Caribbean Islands Swapping Diesel for Renewables

Joanna Schroeder

Screen Shot 2014-02-14 at 3.18.37 PMThe British Virgin Islands, Columbia, Dominica, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Turks and Caicos have joined the Carbon War Room and Rocky Mountain Institute’s ‘Ten Island Renewable Challenge‘. The campaign is designed to help get the islands off fossil fuels as well as move forward with projects for schools and hospitals. The commitments were complemented by news that Virgin Limited Edition and Sir Richard Branson, who had committed Necker to the ‘Ten Island Renewable Challenge’ as a ‘demo’ island, awarded the contract to transition it on to renewables to U.S. energy firm NRG.

“What we hope to do is use Necker as a test island to show how it can be done,” said Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group and Carbon War Room. “The only way we’re going to win this war is by creative entrepreneurship, to make the price of clean energy cheaper than that of energy from fossil fuels.”

Caribbean nations lack access to low-cost power because of the small size of their national market and an absence of standardized contracts and regional regulatory systems. In some cases, local energy suppliers, locked in for many years, currently enjoy a virtual monopoly over the system and creditworthiness is also a challenge for many nations. As a result, banks have been reticent to lend money for energy projects.

“Islands are a microcosm of larger energy systems around the world and offer an excellent test bed to demonstrate and scale innovative, clean energy solutions,” said Amory Lovins, co-founder and chief scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute. “We’re pleased to bring our decades of experience helping businesses and communities cost-effectively shift to efficiency and renewables to help island nations move beyond clean energy roadmaps to tangible, on-the-ground results.”

advanced biofuels, International, Renewable Energy

Support for the RFS- Personal, Powerful

Joanna Schroeder

With the time period over for comments regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard proposal, many people are asking: What’s next? The EPA is now tasked with reviewing all the comments and this will prove to be quite an undertaking as more than 40,000 comments were submitted. It is anticipated that it will take several months before the EPA publishes their final proposal.

We the people imageIn the meantime, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is highlighting all the positive comments that were sent to the EPA from citizens representing all walks of life. This despite, said RFA, the attempts of the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) automated robo-call campaign. A review of EPA’s docket by RFA revealed that tens of thousands of Americans from across the country used unique stories and anecdotes to express their opposition to EPA’s proposal to reduce the 2014 RFS volumes. In contrast, API’s robo-call initiative resulted in tens of thousands of identical comments, replete with false statements and trite myths.

According to RFA, API’s robo-calls used a “salacious automated message to tell listeners that more ethanol would cause ‘higher food prices and damaged car engines'”. The robo-calls described American farmers as “extremists” and said “[w]e need the EPA to stand up for American families.” The automated call concluded by directing recipients to “press 1 now” to send a pre-written message to EPA supporting the proposed rule. Unfortunately, said RFA, thousands of Americans were duped by API’s underhanded tactics.

“Unlike the cold, impersonal, fear-induced robo-calls used by Big Oil to the level of absurdity, a diverse group of ethanol supporters often took the time to personally write to the EPA in opposition to the blending cuts,” said Bob Dinneen, RFA president and CEO. “Farmers, ethanol producers, and other renewable fuels supporters explained in great, vivid personal detail how the reductions would hurt their businesses, families, and local communities. I hope the EPA will distinguish the difference between the mass robo-call responses and the in-depth individual comments written by those most knowledgeable on the impact of the proposed reduction of the RFS. The decision the EPA and White House are about to make will have a lasting effect for years to come.”

API’s antics are overshadowed, said RFA, by the genuine and heartfelt comments from a wide array of stakeholders about the real impacts of EPA’s decision. Bankers, high school and college students, equipment dealers, county commissioners, university presidents, mayors, auto repair shop owners, military veterans, auto dealers, construction workers, engineers, port authority executives, clean air advocates, workers in the automobile, aircraft and farm equipment manufacturing industries, gas station equipment suppliers, seed companies, and college professors joined thousands of farmers and biofuel producers in urging EPA to reverse its proposal.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, EPA, Ethanol, RFA, RFS

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFThe U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman has announced the 20 collegiate teams selected to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 to take place in the Orange County Great Park. The 20 worldwide teams will now begin the nearly two-year process of building solar-powered houses that are affordable, innovative and highly energy-efficient.
  • The Commercial Algae Cultivation, Harvesting, Extraction Technologies and Networking Workshop is taking place February 28, 2014 at Kessil Lighting located at 1689 Regatta Blvd in Richmond, CA 94804. Speakers include Barry Cohen, executive director of the National Algae Association; Will Thurmond, CEO of Emerging Markets Online; Robert Henrikson, CEO, Smart MicroFarms; Jose Sanchez, VP Quality Control and Assurance, OriginOil; and more. Registration is still open.
  • Juhl Energy, a provider of Clean Energy Solutions and a Leader in Community Wind Power, today announced that they have acquired PV Power, Inc., a leading online distributor of solar power systems and solar components to industry professionals, contractors and consumers across the country.
  • EnerNOC, Inc., a provider of energy intelligence software (EIS), has announced that it has acquired Entelios AG, a leading provider of demand response in Europe. This acquisition accelerates EnerNOC’s entry into continental Europe with Entelios’ strong team and existing relationships with leading grid operators, utilities, retailers, and commercial, institutional, and industrial customers.
Bioenergy Bytes

Growth Energy is Taking it to the Streets

Joanna Schroeder

Growth Energy is holding its fifth annual executive leadership conference at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona, from February 27, 2014 through March 2, 2014.
The conference will open on Thursday at 7:00 am and will showcase a number of speakers, including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Growth_Energy_logo-1During the opening day of the conference, there will be key addresses, including a “Chairman’s Report” from Growth Energy Board of Directors Co-Chair and Executive Chairman of POET, Jeff Broin and a “State of the Industry” address from Growth Energy CEO, Tom Buis.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Taking it to the Streets,” and a major focus will be on building out the necessary infrastructure so higher blends of renewables, such as E15, will be available to retailers and consumers. Another important topic will be the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), its future and how this policy has successfully helped drive innovation, investment and growth within the biofuels industry.

Guests will also hear unique global perspectives on the future of agriculture, the future of energy, NASCAR and the political landscape from speakers including: Harry Stine of the Stine Seed Company; Richard Childress and Austin Dillon from Richard Childress Racing; noted political analyst, Charlie Cook; and several others.

To cap off the conference, all attendees are invited to join Growth Energy at the Phoenix International Raceway during the Sprint Cup race on Sunday to cheer on American Ethanol, one of NASCAR’s official sponsors.

Growth Energy will be live streaming much of the conference at for those unable to attend.

biofuels, conferences, Ethanol, Growth Energy

Biodiesel Maker BIOX Posts Strong 1st Quarter

John Davis

biox-logo1The owner of Canada’s largest biodiesel refinery had an encouraging first quarter of the fiscal year. The Wall Street Journal reports that BIOX nearly doubled sales of the green fuel from October to December of 2013 compared with the same period a year earlier, thanks to improving fundamentals in the biodiesel market north of the border and a Canadian province’s own biodiesel mandate about to kick in.

“The fundamentals of the Canadian biodiesel market are becoming a key component of our addressable market. The inter-terminal pipeline together with the supply agreement with Shell Canada Limited and the proposed 2 percent greener diesel mandate in Ontario provide a greater level of market certainty than the U.S. market,” said Kevin Norton, Chief Executive Officer of BIOX. “With the proposed Ontario mandate expected to take effect April 1, 2014 and our established supply agreement with Shell we are in a strong position to take advantage of growing demand in our local market.”

Financial Highlights

Sales were $17.3 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2013, compared with $9.5 million for the corresponding period last year. The 82 percent increase in sales was primarily the result of the 175 percent increase in litres of biodiesel sold due to the temporary shutdown of the Hamilton facility during the same period last year, partially offset by lower sales of separated RINs during the quarter.

And while U.S. biodiesel producers are worrying about the government’s proposal to slash the amount of biodiesel to be blended into the country’s fuel supply and the expiration of the $1-a-gallon federal biodiesel tax credit, BIOX officials believe the changing regulations in Canada will prompt them to sell more of their biodiesel at home (in the past, they have sold a majority of their biodiesel to the U.S.) and avoid some of the pitfalls their American cousins are now facing.

Biodiesel, International

London Coffee Shops to be Next Biodiesel Source

John Davis

bio-bean3Not too long ago, we told you how researchers at the University of Cincinnati had figured out how to get oil from coffee grounds to make into biodiesel. It looks like that good idea has caught on overseas, as this article from the UK’s Guardian tells how a London entrepreneur is going great guns with the same idea in a venture that’s being called Bio-bean.

“After working on this for a couple of weeks I entered the Mayor’s Low Carbon Prize and was lucky enough to be among the winners”, says [Arthur] Kay. This gave him the impetus to take it forward and team up with business partner Benjamin Harrison. They have since attracted over £100,000 in grants and funding. The idea is not to start small and grow bigger; it’s to start big.

“People think of us in a tiny little van or bicycle going round and collecting 10 kilos from each coffee shop,” says Kay. “We are instead focusing on the [waste streams] of large-scale coffee producing factories in or around London. We’re currently in conversation with a couple of major coffee shop chains too, who are really interested. Our processing plant isn’t operational yet but we’re looking at a six to eight-month timeframe to set up a large-scale waste-processing site in Edmonton, North London, capable of processing 30,000 tonnes a year.”

The technology Bio-bean is using to do this is a mixture of old and new. “Imagine you have a pile of coffee grounds,” says Kay. “You dry them, then we have the patent for the bit in the middle that allows us to extract oil from it. It’s a biochemical process, a solvent that you evaporate through what’s called ‘hexane extraction’. By weight it is about 15-20% oil. The remaining 80-85% is then turned into bio-mass pellets used to be burned in boilers.” The solvent is also 99.9% recyclable, meaning it can be used over and over.

The article goes on to say that the developers see London’s public transport system as a natural customer for the coffee-based biodiesel, maybe even a Bio-bean bus, as many buses in the city are already running on biodiesel. They hope to have a large refinery going soon.

Biodiesel, International

Farm Economy Vs. Overall Economy

Talia Goes

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What’s best in the new farm bill?” More than a third of our respondents agree that crop insurance tops the charts, along with nothing. We see a bit of an oxymoron there!

Our poll results:

  • Crop insurance – 31.25%
  • None – 31.25%
  • Conservation – 9.38%
  • Rural Development – 9.38%
  • Energy – 6.25%
  • Specialty Crops – 6.25%
  • Forestry – 3.13%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “ How does farm economy compare to general U.S.?”

USDA is predicting lower net farm income this year after big gains in 2013 and overall the U.S. economy still appears to be sluggish. But as the farm show season is in full swing and farmers are looking ahead to spring planting, optimism is in the air. How do you think the farm economy looks compared to the general U.S. economy overall? Let us know.

ZimmPoll

Senators Introduce Bill to Reinstate Biodiesel Tax Incentive

Joanna Schroeder

Sens Cantwell and GrassleySenators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) have introduced a bill to extend the expired biodiesel tax incentive for three years. The bill, S. 2021, would extend the tax incentive until 2017.

In response to the bill’s introduction, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) called on Congress to move swiftly on the tax legislation.

“On behalf of biodiesel producers across the country, we want to thank Sens. Cantwell and Grassley for their leadership on this issue,” said NBB Vice President of Federal Affairs Anne Steckel. “The biodiesel tax incentive has expired three times over the past five years, and each time it has severely disrupted production. By comparison, we know that at least $4 billion in incentives encouraging domestic petroleum production are built into the tax code. We need that same kind of stability for younger, cleaner industries like biodiesel and renewable diesel to compete.”

“This incentive clearly stimulates production and creates jobs at biodiesel plants across the country, and we urge the leadership of both parties to quickly take up this bill to ensure that we can continue the momentum that the biodiesel industry built last year with record production of almost 1.8 billion gallons,” Steckel added.

The $1-per-gallon incentive covers biodiesel, renewable diesel – a similar diesel alternative made with a different technology – and renewable aviation fuel. First implemented in 2005, it expired on Dec. 31, 2013. It also was allowed to lapse in 2012 and 2010. The bill would extend the tax incentive until 2017, providing the tax certainty the industry needs to gain access to capital and plan for production expansions and additional hiring.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, NBB

Crescent Solar Energy Project Commissioned

Joanna Schroeder

SolarReserve has confirmed that the 110 megawatt (MW) Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project located near Tonopah, Nevada, has entered the plant commissioning phase. According to the company, Crescent Dunes is the first utility-scale facility in the world to feature advanced molten salt power tower energy storage capabilities. The Crescent Dunes Project is more than five times the capacity output of pilot projects that have previously tested this technology.

Due to the result of the advanced energy storage technology, the 110 MW project will generate more than 500,000 megawatt-hours per year, enough to power 75,000 homes during peak electricity periods. This annual output, says the company, is more than twice that of other technologies per MW of capacity, such as photovoltaics (PV) or direct steam solar thermal. The storage technology also eliminates the need for any backup fossil fuels, such as natural gas, which are needed with other technologies to keep the system going during times of no or low solar resource. Nevada’s largest electric utility, NV Energy, will purchase 100 percent of the electricity generated, under a 25-year power purchase agreemenSOLARRESERVE CRESCENT DUNESt. Full commercial operation is scheduled for later in 2014.

Commissioning is the initial stage of bringing the project into operations and includes system-by-system verification and startup, as well as equipment calibration and testing. Commissioning activities underway at Crescent Dunes include energization of the utility interconnection system and other electrical systems, as well as the first stages of testing and calibration of the heliostat field. This heliostat field is comprised of more than 10,000 “billboard-sized” mirrors that track the sun and total more than 1 million square meters of glass.

“Start of commissioning of the Crescent Dunes solar power plant marks a critical milestone for the project as well as the solar industry. We are now able to build utility-scale power plants, fueled only by the sun, which operate on-demand, day and night, just like traditional fossil fuel or nuclear power plants,” said SolarReserve’s CEO Kevin Smith. “SolarReserve’s industry-leading solar thermal energy storage technology solves the intermittency issue that limits the use of other renewable energy projects and thus enables firm, reliable delivery of electricity whether or not the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.”

SolarReserve’s energy storage technology at the Crescent Dunes plant is their techology showcase. They say it is a realistic solar energy solution that operates day and night like coal, natural gas, oil, diesel and nuclear plants, but without the harmful emissions or hazardous wastes associated those traditional plants. Additionally, Crescent Dunes includes the capability to dry cool the steam cycle, an environmentally friendly low water use feature that will saves millions of gallons of water each year. Once operational, the 110 MW Crescent Dunes plant will be the world’s largest solar thermal plant with fully integrated energy storage.

Alternative energy, Electricity, Energy Storage, Solar

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFJinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. has announced that it has supplied solar PV modules to CSEM-uae, an independent, non-profit Swiss-UAE joint venture company for applied research. The modules will be used for CSEM’s Solar Outdoor Laboratory, an R&D and innovation center for renewable energy in Ras al-Khaimah, UAE. Located in the northern Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah and built to develop and test competitive solar energy solutions for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf market, the project has been operating since September, 2013.
  • Lignol Energy Corporation has announced the signing of a formal Memorandum of Understanding between Milio International and LEC’s subsidiary, Territory Biofuels Limited, for the development of a joint venture. Under the terms of the planned JV, it is anticipated that Milio will fund up to 120,000 tons of feedstock per year as well as facilitate the marketing and sales of the production from TBF’s 140 million litre per year biodiesel plant located in Darwin, Australia. At full production capacity this funding is expected to provide working capital funding of approximately US$25 million.
  • FirstEnergy Corp. has completed the sale of 11 hydroelectric power stations to Harbor Hydro Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of LS Power Equity Partners II, LP, for approximately $395 million. The two companies originally announced the sales agreement in September 2013.
  • Results of a third-party peer-reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA), Greenhouse Gas and Energy Life Cycle Assessment of Pine Chemicals Derived from Crude Tall Oil and Their Substitutes, found that diverting Crude Tall Oil (CTO) into biofuel production in Europe will not have a significant effect in either reducing carbon emissions nor fossil fuel consumption. CTO is a sustainable raw material that has been used in biorefining to produce pine chemicals for decades.
Bioenergy Bytes