Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen is live right now on AgriTalk in a debate with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Kristina Butts over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The Great RFS Debate is being co-hosted by Agri-Pulse.
Dinneen is pictured here, left, as the debate begins. Next to Dinneen is AgriTalk host Mike Adams, Agri-Pulse editor Sara Wyant, and Kristina Butts on the right.
A Nevada-based biodiesel maker has acquired its biggest supplier of feedstock the the San Francisco area. Bently Biofuels announced it bought Got Grease, a Bay Area waste oil and grease trap pumping company.
Got Grease collected used cooking oil throughout the San Francisco, peninsula, East Bay, and Marin areas up to Sacramento. This used cooking oil was then sold to biofuels producers. As one of Got Grease’s largest customers, it was a natural fit for Bently Biofuels Company to expand their used cooking oil collection services by purchasing the business assets. This expansion means an addition of approximately 12 jobs in the Bay Area.
Bently Biofuels has been producing biodiesel from recycled used cooking oil since 2005.
Law firm White & Case has announced the availability of the 2013 Global Renewable Energy Guide, a comprehensive publication that provides an overview of legislation and incentives available to renewable energy companies worldwide. It enables investors, lenders and government agencies to easily understand and compare renewable energy laws and incentives across 32 jurisdictions. The guide is edited and published by the White & Case Ankara Office.
Biofuel makers in Europe could be facing a real uphill battle, as the European Parliament votes to limit the amount of green fuels made from crops in transportation. Bloomberg reports the 6 percent limit on the use of crop-based biofuels comes from concerns about indirect land use change.
The vote … in Strasbourg, France, sets the stage for talks among EU governments on the issue. Any differences with the Parliament would have to be ironed out in negotiations that could add months to the process for reaching a final accord.
The EU wants to prevent a requirement that at least 10 percent of energy for road and rail transport in 2020 come from renewable sources from causing side-effects that undermine the battle against global warming.
Made primarily from crops such as rapeseed, wheat, corn and sugar, biofuels including ethanol and biodiesel are the main renewable energy for transport and offer the prospect of reducing the use of fossil fuels blamed for climate change.
The vote actually upped the previous cap of 5 percent on crop-based fuels. The European Parliament hopes that continuing to place limits on crop-based biofuels will encourage more second generation biofuels made from non-food sources. Those non-food sources are going to have to do it, because by 2020, the EU is supposed to have at least 10 percent of land-transport energy come from some type of non-petroleum source.
The Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo is in full swing in Omaha, Nebraska with several hundred industry members on hand for the event. Today POET-DSM, an event sponsor, has announced that according to the latest data from researchers with Iowa State University and the United States Department of Agriculture (UDSA) harvesting crop residue for cellulosic ethanol production is consistent with good farm management.
The work was commissioned by POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels to ensure the sustainability of the joint venture’s plans to build cellulosic ethanol plants and license technology to producers in the U.S. and abroad. The research, led by Dr. Doug Karlen with USDA and Dr. Stuart Birrell with ISU, was conducted in fields near Emmetsburg, Iowa, the site of Project LIBERTY, POET-DSM’s 20 million-gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant currently under construction. The facility will use corn-crop residue – cobs, leaves, husk and some stalk – to produce renewable fuel. It is expected to come online in early 2014.
Now in its fifth year, the research evaluated the possible effects of biomass removal on soil nutrient levels and grain yields over various rates of removal. POET-DSM’s proposed rate of removal is approximately 1 ton per acre, which is 20-25 percent of the above-ground biomass.
“In summary, both grain yields and soil nutrient levels were not significantly affected by stover harvest treatments,” Birrell said in a research summary.
Fields with yields above 175 bushels per acre could remove up to 2 tons of biomass per acre, according to Birrell and Karlen. Based on the data, POET-DSM recommends no changes in nitrogen or phosphorous applications, due to residue removal. Some biomass providers could benefit from adding a small amount of potassium.Read More
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How important is it to learn about farming in other countries?”
Our poll results:
· Very important 49%
· Somewhat important 28%
· Not important 10%
· Who cares 10%
· Other 3%
The ZimmComm team found their recent trip to Argentina valuable and we’re already looking forward to Scotland next year for the same conference. We’re glad you found the information they gleaned and shared to be important and interesting!
Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question “Do you make contact with your members of Congress?” Many organizations pride themselves in grassroots involvement and encourage their membership to get in touch with their Congressional representatives at a local level. With a farm bill still undone and important legislation like immigration reform on the table, we want to know if you make the effort to let your members of Congress know how you feel. Let us know!
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has announced it will increase its support for Energy Excelerator, a Hawaii-based program that funds development of new and innovative energy ideas. The program, part of ONR’s Asia-Pacific Technology and Education Program (APTEP), is an effort to discover groundbreaking energy technologies, and supports startup companies in bringing those technologies to the market.
ONR is investing an additional $30 million into the project that today, has 17 companies in its portfolio. Companies participating in the program have raised $38 million in additional funding over the past three years.
“In the modern era, technological breakthroughs offer unprecedented opportunities to move toward diversified energy sources,” said Dr. Richard Carlin, director of ONR’s Sea Warfare and Weapons Department. “It’s vital for our Sailors and Marines, and the nation, to discover and develop new sustainable sources of energy-as well as dramatically improve the way we manage energy.”
Hawaii is uniquely positioned for such research, experts say, with unparalleled wind, solar, bioenergy, wave and geothermal resources. Its population is also keenly aware of the need for alternatives to fossil fuels because the state is dependent on imported oil for its power and energy use, and residents face the highest electricity costs in the nation.Read More
According to Airborne Wind Energy Labs, a major problem stalling the advance of renewable energy is that electrical energy cannot be stored economically. However, the company says that an airborne wind conversion system, directly charging thermal energy storage, could become the first economical energy storage technology not dependent on specific and rare location features.
The proposed system converts wind energy directly into heat, which is stored in a low cost thermal storage, then used to drive a steam turbine and produce electricity in the time of elevated demand or reduced supply. The system does not require rare or expensive materials, components or construction techniques.
Existing renewable energy approaches also do not address the need in vehicle fuels says Airborne Wind Energy Systems. This need is not satisfied by battery powered electric vehicles because of high cost and low durability of the batteries. Synthetic fuels can be manufactured from natural gas using airborne wind energy, at lower cost than by traditional methods and without excessive gas use.
These technologies are currently being discussed, along with others at the Airborne Wind Energy Conference currently taking place in Berlin. This year attendees from more than 24 countries are participating in the conference.
NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace will be making his 900th NASCAR start at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday, September 13, 2014 in the Dollar General 300. Joining the “900 Club”, Wallace will be among an elite group of drivers that includes Richard Petty, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jarrett.
Wallace will be behind the wheel of the RAB Racing No. 29 ToyotaCare, American Ethanol Toyota Camry, in a special paint scheme to commemorate the NASCAR milestone. Wallace currently sits at 898 NASCAR starts, but will also compete in the Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in the No. 81 SS Green Light American Ethanol Toyota Tundra on Friday night, thanks to Illinois farmers and the Illinois Corn Marketing Board.
To put into perspective the achievement of 900 NASCAR starts over his 24-year career, Wallace has traveled more than 276,000 miles across the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series, garnering nine wins, 75 top five finishes, 204 top 10 finishes, and an astonishing 198,164 completed laps. Wallace has also been named the Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver three times in his career.Read More
The ethanol industry is appreciative of the new report issued by the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) conducted at the request of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) finding that the cost for an retailer to install the equipment to sell E15 is significantly less than ethanol detractors have claimed.
Ron Lamberty, Senior Vice President for the American Coalition for Ethanol, (ACE) who is also the owner of gas stations in South Dakota, explained that the report covers a number of potential scenarios that fuel stations would face if they wanted to sell higher blends of ethanol. He says the PEI findings are based on real-world fuel retailer situations, and are yet another example of how reality is very different from the wildly inaccurate rhetoric Big Oil has been using in the debate over E15.
“We appreciate that PEI and USDA have published neutral facts proving that retrofitting and preparing stations for E15 can cost as little as a thousand dollars – nowhere near the hundreds of thousands of dollars Big Oil and the American Petroleum Institute (API) have been telling reporters and elected officials,” said Lamberty.
“The only time the cost of adding E15 comes anywhere near the cost Big Oil has been using as part of their anti-E15 PR campaign is when a marketer builds a brand new station with brand new tanks and lines and 6 to 10 dispensers. And that estimate is actually for a new E85 compatible station with state-of-the-art blender pumps. Most existing two to four pump stations can be converted to handle E15 for less than $15,000 total cost – far below the dramatic price tag of hundreds of thousands of dollars that oil interests like to claim,” said Lamberty.
He said that retailers are looking for the fuels that drive consumer interest and make money and this report will help station owners know the true economics of offering higher blends.
“Along with the cost advantage of higher ethanol blends, retailers can see that E15 could attract more customers and give them a competitive advantage. We thank PEI and USDA Rural Development Energy Policy Advisor Todd Campbell for their efforts. This work will likely lead to more consumers saving money by buying ethanol blends like E15 when filling up at the pump,” concluded Lamberty.
