EIA Seeks Renewable Energy Comments

Joanna Schroeder

eiaThe U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is seeking input on proposed changes to electric power and renewable energy data surveys. EIA is soliciting comments on the proposed changes in a Federal Register Notice.

The proposed changes involve the following surveys:
• Form EIA-63B, Annual Photovoltaic Cell/Module Shipments Report
• Form EIA-411, Coordinated Bulk Power Supply Program Report
• Form EIA-826, Monthly Electric Utility Sales and Revenue Report with State

Distributions
• Form EIA-860, Annual Electric Generator Report
• Form EIA-860M, Monthly Update to the Annual Electric Generator Report
• Form EIA-861, Annual Electric Power Industry Report
• Form EIA-861S, Annual Electric Power Industry Report (Short Form)
• Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report
• Form EIA-930, Hourly and Daily Balancing Authority Operations Report

The proposals were announced to the public via a Federal Register Notice (FRN) published March 6, 2013. Interested parties were given 60 days to submit their comments. EIA received comments from 44 organizations or individuals. EIA reviewed all comments and made certain changes to the original proposals in response to the comments. EIA’s responses to comments can be found in the Supporting Statement posted at EIA’s 2014 Forms Changes webpage.

As part of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance process, a second Federal Register Notice was published on Tuesday, December 24, 2013. The publication of this notice opens a second and final comment period that is open for 30 days. Written comments are due by Thursday, January 23, 2014.

Alternative energy, Electricity, Renewable Energy

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFThe Board of Directors of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) announced today that Michael R. Brower has been appointed the new President and CEO of the organization. Brower served as the Interim President and CEO since July 29, 2013.
  • Clive Maxwell, Chief Executive of the Office of Fair Trading, has been appointed Director General of DECC’s Consumers and Households Group, which is responsible for the Government’s key projects in improving energy efficiency and helping business and domestic energy users obtain the lowest possible bills. The appointment comes as DECC engages in a major programme of improvements for consumers under energy efficiency schemes such as the Energy Company Obligation and Green Deal, as well as working closely with the energy industry to maximise choice for customers.
  • Greenbelt Resources Corporation an innovator of sustainable energy production systems, today announced patent protection filing for its proprietary ethanol-water separation membrane module technology on behalf of its subsidiary Diversified Ethanol Corporation. The patent-pending system utilizes the Hitachi-Zosen membrane known for purifying a number of liquids and gases including ethanol and other organic solvents.
  • India plans an agency to oversee the development of offshore wind farms as the country’s best sites on land fill up, prompting it to promote projects at sea. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will seek cabinet approval soon to set up the agency, the government said today in a statement, citing Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah. India is already Asia’s biggest wind-turbine market after China in terms of annual installations. The country has built 20 gigawatts of projects onshore, drawing about $16.5 billion a year in investment.
Bioenergy Bytes

Radio Disney Dumps Dirty Energy Road Show

Joanna Schroeder

Climate Parents has announced that after more than 100,000 people signed petitions the organization began, Radio Disney announced it will withdraw from a controversial program that promotes fossil fuel extraction to school-age children in Ohio. Climate Parents is a national organization comprised of parents taking action on climate change.

“We are pleased that Disney responded to our request to stop promoting oil and gas extraction to kids in Ohio,” said Lisa Hoyos, Founder and Director of Climate Parents. OOGEEP_FB1However, Disney engages schools all over the country on energy education, and we remain deeply concerned that the company has no policy in place prevent this from happening again.”

Climate Parents worked closely with their partners at CREDO Action, who helped gather more than 80,000 petition signatures on Credo Mobilize.com. In addition to working with CREDO Mobilize, Climate Parents also hosted petitions on MoveOn.org and Change.org to gather more than 100,000 signatures and generate hundreds of social media posts.

“There’s no place for fracking in the Magic Kingdom,” said said Zack Malitz, CREDO’s Campaign Manager. “Disney has done the right thing by refusing to use its brand to promote dirty energy, and it needs to go further say it will never again partner with oil and gas industry groups to produce Disney-themed dirty energy propaganda for children.”

The program Climate Parents was opposed to was called “Rocking in Ohio,” a road show the Ohio Oil and Gas Association created in partnership with Radio Disney. The program engaged school kids in a “game show” type activities that celebrated oil and gas extraction.

“The response has been overwhelming,” said Hoyos. “People from all over the country have spoken out against Radio Disney’s promotion of dirty energy in Ohio. But until Disney takes that commitment nationwide, we will continue to mobilize parents and families to ensure that Disney only promotes kid-safe, climate-safe energy.”

Climate Change, Environment, Oil

Texas City to Restart Biodiesel Plant at Landfill

John Davis

dentonDenton, Texas will restart an idled biodiesel plant at the town’s landfill. This article from the Denton Record-Chronicle says the city council agreed to allow American Bio Source to lease the plant and give the city nearly one cent per gallon in royalties for the biodiesel it produces.

After originally signing a contract for a public-private partnership with a California biodiesel company in 2004, the city opened the $3 million facility the following year to great fanfare.

The plant was the first fully renewable biodiesel manufacturing plant in the country, powered by methane gas extracted from the landfill. Through the contract, the city had also pledged to purchase at least 300,000 gallons of biodiesel each year to fuel its garbage trucks, service trucks, buses and other equipment. But the plant closed abruptly in 2008 and the city sued the company for breach of contract, later settling after the California company agreed to pay the city $650,000.

Since then, the city has begun replacing some of its fleet with trucks powered by natural gas.

City officials say this is a good deal financially for the town, as well as good for the environment.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel to Help Heat Up NYC Super Bowl

John Davis

tsb-logo1This year’s Super Bowl will be unique as it will be the first time the game is played outside in a cold-weather city at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. So how do you keep all those tailgaters happy when there’s chances for snow and a chill in the air? You break out biodiesel! This story from the New York Daily News says local refiner Tri-State Biodiesel is turning waste cooking oil into the green fuel to be used during the big game.

“It is very cool,” said Brent Baker, founder of Tri-State Biodiesel. “We’re very proud that we’re providing this full loop service.”

The 10-year-old company is still nailing down logistics, but Baker estimated that thousands of gallons of recycled cooking oil would be used.

Tri-State signed a deal in late 2013 with Delaware North, the hospitality and food service vendor operating at the MetLife Stadium to convert its dirty oil.

Trucks from Tri-State have been picking drums of oil up from MetLife Stadium since last year for recycling, Baker said.

Anne Marie McManus, Delaware North’s Director of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability, said the company has been converting its dirty oil since it began operations at MetLife. It partnered with Tri-State Biodiesel began recycling its oil into biodiesel to help it become certified “green.”

“Recently, as part of our efforts to become Green Restaurant Certified, we changed our waste kitchen oil recycling vendor to Tri-State Biodiesel,” McManus said, “specifically because the Green Restaurant Association requested that we use a vendor that reformulates the recycled waste kitchen oil into biodiesel only (as opposed to its potential use as animal feed).”

Tri-State Biodiesel’s founder Baker says there is one thing that disappoints him about this year’s game: no NY Jets!

Biodiesel

Senator Hopeful About RFS

Cindy Zimmerman

thune-thumb-2Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is hopeful the Environmental Protection Agency will make some changes in the proposed volume requirements for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard this year.

“I just hope that the EPA will work with us, work with the industry, in a way that is realistic and grounded in the view that this is an industry that’s here to stay and we ought to be looking at ways we can continue to grow it,” said Thune during a press call with reporters this week.

Thune was one of several lawmakers who met with EPA officials last month about the proposal to lower volume obligations for renewable fuels in 2014. “I think we’ll get some relief from the meeting we had, perhaps, with regard to the direction they were heading for this year,” he said. “I’m hoping that they will make a decision that … moves us back to what we think is a more realistic volume level for this year.”

Listen to Thune’s remarks in this audio provided courtesy of Agri-Pulse. Sen. Thune RFS comments

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFS

Unlike Diamonds, Fossil Fuels Are Not Forever

Joanna Schroeder

what happens when fossil fuels run outPlymouth Rock Energy has released an interesting graphic with the theme, “unlike diamonds, fossil fuels are not forever”. The infographic describes the acceleration of fossil fuels consumption and its ultimate depletion as a viable energy resource. It further states the potentially catastrophic outcomes for contemporary society while, at the same time, offers optimism for charting a new energy conservation course.

What is interesting about Plymouth Rock Energy, is that the company was founded nearly 60 years ago to supply electricity from coal and natural gas. Yet the company’s infographic cites peak fossil fuel production sometime between 2010 and 2020. The company cites experts who suggest that the world will see soaring gas prices due to shortages, a decline in global development and environmental destruction if business continues without chaBuilding a Better Roadnge.

The graphic provides some “better way” solutions including energy conservation through the development of alternative fuel sources and the reduction of carbon dioxide pollution curbing what they term “man-made global warming”.

Plymouth Rock Energy says they believe that utilizing sustainable resources such as natural gas, hydropower, wind, and solar energy production can provide long term solutions. Adding to energy conservation efforts are the use of ethanol fuel blends, readily available natural gas deposits, electricity, and hydrogen fuel cells.

biofuels, Clean Energy, Electricity, Hydro, Natural Gas, Solar, Wind

Ethical Electric Receives Electrifying Investment

Joanna Schroeder

Ethical Electric, a renewable energy provider that connects consumers to 100% renewable energy, has announced $11 million in Series A funding. A group of investors was led by entrepreneur and impact investor Matthew Palevsky, who will be joining Ethical Electric’s board of directors.

Ethical Electric“Our business model offers the potential to shift a significant number of households to renewable energy sources and help transform the energy industry in the United States,” said Tom Matzzie, founder and CEO of Ethical Electric. “We are proud to be backed by investors who see the potential to give consumers a clean, renewable choice for their energy.”

Matzzie has experience building cause-based communities and was formerly a leader with MoveOn.org. In his past and current role, he has aggregated millions of Americans together for causes for more than a decade.

“The Ethical Electric team is applying their experience building large-scale progressive movements to disrupt incumbents in the energy sector,” said Palevsky. “The company has a compelling, scalable business plan and the right team to make it work.”

Brian Arbogast, a clean tech investor and current director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who led Ethical Electric’s earlier investment round and serves on its board of directors, added, “Tom has developed a very smart business plan and its success has the potential to drive adoption of renewable (solar and wind) energy faster than any other investment opportunity I have seen.”

Alternative energy, Electricity, Solar, Wind

Google Glass – New Tech for Ag?

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How is your health insurance for 2014?”

We had a pretty low voter turn out for this ZimmPoll. It may be due to the holidays, but I’m thinking it might be due to confusion. Most people probably still haven’t figured out how their personal health insurance plans will change, if they will change and what it will cost them. I am one of the lucky ones and my insurance won’t be changing.

Our poll results:

  • Lower cost, better benefits – 23%
  • No change – 23%
  • Other-Higher costs, same benefits – 23%
  • Higher cost, better benefits – 15%
  • Higher cost, less benefits – 8%
  • Can’t figure it out yet – 8%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Would you wear Google Glass?”

Chuck has been flaunting his new toy around quite a bit lately. This toy being Google Glass. I asked when I would be receiving mine, but was quickly informed that because he is part of Google’s beta test, only one is allotted per company. That means I will have to wait along with the rest of the population. Chuck has deemed his the ZimmGlass and has been experimenting with ways he can use it out on the agriblogging highway. Does this new technology have a place in agriculture? Can you see yourself wearing this computer on your face while out in public? Tell us what you think!

ZimmPoll

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFThe Center for Rural Affairs has released a report, “From the Ground Up, Addressing Key Community Concerns in Clean Energy Transmission“. The report examines the clashes that can arise between communities and transmission line developers and the causes of those clashes, with a unique focus on proposing a set of solutions to those issues. The report found six major common issues that surround transmission development – agriculture, conservation, health, eminent domain, need for the project, and fairness.
  • Globeleq, a leading wind energy company based in Central America, has announced the financial close and notice to proceed on construction of two wind generation projects in Costa Rica and Honduras. Construction of the 50 MW Orosi project in Costa Rica and the 24 MW expansion of the existing 102 MW Cerro de Hula wind farm will be managed by Globeleq’s majority owned subsidiary, Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy (GME). Gamesa turbines have been chosen for both projects.
  • Goldpoly New Energy Holdings Limited, a leading solar power plant investor and operator in China, has announced that Goldpoly, along with its shareholder company Renewable Energy Trade Board Corporation, obtained the updated new business license on January 7, 2014 for the 180MW PV project acquired from Zhongli Talesun located in Gonghe, Qinghai Province, and that the acquisition has thereby been completed. As of January 7, 2014, Goldpoly has completed grid connection for 13 solar power plants with an aggregate grid connected capacity of 531.7MW.
  • China-based Unisun has announced that three photovoltaic (PV) power plants with a total installed capacity of 19.59MW, in which the company has invested and for which the company is acting as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, were successfully connected to the grid and have received six green certificates. The Dej, Setra and Clue plants have installed capacities of 5.98MW, 6.4MW and 7.14MW respectively.
Bioenergy Bytes