Utilities’ Energy Efficiency Ideas Short on Savings

Joanna Schroeder

A review of five-year energy efficiency plans submitted to the Iowa Utilities Board by MidAmerican Energy Company and Alliant Energy shows utilities are failing to deliver programs that will maximize the benefits of energy efficiency.

energy-audit-diagramIn testimony filed with the Board, the Iowa Environmental Council, Environmental Law & Policy Center and their partners demonstrated that MidAmerican Energy’s proposed programs would achieve just about half of what is possible and cost-effective through efficiency programs. These programs take a range of forms including rebates for residential customers who weatherize their homes or purchase more efficient appliances and heating and cooling equipment and offering large commercial customers incentives to install efficient lighting or motors that waste less energy and reduce the need for additional power plants.

Nathaniel Baer, energy program director at the Iowa Environmental Council explained that MidAmerican has proposed investing over $374 million to help customers save 1,053,832 megawatt-hours (MWh) over five years, but the utility could increase those investments and improve its programs to help customers save 1,905,675 MWh over the same time period, or 80 percent more. All additional energy saved would still be cost-effective – in other words, the economic benefits would be greater than $1 for every $1 invested.

“We reviewed an analysis commissioned by MidAmerican Energy to identify savings that would be possible through cost-effective energy efficiency programs,” said Baer. Read More

Electricity, energy efficiency

Plug-In Hybrids That Go the Extra Mile

Joanna Schroeder

Sierra Club PHEV GuideThe latest edition of of Sierra, published by the Sierra Club, features which plug-in hybrids go the extra mile. The annual Electric Vehicle Guide reviewed six vehicles: Chevrolet Volt, Ford C-Max Energi, Ford Fusion Energi, Honda Accord Plug-In, Fisker Karma, and Toyota Prius Plug-In.

There is also a new, complementary online Electric Vehicle Guide. The new EV Guide brings together, for the first time in one place, a buyer’s guide, links to Sierra Club’s Go Electric campaign, information on EV incentives and emissions, and current specs for available EVs – all based on where you live.

Uncategorized

Students’ Biodiesel Project is EPA Winner

John Davis

epa-logoStudents from a school in Chicago are one of the groups of winners an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency award, recognized for their biodiesel project. The EPA announced that the students from Loyola University of Chicago developed a greener way, through a wetland and a distillation process, to treat and reuse byproducts of biodiesel.

EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) award competition was held at the 9th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo. Each award winning team qualifies to receive a grant of up to $90,000 to further develop their design and potentially bring it to the marketplace. Previous P3 award winners have started successful businesses and are globally marketing their technologies.

“This competition plays an important role in inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers to better understand, and through innovation and ingenuity more effectively solve, our world’s complex environmental problems,” said Lek Kadeli, principal deputy administrator for the EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “The P3 program gives this nation’s students the opportunity to apply their creative ideas to real world situations and protect our nation’s environment in a more sustainable fashion.”

Seven university and college teams received the P3 Awards for their innovative solutions to some of today’s toughest public health and environmental challenges. About 300 students entered the competition.

Biodiesel, Government

Natural Gas & Renewable Energy, Friend or Foe?

Joanna Schroeder

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).

Natural-Gas-Rig Photo Joseph Bourk“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

oberonThe 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

  • BioEnergyBytesDFThe 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

ASAlogo1The 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

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 sen john_barrassoRenewable 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

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 FEW13-Novozymeswith 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

restaurant-logosThe 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