Ten New E15 Stations Open in Wisconsin

Joanna Schroeder

Ten new E15 stations have opened in Wisconsin. Vehicles manufactured after 2001 and flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) can fill up at the United Cooperative Cenex convenience stores located throughout Wisconsin: Beaver Dam, Baraboo, Hustisford, Iron Ridge, Pickett, Poynette, Reedsburg, Watertown, and Wyocena. The stations offer blender pumps that include additional mid-level ethanol blends: E30 and E85 for use in FFVs.

David Cramer, United Cooperative president and chief executive officer, noted, “Ethanol-blended fuels like E15 are better for the United Cooperative E15-E85 station in Wisconsinenvironment, originate from locally-grown corn, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. United Cooperative enjoys offering our customers multiple ethanol options at the pump and doing our part to support the American economy.”

With the addition of these 10 new stations, there are now 75 E15 stations in 12 states.

“United Cooperative understands the vital importance of choice in the transportation fuel market. The addition of blender pumps to these 10 stations give the people of Wisconsin access to E15, E30, and E85, all low-cost fuel options,” said Robert White, director of market development at the Renewable Fuels Association. “The expansion of E15 in Wisconsin is only the beginning as retailers continue to see the economic benefits of installing blender pumps and offering higher-level ethanol blends to their customers.”

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E15, E85, Ethanol, RFA

U.S. Policy Outlook Featured at World Congress

Joanna Schroeder

A special pre-conference workshop has been added to the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology that is taking place May 12-15, 2014 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. “U.S. Policy Outlook: From the RFS to Tax Reform to Farm Bill Implementation – What Lies Ahead for Advanced Biofuels and Renewable Chemicals?” is designed to assess the threats and opportunities on the U.S. federal policy landscape for 2014. Issues discussed will include the Farm Bill, tax reform and potential changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

BIO logo“This robust policy discussion is a great way to start to the world’s largest event on industrial biotechnology. Industrial biotechnology touches all of our lives and changes to these policies could have significant impact the industry’s future growth,” said James Greenwood, President and CEO of Biotechnology Industry Organization. “I am pleased to lead a panel of such prominent policy experts in a conversation during a time when the Renewable Fuel Standard, the Farm Bill and tax reform have become top Congressional priorities, the Obama Administration and key federal agencies.”

Pre-conference Workshop on U.S. policy outlook for industrial biotechnology will be moderated by James Greenwood, President & CEO, Biotechnology Industry Organization, with opening remarks from Representative Allyson Schwartz (D), Member of Congress for Pennsylvania’s 13th District and Candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania (invited). Panelists include James Massie, Alpine Group; Ryan Stroschein, Green Capitol LLC; Tim Urban, Washington Council Ernst & Young; and Dr. Matt Carr, Managing Director, BIO.

advanced biofuels, bioenergy, Biotech, RFS

Six ‘Grand Challenges’ Face the United States

Joanna Schroeder

There are six “grand challenges” facing the United States over the next decade according to a report from the national Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). The challenges include sustainability, water, climate change, agriculture, energy and education. The APLU project was co-chaired by W. Daniel Edge, head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University.

APLU Natural Resources RoadmapEdge said “Science, Education, and Outreach Roadmap for Natural Resources” is the first comprehensive, nationwide report on research, education and outreach needs for natural resources the country’s university community has ever attempted.

“The report identifies critical natural resources issues that interdisciplinary research programs need to focus on over the next 5-10 years in order to address emerging challenges,” Edge noted. “We hope that policy-makers and federal agencies will adopt recommendations in the roadmap when developing near-term research priorities and strategies.”

The six grand challenges addressed in the report are:

  • Sustainability: The need to conserve and manage natural landscapes and maintain environmental quality while optimizing renewable resource productivity to meet increasing human demands for natural resources, particularly with respect to increasing water, food, and energy demands.
  • Water: The need to restore, protect and conserve watersheds for biodiversity, water resources, pollution reduction and water security.
  • Climate Change: The need to understand the impacts of climate change on our environment, including such aspects as disease transmission, air quality, water supply, ecosystems, fire, species survival, and pest risk. Further, a comprehensive strategy is needed for managing natural resources to adapt to climate change.
  • Agriculture: The need to develop a sustainable, profitable, and environmentally responsible agriculture industry.
  • Energy: The need to identify new and alternative renewable energy sources and improve the efficiency of existing renewable resource-based energy to meet increasing energy demands while reducing the ecological footprint of energy production and consumption.
  • Education: The need to maintain and strengthen natural resources education at our schools at all levels in order to have the informed citizenry, civic leaders, and practicing professionals needed to sustain the natural resources of the United States.

“The natural resources issues with traditional sources of energy already are well-understood,” George Boehlert, report co-author, said, “with the possible exception of fracking. As the country moves more into renewable energy areas, there are many more uncertainties with respect to natural resources that need to be understood and addressed. There are no energy sources that do not have some environmental issues.”

The project was sponsored by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to Oregon State University, which partnered with APLU and authors from numerous institutions.

Climate Change, Education, Energy, Research, water

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFRenewable energy provider Wheelabrator Technologies will provide live online video coverage of its annual youth environmental summit taking place May 5-8, 2014 in Sunrise, Florida. In all, 150 students from 15 schools in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Florida will gather to present their projects to a panel of Wheelabrator employees, educators and environmental experts. A first for the Symposium series, each team presentation will be made available online, enabling schools, family members,friends, and community and business leaders to watch the presentations unfold live Tuesday, May 6. Interested spectators can view the school presentations by logging on to Wheelabrator’s website.
  • The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is accepting nominations for six awards that honors persons making significant contributions to the field of solar, renewable energy and the Society. Award nominees must be a member of ASES and nominations are due May 16, 2014. ASES is also accepting nominations for new Fellows of the Society. Click here for more information on the awards and to submit a nomination.
  • Admirals Bank, a leading provider of residential solar and renewable energy lending, has worked with Heatspring Learning Institute to bring an interactive, online training course to residential solar installers across the United States. The online training course, titled Solar Loans vs PPAs: How to Use Simple Solar Loans to Sell More Residential Solar, runs from May 5, 2014 through May 23, 2014. This 3-week online training course was developed by Admirals Bank to provide solar installers and other industry professionals with a comprehensive understanding of how to use residential solar financing to increase sales and home solar installations.
  • International renewable energy consultancy Natural Power has further strengthened its services in North America by appointing wind technical professional, Scott McDonald. Formerly of AWS Scientific (AWS Truepower), PPM Atlantic Renewable, Iberdrola Renewables and Ogin, Inc. McDonald joins Natural Power as Head of Energy Assessments in North America.
Bioenergy Bytes

California Celebrates Geothermal Awareness Day

Joanna Schroeder

Today is Geothermal Awareness Day in California and the geothermal industry is participating with several activities throughout the state including Sacramento, the state’s capitol. On this day, the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) is making a call for people to submit entries for the GEA Honors awards program, which recognizes the contributions made by companies and individuals in the past year that have advanced technology, business and environmental sustainabilityGEA logo through the field of geothermal energy.

“There is a growing need to educate Californians about the benefits of geothermal energy, and Geothermal Awareness Day is a great opportunity to make progress on understanding geothermal power,” said Karl Gawell, GEA’s executive director. “May 5 is Geothermal Awareness Day in Sacramento, and GEA is making key information available at its website free to the public to encourage Californians to learn more about the benefits of geothermal to the state.”

Free reports of interest that are available to the public include:

  • Report on the State of Geothermal In California, April 2012
  • The Values of Geothermal Energy: A Discussion of the Benefits Geothermal Power Provides to the Future US Power System, October 2013 (published jointly with the Geothermal Resources Council);
  • Geothermal Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, November 2012
  • Geothermal Basics

“It’s amazing to see the success being achieved in the geothermal sector, from cutting edge technology that are bring projects online to valuable research that are bringing us closer to a sustainable future. GEA Honors offers a moment to pause and celebrate the positive developments in the geothermal energy industry,” said GEA Executive Director Karl Gawell.

The deadline for GEA Honors submissions is July 7. Winners of GEA Honors will be announced on August 5 at the National Geothermal Summit at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Neveda. Click here to view all the categories and to submit a nomination.

Geothermal, Renewable Energy

NE Energy Event Features Biodiesel Heating Oil

John Davis

BioHeatAttendees of a recent energy, petroleum and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) industry tradeshow in the Northeast U.S. got to hear a lot more about biodiesel used as heating oil, better known as Bioheat. The National Biodiesel Board helped feature the green heating fuel at the Atlantic Region Energy Expo, considered the most significant energy event in that area.

“Our partnership with AREE reflects the successful partnership of the oil heat and biodiesel industries,” explained Paul Nazzaro, Petroleum Liasion for the National Biodiesel Board. “The collaboration between these groups has fueled Bioheat® fuel’s success and provided expanded options for oilheat consumers and new opportunities for small business throughout the Northeast.”

“As the biodiesel industry has grown to more than a billion gallons each of the last three years it has begun to penetrate markets beyond just on-road diesel use,” said Bob Metz, South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. “Bioheat® fuel is a tremendous opportunity to improve the air quality in home heating with a renewable product. Supporting AREE with the Bioheat® partnership is a great way to take that message direct to the industry.”

Bioheat certainly isn’t a new feature, as experts have been involved with biodiesel blends in heating oil for nearly 20 years. This is the third year that the Atlantic Region Energy Expo and Bioheat have hosted the AREE event.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel Imports Hit Record

John Davis

The U.S. is importing more biodiesel and renewable diesel than ever before. This report from the Energy Information Agency (EIA) says in 2013, the U.S. imported 525 million gallons of the green fuels, compared to just 61 million gallons in 2012.
biodieselimports2013
The strongest driver of the resurgence in U.S. biomass-based diesel demand was the increasing Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) target. Both biodiesel and renewable diesel qualify for the biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuel targets, as well as the overall RFS target. The total RFS target increased from 15.20 billion gallons in 2012 to 16.55 billion gallons in 2013. The biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels targets increased from 1.00 billion gallons to 1.28 billion gallons, and from 2.00 billion gallons to 2.75 billion gallons, respectively. Biomass-based diesel fuels have higher energy content compared with ethanol, and thus generate more Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits per gallon of fuel produced. In addition, renewable diesel meets the same American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards as petroleum diesel, and is thus not subject to the blending limits imposed on biodiesel.

The report says that domestic production could only partially offset increased U.S. biodiesel consumption. In addition, during the last four months of 2013, Argentine biodiesel was locked out of Europe in that continuing trade dispute, making the South Americans’ fuel available for U.S. consumption.

Biodiesel, Government

Ag Subcommittee Hears Pros and Cons of RFS

John Davis

glauber1The food versus fuel debate arose once again in front of Congress. At last week’s U.S. House Ag Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., opponents and proponents of the Renewable Fuels Standard presented their arguments on the RFS and its impact on the livestock industry.

One of the biggest opponents of the RFS is the poultry industry. Their members argued that ethanol has forced up feed prices that keeps them from expanding operations and fulfilling consumers’ needs to have a cheaper alternative to beef and pork, calling the RFS “broken beyond repair.” But the chief economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dr. Joseph Glauber, said while ethanol initially did have an impact much bigger factors forced up the price of feed.

“Certainly, the ramp up [in ethanol production] we saw from 2005 to 2010 had a big impact on corn prices, but we also saw a big increase in energy prices, so it’s not the only thing going on,” he told the committee.

In fact, during that same ramp-up period, petroleum prices shot up to record levels, and RFS proponent, Roger Johnson, President of the National Farmers Union, said the agriculture industry should be united for renewable fuels.

“The World Bank found that crude oil is the number one determinant of global food prices. We should reduce our dependance on oil consumption in order to be more food secure, and biofuel production is an excellent way to do that,” adding that pitting the biofuels industry against the livestock growers is counter-productive.

The bottom line, according to Glauber, is that biofuels are important, and they’re here to stay.

“Corn-based ethanol is a vibrant industry and is competitively priced against gasoline, and producers will continue to produce ethanol from corn as long as profit margins are there. And profit margins have been there.”

Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, food and fuel, Food prices, Government, Legislation, livestock, livestock feed, RFS

2012 Ag Census Includes Renewable Energy

Cindy Zimmerman

2012-censusThe 2012 Census of Agriculture shows a doubling of on-farm renewable energy production since 2007.

According to the census data released by USDA today, there were 57,299 farms that produced on-farm renewable energy in 2012, more than double the 23,451 in 2007. By far the biggest was solar panels, used on over 36,000 farms. Geoexchange systems and wind turbines each were used on more than 9,000 farms.

For renewable fuels, biodiesel was produced on 4,099 farms and ethanol on 2,397. Small hydro systems were used on about 1300 farms and methane digesters on 537.

The census reveals there are now 3.28 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States. Those numbers are all lower than 2007 when the census reported 3.18 million farmers, 2.2 million farms and 922 million acres. The top 5 states for agricultural sales were California ($42.6 billion); Iowa ($30.8 billion); Texas ($25.4 billion); Nebraska ($23.1 billion); and Minnesota ($21.3 billion). Corn and soybean acres topped 50 percent of all harvested acres for the first time.

Census data is available from USDA online and a recording of the webcast release of the census data is here: USDA Releases 2012 Census Data

Audio, Biodiesel, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farming, Geothermal, Government, Hydro, Renewable Energy, Solar, Soybeans, USDA, Wind

Results in on 2014 Corn Planting

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Is corn planting underway in your area?”

I don’t believe I’m overstating when I say we are all seeing a late spring. After an unusually cold winter, it’s not surprising that it lingered longer then welcome. Our poll held true to this with few in the full swing of planting. Most have just started or are waiting for the ground to cooperate.

Our poll results:

  • Full swing – 12%
  • Not yet – 20%
  • Just started -33%
  • Ground not ready – 33%
  • Other – 2%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What is the MOST important part of sustainability?”

Sustainability is the number one buzzword for all industries these days, especially agriculture, but the definition of the word varies. In general, it means the ability of a process or action to continue indefinitely without draining significant resources. Those resources can include everything from soil and water to inputs and labor. What do you think is most important to the long term sustainability of global agriculture?

ZimmPoll