Natural Gas & Renewable Energy, Friend or Foe?

Joanna Schroeder June 21, 2013

According to a recent report that analyzes the short and long-term relationship between natural gas and renewable resources, the path to resource adequacy and low-carbon generation in the Texas electric power market will need the co-development and integration of both natural gas and renewable energy resources. The report focused on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) electricity market and was conducts by economists with The Brattle Groupa nd prepared by the Texas Clean Energy Coalition (TCEC).

“Low-priced natural gas and clean renewable resources are complementary, not competing, resources to displace other fuels over the long term. Coordinated development of both will lead to a win-win for Texas and the environment,” said former state Sen. Kip Averitt and TCEC chairman. The report was sponsored by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation. Mitchell, a pioneer in the Texas oil and gas industry, laid the groundwork for the shale gas revolution that is taking place across the U.S.

The first of a two-part study, “Partnering Natural Gas and Renewables in ERCOT” explains how gas and renewables can be complements, depending on the time frame of analysis as well as a number of additional factors. These factors include items such as the long-run trajectory of gas prices, renewable technology costs, electricity market rules and complementary policies affecting all power generation technologies.

The study explains that wind and solar power are inexpensive to dispatch because they have no fuel cost, and there is no charge for the sun to shine or the wind to blow. Read More

Electricity, Natural Gas, Renewable Energy, Solar, Wind

Oberon Fuels to Develop Diesel Alternative

John Davis June 21, 2013

The developer of an alternative to regular diesel fuel has received a grant to develop the environmentally dimethyl ether, better known as DME, made from shale gas and biogas from animal, food, and agricultural waste. Oberon Fuels is receiving a $500,000 grant from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) to produce fuel-grade DME at its facilities in California. And once the fuel is developed, it will partner with Volvo Trucks in North America and Safeway, Inc. to test the clean-burning DME:

The approved project focuses on using DME as a near-zero emission solution for heavy-duty trucking. Oberon Fuels has developed a patented, skid-mounted, modular design for DME production. This small-scale process enables the development of regional fuel markets that can service local customers engaged in regional haul, initially bypassing the need for a national infrastructure. For the grant collaboration, Oberon plans to produce DME from renewable feedstocks such as animal, food, and agricultural waste, preventing methane from being released into the atmosphere and converting the waste to a usable, clean-burning fuel.

Volvo Trucks in North America has announced its intention to commercialize DME-powered vehicles for North America by 2015 and is working with Oberon in field tests. Working with both Volvo and Safeway, Inc., one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, Oberon Fuels has received support from several governmental programs and agencies, including the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the California GO-Biz office.

DME will be used in two heavy-duty Volvo trucks driven by Safeway. The trucks will be piloted from their Tracy, Calif. distribution center located in the San Joaquin Valley. With 1641 stores across North America and a substantial trucking fleet, Safeway, a Pleasanton, Calif.-based corporation, is committed to environmental sustainability.

“It’s exciting to have a global leader like Volvo Trucks partnering with California companies to develop innovative technology in the Golden State,” said Kish Rajan, director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). “The State of California continues to attract the most dynamic companies in the world, and GO-Biz looks forward to helping Volvo and Oberon maximize the benefits of DME as a commercial transportation fuel.”

Oberon’s Brawley, Calif. plant is expected to be producing the fuel-grade DME this month, with up to 10,000 gallons per day production eventually.

Miscellaneous

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder June 21, 2013

The Sierra Club has released a report that highlights many of the threats the Transatlantic Trade and Investment deal could pose to the health of communities, air, water and the global climate. “The Transatlantic Trade Agreement: What’s at Stake For Communities and the Environment,” focuses on three important regulatory arenas that the trade negotiations might disrupt: environmental protection, food safety and industrial chemical regulations.
Hydrogenics Corporation, a leader developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and hydrogen-based power modules, has announced the company has been selected to install three HySTAT-60 electrolyzers by The Linde Group for installation as part of a fueling station in Bolzano, Italy.
Kyocera Corporation has been chosen to supply nearly 30 megawatts of solar power generation systems to one of the largest solar power projects in Japan that is being implemented by the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations. Kyocera Solar Corporation will be in charge of the project including maintenance of the solar systems to be installed at nearly 80 of the Zen-Noh Groups facilities.
The World Energy Council (WEC) has appointed Dr. Nicolás M. Depetris Chauvin as its new Regional Manager for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. He will be supporting the WEC in strengthening its network in the region.
Renewvia Energy, a company focuses on commercial solar power development, has partnered with Fernando Bausili, a Latin American developer, to focus on utility scale solar development in the region. Bausili has developed several large commercial projects in Argentina, Uruguay and other Latin American markets.

Bioenergy Bytes

Biodiesel Ally Chides House Over Farm Bill Defeat

John Davis June 21, 2013

The Farm Bill in the U.S. House goes down to defeat, and that was not welcome news to one of biodiesel’s allies. The American Soybean Association (ASA) said it is disappointed frustrated with the 195-234 defeat of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013. ASA President Danny Murphy, a soybean farmer from Canton, Miss, issued the following statement:

“This bill would have reinforced the farm safety net, promoted our products in foreign markets, strengthened the fast-growing biodiesel industry, enhanced conservation programs; not to mention the stable, affordable and safe supply of food, feed, fiber and fuel that it would have ensured for all Americans; all while addressing our collective fiscal and budgetary obligations. Now, none of those benefits can be realized and a debilitating uncertainty extends from farmers to consumers as we all face the expiration of farm bill programs on Sept. 30.”

ASA called on both parties to find a way to move forward on a farm bill.

Biodiesel, Government, Legislation, Soybeans

Senator Barrasso: Repeal the RFS

Joanna Schroeder June 20, 2013

Today U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) introduced “The Renewable Fuel Standard Repeal Act” (S. 1195). The bill would repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in its entirety.

“The Renewable Fuel Standard is fundamentally broken and beyond repair,” said Senator Barrasso. “Instead of delivering meaningful environmental benefits, it’s driven up food and fuel costs for American families. This flawed program will also inevitably lead to widespread lawsuits against American manufacturers. When Congress enacts bad policy, the right response is to scrap it and start over.”

As the ethanol industry has noted over the past few months, arguing that the RFS is not working and it has driven up food and fuel costs is flawed.

“Senator Barrasso’s proposed legislation to repeal the RFS may serve the oil and gas interests in Wyoming, but it is bad for consumers, bad for the environment, and bad for America,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “The RFS has proven its worth time and time again. It creates jobs, reduces America’s dependence on foreign oil, lowers the price of gasoline, and – most importantly – gives consumers choice at the pump. Choice matters. Consumers want options and the ability to make their own informed decision.”

Dinneen continued, “Right now, we are fighting tooth and nail to introduce more choice into a market that is dominated by the petroleum industry. Repealing the RFS is not the answer because the problem lies with the lack of choice caused by market domination by the petroleum monopoly. I promise you, Senator Barrasso’s proposal will never become law because it is the wrong policy for America, and we will continue fighting for the RFS until the cows come home.”

biofuels, Legislation, RFA, RFS

Enzyme Trio Minimizes Inputs & Maximizes Profits

Joanna Schroeder June 20, 2013

Novozymes made a big announcement during the recent Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) – they have launched a new enzyme technology that can increase ethanol yield from corn by up to 5 percent. According to Jack Rogers, bioenergy marketing manager, the technology also increases corn oil extraction by 13 percent while saving 8 percent energy.

In a time when corn-based ethanol plants are looking for every way to squeeze out profits with high corn prices, Rogers says the return on investment in the enzyme trio is immediate. Rogers explained that efficiency improvements can be achieved when two new enzymes, Spirizyme® Achieve and Olexa® are used together with another Novzoymes’ enzyme, Aventec®, that was launched in late 2012.

An typical U.S. ethanol plant uses around 36 million bushels, or 900,000 tons, of feed-grade corn per year to produce an average of 100 million gallons of ethanol, 300,00 tons of distillers grains (DDGs) and 8,500 tons of corn oil. When adding the enzyme trio, a plant can save up to 1.8 million bushels, or 45,000 tons of corn, while maintaining the same ethanol output, increasing corn oil extraction and generating up to $5 million in additional profit per year. Rogers also noted that a plant can use less bushels per year while maintaining maximum output if corn prices remain high and a plant chooses to scale back its purchases.

Learn more about the new enzyme trio in my interview with Jack here: Enzyme Trio Minimizes Inputs & Maximizes Profits

Visit the 2013 FEW Photo Album.

Audio, biofuels, corn, Ethanol, FEW

Ethanol Industry Bites Back at Restaurant RFS Attack

Cindy Zimmerman June 20, 2013

The National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) today announced a new campaign focused on repealing the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the ethanol industry is biting back.

Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen says the restaurants just want to fatten profits while denying that it is energy that supersizes food costs. “Here’s a hot, heaping serving of the truth: Chain Restaurants, livestock producers, and grocery manufacturers are trying to protect cheap, government subsidized corn which allows them to keep more profit in their pockets,” said Dinneen. “They should instead be praising the RFS which has helped lower gas prices by $1.09 a gallon in 2011 thus allowing more Americans the disposable income to eat out regularly and cruise through drive-thru windows when hungry.”

“If the NCCR is looking for the culprits behind increased food costs they should look no further than the mirror and at their supporters at Big Oil who have relentlessly pursued the efforts to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. “It seems the NCCR’s end game is to blame the ethanol industry and revert to the days of cheap, government subsidized corn, which, astonishingly, they believe they are entitled to, so that they can earn higher profits at the expense of our nation’s consumers and farmers.”

The Senior Vice President for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Ron Lamberty noted that corn prices add very little to the price of food at retail. “At its highest price, corn represented a little more than 20 cents of the cost of a quarter-pound burger, and maybe a nickel of the cost of a large soda,” said Lamberty. “All of these organizations need to realize that their customers don’t have as much to spend on food because they’re spending it on gas, and gas prices will only get higher if groups like NCCR are successful in being co-opted by the oil lobby to protect big oil’s fuel monopoly.”

The NCCR campaign, called “Feed Food Fairness: Take RFS Off the Menu,” urges Congress to pass the Renewable Fuel Standard Elimination Act (H.R. 1461) – introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) which would repeal the federal RFS mandate.

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Food prices, Growth Energy, RFA, RFS

Vestar Helps Consumers Plug In

Joanna Schroeder June 20, 2013

Vestar recently placed electric charging stations at their entertainment and retail lifestyle center, Tempe Marketplace, in Tempe Arizona. Via a partnership with ECOtality, eight Blink charging systems, including handicapped accessible units, have been placed on both the north and south side of the center.

“This sustainable infrastructure enables our customers the ability to charge their electric vehicles while they are enjoying the many offerings at Tempe Marketplace, including our stores, restaurants, movie theatre and other entertainment options,” said Pat McGinley, Vestar’s Vice President of Property Management.

The Blink Network of charging stations provides EV drivers the freedom to travel as they choose and conveniently charge at Blink commercial locations along the way, including Tempe Marketplace. ECOtality is the project manager of The EV Project, a research initiative to help build America’s future EV infrastructure. The project will study EV infrastructure to support the deployment of EVs in key markets, by collecting and analyzing data from vehicles and chargers.

“Our goal has always been to provide a network of chargers that are conveniently placed where consumers work, shop and play,” added Greg Fioriti, Chief Revenue Officer, ECOtality Inc. “Situated in a highly-visible and accessible area, Tempe Marketplace is an ideal location for Blink EV charging stations.”

Electric Vehicles

EU Votes In Favor of Biofuels

Joanna Schroeder June 20, 2013

A proposal from the European Commission that would limit the amount of food produced from biofuels made from food crops was amended today by the European Parliament industry, research and energy committee. The Committee voted to raise the proposed cap on biofuels from 5 percent to 6.5 percent and also voted not to implement indirect land use change (ILUC) factors. According to ActionAid, this means that European countries might end up using biofuels that are worse for the climate than fossil fuels.

Anders Dahlbeck, ActionAid biofuels policy advisor, said, “MEPs voting in the Industry committee in the European Parliament today sent a clear signal that they are prepared to put fuel goals before hunger goals and industry interest before poor people.”

“The evidence is clear that putting food into tanks does not make sense. EU’s biofuels policy is driving food price volatility and land grabs in some of the world poorest countries. The FAO says we need 50 percent more food by 2050 so why do we keep putting it into cars?” questioned Dahlbeck.

The UN special representative on the issue of food rights and hunger, Olivier de Schutter, met MEPs this week and raised the alarm bell on the damaging impacts of the EU’s biofuels policy. In spite of this the Industry committee in the European Parliament has weakened the European Commission’s proposal to limit the amount of food that can be used for fuel.

“There is still time for MEPs to turn it around with upcoming votes in the environment committee and the plenary vote in September. Do we accept hunger in exchange of EU energy targets – targets not even tackling climate change?” asked de Schutter.

biofuels, Climate Change, food and fuel, Indirect Land Use

Changes Wanted to Immigration Bill

Talia Goes June 20, 2013

Before we get to our new Zimmpoll let’s look at the results of our latest one which asked the question, “ What is your opinion of Senate immigration bill?” From our poll results it looks like you want to see changes to the immigration bill.

Our poll results: Forty-one percent said Border Security First! Sixteen percent said Bad Deal Overall, Fourteen percent said Needs Improvement, eleven percent said Will Never Pass House, eight percent said Great For America, and six percent said Good For Agriculture and Other. Not many are happy with the immigration farm bill as it stands. We will see what changes are made as it advances to the next level.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How concerned are you about the government having your private data?” Recent information privacy scandals with the EPA and NSA have brought the issue of privacy to the forefront. A lot of agricultural information in digital form is being collected by various services, including the government. How do you feel about it now? Let us know.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by .

ZimmPoll

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