Pure Energies Group and its U.S. subsidiary One Block Off the Grid have announced a new solar power educational partnership with trusted contractor, Mike Holmes, best known for his television show, Holmes on Homes, on HGTV. Holmes will feature residential solar power education on his website Make it Right.- JinkoSolar supplied 25.8 MW of solar PV modules to the first private solar park in India located in Mandrup Village, Solapur District, Maharashtra State, India.
- The California Solar Initiative (CSI) Thermal program has qualified Skyline Innovations as a Program Performance Data provider (PPD) certifying that Skyline meets all the requirements for monitoring system accuracy and reliability, as well as technical expertise and capability.
- Alterra Power Corp and Energy Development Corporation (EDC) have finalized their joint venture for the development of Alterra’s Mariposa geothermal project in Chile and the Crucero, Loriscota and Tutupaca Norte concessions in Peru.
- Locus Energy has announced the beta launch of its solar forecasting service that provides a short-term (0-6 hours) forecast tool capable of predicting solar irradiance and power across an entire install base or geographic region. The service provides cloud motion by applying computer vision algorithms to real-time satellite imagery.
India Solar Project Advances
CNPV Solar Power SA and Cheenu Group of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India have announced the advancement of the first large scale captive consumption Solar utility project in India as part of their 10MWp strategic agreement.
Cheenu Group began the project due to ability to expand its business because of lack of available power and rising electricity acquisition costs. The company first established a 2 megawatt solar power plant using CNPV’s Optimal Premium Series Solar PV modules at their Coimbatore facility to supplement the power shortage concerns.
Mr. Prabhu Devarajan, chief executive of Cheenu Group said, “In the event that the local infrastructure cannot support our power needs, the effects to our business can be catastrophic. We also wanted to be the forerunner in fulfilling the Solar Power Obligation imposed by the state electricity utility and therefore decided to set up our own captive consumption solar power plant.”
“Our module selection was focused on quality and performance, and after compiling and comparing the technical features of several manufacturers concluded that CNPV are able to demonstrate the most significant benefits in terms of high quality, energy yield, and long term performance,” continued Devarajan. “We are extremely happy with the technical guidance and support extended by CNPV in the smooth execution of the module supply and look forward to developing the next tranche of the 10MWp with CNPV, during second half of 2013.”
There are additional expansion plans for the provision of EPC services and solar module distribution for off grid use in Southern India.
Industry Congratulates NY on 2% Bioheat Mandate
The biodiesel industry and environmental groups expressed their pleasure with the New York state legislature’s passage of a 2 percent biodiesel in all heating oil (Bioheat) mandate. Leading those congratulations was the National Biodiesel Board:
“America’s advanced biofuel and Bioheat are a great fit for New York’s heating oil market” said Shelby Neal, NBB Director of State Governmental Affairs. “Creating a standard that includes at least 2 percent biodiesel will replace about 30 million gallons of petroleum annually with a cleaner burning, renewable fuel.”
“New York State’s crop farmers are growing more and more soybeans every year,” said Julia Robbins, Executive Director, New York Corn and Soybean Association. “This policy will help provide New York farmers with a new market for the state’s soybean oil.”
New York City, the largest municipal consumer of heating oil in the country, has already taken advantage of biodiesel’s benefits by instituting a citywide 2 percent biodiesel requirement in October of 2012.
“Extensive testing has clearly shown that biodiesel blended with traditional heating oil is safe, seamless, and actually improves fuel efficiency through cleaning and preserving equipment,” said John Maniscalco, CEO of the New York Oil Heating Association. “This law extends these tremendous benefits to all New Yorkers and will provide the state with the cleanest, most sustainable heating oil in the country.”
Other Bioheat backers pointed out that the statewide mandate will provide a uniform standard throughout the state, while increasing overall economic activity.
The legislation says all heating oil sold in the City of New York, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and Rockland counties will need to contain at least 2 percent biodiesel by October 1, 2014, with the rest of the state adopting the standard by July 1, 2015. The bill now awaits the governor’s signature.
Enerkem Raises C$50 Million
Waste-to-biofuels company, Enerkem, has raised C$50 million in financing bringing the total equity investment raised by the company in 2013 to C$87 million. As part of this financing, institutional fund Investissement Québec joins existing investors Waste 
Management of Canada, Rho Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures, The Westly Group, Cycle Capital, Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Fondaction, who each increased their investment in Enerkem with this new equity financing round.
Investissement Québec, as a mandatary for the Government of Québec, is one of the largest institutional investors in Canada. Through structural investments, it supports the growth of innovative companies with a global competitive edge and the potential to accelerate the transition to a green manufacturing economy.
“This strategic investment by Investissement Québec will help us leverage and strengthen our capacity to build and assemble the various modules of our facilities through the network of local and high quality shops we are currently working with,” said Vincent Chornet, president and chief executive officer of Enerkem. “As we are finalizing the construction of the Enerkem Alberta Biofuels facility in Edmonton and developing our next facilities, we take this new corporate equity investment as a vote of confidence in Enerkem’s growth strategy.”
According to Quebec Premier Pauline Marois, “climate change, the dwindling supply of hydrocarbons and other environmental challenges have made it necessary to rethink our very lifestyles, not to mention the way we transport people and goods. By redefining our economic approach and adapting it to 21st-century realities, we can make Quebec one of the greenest and most prosperous regions of the planet. Enerkem is living proof that biofuels can be a wonderful opportunity for economic growth. Enerkem’s projects not only create jobs but also reduce the carbon footprint left by our transport systems, and they can clearly have a beneficial effect on our balance of trade.”
For Summer Fun, Rent an Alt Vehicle
This summer, Disneyland is promoting energy efficiency to those coming to their famous theme park. MPG Car Rental gives California visitors a chance to try out some alternative energy cars including the Prius, the Volkswagen TDi and the fully electric Tesla Model S, winner of the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year award.
The tie-in to green cars and Disneyland? The park has expanded its Cars Land and completed a replica or Radiator Springs, the fictional town from Disney’s hit 2006 film Cars. Visitors will be able to interact with the cars via a racing simulator that uses the technology of Epcot’s Test Track.
For eco-conscious parents and individuals, the hysteria over cars provides an excellent opportunity to teach their children the importance of hybrid technology, electric technology and biofuels. In fact, Cars 2, the 2011 sequel to the original film of which I am a fan, features a plot in which unscrupulous big oil investors attempt to thwart the use of biofuels (both ethanol and biodiesel) in order to secure future profits. While much of this may fly over the heads of the youngest children, older kids are likely to be intrigued by the message.
So parents, whether you are visiting Southern California or somewhere else in the good ol U.S. of A. bring the movie’s message to the road by renting an alternative fueled vehicle this summer.
Ygrene Fund Florida’s First PACE Projects
Ygrene Energy Funds Florida has announced funding for the first Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) projects in the state. The Ygrene program provides residential and commercial property owners with access to low-cost, low-risk capital to implement building upgrades, including hurricane protection, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
The PACE-financed projects are non-recourse financing repaid via annual property assessments over a 20-year period. “This is a breakthrough event for the state of Florida and the nation—one that demonstrates the path toward economic revitalization and reduced energy consumption,” said Stacey Lawson, CEO of Ygrene.”Florida governments and property owners will see immediate and lasting results through the PACE program, and Ygrene is the first administrator in the state to demonstrate the viability of this model.”
Ygrene has multiple programs under development across Florida. The company’s first Southeast Florida program, Clean Energy Green Corridor, is a partnership with the cities of Miami, Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Miami Shores, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and South Miami. For the Green Corridor program, Ygrene has already trained and certified more than 200 local contractors to administer upgrades and provide job opportunities throughout the region.
“With all the promises of PACE over the past few years, it’s exciting to see the first projects come to life,” added Mayor Tomas Regalado. “The PACE program has the potential to address three critical needs in our state: hurricane protection, job creation and rising energy costs. The doors are finally opening on this huge opportunity, and I commend Ygrene and the cities involved in this endeavor for their commitment and vision to enact meaningful change in our communities.”
BioEnergy Bytes
- ECOtality, Inc.and NovaCharge, LLC, a leader in the deployment of EV charging infrastructure, announced that NovaCharge has become an authorized dealer of Blink commercial chargers.
- Hydrogenics Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and hydrogen-based power modules, announced that the largest Power to Gas facility in the world went “live” with the first direct injection of hydrogen into a gas pipeline using Hydrogenics’ technology.
- ET Solar Group Corp has completed three photovoltaic plants with a combined capacity of 28 MW for Tinmar-Ind S.A. one of Romania’s largest electricity suppliers and traders. These three projects combined with 22MW completed for Tinmar in April bring ET Solar’s cumulative total to 50MW in Romania in 2013. These three plants are located in Targu Carbunesti, Gorjcounty, and Simnicu de Sus, Dolj county.
- China Sunergy Co., a specialized solar cell and module manufacturer, announced that it has begun shipping solar modules from its plant in Istanbul, Turkey, and will deliver a total of approximately 6.4MW from mid-June to August 2013 to a well-known French customer.
- SunPower Corp has appointed Catherine A. Lesjak, a 27-year veteran of HP as a new, independent, member of SunPower’s board of directors.
API Denied Hearing on E15
The Supreme Court has issued a decision to not hear the American Petroleum Institute (API) and other ethanol opponents’ challenges to E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, that has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in cars and light duty trucks manufactured in 2001 or newer.
“Today is a true victory for the American biofuels industry,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. “Time and again Big Oil has challenged E15 and Growth Energy’s Green Jobs Waiver in attempts to deny consumers a choice and savings at the pump and today marks the end of these baseless challenges.”
“The highest court in the land has spoken – they have unequivocally rejected the attempts of Big Oil and other opponents of ethanol to challenge the EPA’s sensible decision to permit the sale of E15. Now that the final word has been issued, I hope that oil companies will begin to work with biofuel producers to help bring new blends into the marketplace that allow for consumer choice and savings,” added Buis.
Brian Jennings, executive vice president of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) noted that oil companies have spent more time and money trying to stop E15 in the courts than 
they have on complying with the RFS (Renewable Fuel Standard), which ensures consumers have access to affordable choices at the pump.
“During this time, ACE has been working with many petroleum marketers who are successfully offering their customers choices between straight gasoline and ethanol-blends, and in every case, ethanol-blended fuel is the most popular choice,” added Jennings. “We will continue to help retailers make more money and pass savings on to consumers by offering the choice of E15.”
Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen said of the decision, “I am pleased that today’s Supreme Court action ends a long and drawn out petroleum industry effort to derail the commercialization of E15. The uncertainty created by this lawsuit has chilled commercial activity that would provide American consumers more affordable choices at the pump. With this decision, E15 can finally become a meaningful option for more Americans.”
Management & Planning Key to Biofuels Profitability
How you manage and plan your biofuels operation is just as important to ensuring its profitability as the price of the inputs that go into making the green fuels.
“The biofuels industry is like any other company,” explains John Christianson, partner and founding member of Christianson & Associates, a Minnesota firm that specializes in working with farmers and rural businesses, such as ethanol operations. “It’s a company that deals with commodities, so there’s volatility in that company, but all of industry has seen more volatility. So it comes down to management, planning, dictating your future where you want your company to go and plan that future out.”
John says that even last year, when commodity prices were high and margins were very tight, the top producers still were profitable, while average plants at least broke even. But those that were not doing well lost money. The difference in each of those tiers of producers really came down to how effective their management was. Effective management drives all the other factors and how the plant deals with all the variables that can make or break an operation. He also points out that for managers to keep operations profitable, they have to look at reinvesting the profits from the good times as a hedge against when things get more lean. John also urges his clients to look further down the road to manage their risks and look for long-term solutions.
“Any company that’s in business needs to look at not now over the next quarter, you have to look at how you can position your company over the next five years,” John says, taking current operations, reinvestment and how the geographic disadvantages and advantages affect a biodiesel or ethanol plant’s profitability. “How can we extrapolate from those advantages and project forward into those years, whether it’s additional technology we need to invest in [or] additional markets that we need to try to approach, to maximize the advantages and opportunities that are available to our plant.”
John concludes that while they can help ethanol and biodiesel plants look for that long term and stay profitable, just like everyone else in the industry, they’re still hoping for a better crop this year, while still finding ways to deal with last year’s smaller harvest.
“I think everybody’s waiting, and lot of plants and industry are looking at strategies [until] we get to the new crop when hopefully we’re going to have a plentiful supply of corn.”
Listen to Joanna’s interview with John here: John Christianson, Christianson & Associates
Australian Biodiesel Headed for U.S.
About 1.5 million gallons of Australian biodiesel is headed for the U.S., with another 1.32 million gallons fast on its heels. Biodiesel Magazine reports Australian Renewable Fuels Ltd. sent 5.7 million liters, and the other shipment is scheduled for August:
Customers for the order are Valero Energy Corp. and Gavilon Inc., two of the world’s leading energy companies. Gavilon is a Nebraska-based international grains, food and fuel storage and distribution company whose energy division stores and transports a range of fuels including crude oil and refined products, gas and renewable fuels.
Australian Renewable Fuels CEO Andrew White notes the drop in value of the Australian dollar, adding that additional export opportunities are being explored.
Relaunching its biodiesel exports means elevated production at the company’s Largs Bay, South Australia, and Picton, Western Australia, plants, and complements its existing long-term supply contract with Shell Australia.
Australian Renewable Fuels recently secured $6 million in working capital that has funded the sales and export growth.