ACE Conference 2026

DF Cast: Agencies Work Together on Biofuels Targets

John Davis

On August 6, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final rule for the 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) based on analysis provided by, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which revised downward its cellulosic biofuel forecast for 2013 to 4 million gallons (or 6 million ethanol-equivalent gallons) target for cellulosic biofuels use in 2013, less than half what was proposed just six months ago… and well below the 1 billion gallon target specified in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

But how did the EIA come up with its numbers, which ended up being part of the basis for what the EPA projected in its 2013 RFS final rule? In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we talk with Mindi Farber-DeAnda, Team Lead, Biofuels and Emerging Technologies, Office of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels Analysis at EIA, who explains how the two agencies work together.

Hear more of the conversation here: Domestic Fuel Cast - EIA & EPA Work Together on Biofuels Targets

You can also subscribe to the DomesticFuel Cast here.

Audio, biofuels, Cellulosic, Domestic Fuel Cast, Government

India & Australia Renewable Energy Investments Up

Joanna Schroeder

India and Australia, powered by policy support from the government, will increase their share of renewable energy projects in the near future, according to the recent report, Asia-Pacific Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2013, published by GlobalData. In addition, the report finds China will remain the largest market in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to the report, Australia’s cumulative installed capacity for renewable power surged from 849 MW in 2001 to 5,968 MW in 2012. The cumulative share of solar and wind power accounted for 80 percent of the country’s total renewable power capacity in 2012, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 41 percent.

india-solar34 photo solarfeeds.comIndia has also invested heavily in solar energy, with the government expecting to deploy 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022. Furthermore, the country aims to increase the capacity of grid-connected solar power generation to 1,000 MW by 2013 and 3,000 MW by 2017, through mandatory use of renewables by utility providers.

Due to a rising number of new installations, the report finds China will remain the leading industry for renewable energy in the Asia-Pacific region, while retaining its position as the largest wind power market in the world with 75.6 GW installed capacity in 2012. In addition, the reports finds that favorable government policies and incentives in the Asia-Pacific region have become an important tool to boost the renewable energy industry.

“Most countries are supporting renewable sources in order to aid recovery from the economic downturn. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and Feed-In Tariffs (FITs) are the two most prominent support mechanisms implemented by countries that are driving renewable energy market development,” explained Swati Singh, GlobalData’s Analyst covering Power.

In addition, the report details other incentives, such as capital subsidies, grants, rebates, tax credits and exemptions, as well as reduced-rate loans, being offered by these countries to help further promote the use of renewable power.

Electricity, Energy, Renewable Energy, Research, Solar, Wind

Pacific Biodiesel to Use Hawaiian Jatropha

John Davis

PacBiodiesel1Pacific Biodiesel will soon be using oil from jatropha. Biofuels Journal reports the feedstock will come from the 200 acre Hawaii Pure Plant Oil (HIPPO) farm started in 2008.

Now, five years after the farm’s inception, the [father and son partners Christian and James Twigg- Smith] have formed a direct collaboration with Pacific Biodiesel Technologies (PBT) under its federally funded Hawaii Military Biofuel Crop (HMBC) project.

The project involves developing production models for Jatropha and other crops to share with potential biofuel crop growers throughout the state.

“We are currently having our best harvest to date,” said James Twigg-Smith who is overseeing the harvest as a PBT employee.

Twigg-Smith noted that the harvest will run through mid-September.

“The fields were prepared with care so as much labor as possible can be done mechanically,” he added.

The HIPPO farm is the largest jatropha crop in the U.S. And since it has some old growth, officials expect the yields should be at maximum yield capacities.

Biodiesel

Senators Call for Big Oil Investigation

Joanna Schroeder

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) called on the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate possible anticompetitive Senators Grassley and Klobucharpractices by oil companies that limit consumers access to homegrown renewable fuels such as ethanol. In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, Klobuchar, the Chair of the Antitrust Subcommittee, and Grassley, the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, urged the Administration to take action to address recent reports indicating that oil companies may be undermining efforts to distribute renewable fuels, including higher ethanol gasoline blends, that help boost our nation’s energy security and lower the price of gas for consumers.

“The promise of renewable fuels is rapidly becoming a reality and introducing much needed competition to the transportation fuels sector,” the members said. “Given the implication these alleged activities, if true, could have on competition in the marketplace, we urge you to investigate them and consider whether any action is necessary. We look forward to working with you to ensure that Americans can continue to realize the benefits of cheaper, cleaner renewable fuel.”

Both Senators Klobuchar and Grassley have been strong advocates for the continuation, as is, of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

In response to the Senators’ calls for a Big Oil investigation, Ron Lamberty, Senior Vice President for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), said, “ACE members thank Senators Grassley and Klobuchar for standing up to Big Oil and investigating this market-restricting behavior on the part of the oil companies. The RFS will only be unworkable if Congress allows Big Oil to make it appear unworkable. If we had more lawmakers like Senators Grassley and Klobuchar, maybe Big Oil’s attacks wouldn’t be taken so seriously in Washington.Read More

ACE, biofuels, E15, Ethanol, RFS

Growth in Wind Industry to Boost O&M Market

Joanna Schroeder

According to a new report from GlobalData, with wind energy capacity growing at rapid pace, the value of the operations and maintenance (O&M) market is expected to increase from $3 billion in 2008 to $19 billion in 2020. The report finds that more than 191 GW of wind power capacity was added between 2008 and 2012, which has drastically increased O&M expenditure from $3 billion to $7 billion in the same period, demonstrating a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15.6 percent.

Wind Farm near Galva Iowa Photo Joanna SchroederOffshore wind energy will continue to attract higher O&M costs in comparison to onshore wind, reaching a market size of $5 billion, or a 29 percent share of the total O&M market in 2020. Currently, the U.S. is the largest O&M market in the world, but GlobalData expects that China will surpass it to become the leader in O&M expenditure, with a 24.7 percent share of the market by 2020.

Prasad Tanikella, GlobalData’s Senior Analyst, said: “Higher turbine maintenance, high logistics costs and a lack of skilled manpower make offshore wind services more challenging than the onshore equivalent. Although onshore wind also faces similar issues, the impact of these factors on the offshore segment is more significant.”

According to Wind Operations & Maintenance Market, 2013 Update – Global Market Size, Share by Component, Competitive Landscape and Key Country Analysis to 2020, the growth in the wind industry’s O&M cost is largely due to the increasing age of wind turbines and the failure of components such as blades and gearboxes.

“This increase in market size is leading to a rise in the number of companies providing specialized wind turbine O&M services, which is in turn bringing the benefit of lower costs to consumers,” Tanikella concluded.

Electricity, Energy, Renewable Energy, Research, Wind

Solar Panels Being Installed On White House

Joanna Schroeder

They say nothing is a secret in Washington, D.C. and it’s no secret that after intense pressure from several environmental organizations including 350.org, solar panels are now being installed on the White House. Some will remember the days when President Jimmy weputsolaronit1Carter installed 32 solar panels on the storied home back in the late 70s only to have them removed when President Ronald Reagan took office in 1981 saying they were a “joke”.

Another company that helped lead the effort was Sungevity, whose co-founder Danny Kennedy helped solicit more than 50,000 signatures in 2010 urging the President and First Lady to install solar power on the White House.

“Sungevity applauds President Obama for upholding his commitment to renewable energy by putting solar panels back on the White House. Solar is fast becoming America’s most popular home improvement, and we are very pleased to see the First Family follow the American peoples’ lead,” said Kennedy. “Support for solar energy is one issue that rises above the political fray. All Americans can reap benefits from widespread solar adoption – solar power saves money, boosts the economy and creates jobs.”

In light of the news installation has begun, Unity College, an environmental college in Maine, has been promoting its role in rescuing the original solar panels from obscurity. In 2010, Swiss filmmakers Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller told the story in a documentary called, A Road Not Taken. When President Carter installed the panels atop the White House, he characterized the action as either a bold step in the development of cheap, renewable energy, or an example of a road not taken. The latter was the course of history and artistic focus of the documentary.

Sara Trunzo ’08, Food and Farms Project Coordinator at Unity College, was featured in the documentary. She and another Unity College alum, Jason Reynolds ’05, went on a road trip from Unity, Maine, to the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, searching for the meaning of America’s turn from the opportunity to pursue renewable energy that President Carter had championed.

“My participation in ‘A Road Not Taken’ was a transformative moment in my education because it helped me understand the power of integrating sustainability, communication, policy, art, and activism to send a message,” said Trunzo. “The film is a beautiful piece of modern storytelling that captures an important moment in US energy history and Unity College history, too.”

Electricity, Renewable Energy, Solar, Video

Iowa E85 Sales Jump 43% in 2nd Quarter

Joanna Schroeder

E85 pump price Aug 2013Sales of E85 have increased 43 percent over the first quarter of 2013. Iowans purchased more than 2.62 million gallons of E85 in the second quarter of 2013, up from the 1.83 million gallons of E85 purchased in the first quarter of 2013, according to Iowa Department of Revenue data.

“E85 sales were down at the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 due to last summer’s drought, but we’re seeing those numbers turn around now with very attractive E85 prices,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), Executive Director Monte Shaw. “As impressive as the 43 percent increase in second quarter E85 sales was, we should see E85 sales grow even further as the price savings are even better now. I routinely pay more than $1 per gallon less than regular unleaded for E85, and that’s serious savings.”

The IRFA recently launched a wholesale E85 price reporting campaign to promote greater transparency for retailers and distributors of E85 in order to aid retailers in supplying their consumers with the lowest-cost E85 available. The IRFA publishes Thursday’s wholesale E85 prices every Friday.

biofuels, E85, Ethanol, Iowa RFA

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFCanadian Solar has been chosen to provide solar modules for a solar project on the Leeward Islands. Comet Solar, an Anguilla-based solar installation company selected Canadian Solar, and when complete the solar power project will provide an estimated 600KW of power per year, making it the largest commercial project permitted by the St. Kitts & Nevis Government to date.
  • The most powerful turbine-generator unit ever built by Voith has entered service in the Chinese hydropower plant Xiluodu on the Jinsha River. After a successful 72-hour test run, Voith handed over the first of a total of three such machines to the customer “China Three Gorges Corporation.” With 784 megawatt the output of the generator-turbine unit in Xiluodu is higher than that of the world’s largest hydropower plants and consequently sets new standards.
  • The World Energy Council (WEC) has welcomed Enerjisa as the newest member of Global Partner programme. Enerjisa is a leading energy company operating in Turkey’s electricity generation, distribution, trading, wholesale and retail markets. The WEC is working to devise strategies to address global energy challenges and to deliver sustainable energy systems.
  • The 6th Sugar Asia conference will be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai February 27-28, 2014. Sugar Asia is an international Conference and Expo on Sugar and its allied industries. This two days event will be focused on equipments and technology display for Sugar and allied industries like Ethanol, Distilleries, Cogen and Cane Farming. A two days conference is major highlight of the event where galaxy of international speakers are going to deliver best of their research, information and experience in front of the audience coming from various countries.
Bioenergy Bytes

Algae Int’l, Gulf Hydrocarbon Ink Biodiesel Deal

John Davis

algaegulfhydroA commercial scale algae producer and a biodiesel maker ink a deal that will end up turning algae oil into biodiesel. Biodiesel Magazine reports Gulf Hydrocarbon will represent Algae International Group in sales and distribution of its algal oils and products created with the algal oils, including biodiesel, and precedes Algae International Group’s commercial production at its pilot facility located in Tulare, Calif.

Algae International Group advises that it will start the relationship with Gulf Hydrocarbon by shipping samples of proprietary and nonproprietary algal oils for testing as feedstocks for biodiesel. Jess Hewitt, chairman of Gulf Hydrocarbon, said, “Algae oils were approved by the U.S. EPA for use as a biodiesel feedstock in 2010 but we have yet to see the feedstock available. By shipping samples to the biodiesel producers, we can begin the process of registering the numerous production plants with the EPA.”

As a part of the agreement, Gulf Hydrocarbon will offer standard biodiesel reference fuels made using Algae International Group’s output from its pilot facility. “In order to satisfy the OEM’s requirements for engine and material compatibility, we must be able to supply a standard reference fuel before the engine manufacturers can certify use of the algal-based biodiesel in vehicle and nonroad engines,” Hewitt said. “Gulf Hydrocarbon will be responsible for quality control and packaging of these fuels for distribution to fuel laboratories and OEM testing facilities.”

Gulf Hydrocarbon will also represent Algae International Group’s excess biogas market.

algae, Biodiesel

Investing Big Bucks in Biodiesel from Down Under

John Davis

Lignol Energy logoThe owner of Australia’s biggest biodiesel plant is seeing more greenbacks (or, well, whatever the nickname is for Down Under Dollars) for its company. Lignol Energy Corporation, already a leader in advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals, is putting another nearly $1 million US dollars into Territory Biofuels Limited, increasing LEC’s share of TBF to about two-thirds of its holdings.

“We are excited to be increasing our ownership in such a large scale biofuels project. This investment represents the opportunity for our company to have a substantial majority equity interest in potentially a very profitable business”, said Ross MacLachlan, CEO and Chairman of LEC. “Our goal remains to work with TBF with a view to restarting the plant in late 2013 with an appropriate project funding package in place. Once operational, we plan to incorporate plant upgrades to process lower cost feedstocks that should further enhance margins in 2014.”

TBF owns a large scale biodiesel plant in Darwin, Northern Territory. It was originally built in 2008 to turn palm oil and food-grade vegetable oil but closed down in 2009. Next year, there are plans to re-open the plant to run on more feedstocks, including tallow, used cooking oil and palm sludge oil.

Biodiesel, International