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EC Approves Neste’s Biodiesel Sustainability System

John Davis

nesteecEuropean Commissioners have approved the sustainability verification system developed by Neste Oil that the company uses to ensure its biodiesel is produced under sustainable conditions. This company news release says the system “complies with the standards set for reliability, transparency, and independent third-party auditing.”

The new, officially approved verification system covers all diesel fuel produced from renewable feedstocks. In accordance with the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive, strict limits are imposed on where feedstocks can be cultivated and where cultivation cannot take place. Forestland must not be cleared to produce biofuels and inputs cannot be grown on peat bogs, wetlands, other high carbon stock land, or in environmentally sensitive areas. The system also establishes strict requirements covering issues such as the traceability of the supply chain.

“To date, we have primarily relied on the RSPO and ISCC verification systems,” says Pekka Tuovinen, Neste Oil’s Director, Sustainability and Supplier Compliance. “Our own system, which has now been approved by the Commission, is a useful addition for verifying the sustainability of renewable inputs, particularly waste and residues.”

Recently, the palm oil used as a feedstock in some of Neste’s biodiesel was shown to be gained through sustainable means.

Biodiesel, International

ACORE Names Four to Board of Directors

John Davis

acore-logoFour new members are joining the Board of Directors for the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE). This news release from the group that advocates for a variety of renewable energy solutions says Dan Adler, Matt Cheney, Kathleen Weiss and Michael Ware were elected to fill vacancies on the board.

“ACORE directly benefits from the impressive credentials, experience, and industry expertise of this Class of 2014 ACORE Board of Directors. These distinguished individuals will help ACORE to achieve our mission to create a more secure and prosperous America with clean, renewable energy, and continue to be the voice for the entire renewable industry community regardless of technology,” said ACORE President and CEO, Michael Brower.

“Last year, the ACORE Board unanimously developed and ratified a strategic plan for ACORE to achieve greater impact, and reach new audiences in 2014 and beyond,” continued Brower. “The proven business and industry leadership of our Board and our members defines the way forward for renewable energy policy and finance, and I am excited and very much looking forward to working closely with the Board and with these new members. I am particularly pleased to see long-time ACORE Board member Michael Ware returning for another term; his vision, sagacity and willingness to ‘roll-up his sleeves and get it done’ reflect his abiding loyalty to ACORE. Equally, Dan Adler, the true architect of the ACORE strategic plan, returning to the Board is a wonderful guarantee of sustained focus and certainty, which is to us, a very good thing.

You can read profiles of each of the four new members here.

Renewable Energy

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFRegistration is now open for exhibitors looking to showcase their projects, equipment, services and state-of-the-art technology to the geothermal community at the GRC Annual Meeting and GEA Geothermal Energy Expo in Portland, Oregon, September 28, 2014 through October 1, 2014. The Expo is the world’s largest gathering of the geothermal industry, providing support for geothermal resource exploration, characterization, development, production and management.
  • The Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC) is pleased to welcome DuPont as a new member. AEC represents worldwide leaders in the effort to develop and commercialize the next generation of ethanol fuels, ranging from cellulosic ethanol made from dedicated energy crops, forest residues and agricultural waste to advanced ethanol made from municipal solid waste, algae and other feedstocks.
  • In the closing week of 2013, merger and acquisition activity in the wind power generation sector surged as multiple utilities divested their stakes in a number of wind energy portfolios/assets. Acquisitions of over 1.8 GW of wind capacity at the operational and development stage were announced, making it one of the most active weeks for wind M&A activity since 2006, according to Clean Energy Pipeline. International renewable energy consultancy, Natural Power, were involved as vendor or buy-side advisors in more than 1GW of these transactions.
  • With the Environmental Protection Agency’s final QAP ruling expected this winter, Genscape is reporting a growing demand for its QAP and other RIN integrity solutions with more than 40 producers already participating. According to the company, producers participating in Genscape’s QAP services have observed an increase in the price they get for their RINs once they have achieved the compliance status. An increasing number of downstream buyers are requiring QAP as part of their RIN purchasing risk management. Genscape’s Susan Olson and Robert Barton will also be offering their expertise in a panel on Tuesday morning at 9 am PT, Navigating the QAP during the National Biodiesel Board Conference beginning in San Diego on January 20, 2014.
Bioenergy Bytes

Ethanol Supporters Will March in Washington

Joanna Schroeder

Ethanol supporters are being called to action to “march” in Washington D.C. in support of the biofuel. The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has announced the dates for its sixth ACE Biofuels Beltway Logoannual Washington, DC fly-in commonly referred to as the “Biofuels Beltway March“. Ethanol advocates and supporters will meet with key administration officials and Members of Congress on March 25-26, 2104.

Last year nearly 100 ethanol supporters from more than a dozen states participated in the event and met with a majority of U.S. legislatures as well as key decision makers such as those working for the EPA.

“The most effective lobbyists aren’t lobbyists at all, but rather farmers, ethanol producers, Main Street business leaders, retailers selling higher ethanol blends, and other grassroots individuals whose daily lives benefit from ethanol,” said Brian Jennings, ACE Executive Vice President. “ACE’s fly-in will once again feature these real people to deliver ethanol’s message to the top decision makers inside the Beltway.”

“While we successfully countered Big Oil attempts to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in Congress last year, this year we must encourage EPA officials not to cave in to Big Oil demands to reduce the RFS and maintain bipartisan support in Congress,” Jennings explained. “We encourage people from all walks of life who support ethanol to sign-up now for this important opportunity to show and tell the success story of the U.S. ethanol industry.”

Jennings said in addition to focusing on the RFS, participants will explain in their own words how blends such as E15 and E85 are helping reduce gasoline prices, cut harmful emissions, and help retailers offer more choices to consumers. The official host hotel of the ACE fly-in will be the Liaison on Capitol Hill. To register, or to find out more details about the ACE fly-in, contact Shannon Gustafson.

ACE, biofuels, Ethanol

Results in on Google Glass

Jamie Johansen

New Holland ZimmPollOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Would you wear Google Glass?”

Some are still unsure what Google Glass is and even more have no desire to wear them at all. But those techies out there look willing to jump on the bandwagon with Chuck and see how these computers you wear on your face could make work easier or simply life more entertaining. Chuck brought his ZimmGlass with him to AFBF earlier this week and captured a few photos and video interviews. But admits there is a learning curve to master them.

Our poll results:

  • Yes – Depending on price – 38%
  • Yes – No matter what – 8%
  • No – 42%
  • What are they? – 12%

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How did the ‘Polar Vortex’ affect you??”

Last week the country faced record lows. Some trudged through heavy snow and blizzard like conditions and others battled ice and freezing rain. Chuck and Cindy even suffered in Florida with temps in the teens. Windchill conditions closed schools and cancelled events. But farmers and ranchers nationwide still had work to do. Even more of a reason to thank a farmer! How did last week’s extreme cold affect you?

ZimmPoll

Largest Solar-Thermal Plant in Chile Announced

Joanna Schroeder

Abengoa has been selected by the Ministry of Energy of the Chilean Government and Corfo (Corporacion de Fomento de la Produccion) to develop a 110 MW solar plant using tower technology with 17.5 hours of thermal energy storage using molten salts. The project will be located in the Atacama Desert, the region, believed to have the highest solar radiation concentrations in the world. It will be the first solar-thermal plant for direct electricity production in South America.

Abengoa solar thermal plantAbengoa’s project won the international tender launched by the Chilean Ministry of Energy and Corfo to construct the first Concentrated Solar Power plant in Latin America. As part of this tender, the project will receive direct subsidies from the Chilean Government and the European Union, as well as financing from the Inter-American Development Bank, KFW Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau, the Clean Technology Fund and Canadian Fund.

Solar-thermal tower technology uses a series of mirrors (heliostats) that track the sun on two axes, concentrating the solar radiation on a receiver on the upper part of the tower where the heat is transferred to the molten salts. The salts then transfer their heat in a heat exchanger to a water current to generate superheated and reheated steam, which feeds a turbine capable of generating around 110 MW of power.

The solar plant will also have a pioneering thermal storage system with 17.5 hours of storage that has been designed and developed by Abengoa. The company explains this approach makes the technology highly manageable, enabling it to supply electricity in a stable way, 24 hours a day, responding to all periods of electricity demand.

Abengoa’s new project will be located in the commune of Maria Elena in the Antofagasta region, northern Chile. The project forms part of Chile’s national renewable energy program, intended to provide Chile with a cleaner energy future, while also promoting its economic development and reducing its dependency on coal and natural gas. Chile has set a target to produce 20% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2025.

Construction of the project is due to start in the second half of 2014.

Alternative energy, Electricity, International, Solar

Genera Showcasing Biomass Harvesting Solutions

John Davis

generaequip1The biomass experts at Genera Energy Inc. are showing off some of their latest harvesting techniques to get the most out of the company’s biomass energy crops. During a demonstration at Genera’s Vonore, Tenn. campus, officials showed how these techniques will help producers of the green energy feedstocks.

“Genera is laser-focused on researching, developing, field testing and bringing to market the most efficient bioenergy crops, management techniques, harvesting processes and equipment,” said Kelly Tiller, Ph.D., President and CEO of Genera Energy. “This year, we’re expanding our use of state-of-the-art self-propelled field harvesters and innovative ways to handle, move, and store feedstock that can revolutionize large-scale biomass production.”

Genera’s experts combine their deep understanding of agricultural production and systems with their industrial scale management and logistics experience to provide robust, economical supply chains that balance cost, risk, reliability and quality. That’s important for all of Genera’s downstream biomass customers, regardless of whether they’re using that biomass to produce clean, renewable bio-based fuels, chemicals, power, or products.

“One of the innovations developed by Genera’s biomass experts is a commercially-viable method to bulk harvest biomass crops using existing and new technologies, integrated into our proprietary system,” said Sam Jackson, Genera’s vice president of business development. “For many biomass supply chains, this new system delivers product that offers tremendous savings in cost, time, production, storage and delivery compared to traditional methods.”

As biomass producers and refiners of renewable fuel from the feedstock move toward commercial-scale production in the coming year, Genera officials see their technologies as one way to ensure biomass remains an affordable, sustainable feedstock for advanced biofuels.

“Fortunately, Genera’s ahead of the curve and our deep understanding of the industry, real-world experience and successful field testing enable rapid deployment and scale-up of our integrated biomass supply systems,” [Tiller] said.

biomass

Grocer Greens Up Greens Delivery with Biodiesel

John Davis

revolutionbiodieselThe veggies might have a nice, healthy green tone, but sometimes the fuel to deliver them… well, not so much. But this story from the Nelson Star in British Columbia says a Canadian organic grocery supply is working biodiesel into its delivery trucks to make those greens truly green.

Kootenay foodies and entrepreneurs Paul and Clare Kelly of Winlaw are helping shoppers at organic grocers ‘green up’ their produce purchases with their biofuel shipping company — Revolution Biodiesel.

“With much discussion around kitchen tables and in the media about the carbon impacts of food miles, we sometimes feel a little helpless,” says Paul. “Traditionally these food miles equate with massive volumes of diesel fuel, used to move heavy fresh food from far away orchards to packing houses, distribution warehouses, then on to retailers and consumer markets.”

Perishable foods like produce; dairy, eggs and meat require additional diesel fuel for the truck’s refrigeration unit. According to Paul, a typical freight truck will use over 500 L of diesel fuel to bring a load from Cawston (Canada’s organic fruit capital) to Calgary.

Making use of their contacts from a combined 25 years in Calgary’s natural food sector, and fuel from their on-farm biodiesel plant, the Kellys invested in a refrigerated truck that they could run on 100 per cent post-consumer fryer oil derived biodiesel.

The Kellys are looking to expand, but that would also depend on the availability of the waste grease for the biodiesel feedstock. But in the meantime, they have enough of the green fuel on hand to run three truckloads of veggies between Calgary and British Columbia for the next year.

Biodiesel, International

U.S. Utility-Scale Solar Capacity Tops World

John Davis

Example of SunEdison Utility Solar ProjectA flurry of activity in the last couple of months of last year looks like it has pushed U.S. utility-scale solar capacity into first place worldwide. This article from Ciol.com says several projects appear to have pushed the Americans past the Chinese, who had taken the lead during part of 2013.

Recent figures from CAISO, California’s transmission grid operator, show major new capacity coming online between October and December from several of the world’s largest solar power stations. These include three partly-complete First Solar projects: Desert Sunlight being built for GE and others, which now has 470 MW connected out of an eventual 550 MW capacity; Topaz Solar Farm for MidAmerican (237 of 550 MW); and Exelon’s Antelope Valley (230 of 250 MW).

The latest figures also include several 100+MW projects now fully connected, including First Solar’s 290 MW Agua Caliente, SunPower’s 250 MW California Valley for NRG Energy, Sempra’s 165 MW Mesquite I, Tenaska’s 130 MW Imperial South and GE’s 127 MW Arlington Valley.

Coupled with substantial new capacity around the country in mid-size projects between 4 and 92 MW, this raised total US capacity to over 5 GW; more than double the 2.2 GW existing at the start of 2013.

Experts say another 12 GW of solar capacity is still in development for the U.S., although China is known for adding a lot of capacity in a short time with little notice.

Solar

Maine Wind Project Faces Crucial Vote This A.M.

John Davis

aquaventasmaineThe fate of an offshore wind project is in the hands of the Maine Public Utilities Commission this morning. This story from the Bangor Daily News says the floating turbine technology project is facing the commission vote on whether it can move forward under a long-term power contract.

Tuesday’s PUC meeting is not a public hearing. Only commissioners will be allowed to speak during the deliberations. They will also be able to ask questions of PUC staff about Maine Aqua Ventus’ project and the project’s term sheet, which details the conditions under which the consortium will sell an estimated 43,000 megawatt hours per year to the power grid from its two, six-megawatt turbines at a price of 23 cents per kilowatt hour. That’s about 14 cents more per kilowatt hour than the current standard offer rate set by the PUC.

The pilot project proposed for waters off Monhegan Island is the next step in the development of UMaine’s offshore wind technology. The university in June 2013 deployed a 1:8-scale model of VolturnUS, its prototype floating turbine, in waters of Castine.

Maine Aqua Ventus I would be a pilot for the future development of a 500-megawatt offshore wind farm project in the Gulf of Maine and possibly elsewhere. The goal is to achieve wind-generated electricity at 10 cents per kilowatt hour by the 2030s.

University of Maine economists say the $120 million project will create more than 300 full- and part-time jobs.

Wind