Hawaiian Tour Shows Biodiesel’s Sustainability

John Davis

PacBiodiesel1A tour of some Hawaiian biodiesel facilities and the infrastructure that supports them demonstrated the sustainable nature of the green fuel. Biodiesel Magazine reports that recently Pacific Biodiesel, Big Island Biodiesel and Hawaii Pure Plant Oil hosted the tour, showing how the islands are developing a model that supports green jobs, local agriculture, the livestock industry and the community.

Guests representing various facets of the local community attended the event, from state legislators to farmers, ranchers and biodiesel fuel consumers.

With many of the pieces now in place, farmers, ranchers and biofuel producers hope to garner state support of this expanding community-based production chain. State and federal support will foster more local farming, ranching, production jobs and the involvement of the local community in sustainable, renewable energy creation, growing the local economy, keeping Hawaii green and working to achieve the state’s clean energy goals. The tour was broken into three segments.

The Hawaii Pure Plant Oil farm was founded in 2008 by father and son team Christian and Jamie Twigg-Smith who planted a total of 200 acres of jatropha with the intent of harvesting its seeds and extracting the oil for biodiesel production.

Now, five years after the farm’s inception, the Twigg-Smiths have formed a direct collaboration with Pacific Biodiesel Technologies under its federally funded Hawaii Military Biofuel Crop project. The project involves developing production models for jatropha and other potential biofuel crops such as sunflower, safflower and camelina, to share with potential biofuel crop growers throughout the state.

The article goes on to say the recently installed HMBC seed crushing mill, the first of its kind in Hawaii, can crush a wide variety of sources. In addition, those oils can be sent right next door to Big Island Biodiesel, a multifeedstock biodiesel plant.

Biodiesel

Iowa Looks to Expand Ethanol, Biodiesel Blends

John Davis

branstad1Officials in Iowa are looking to up the choices consumers will have when filling up with ethanol and biodiesel. Gov. Terry Branstad announced a new public-private partnership called “Fueling Our Future” that will use state dollars to leverage investments in existing renewable fuel infrastructure to establish more blender pumps containing E-30 and biodiesel at gas retailers around the state.

“This pilot program will provide Iowans with additional access to higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel, which will help our farmers, communities and economy in producing, processing and profiting locally,” said Branstad.

The Fueling Our Future program will be supported by the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Department of Transportation, Iowa State University and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Board.

The announcement was welcomed by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association:

ia-rfa“Iowa leads the nation in renewable fuels production, and has led in developing markets for E10, E15, E85 and biodiesel over the last 30 years,” stated IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “But never one to sit still, Governor Branstad is already looking down the road to the next five to ten years. I want to thank Gov. Branstad and his team for the new ‘Fueling Our Future’ program that will continue to build on the successes this state has had in renewable fuels, and will position Iowa to lead the way in E30 and biodiesel availability.”

More information on the state’s Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program can be found here.

Biodiesel, blends, E15, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government

No EIA Reports due to Funding Lapse

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is shutdown due to the shutdown.

eiaAs a result of the lapse in appropriations for the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the EIA.gov website and our social media channels will not be updated after 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, October 11, 2013. Transactions submitted via the website might not be processed until appropriations are enacted; databases might not be available; and we will not be able to respond to inquiries.

That means the release of all reports and data will cease until further notice. The last ethanol production data were released by EIA on October 4. For that week, ethanol production averaged 868,000 barrels per day (b/d) — or 36.46 million gallons daily. That is down 7,000 from the week before. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 853,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 13.08 billion gallons. Stocks of ethanol stood at 15.4 million barrels. That is a 0.8% decrease from last week, and the lowest of the year.

There were no imports of ethanol that week, compared to the same week in 2012 when imports set a record of 122,000 b/d. Ethanol export data for August is unavailable due to the government shutdown.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFIKEA has announced plans to increase the solar array atop its Boston-area store. Last month, IKEA began work on a 58,575-square-foot store expansion, atop which new panels will be installed beginning Spring 2014, with a summer completion expected. The 51,516-square-foot solar addition will consist of a 312-kW system, built with 1,248 panels, and will produce 383,200 kWh more of electricity annually for the store. Including the existing system, IKEA Stoughton’s total 902.8-kW solar installation of 5,468 panels will generate 1,078,200 kWh of clean electricity yearly.
  • Genomatica was voted #1 for the third year in a row in Biofuels Digest’s 30 Hottest in Renewable Chemicals and Biobased Materials competition. Genomatica has earned the top spot on the list every year since it was started in 2011. Genomatica’s #1 ranking resulted from voting from 100 invited industry experts; survey responses from thousands of Biofuels Digest subscribers; and social media, including tweets, Likes and ‘hot picture’ submissions.
  • Vestas has announced a 108 MW wind turbine order from S.C. Crucea Wind Farm S.R.L. / STEAG GmbH for the wind power plant Crucea North, located in the Constanta county in the province of Dobrogea, Romania. The order includes supply, installation and commissioning of the turbines, along with a VestasOnline Business SCADA solution as well as a 10-year full-scope service agreement. Delivery is planned to start in April 2014 and the wind farm is expected to be completed by December 2014.
  • PetroEnergy Resources Corporation has disclosed that the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) granted the certificate of compliance (COC) to the Maibarara Geothermal Inc.’s (MGI) 20-megawatt power plant located in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. The COC clears the way for MGI to start commercial operations of its plant, the first project under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. MGI expects its plant to go online before year end as planned.
Bioenergy Bytes

Team Austria Wins 2013 Solar Decathlon

Joanna Schroeder

Team Austria has won the 2013 Solar Decathlon by building the most energy-efficient solar-powered house at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. Team Austria was made up of students from the Vienna University of Technology, who won top honors in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) event by designing, building and operating the Team Austria 2013 Solar Decathlonmost cost-effective, energy efficient and attractive solar-powered house. In second place was the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and in third place was the Czech Republic comprised of students from the Czech Technical University.

“The Solar Decathlon is inspiring and training the next generation of clean energy architects, engineers and entrepreneurs, and showing that affordable, clean energy technologies can help homeowners save money and energy today,” said DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz. “Congratulations to the Solar Decathlon 2013 competitors – your hard work and creativity is helping to build a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.”

According to the DOE, the winning teams’ final scores were the closest they have ever been since the beginning of the Solar Decathlon competition. Team Austria earned 951.9 points out of a possible 1,000 to win the competition, followed by University of Nevada Las Vegas with 947.6 points, and Czech Republic with 945.1 points. Contributing to their overall win, Team Austria performed well in several of the individual contests, finishing first in the Communications Contest, second in Market Appeal, and tied for first in the Hot Water Contest. Every house in the 2013 competition produced more energy than it consumed.

Over the 10 days of competition, 19 collegiate teams from across the country and around the world competed in 10 contests that gauged each house’s performance, livability and affordability. The teams performed everyday tasks, including cooking, laundry, and washing dishes, that tested the energy efficiency of their houses. The winner of the overall competition best blended affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

The results of the Engineering Contest also were announced with Team Ontario, comprised of students from Queen’s University, Carleton University and Algonquin College, taking first place by scoring 95 out of 100 possible points. Each competing house was evaluated by a group of prominent engineers who determined which house best exemplifies excellence in energy-efficiency savings, creative design innovations, and the functionality and reliability of each system.

Engineering Juror Kent Peterson, chief operating officer and chief engineer at P2S Engineering, said, “Team Ontario demonstrated a complete understanding of building science, a very good building envelope for the target climate, and excellent integration of passive and active strategies.”

Czech Republic claimed second place in the Engineering Contest with 94 points, and University of Nevada Las Vegas, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Team Austria all tied for third place with 93 points each.

Education, energy efficiency, Renewable Energy, Solar

Rep. King Exposes Federal Petroleum Mandate

Joanna Schroeder

In a letter sent to U.S. Representative Steve King (R-Iowa), the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) thanked the Congressman for exposing the Federal Petroleum Mandate and reiterating his unwavering support of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) during this week’s National Journal forum titled, “Biofuels Mandate: Defend, Reform, or Repeal.” The forum was sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute (API), the national trade association representing the oil industry.

During the forum, Rep. King noted the RFS “is the only thing that gives market access so that corn and other product-based alternative fuels can get into the tank and be sold in competition with petroleum. If we lose (the RFS), then we have a government mandate, a federal mandate for petroleum only in our vehicles.”

In the letter, IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw wrote, “Your strong defense of the RFS at the National Journal/API event clearly articulated the importance of this policy in achieving market access for non-petroleum fuels, creating fuel competition, and adding value to the agricultural sector. In addition, IRFA would like to thank you for exposing the impact of the Federal Petroleum Mandate in your remarks at the forum.”

National Journal RFS ForumShaw explained that for nearly 40 years federal law has required that any fuel consumers put in their tanks must be approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Unless you own a flexible fuel vehicle, the only EPA-approved fuels are regular unleaded gas, E10, and E15. This means the approved fuels range from 100 percent petroleum to a minimum of 85 percent petroleum. Federal law dictates that if motorists use an unapproved fuel, meaning a fuel containing less than 85 percent petroleum, they are subject to a $25,000 per day fine.

The letter concludes, “IRFA greatly appreciates your efforts to expose the federal petroleum mandate and defend the RFS at the recent National Journal/API forum. As you well know, ethanol is cheaper, cleaner and higher octane than gasoline. As such, the ethanol industry stands ready to compete in a truly free market – a free market the petroleum industry works hard to ensure never exists.”

In addition to Rep. King’s keynote speech, a panel discussion was held featuring:

  • Paul Beckwith, Chief Executive Officer, Butamax Advanced Biofuels
  • Michael Brower, Interim President & Chief Executive Officer, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
  • Rob Green, Executive Director, National Council of Chain Restaurants
  • Kris Kiser, President & Chief Executive Officer, Outdoor Power Equipment Institute
  • Peter Lehner, Executive Director, Natural Resources Defense Council
  • Damon Wells, Vice President, Government Affairs, National Turkey Federation
biofuels, Ethanol, Iowa RFA, RFS

Mission NewEnergy Sells Malaysian Biodiesel Plant

John Davis

MissionNewEnergyAustralian biodiesel maker Mission NewEnergy Ltd. has sold its 30 MMgy biodiesel plant in Malaysia. Biodiesel Magazine reports that through its wholly owned subsidiary, Mission Biotechnologies Sdn Bhd, the $11.5 million deal was finished with Felda Global Ventures Downstream Sdn Bhd.

Mission NewEnergy stated that Mission Biotechnologies will use all of the proceeds from the sale to reduce loans from the holding company, which, in turn, will be used by the holding company to reduce borrowings at the group level, leaving a small amount to fund the group‘s general working capital.

Mission NewEnergy stated that, with the sale, Mission Biotechnologies will cease to have any operations and will become a dormant company.

Besides the biodiesel assets, Mission NewEnergy also has a wind energy operation in India. Felda Global Ventures Downstream deals in diversified agri-commodities with operations in 10 countries across four continents.

Biodiesel, International

Lack of Soy Crushing Hurting Wisconsin Biodiesel

John Davis

SoybeansA lack of soybean crushing facilities could be hurting the biodiesel industry in Wisconsin. This article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says no soybean crushing facilities of any meaningful size in the state means farmers have to send their beans out of state, where they’re more likely to be turned into value-added products, including the green fuel, meaning lost revenues for Badger State producers.

In response to a marketing board study in 2006, at least three soybean crushing plants were proposed, including an $80 million plant in Rock County that would have been built next to a biodiesel fuel facility…

Landmark Services Cooperative and investors wanted to build a plant in Evansville, known as the soybean capital of Wisconsin, with assistance from a $4 million state grant.

When developers canceled plans for the biodiesel facility that would have been next to the crushing plant, Landmark didn’t back down. But a short time later, a combination of collapsed financial markets and changes in commodity prices killed the deal…

One of the proposed crushing plants could have processed about 40% of the state’s soybean crop and was tied to biodiesel production, with farmers benefiting from soybean meal as livestock feed. Two smaller plants planned for 2007 and 2008 also would have been pegged for biofuels and animal feed.

“We came close, several times, to having someone build a crush plant,” [Mike Cerny, president of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board and a soybean farmer in Walworth Count] said.

State officials expressed support for a facility that would capture more of Wisconsin’s commodities’ value.

Biodiesel, Soybeans

FS Propane Autogas Demos in Illinois and Wisconsin

Cindy Zimmerman

fs-propaneGROWMARK and local FS member companies in Illinois and Wisconsin are hosting five events this week to share information about Propane Autogas as an alternative to petroleum and compressed natural gas (CNG) fuels.

“There’s quite a few sectors, such as schools, municipalities, buses, and fleets, that are starting to convert their fleets to Propane Autogas,” explains GROWMARK propane marketing and business development manager Scott Long. He says while it’s been around for years, the cleaner-burning, economical features, including saving up to 40 percent above what petroleum-based products cost, are really making big impressions on the fleets. “The city of Springfield, Ill. is running bifuel (able to take both propane and regular gasoline), they converted 24 vehicles to propane this past year, and they’re saving about $82,000 per vehicle.”

The tour kicks off today, making stops today in Carbondale, Ill., in Springfield, Ill. and Bloomington, Ill. tomorrow (Tuesday), Wednesday in Madison, Wisc., and finishing up in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc. on Thursday. In addition to industry representatives, the events will have propane powered buses, service trucks, and vehicles on display. Attendees will have an opportunity to participate in demonstrations of the vehicles. Local FS dealers have more information on where and when to be to see the demonstrations.

Scott goes on to say that with the environmental benefits of 12 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions, a 20 percent drop in nitrogen oxide emissions, and 60 percent fewer carbon monoxide emissions than traditional petroleum-based fuels, using Propane Autogas makes sense for big cities and rural areas.

“The benefits, not just from the economic savings are there, but also from an environmental side, too.”

Listen to more of the interview with Scott here: Interview with Scott Long, GROWMARK

GROWMARK, Propane

Government Shuts Down, Ethanol Rumors Abound

Joanna Schroeder

The government is shut down and rumors abound about ethanol and the 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) to be set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). 2014 RVOS are anticipated to be announced within the next few weeks. With speculation and misinformation circulating at breakneck speeds, I went to Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), who noted there was no “adult supervision” in Washington, D.C. right now, to give the country a much needed RVO 101 lesson.

“Every year EPA has got to set the Renewable Volume Obligation, or RVO, based on the amount of renewable fuel they believe will be produced in that year,” explained Dinneen. “But there are certain constraints because there is a baseline number for renewable fuel. And for 2014 that baseline number is 14.4 billion gallons. That can’t be changed. That’s set in the statute.”

DinneenRFAThere is great flexibility for the EPA; however, to set the numbers for advanced biofuels, biodiesel and for cellulosic ethanol, continued Dinneen who noted there is flexibility which EPA has used in the past to reduce the volumes if they do not believe there is going to be the production to meet the statutory requirements. For example, said Dinneen, for 2013 the cellulosic ethanol RVO was 1 billion gallons but because the EPA didn’t believe the volumes could be met they reduced it to 6 million gallons because that is how much the EPA estimated would be produced.

However, said Dinneen, in the RVO process the EPA can’t just reset the numbers. “Congress was very clear as to how they might be able to reset the numbers and that is if only an economic hardship was determined. That’s not the process that is going on right now,” Dinneen said. Instead, there is speculation about what the 2014 RVOs might be and misinformation about where EPA is going with the numbers for next year.

The next obvious question should be, have the past and current RVOs caused obligated parties any “economic harm”? “No, not at all,” answered Dinneen. “The argument that is being made is that refiners won’t be able to blend more than 10 percent ethanol in gasoline and it would drive up the price of gasoline and they’ll have to export. The problem is that none of that is happening today. Ethanol continues to drive down the price of gasoline and there most certainly has not been any type of economic harm from this program.”

In fact, while the RFS has been in place, oil companies have still made record profits. Dinneen noted that Exxon just had their most profitable quarter ever and is the most profitable company “in the history of the universe”. In fact, even if they quit whining about the RVOs and invested in the infrastructure for E15 and E85, big oil would still continue to see record profits. Interestingly, Dinneen pointed out that if the RFS goes away, and ethanol disappears and the technological advancements being made in the advanced biofuels arena stop, the only economic harm that will happen is to consumers who have to pay even more for their gas at the pump.

“This is why the RFS was created. Because for too long oil companies have had a stranglehold on our motor transportation fuels,” said Dinneen. “The RFS is about access. The RFS is intended to wrest control of our energy future from the shareholders of Exxon, and Tesoro and the other oil companies that are just upset that they are finally losing a bit of market control. We’ve taken 10 percent of the barrel. We’re on the way to taking a third of the barrel. And the only way that is going to not occur is if EPA rewards their bad behavior. It won’t happen.”

Listen to my interview with Bob Dinneen here: Government Shuts Down, Ethanol Rumors Abound

For more information about the speculation surrounding the 2014 RVOs, click here.

Audio, biofuels, Ethanol, Renewable Energy, RFA, RFS