Aging Wind Farms Should Not Be Thrown to the Wind

Joanna Schroeder

As the wind energy industry continues to grow, there has been debate about whether wind turbines have a more limited shelf-life than other energy technologies, such as solar panels. With the United Kingdom’s (UK) target of generating 15 percent of the nation’s energy from renewable resources such as wind farms by 2020, aging wind turbines could be a concern. According to researchers at the wind farm in the UKImperial College Business School, today there are 4,246 wind turbines across 531 wind farms generating 7.5 percent of the country’s electricity.

According to a new study from Imperial researchers, who carried out a comprehensive nationwide analysis of the UK fleet of wind turbines, using local wind speed data from NASA, the turbines will last their full life of about 25 years before they need to be upgraded. A previous study used a statistical model to estimate that electricity output from wind turbines declines by a third after only ten years of operation.

In response to this study, some opponents of wind power have argued that aging turbine technology could need replacing en mass after as little as 10 years. This could make wind energy an unattractive option in economic terms.

However, the Imperial research team found that the UK’s earliest turbines, built in the 1990s, are still producing three-quarters of their original output after 19 years of operation, nearly twice the amount previously claimed, and will operate effectively up to 25 years. This is comparable to the performance of gas turbines used in power stations.

The study also found that more recent turbines are performing even better than the earliest models, suggesting they could have a longer lifespan. The team says this makes a strong business case for further investment in the wind farm industry.Read More

Alternative energy, International, Wind

Growth Unveils No. 3 American Ethanol Chevy

Joanna Schroeder

No 3 American Ethanol ChevyGrowth Energy is hosting its fifth annual Executive Leadership Conference and during the event, the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet SS was unveiled by Jeff Broin, Growth Energy co-chair and Tom Buis, CEO. Also on hand was Richard Childress (who sits on the Growth Energy Board) and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion, Austin Dillon.

The No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet SS will debut in the “The Profit on CNBC” 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday at 1 pm. (Mountain Standard Time).

“American Ethanol is extremely pleased to once again partner with Austin Dillon, Richard Childress and the entire RCR team to help promote a sustainable homegrown American fuel that is better for our environment, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and creates jobs right here in the U.S., while revitalizing rural economies across America and saves consumers at the pump,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy.

Through American Ethanol, Growth Energy has been a long-time sponsor of Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing. Growth Energy is also a partner with NASCAR Green. By supporting the Sunoco Green E15 racing fuel, Growth Energy and NASCAR are both dedicated to reliable, home-grown, renewable fuel that is environmentally friendly.

American Ethanol, Ethanol, Growth Energy

Idea Leads to Cellulosic Ethanol, Scholarship

John Davis

classic14-basf-soyAn idea that started back when he was just an elementary school student has led a Tennessee high schooler to picking up a substantial scholarship that he says will help him further his own energy business. Caleb Brannon of Puryear, Tenn. was selected as the recipient of the 2014-2015 ASA Secure Optimal Yield (SOY) Scholarship, a $5,000 award presented to an outstanding high school senior who has achieved high academic and leadership requirements, and is planning to pursue a degree in an agriculture-related field at an accredited college or university.

“I’m really thankful to the American Soybean Association and BASF who were so generous in this scholarship,” he says. Brannon, a senior at Calloway County High School, will pursue a degree in agricultural business at Murray State University, Murray, Ky. beginning this fall. He already has his very own business, Brannon Agri-Energy, a company focusing on cellulosic ethanol that he actually thought up way back in the fifth grade!

“Our family farm was in a partnership with the University of Tennessee to grow switchgrass in a pilot program to be bailed and put in a coal-fired plant [in Alabama].” While other area farmers gave up after a few years, it led Brannon to researching other crops for what is now his cellulosic ethanol business, finding his own markets.

He adds that the scholarship money will free up what he would have spent on college to invest back into his business. But he says this is more than just his future; it’s the Nation’s future.

“I want to help our country become just a little bit more energy independent. That’s really important to me.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Brannon here: Interview with BASF SOY Scholarship Winner


BASF at the 2014 Commodity Classic Photos

Audio, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Soybeans

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • energy.agwired.com has a new Facebook page. Like us for a chance to win free prizes.BioEnergyBytesDF
  • Solectria Renewables, LLC, announced that its SMARTGRID Inverters, string combiners and SolrenView web-based monitoring were chosen by World Electric Supply and Miller Electric Company for the 750kW solar array at the Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. World Electric Supply and Miller Electric Company of Jacksonville, Florida, chose Solectria Renewables SGI 225 & SGI 500 inverters for this project.
  • Check out Biofuels Digest’s 10 Hottest Trends in Algae. Trend #1: Big Oil, L’il algae. Trend #2: Making Mo’ Better. Trend #3….Click here to see why these trends should be commanding your attention.
  • The Kansas City Board of Public utilities has announced it has completed negotiations with OwnEnergy Inc., a developer of mid-sized wind projects, for the purchase of 25 megawatts of energy generated by wind turbines. The wind farm will be located south of Alexander, Kansas, in Rush County and began construction in December 2013, and will tie into the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Midwest Energy transmission system.
  • Siemens Energy has been awarded a major order by Minnesota Power for 64 units of the company’s latest 3-MW D3 platform wind turbines to be installed at the Bison Wind Energy Center near New Salem, North Dakota. The wind turbines feature a 113-meter rotor and 92.5-meter hub height. Installation of the turbines is scheduled to begin in mid-June 2014, and commercial operation is slated for December 2014. The scope of supply includes transportation, installation and commissioning, as well as a three-year service and maintenance agreement.
Bioenergy Bytes

Many Say They Would Use E15 or E85 if Available

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “If available, would you put E15 or E85 in your vehicle?”

Although for different reasons, the majority of you said you would use E15 or E85 in your personal vehicle if it was available. It seems the availability is the question. When will we see more stations carrying different blends of ethanol beyond the Midwest?

Our poll results:

  • Yes, if save money – 29%
  • Yes, supports USA – 31%
  • Maybe, need for info – 5%
  • No, have concerns – 14%
  • I already do – 21%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What do you think about Chipotle’s Farmed & Dangerous?”

Chipotle is at it again. It seems their is no limit to their extreme marketing tactics. Many in the agriculture community have voiced their opinions via social media and other online outlets. Has that made a difference? Are we preaching to the choir or are our words only reaching deaf ears?

ZimmPoll

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFYingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited has announced that it will supply 54 MW of solar modules to seven projects in the United Kingdom that are developed by Grid Essence UK Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Grid Essence Holdings Ltd. The company’s multicrystalline YGE Series modules will be installed in ground-mounted solar projects located in the south of England and Wales. Construction has already begun with the projects scheduled for grid connection by the end of Q1 2014. The seven solar power plants will generate an estimated total of 54,500 MWh of green electricity per year.
  • VIASPACE Inc. has conducted a full production scale test of Giant King Grass grinding equipment in Portland, Oregon. 6,000 pounds of 18 foot tall Giant King Grass stalks were cut and shredded in a few minutes in a test of a candidate grinder for the 12 MW Giant King Grass power plant being developed in Nicaragua. The grinding test was conducted on a large, stationary, horizontal grinder that was installed at the Greenway Recycling Facility in Portland, Oregon. Three tons of Giant King Grass were harvested from the VIASPACE propagation nursery in California and were then transported to Portland for the test.
  • RGS Energy has been selected to deploy solar power systems for the Yavapai County Facilities and Parks Department at the Yavapai County Superior Court and Detention facility in Camp Verde, Arizona. The company will design and deploy the solar power systems, which will be installed on parking canopies at the Superior Court and next to the Yavapai County Detention facility. The project will total 791 kilowatts of solar power and is expected to generate a total of 1.2 million kilowatt hours annually.
  • U.S. Geothermal Inc. has announced that it has finalized the strategic and financial partnership with a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc. The Neal Hot Springs Geothermal Plant, located near Vale, Oregon, was developed and is being operated by USG Oregon LLC. The Enbridge equity investment, along with a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy, funded the remaining construction costs. Total investment in the development and construction of the project by U.S. Geothermal was USD $14 million.
Bioenergy Bytes

MSU Increases Odds of Algal-Biofuel Success

Joanna Schroeder

david-kramerA team of Michigan State University (MSU) scientists have invented a new technology that they believe increases the odds of helping algae-based biofuels bridge the gap to success. The environmental photobioreactor or ePBR system is the first standard algae growing platform and it stimulates dynamic natural environments. The system is featured in the current issue of Algal Research.

To better visualize the technology, ePBR is in essence a pond in a jar that helps identify, cultivate and test algal strains that have the potential to make the leap from lab to pond – or thrive and multiple in real-world, real-pond settings and produce vast amounts of oil.

As the quest for “better biofuels” continues, many researchers are looking to algae as a viable solution, but a barrier to commercial success has been that algal strains that perform well in labs don’t often perform well when moved to commercial scale applications.

“It’s like training elementary kids to be really good pingpong players,” explains Ben Lucker, MSU research associate.. “But then they take the kids and throw them into a football game against professional players; in those settings, they simply can’t compete at all.”

epbrThe ePBRs, which the team believes will help make algae biofuel research more desirable to investors, were the brainchild of David Kramer, Hannah Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at MSU. His lab is unique. Although it’s housed among other plant biologists, it could be mistaken for an electronics factory. The benches are covered with wires, soldering irons and printed circuit boards. There are even few early prototypes that provide a history of ePBR’s progress.

The latest models glow green and whir quietly as they test various strains. By allowing scientists to duplicate natural settings in a lab, ePBRs eliminate many variables before scaling up. The bioreactors are about the size of coffee makers and can induce changes in light, temperature, carbon dioxide, oxygen, evaporation, nutrient availability and more.

The ePBR system also can duplicate and confirm results from experiments conducted anywhere in the world. It replaces home-built growing platforms made from flasks, tubing, aluminum foil and grow lights and gives researchers a tool that can consistently replicate conditions and reproduce results, Lucker said.

The potential of ePBRs has already inspired the launch of a company, Phenometrics, an MSU spinoff headquartered in Lansing, Michigan, and while only two years old, steady orders for the bioreactors have the company on the same track of success as algal biofuels.

advanced biofuels, algae, Research

Camp Releases 2014 Tax Reform Draft

Joanna Schroeder

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) has released draft of the “Tax Reform Act of 2014,” which he says will spur stronger economic growth, greater job creation and put more money in the pockets of taxpaying Americans. Camp’s goal is to fix America’s broken tax code by lowering tax rates and making tax policy simpler and fairer for families.

Based on analysis by the independent, non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), without increasing the budget deficit, the Tax Reform Act of 2014:

  • Create up to 1.8 million new private sector jobs.
  • Allow roughly 95 percent of filers to get the lowest possible tax rate by simply claiming the standard deduction (no more need to itemize and track receipts).
  • Strengthen the economy and increases Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by up to $3.4 trillion (the equivalent of 20 percent of today’s economy).

organization of the ways and means committeeUsing data provided by JCT, Camp says the average middle-class family of four could have an extra $1,300 per year in its pocket from the combination of lower tax rates in the plan and higher wages due to a stronger economy.

“It is no secret that Americans are struggling. Far too many families haven’t seen a pay raise in years. Many have lost hope and stopped looking for a job. And too many kids coming out of college are buried under a mountain of debt and have few prospects for a good-paying career,” said Camp about the need to fix America’s broken tax code. “We’ve already lost a decade, and before we lose a generation, Washington needs to wake up to this reality and start offering concrete solutions and debating real policies that strengthen the economy and help hardworking taxpayers. Tax reform is one way we can do that.”

The tax code would also affect energy companies including those who are developing and providing renewable energy. In response to the draft proposal, Brooke Coleman, Executive Director of the Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC), said, “While the draft plan falls well short of the goal of ensuring that the multi-trillion dollar global clean energy sector sets up shop in the United States, Chairman Camp should be commended for taking tough positions on many of the most distortive oil and gas subsidies in the federal tax code.”

“Inequitable provisions like percentage depletion, last-in/first-out (LIFO) and various incentives for the production of marginal oil and gas distort investment decision-making and drive capital away from renewable fuels,” continued Coleman. “Chairman Camp is right to point out that only extractive industries are allowed to recover more than their investment under current percentage depletion and depreciation rules. Doing away with these provisions will do little to dissuade oil and gas investment given the magnitude of the opportunity, but will help level the playing field when it comes to investments in next generation fuels of all types.”

Coleman concluded that while AEC is not supportive of the proposal’s treatment of the emerging cellulosic and advanced ethanol industry, they are looking to working with the Committee to ensure the U.S. is in the best position to develop  new technologies and commercials clean energy on American soil.

advanced biofuels, AEC, Cellulosic, Clean Energy, Ethanol, Legislation

Innovation Challenge Leads to Cool Innovation

Joanna Schroeder

Innovation Challenge 2The 2014 Northrop Grumman Corporation High School Innovation Challenge (HSIC) has led to some, well, cool innovations in renewable energy and engineering. On February 21, 2014, six student teams from Los Angeles, California high schools took an engineering problem, limited budget and little time and created renewable energy-powered model vehicles. The event was part of National Engineers Week.

The challenge is modeled after a Northrop Grumman program or engineering capability, and designed to stimulate student interest in pursuing careers in scientific or engineering fields. The goal of this year’s competition was to design and build a renewable-energy-powered model vehicle that could carry a payload as efficiently as possible over a set distance.

“The Northrop Grumman High School Innovation Challenge exposes students to the major steps required to develop, document and demonstrate an engineering concept,” said Krystal Puga, a systems engineer on Northrop Grumman’s James Webb Space Telescope project and the company’s HSIC deputy coordinator. “It teaches them how to develop, document and present their ideas; manage a schedule and budget; and prove that their concept meets the customer’s requirements.”

The teams participating in this year’s HSIC included the California Academy of Math and Science in Carson; Da Vinci Science High School in Hawthorne; El Segundo High School; Lennox Math, Science and Technology Academy in Inglewood; Hawthorne Math and Science in Hawthorne; and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates.

Over the course of the 12-week competition, the HSIC teams – each one mentored by a Northrop Grumman engineer – were graded on their ability to develop and document their vehicle’s design in a written report; present the concept orally to a panel of engineers; and prove the vehicle’s performance on the test track.Read More

Alternative Vehicles, Education, Solar, Wind

Making Sugarcane into the Next Biodiesel Feedstock

John Davis

Sugarcane could be a better feedstock for biodiesel than soybeans, but it only grows in warm weather areas. But researchers at the University of Illinois believe they have a way to grow what could be a rich, oil-producing variety of sugarcane in colder climates.

long1“Biodiesel is attractive because, for example, with soybean, once you’ve pressed the oil out it’s fairly easy to convert it to diesel,” said Stephen P. Long, a University of Illinois professor of plant biology and leader of the initiative. “You could do it in your kitchen.”

But soybean isn’t productive enough to meet the nation’s need for renewable diesel fuels, Long said.

“Sugarcane and sorghum are exceptionally productive plants, and if you could make them accumulate oil in their stems instead of sugar, this would give you much more oil per acre,” he said.

Working first with the laboratory-friendly plant Arabidopsis and later with sugarcane, the team introduced genes that boost natural oil production in the plant. They increased oil production in sugarcane stems to about 1.5 percent.

“That doesn’t sound like a lot, but at 1.5 percent, a sugarcane field in Florida would produce about 50 percent more oil per acre than a soybean field,” Long said. “There’s enough oil to make it worth harvesting.”

The multi-institutional team aims to increase the oil content of sugarcane stems to about 20 percent by using genetic engineering to increase photosynthetic efficiency in sugarcane and sorghum by 30 percent, and then cross sugarcane with Miscanthus to allow it to be grown in northern regions.

Biodiesel, Research