Manitoba in Canada. The scope of supply for Voith Hydro includes the replacement of stator frames, new cores and windings as well as pole re-insulation and the installation of new coolers. Once the project is completed, each of the refurbished units will be rated at 120 MVA.
Bioenergy Bytes