Albion Community Power Invests in Wind

Joanna Schroeder

Albion Community Power (ACP) has invested £1.5m in partnership with Welsh developer Infinite Renewables to fund the development of a 500kw single wind turbine in Blaencilgoed, in South Wales. The wind turbine, which is the first investment made by ACP, will supply electricity to a local quarry. It is expected to begin producing power in September 2014 and is estimated to generate over 1,700,000 kWh of electricity per year.

albion community power windACP says it aims to be a major producer of community scale renewable energy by raising up to £100 million in due course to power some 35,000 homes, targeting sites where power can be sold to the community at a discount of up to 50 percent. The ACP team will invest in a range of renewable energy projects using proven technologies including brownfield wind, solar, hydroelectricity, biogas and biomass.

Volker Beckers, Chairman of ACP said, “The energy industry is changing, and smaller scale schemes will be playing an increasingly important role. We are excited by our first investment and are looking forward to backing other new projects in the coming months.”

ACP’s projects will qualify for government subsidies such as Feed in tariffs (FiTs). As FiTs are RPI-linked, the company says investors stand to benefit from protection against inflation. To date, Albion has made 10 investments that are currently achieving an investment return of 11%.

“We have an existing partnership with Albion Ventures, having built a number of turbines together starting with a single mast, 500kW Wind Turbine on a brownfield site near Ebbw Vale in Wales,” said Will David, Infinite Renewables. “We are excited to be partnering ACP on this new project, which plays to our collective strengths. We look forward to developing many more sites with ACP going forward.”

Alternative energy, International, Wind

Keep Our Tax Breaks: We Only Make $93B in Profit

Joanna Schroeder

Dear Congress,

Please keep our millions of dollars in tax breaks in place. We only make $93 billion in collective profit per year. This is not enough money to operate our businesses and overcharge our customers. We’re sure you will make the right decision.

Yours truly,

Big Oil

This is what a letter to Congress might look like from Big Oil who according to a report from the Center for American Progress, made a combined profit of $93 billion in 2013. The total is for five big oil companies: BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and Shell. Despite this ridiculous amount of revenue (these companies made $177,000 per minute), they are fighting to keep their tax breaks in addition to lobbying to lift the crude oil export ban.

The five Big Oil Brothers actually increased total production in 2013 most due to BP and ConocoPhillips in essence single handedly doubling production. Although production went up, profits went down because it is becoming more expensive to extract oil. It is this change that is causing the oil industry to argue they need their tax breaks to continue.

What is staggering is that the $93 billion profit is down nearly 27 percent from 2012. In addition to higher cost of production, the average price of gasoline in 2012 was 16 cents less per gallon than the previous year.

It would not be surprising, write Daniel Weiss and Miranda Peterson, both with Center for American Progress, “if the big five oil companies use their 2013 decline in profits as another excuse to pressure Congress to retain their $2.4 billion-per-year tax breaks. The largest of these special provisions, they write, allows these companies to qualify for the “limitation on section 199 deduction attributable to oil, natural gas, or primary products, which will cost taxpayers $14.4 billion over 10 years. This according to the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. This particular tax break was enacted in 2004 and was designed to encourage manufacturing to remain in the United States rather than move overseas. It was not meant to apply to oil and natural gas production since the oil and gas fields cannot be moved to another nation.Read More

Oil, Opinion, Video

DuPont: “Future Fuel” Cellulosic Ethanol Here Today

John Davis

Steve MirshakCellulosic ethanol is not just a fuel of the future; it’s here today. And at the recent 8th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit held in Altoona, Iowa, Steve Mirshak from DuPont’s cellulosic division talked with Joanna about what this fuel will soon bring.

“This is a real fuel,” Steve said, pointing out that DuPont is on track to commercializing the world’s largest cellulosic ethanol facility in Nevada, Iowa this summer… a project worked on for nearly 15 years and will produce 30 million gallons a year. He went on to say that cellulosic ethanol has zero net carbon emissions, contributes to energy independence, and is great for economic development. Plus, Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) goals are being achieved today. “This is the second generation [of biofuels]. It’s here. We’ve been talking about it for a long time, and in 2014 it’s here.”

Steve said, though, the only thing that could stop the momentum now seems to be the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to cut the amount of ethanol and biodiesel to be blended into the Nation’s fuel supply.

“Clearly the policy debate in the United States is dampening investors’ commitment to build out this industry. We don’t need [our leaders in Washington] to change anything. We need Washington to reinforce their commitment to the [RFS]. With stable policy, we’ll see rapid growth [in the advanced biofuels industry], and we’ll meet the bi-partisan goals Congress already passed,” Steve said.

Listen to Joanna’s interview with Steve here: Steve Mirshak, DuPont

View the 2014 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit photo album.

Audio, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Iowa RFA

Biodiesel Subsidiary Gets Credit Line for Hemp

John Davis

Cannabislogo1A biodiesel subsidiary has just received a line of credit to buy land to grow hemp … just as the company completed its first mobile hemp-to-biodiesel production unit. This article in Biodiesel Magazine says Extreme Biodiesel Inc.’s subsidiary XTRM Cannabis Ventures received the $5 million line of credit.

XTRM plans to use the credit line for purchasing real estate for the purpose of hemp cultivation, medical marijuana cultivation and commercial real estate related to dispensaries so long as its use is deemed legal.

Company President Joseph Spadafore stated, “Extreme has already identified several properties that we feel fit the company’s needs. We also want to assure investors that this line of credit does not involve a debt conversion or anything that can be converted to XTRM stock.”

The company also announced that XTRM Cannabis Ventures has just completed assembly of its first mobile hemp-to-biodiesel production unit.

The article goes on to point out that the recently signed Farm Bill helped make this happen, as some longstanding restrictions on the growth of cannabis/hemp are being lifted. Hemp seeds are seen to have a similar oil content as canola and other seeds but a better cloud point and cetane value.

Biodiesel

Epic Biodiesel Agreement for Southeast U.S.

John Davis

epicusoilOil and gas storage expert Epic Midstream is partnering with and fuel supplier U.S. Oil to put biodiesel in Epic’s oil products terminals in the Southeastern U.S. This Epic news release says it’s a 10-year partnership to get the green fuel into the four terminals in Montgomery, Ala., Moundville, Ala., Macon, Ga., and Bremen, Ga., by end of June.

Epic Midstream will make tank and rack improvements at each of the facilities to support the new products. In addition to biodiesel, U.S. Oil will have the option to supply and market ULSD and dyed diesel.

A division of U.S. Venture, Inc., U.S. Oil handles all aspects of retail and wholesale fuel supply from distributing major branded gasoline to retail gas stations, providing convenience store franchising and services, to offering biofuels and compressed natural gasoline (CNG) to the transportation industry.

Epic currently offers 65 tanks for more than 1.8 million bbl of product storage.

Biodiesel

Farm Service Co-Op Offers E15

Joanna Schroeder

E15 signFarm Service Cooperative (FSC), located in Harlan, Iowa, is now selling E15 for 2001 and newer vehicles. The entry of this new station brings the Iowa total to 15. FSC also offers E30, E50 and E85 to flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) owners.

“Being farmer-owned, we wanted to support the agriculture industry by offering more ethanol options to our customers,” said FSC Energy Manager Mike Evers.

Farm Service Cooperative is located in Western Iowa at 2050 Chatburn Avenue in Harlan.

Lucy Norton, managing director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, said, “While Big Oil continues to spread misinformation on E15, Iowa’s list of registered E15 stations continues to grow as retailers see the value E15 provides. E15 saves their customers money, plus it supports local jobs and makes our air healthier to breathe.”

biofuels, E15, Ethanol, Iowa RFA

Deepwater Wind Selects Alstom Technology

Joanna Schroeder

Alstom has announced a contract to supply 5 Haliade 150-6 megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbines for Deepwater Wind’s 30-MW Block Island pilot Wind Farm located off the coast of Rhode Island. The project will be one of the first offshore wind farms in the U.S. and will be the first to feature Alstom’s Haliade 150-6 MW –the largest turbine installed in offshore waters today. The five turbines will produce approximately 125,000 MWh of electricity a year, enough to power over 17,000 homes.

The company will manufacture the Haliade 150-6 MW direct drive wind turbines and provide 15 years of operation and maintenance support for the Block Island Wind Farm owned and ALSTOM HALIADEoperated by Deepwater Wind. The company says its Haliade 150-6 MW wind turbine features Alstom’s Pure Torque design for optimum efficiency and reliability and its 150-meter diameter rotor provides an energy yield that is 15% better than existing offshore turbines.

“Our contract with Deepwater Wind further demonstrates our commitment to the expanding U.S. wind market,” said Andy Geissbuelher, Head of Alstom’s North American Wind Business. “Drawing on the experience and knowledge gained from our collaboration with Dominion Virginia Power, we are driving the technology innovation needed to make offshore generation a strategic part of the energy mix.”

The Block Island project is aligned with The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s “Smart from the Start” offshore wind program, which aims to accelerate the development of clean, renewable offshore wind along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The project could lead to a larger utility-scale offshore wind farm of more than 1 gigawatt supported by a regional transmission system linking Long Island, New York and South-eastern New England.

In late 2013, Alstom successfully installed its 6MW Haliade, which at the time was world’s largest offshore wind turbine, off the coast of Belgium. Alstom is part of a consortium led by EDF Energies Nouvelles that was awarded three projects in the first tender launched by the French government to install offshore wind turbines generating 3 GWs of wind power off the coast of France. The successful bid included a total of 240 Haliade 150-6 MW turbines.

Electricity, offshore wind, Wind

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFThe Air Force Contracting Summit will take place March 25-26, 2014 in Dayton, Ohio – home to the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Summit attendees will learn about the more than $630 billion for fiscal year 2014 Defense appropriations. Attendees will also hear about the more than $34 billion for Air Force procurement which includes vehicles, energy and more.
  • Cassidy & Associates has hired one of the nation’s foremost defense energy experts to its team as Col. Dave Belote, ret. USAF joins the firm as a Senior Vice President. The White House recognized Belote last November as one of 12 White House Champions of Change – Veterans Advancing Clean Energy and Climate Security for his work in matching renewable energy solutions with America’s national security needs.
  • Clean Energy Collective was recognized with the award for Most Innovative Solar Company during the 2014 Solar Power Generation USA congress in San Diego, California.
  • ET Solar, Inc. has announced that they have been selected by Strata Solar to supply modules for six solar power plants in North Carolina, with a combined capacity of 23 megawatts (MW).
Bioenergy Bytes

Reusing EV Batteries for Energy Storage

Joanna Schroeder

Sumitomo Corporation has developed and installed what the company says is the world’s first large-scale power storage system which utilizes used batteries collected from electric vehicles (EVs). This commercial scale storage system, built on Yume-shima Island, Osaka, will begin operating this month.

4R Energy Used EV Battery Storage projectOver the next three years, the system will measure the smoothing effect of energy output fluctuation from the nearby “Hikari-no-mori,” solar farm, and will aim to establish a large-scale power storage technology by safely and effectively utilizing the huge quantities of discarded used EV batteries which will become available in the future. This project has been selected as a model project for “Verification of the battery storage control to promote renewable energy” for the fiscal year 2013 by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan.

Battery Business Development Department General Manager, Norihiko Nonaka said, “We are pleased to be a part of such an important verification project that can both utilize used EV batteries, and provide a large-scale power storage facility, which are important issues that need to be addressed for the future of renewable energy.”

Sumitomo Corporation created the joint venture company, “4R Energy Corporation,” in collaboration with Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in September 2010, to address the secondary use of EV lithium-ion batteries. The used EV batteries that will be recycled into this large-scale storage system have been recovered and have gone through thorough inspection and maintenance at 4R, to confirm safety and performance. This prototype system (600kW/400kWh) consists of sixteen used EV batteries. The company is also working on developing new applications for used EV batteries.

Electric Vehicles, Solar

Hawaii, Pacific Biodiesel Getting Water from Grease

John Davis

cooney1Researchers in the Aloha State are partnering with a local biodiesel maker to try to figure out how to make the water in restaurant grease traps reusable. This news release from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa says the school’s scientists are working with Pacific Biodiesel to get the water out of the feedstock the biodiesel brewer uses.

“It is kind of a novel incubator way to bridge technology from the university into industry and vice versa,” Michael Cooney a researcher with the UH Mānoa Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute.

“UH has brought the technology to apply to this problem that we have that has a real world economic model that’s waiting for it to be invented,” said Bob King, the founder and owner of Pacific Biodiesel Technologies, LLC.

Wastewater from dishwashing and cleaning kitchens would clog sewer lines because of the oils it contains. Restaurants are required to have grease traps to prevent this from happening and pay companies like Pacific Biodiesel to remove and transport that wastewater to sewer plants. The plants charge a higher fee to dispose of it because it takes more energy to treat.

Pacific Biodiesel wants to recycle the grease trap water, which would be better for the environment, increase the company’s profit margin and reduce grease trap service fees for restaurants.

“It makes it so much harder to do the right thing if it is more expensive,” said King. “So the more we can do to make this more efficient and cost effective then the easier it is to get into the market.”

Officials believe that if they are successful, it will have a major impact on the world’s wastewater situation, while also helping to produce clean burning fuel.

Biodiesel