Army Awards Solar Contracts

Joanna Schroeder August 29, 2013

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, working with the Army Energy Initiatives Task Force (EITF), awarded Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC) to a group of 22 solar technology contractors. Solar is the second of four technologies being awarded under the $7 billion Renewable and Alternative Energy Power Production for DoD Installations MATOC. The first, geothermal, was awarded May 3. The remaining technologies – wind and biomass – will be awarded on a staggered schedule by the end of the calendar year.

“The MATOC represents a major step forward in the procurement of renewable energy for the Army and the other Services that will significantly reduce timelines by streamlining acquisition processes. Utilizing the MATOC in this way will assist the EITF in meeting the Army’s goal for one gigawatt renewable energy by 2025 as well as additional Congressional mandates,” said John Lushetsky, EITF’s Executive Director.

This MATOC will be used to procure reliable, locally generated, renewable and alternative energy for DoD installations through power purchase agreements (PPA). The $7 billion capacity will be expended for PPAs to procure energy during a period of up to 30 years from renewable energy generation systems that are designed, financed, constructed, operated and maintained by contractors using private sector financing.

The companies awarded contracts are: Acciona Energy North America Corporation, Apex Wind Energy Holdings; Borrego Solar; Cobra Industrial Services; Dominion Energy; Element Power US; Emerald Infrastructure; Enel Green Power North America; Energy Matters; Gehrlicher Solar America Corporation; Johnson Controls Government Systems;
Lend Lease; LTC Federal; New Generation Power; NRG Energy; Photon Finance; SunPower; Siemens Government Technologies; Silverado Power; Solar Power Ventures;
Standard Solar; Sunpower Corporation; and Washington Gas Energy Systems.

These contracts will place the Army one step closer to meeting its Congressionally mandated energy goal of 25 percent production and consumption of energy from renewable sources by 2025 and improving installation energy security and sustainability.

“Awarding these contracts for solar technology is an important milestone in the process of awarding contracts for the four technologies selected to help the Army meet renewable energy goals,” said Col. Robert Ruch, commander, U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville. “By pre-qualifying companies under each technology and awarding the contracts to them, we are situated to more quickly award task orders for individual future projects being developed by the Army or DoD. We look forward to working with the EITF and other potential DoD organizations to help implement renewable energy projects.”

In April 2012, the White House announced the Defense Department was making one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history, by setting a goal to deploy three gigawatts total of renewable energy – including solar, wind, biomass or geothermal – on Army, Navy and Air Force installations by 2025. The Army’s goal is one gigawatt of that total. These efforts support the broader DoD goal to enhance installation energy security and reduce installation energy costs.

Electricity, military, Renewable Energy, Solar

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder August 29, 2013

CleanFUEL USA, has announced the addition of Blair Poulsen as director of sales. Poulsen will be responsible for leading a team dedicated to the relationships and sales needs for both propane refueling infrastructure and OEM vehicle technology, including Thomas Built Bus, Collins Bus, General Motors and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC).
KB Racking, a leading North American solar mounting company, and FIT Solar, a Canadian developer and installer PV solar systems, have recently completed three rooftop solar installations in Toronto, Ontario. The projects are made up of 1169 units of the AeroRack mounting system and amount to over 370 kW of clean renewable energy.
CODA Energy, with Energy Vault and Growing Energy Labs (GELI), will deploy the first Eco-Station, a solar integrated electric vehicle (EV) fast charging station optimized by energy storage, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The charging station will incorporate a 175 kW solar array, DC fast charging, a 40kWh CODA Core UDP energy storage system, and GELI’s intelligent Energy Operating System (EOS) software.
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, which markets its products under the brand “Yingli Solar,” announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Yingli Green Energy Americas has achieved the historic milestone of more than 1 GW of PV modules delivered to over 30,000 projects across the American continents and the Caribbean.

Bioenergy Bytes

Ethanol NASCAR Driver at Farm Progress Show

Leah Guffey August 29, 2013

While at the 2013 Farm Progress Show, NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace stopped by to talk about ethanol and why he’s so passionate about helping farmer’s get their message out about E-15 and using it, not only in race cars, but in cars traveling up and down the highway as well.

Wallace loves to help spread the message about how ethanol blends can help increase the performance of all types of vehicles, because he knows how E15 performs in the race cars he drives on the NASCAR circuit. He teamed up with the Illinois Corn Growers Association as a sponsor several years ago and never gets tired of talking about the home-grown fuel.

“I get to educate people that ethanol is a high performance fuel, it burns really clean and all it did was do good.”

You can listen to Leah’s interview with Kenny here Interview with Kenny Wallace

Kenny is pictured here at Farm Progress Show with Leah Guffey to his right, Tricia Braid with Illinois Corn Growers Association to his left, Jeff Nalley with Cromwell Ag Radio, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen and Domestic Fuel editor Cindy Zimmerman.

Audio, biofuels, corn, E15, Ethanol, Farm Progress Show, NASCAR, RFA

ACE: Fighting Fallacies and Making Believers in E15

John Davis August 29, 2013

Making people converts to the idea of ethanol, especially higher blends of E15 and above, is no easy chore. But many of the folks gathered for this week’s American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) 26th annual conference, with the theme of “Unite and Ignite,” seemed pretty united and ignited to fight some of the fallacies swirling around E15. Among those is former Amoco and BP oilman Vince Kwasniewski, now with GTL Resources. During last March’s ACE Biofuels Beltway event in Washington, D.C., he told Joanna that his message to lawmakers on Capitol Hill was one of choice for the consumer.

“E15 is not something that consumers are mandated to use. It’s not something that going to cause the disappearance of E10. It’s something that consumers ought to have the choice to use, and retailers ought to have the choice to offer,” he said.

Vince added that getting educated is key to having the best weapons in your arsenal when battling fallacies put out by Big Oil.

“Unfortunately, our opponents primarily in the oil industry and the American Petroleum Institute have a lot of money to spread misinformation, and it’s getting picked up by the press, not very critical of where it’s coming from and getting parroted back to the public,” he said, advising ethanol advocates to hit back with the facts. “Ethanol is energy beneficial. Ethanol has less greenhouse gas admissions. Ethanol costs less than gasoline. Ethanol gets no subsidies.”

Listen to Joanna’s interview with Vince here: Vince Kwasniewski, GTL Resources

Visit the ACE 26th Annual Ethanol Conference photo album.

ACE, ACE Ethanol Conference, Audio, E15, Ethanol, Government

Ethanol Report on RFS Attacks

Cindy Zimmerman August 29, 2013

The attacks on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by the oil industry just keep coming and Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen was at the 2013 Farm Progress Show this week to talk about the latest – a petition for a partial waiver submitted recently to EPA by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM).

In this “Ethanol Report” interview, Dinneen talks about RFA’s letter to EPA urging them to reject the waiver request. “API really doesn’t have standing to even file a waiver because they’re not an obligated party,” he says.

Dinneen also talks about cellulosic ethanol production, RINS, and his reaction to Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL) considering legislative changes to the RFS.

Ethanol Report interview with Bob Dinneen: Ethanol Report on Latest RFS Attacks

Subscribe to “The Ethanol Report” with this link.

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA, RFS

Mosaic Investors See Good ROI

Joanna Schroeder August 29, 2013

Every day consumers and businesses purchase energy from utility companies. But now, some consumers are actually earning an income from utilities that purchase solar power. Now in California, residents can earn income as PG&E energy from a solar installation completed by Pristine Sun, 322 KW solar installation constructed on dual-use farmlands.

Today, Mosaic is offering California residents the ability to invest in the solar project for as little as $25. The total offering is $140,725 and investors are expected to earn 5.5 percent annually over a 10-year period- double the current rate on a 10-year U.S. Treasury bill.

The solar project will generate revenue by selling clean energy produced to PG&E, one of the largest investment-grade utilities in the country, under a 20-year Purchase Power Agreement. The panel installer, Panasonic, has provided the project with a 12-year production guarantee. This means that if the solar projects fail to generate an expected minimum, Panasonic will cover the shortfall in associated revenue.

“Small utility-scale solar projects like this– complete with a low-risk purchase contract with PG&E and top quality components by Panasonic– are the future of utility-scale solar in America,“ said Troy Helming, CEO of Pristine Sun. “As a Mosaic investor, I’m excited to be making our projects available through their innovative and successful platform.”

This partnership between Mosaic and Pristine Sun launches a series of similar solar investment opportunities with competitive returns. Pristine Sun is the leading integrator for PG&E’s Feed-in-Tariff program, and is developing 50 MW of solar power plants in California, enough to power 50,000 homes, to be sold to utilities under 20-year Power Purchase Agreements.

“California contains nearly a third of the entire solar capacity of the United States, but 75% of Californians can’t install solar directly on their homes,” added Billy Parish, President of Mosaic. “We’re thrilled to work with Pristine Sun to provide these opportunities for all residents (over 18) to participate and earn 5.5% returns.”

Electricity, Energy, Renewable Energy, Solar, Utilities

Indonesia Aims to Increase Biodiesel Use

John Davis August 29, 2013

Indonesia wants to increase its use of biodiesel. This story from The Jakarta Post says the government’s finance and energy ministries came up with the plan to be greener and solve a fiscal deficit.

“The policy is being finalized with an aim to reduce oil and gas imports significantly,” [Deputy Finance Minister Mahendra Siregar] said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Mahendra further explained that the policy was aimed at reducing the current account deficit and to maintain the stability of rupiah exchange rate, the first of four policies in the government’s economic package issued on Friday.

In the second quarter of 2013, the current account deficit reached 4.4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Mahendra said the mandatory biodiesel use of 10 percent would be implemented starting from September 2013 to replace subsidized diesel fuel in Bali, Java, Kalimantan and Sumatra.

The rest of the country will see the 10 percent mandate starting at the beginning of 2014. The Indonesian legislature is expected to discuss the new regulation.

Biodiesel, International

Waste-to-Energy Insider Interviews

Joanna Schroeder August 29, 2013

Renewable Waste Intelligence has just released a report, RWI Insider Interviews:
The Municipal Perspective on Waste Conversion Projects, that features five in-depth interviews with executives that focus on waste management to energy. Interviews featured are with the County of Maui; the City of San Jose; Humboldt Waste Management Authority;, Monterey Regional Waste Management District; and the City of Glendale. The interviews provide insight into the experience of companies currently undergoing municipal waste conversion projects including opportunities and challenges the projects face.

The goal of the brief is to give the reader insight into how municipalities deal with regulatory & technical issues, have changed public perception, utilised public-private partnerships and financed projects; and understand how municipalities go about selecting project partners and technology providers.

For instance, Kyle Ginoza, Director of the Department of Environmental Management in the
County of Maui, Hawaii, notes, “The greatest challenge is perhaps ensuring that a waste conversion project is economically viable. We face constraints in acceptability of the project from an electricity generation perspective, since there is a multitude of existing renewable energy projects in the region. Consequently, our waste conversion project will entail generating liquid and solid fuels as the output marketable products.”

The paper was launched as a prelude to the upcoming Waste Conversion Congress taking place December 3-4, 2013 in San Diego, California. Click here for more information and to register.

conferences, Waste-to-Energy

Biodiesel Maker Hits Milestone, Makes Univ. Deal

John Davis August 29, 2013

A biodiesel maker in the Pacific Northwest hits a milestone in making the green fuel and strikes a deal with a major collegiate athletic program in the area. SeQuential Pacific Biodiesel, which turns waste cooking oil into biodiesel, has produced its 20 millionth gallon of the fuel. And this company news release says the region’s longest-running commercial biodiesel producer has struck a deal with the University of Oregon to recycle the athletic department’s cooking oil into biodiesel.

The University of Oregon joins more than 7,000 Northwest organizations in working with SeQuential Pacific Biodiesel to recycle cooking oil. SeQuential Pacific’s fuel is made from used cooking oil collected from local restaurants, businesses, hospitals and schools. These relationships help benefit the environment by diverting a waste stream – keeping used oil out of landfills or the sewer system – and by producing a cleaner-burning fuel. Biodiesel made from used cooking oil is significantly cleaner than petroleum diesel, emitting up to 78 percent less carbon dioxide and other harmful gasses.

“Oregon Athletics is committed to playing a leadership role in the university’s greening efforts,” said Craig Pintens, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Marketing & Public Relations. “From individual offices to our complex of athletic venues, our staff, student-athletes, and supporters are making a difference for the environment. We are excited to be working with SeQuential Pacific Biodiesel to ensure that the waste oil generated by our athletics concessions will be put to good use for the environment as well as for the community.”

“Twenty million gallons is a major milestone for us and a testament to the partnerships we work to foster between our team, our customers and the community,” said Tyson Keever, general manager for SeQuential Pacific Biodiesel. “Our relationships are critical to what we do. We’re particularly excited about this agreement with the University of Oregon because it has already played a big role in shaping our story.”

What also makes the deal even better is that many of SeQuential’s founding members are also Oregon alumni.

Biodiesel

ACE on Ethanol: Keep it Simple, Say What You Know

John Davis August 29, 2013

As members of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) gather in Des Moines, Iowa this week to “Unite and Ignite” for their 26th annual conference, there’s some simple advice for those advocating for the green fuel.

“Keep it simple … say what you know … be able to back it up,” advised Larry Johnson, a lead consultant with LLJ, Cologne, Minn., when asked by Joanna how he talked to legislators in Washington, D.C. during last March’s ACE Biofuels Beltway event when about 70 ethanol backers gathered on Capitol Hill to tell ethanol’s story.

Larry said the lawmakers earlier this year had lots of questions many Americans have about ethanol: asking about things such as the food-versus-fuel debate and ethanol blends in off-road and marine engines. He also made the point that advanced biofuels are not just something that are coming sometime in the future.

“Advanced biofuels are definitely here now,” he said, specifically pointing out that cellulosic ethanol is past the days when advocates kept promising that it was “just around the corner.” “We have several companies, Abengoa, POET, DuPont, Ineos down in Florida, that [are] building and even one is in production down in Florida. The other plants have got steel in the ground. By the end of this year, we’ll have our first production facilities from corn stover and other products.”

While he admitted it’s been a long process to get here, Larry believes once the cellulosic process is tweaked, things will really take off.

“It’s going to boom again, and we’ll see a lot of this.”

Listen to Joanna’s interview with Larry here: Larry Johnson, LLJ, Lead Consultant

Visit the ACE 26th Annual Ethanol Conference photo album.

ACE, ACE Ethanol Conference, advanced biofuels, Audio, Government

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