NEC 2027

Alliant Energy Cuts Energy Efficiency Goals

Joanna Schroeder

The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) today approved Alliant Energy’s plan to scale back energy efficiency goals at the same time the utility is pursuing a new $920 million plant in Marshalltown, Iowa. According to the Environmental Law & Policy Center Alliant is punting on a chance to lead on energy efficiency and ensuring the utility’s Iowa customers will pay higher electric bills for years.

Alliant-Energy“At a time when Iowa is defining its energy future, the IUB could have advanced Iowa’s leadership on energy efficiency, but instead it put that leadership in doubt,” said Josh Mandelbaum, staff attorney for the Environmental Law & Policy Center, part of a coalition of environmental groups who intervened in the proceedings. “Energy efficiency creates jobs and is the most cost effective way to meet demand for power, but instead we are taking the expensive path of new power plants.”

The new goals represent less than half the efficiency progress possible through cost-effective means even under the utility’s own analysis, commissioned in 2012. The decision comes at a time when many states in the Midwest and nationally are increasing the amount of energy saved, not reducing those savings.

“It is disappointing that the Board approved savings goals for Alliant Energy that leaves significant amounts of cost-effective energy efficiency on the table,” said Nathaniel Baer, energy program director at the Iowa Environmental Council. Energy efficiency is most valuable when new generation is needed, and a precursor to approving plans for a newer power plant should be to ensure that we are implementing all of the available cost-effective energy efficiency.”

Under the new goals, Alliant will attempt to save 1.1 percent in retail sales each year over the next five years. This is a sharp reduction from both the utility’s current goal of 1.3 percent or its recent performance of 1.4 percent.Read More

Alternative energy, Electricity, energy efficiency, Solar, Utilities

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFThe benefits of energy efficiency have been largely out of reach for many of the more than 20 million U.S. families living in apartment or condo buildings that are often underserved by energy efficiency programs. A new report, Apartment Hunters: Programs Searching for Energy Savings in Multifamily Buildings, released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), offers advice to utilities on how to deliver energy efficiency to their multifamily customers.
  • Green Biologics announced the closing of a $25 million Series B round led by Sofinnova Partners with strategic participation by Swire Pacific Limited. Follow on investments were also made by Capricorn Venture Partners, Oxford Capital Partners, Morningside Ventures and ConvergInce Holdings LLC. The company also noted that following on from the announcement on July 2nd, an asset purchase agreement has been executed and approved by Central MN Ethanol Co-op shareholders last week. The aim is to retrofit the 23 Mgy plant to produce renewable n-butanol and acetone in 2016.
  • The 11th International Specialist Conference on Biofuels will be held on January 20-21, 2014 in Berlin. There will be several forums including Biomass Demand for Biofuel Production that will provide an overview on global developments in biofuel consumption and production in relation to international political funding frameworks, and a session that will discuss possible raw material price forecasts. Click here for program and registration information.
  • New iPhone app Wing Whackers is a game designed to minimize the toll taken on aviation life, in particular via wind farms. The creators of the app say the game provides a fun and interactive way for children and adults of all ages to learn about birds, energy, and the environment while being able to support and save the lives of some of the world’s most amazing avian heroes.
Bioenergy Bytes

EPA RFS Proposal: A Slap in the Face of Vets

Joanna Schroeder

Darrell Rakestraw joined the military in 1982. A local boy who grew up on a centennial farm near Annawan, Illinois, he served his country in the army for nearly 20 years before retiring and moving back home with his family.

Darrell Rakestraw

Veteran Darrell Rakestraw signs the Support the RFS We the People petition that he created on behalf of Patriot Renewable Fuels. He encourages everyone who believes in energy security to help fight the good fight and sign the petition.

During the time he was stationed in Germany, he came home on leave and heard everyone talking about how America was fighting for oil.

“As a solder I found that hard to believe that we were fighting for oil,” said Rakestraw. “I thought we were fighting for a cause – for an injustice being done to Kuwait at that time.”

After retiring in 2002, he continued to support American troops until he retired and began his second career: working for the local ethanol plant Patriot Renewable Fuels. Rakestraw said heralding from a farm, agriculture and ethanol were very tied together.

Then on November 15, 2013 his view of why America is at war changed. This is the day the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its 2014 proposed renewable fuel volumes for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Rakestraw said this is the moment he realized that America is in fact fighting for oil. “This proposal is now telling me it is the truth. So is that what we’ve been fighting for all this time?”

“I look at it like a slap in the face for me as a veteran,” continued Rakestraw. “To every veteran out there. For all the men and women who are still serving. And I really think that Big Oil is dancing on the graves of all the soldiers who sacrificed their lives. It’s a wrong decision to make. We have to get less dependent on foreign oil. This really woke me up.”

He knows that other veterans feel the same way as he and is encouraging people to fight for the RFS. On behalf of Patriot Renewable Fuels, Rakestraw created a WhiteHouse.gov “We the People” petition in support of the RFS, and encourages everyone who believes in this fight to sign the petition.

“We’re doing this for our soldiers. We’re doing this for our farmers. We’re doing this for our rural economies. We’re doing this for ethanol supporters and ethanol producers,” said Rakestraw who stresses that if the proposed 2014 RFS rule passes, it will a huge, negative effect on both the biofuels industry as well as the ag industry.

When asked what it was that he really wants Americans to know right now Rakestraw answered, “They need to realize we will continue to commit our mothers and fathers and our sons and daughters to wars in foreign lands. They may claim its in the name of humanity, but a lot of time it’s in the name of Big OIl.”

“And we’ve got to stop that.”

Check out the Patriot Renewable Fuels Photo Album.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, Education, Ethanol, Patriot Renewable Fuels, RFS, Video

Book Review – Ruminations on the Distortion of Oil

Joanna Schroeder

I recently finished reading the book, “Ruminations on the Distortion of Oil Prices & Crony Capitalism,” by Raymond J. Learsy. The book was a historical review of his writings dealing with Big Oil and why oil prices are so high. In other words, “an overview of…our enslavement to oil and the money inextricably tied to it.”

Ruminations-Book-CoverA former commodity trader, Learsy noted that oil prices are gamed and have little to do with market discipline of supply and demand. He explains in the book how commodity markets work (you really have no idea until you read the book and listen to his interview). In fact, Learsy writes that “This administration [Obama administration] has a profound lack of understanding of how oil markets function.” He also says there is no real oversight by our government over the oil industry or over the workings of the OPEC Cartel (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries).

He notes that no global industry is wealthier than the oil industry and the countries that produce the oil. He explains that the oil industry and traders play the commodity market in a way that maximizes the price for oil. He said that a barrel of oil should not be hovering around $100. Rather, according to the CEO of Exxon/Mobil Rex Tillerson who stated during Congressional testimony in 2011, speculation was adding $30 to $40 to the price of each barrel.

“Six hundred million dollars a day is going from consumers to oil interests each day. This is money that is being stolen out of consumers’ pockets everyday,” said Learsy.

He also points out that in President Obama’s diversified energy strategy, natural gas is not included. Today he explains the U.S. has an abundance of affordable natural gas that is being burned off because there are not enough pipelines to transport it.

This book specifically focuses and on uncovering who is responsible for soaring gas prices. If you want to know as well, then read this book. It is available on Amazon.

Listen to my in-depth interview with Raymond Learsy. BTW – You will enjoy what Learsy would do if he were president for a day to fix the oil price situation. Interview with Author Raymond Learsy

Win a copy of Ruminations on the Distortions of Oil Prices & Crony Capitalism. Email me with the subject line “Ruminations Book Giveaway” by Tuesday, December 10, 2013. The winner will be announced in the DF newsletter on December 11th.

Audio, book reviews, Oil, Opinion

Nominate A Great Fuel Retailer Today

Joanna Schroeder

IA pump photoIowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is encouraging Iowa fuel retailers and gas stations to submit nominations for the Secretary’s Renewable Fuels Marketing Awards, which recognize fuel retailers that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to sell renewable fuels. Awards are presented for both the marketing of ethanol and biodiesel.

“Fuel retailers continue to take steps to make ethanol and biodiesel more available to Iowa customers and this award is an opportunity to recognize those who have shown leadership in promoting these renewable fuels and making them more available to customers,” Northey said.

Qualifying entities will be those that market the renewable fuels they have available through creative means including, but not limited to: hosting special events highlighting their renewable fuels, development of creative signage, initiation of new advertisements or marketing efforts, and efforts that dramatically increase renewable fuel availability.

Nominations forms can be found on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s website. Completed nominations can be submitted via email or mail at Henry A. Wallace Building, Attn: Dustin Vande Hoef, 502 East 9th Street, Des Moines IA 50319. Nominations must be submitted by Dec. 31, 2013.

This is the seventh year for the award. John Gilroy from Harney Oil Company in Coralville and Jim Becthold from Linn Coop Oil Co. in Marion are the 2013 award winners.

Biodiesel, biofuels, E15, E85, Ethanol

Neste Renewable Diesel is Sustainably Certified

John Davis

palmoilRenewable diesel from European company Neste Oil has been certified sustainable. This company news release says it’s the world’s first company to be awarded an RSPO-RED Supply Chain certificate under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s (RSPO) new certification system, covering the production of NExBTL renewable diesel:

The RSPO’s new RSPO-RED overall certification system calculates greenhouse gas emissions released over the entire life cycle of a product, in line with the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED). Thanks to the certificate, Neste Oil will be able to offer its European customers NExBTL renewable diesel produced from RSPO-RED-certified palm oil.

“We commend Neste Oil’s efforts in obtaining their RSPO-RED Supply Chain Certification. They are the first in the world to do so and we expect many others to soon follow their lead”, says Darrel Webber, Secretary General of RSPO “This is not only a significant moment for Neste Oil but for RSPO as well. It marks the entry of RSPO into the biodiesel industry, especially in the European Union,” he says.

Neste Oil has been a member of the RSPO since 2006 and requires all its palm oil suppliers to be members of the organization and commit themselves to strict sustainability requirements. Neste Oil only buys certified palm oil that has been produced sustainably. Producing palm in a sustainable way protects biodiversity and carbon reserves, and prevents the destruction of rainforest and the creation of plantations in sensitive areas, such as wetlands that sequester large amounts of carbon. Sustainable production methods also protect human rights and the rights of native populations.

The certification covers Neste Oil’s operations in Porvoo, Rotterdam, and Singapore.

Biodiesel

Researchers to Get More Biofuels from Pine Trees

John Davis

A federal grant will help researchers get more biofuels out of pine trees. The University of Florida says it will use the $1.45 million in federal money to develop trait-prediction models and accelerate the growth of loblolly pine trees to produce more bioenergy.

Maitas Kirst. UF/IFAS File Photo.In his grant application, UF associate professor Matias Kirst, the principal investigator for the study, said Southern pines can be used as renewable biomass for bioenergy and renewable chemicals. However, for pines to meet their potential as a bioenergy crop, researchers must develop more productive cultivars that can be efficiently converted into liquid fuels, said Kirst, who teaches in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation, part of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Traditional breeding typically takes 15-25 years to develop a new improved cultivar, Kirst said. This makes the industry less competitive compared to other forest species grown overseas.

“There is a lot of interest in the industry in breeding trees that grow faster, and with lower inputs,” Kirst said, particularly among paper manufacturing businesses.

Researchers hope that they’ll be able to reduce the breeding cycle to four to five years using a process known as genome-wide selection.

biofuels

Energy Access Practioner Network Directory Launched

Joanna Schroeder

The United Nations Foundation has launched an Energy Access Practitioner Network’s Directory, “Investing for Energy Access: 2013 Directory of Investment and Funding Opportunities.” This new directory provides an overview of opportunities to invest in more than 140 companies and organizations delivering a range of decentralized energy solutions in developing countries, as a contribution to the Sustainable Energy for All objective of ensuring universal energy access by 2030.

Energy practitioners networkThe directory reflects the results of a 2013 survey of Practitioner Network members in an array of developing countries, highlighting their individual and aggregated investment and financing needs, including early-stage equity and project debt as well as concessional financing – totaling some US $250 million – and a range of technical assistance requirements.

The Investment Directory will be used to connect investors and donors with members of the Energy Access Practitioner Network. Respondents were drawn from a wide range of start-up and established commercial companies, social enterprises, and non-profit organizations focusing on delivering micro-grid and off-grid renewable energy solutions, as well as manufacturing and other services. Collectively they have reached more than 16.5 million people at household and community levels with sustainable energy solutions in 2012.

Since the launch of the Energy Access Practitioner Network in 2011, the Network has grown rapidly and now includes more than 1,500 business and organizational members from 191 countries, delivering a wide range of technologies and services. Members have long highlighted the ongoing need for financing that is tailored more closely to the needs of the sector, and this directory represents a first opportunity to catalog these diverse financing requirements.

Clean Energy, energy efficiency, Microgrid

ACE to Testify in Support of RFS at EPA Hearing

Joanna Schroeder

ACElogoBrian Jennings, executive vice president for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), along with ACE officials and members will be testifying against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard rule during the EPA’s public hearing in Crystal City, Virginia on December 5th.

Jennings says ACE’s Washington D.C. advisor Jonathon Lehman and Bruce Vollan, owner of Vollan Oil Company, will speak out alongside several ACE members against EPA’s proposed cut of the RFS during the hearing.

“As an advisor to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Lehman helped develop and craft the original version of the RFS that was eventually enacted by Congress in 2005. As such, Jonathon is uniquely qualified to help EPA understand that Congress did not want the E10 blend wall or oil company foot-dragging to be an excuse to waive the RFS in the way they are proposing,” said Jennings.

“As a retailer, Bruce Vollan understands that when consumers have a choice, including the option to buy gasoline without ethanol, most people will choose fuel containing ethanol. Since he began offering E15, E85 and other blends, ethanol has comprised on average between 18 and 28 percent of his overall fuel sales. Bruce will explain to EPA that keeping the RFS intact is the best way to ensure market access for E15 and E85,” added Jennings.

ACE will be submitting comments to EPA during the formal comment period and has set up a digital RFS Action Center so supporters can share their personal stories with EPA about the importance of the RFS.

ACE, biofuels, Ethanol, RFS

Staggering Wind Turbines Produces More Energy

Joanna Schroeder

According to the University of Delaware’s Cristina Archer and her Atmosphere and Energy Research Group, staggering and spacing out turbines in an offshore wind farm can improve performance by as much as 33 percent. The findings, which appeared in Geophysical Research Letters, could help engineers plan improved offshore wind farms.

“Staggering every other row was amazingly efficient,” said Archer, associate professor of physical ocean science and engineering and geography in UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment.

Sund_mpazdzioraThe researchers used an existing offshore wind farm near Sweden as the basis for their study, comparing the existing tightly packed, grid-like layout to six alternative configurations. In some, they kept the turbines in neat rows but spaced them farther apart. In others, they shifted the alignment of every other row, similar to how rows of theatre seats are staggered to improve the views of people further back.

In computer-intensive simulations that each took weeks to run, the team took into account the eddies, or swirls of choppy air, that wind turbines create downwind as their blades spin — and how that air movement would impact surrounding turbines.

They found that the most efficient arrangement was a combination of two approaches. By both spacing the turbines farther apart and staggering the rows, the improved layout would decrease losses caused by eddies and improve overall performance by a third.

The optimal configuration had the rows oriented to face the prevailing wind direction, for example from the southwest in the summer along the U.S. East Coast. Most locations, however, have more than one dominant direction from where wind blows throughout the year. The optimal configuration for a season may not be optimal in another season, when the prevailing wind changes direction and intensity.

Considering these various factors could better inform where and how to configure future offshore wind farms, Archer explained. “We want to explore all these trade-offs systematically, one by one,” she said.

The study is part of Archer’s overall research focus on wind and applications for renewable energy production. Trained in both meteorology and engineering, she uses weather data and complex calculations to estimate the potential for wind as a power source.

offshore wind, Renewable Energy, Research, Wind