Sustainable Energy Strategies (SESI), an organization providing consulting services to the alternative fuel industry, has hired David J. Gelman as the new vice president. In his role Gelman will focus on expanding support services for federal clients.- Aquinergy, developers of 250kW to 20MW wind and solar projects, have appointed Natural Power in partnership with Rev1 Renewables as the provider of remote monitoring services and access control on two single turbine projects located in the towns of Kingston and Ipswich, Massachusetts.
- Collaboratev LLC., announced that it has appointed Collaboratev Co-Founder and long-time EV industry veteran, Jason Wolf, as its first CEO. Most recently Wolf served as Vice President of North America for Better Place.
- The 5th Palm Oil Summit will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia August 20-21, 2013. This year, sessions will be dedicated to addresses sustainability issues that have been raised by government agencies, environmental groups and others. Discussion topics will include best practices for POME treatment, fertilization and mechanization.
- Capstone Turbine Corporation has received an order from CleanWorld partners for its Capstone 800 Microturbine and Capstone Clean Cycle 125 kW waste heat-to-electricity generator. The grid-connected system will be installed in a combined heat and power application for a organic-waste-to-renewable energy facility.
Growth Energy Promotes Frohlich
Growth Energy has promoted Michael Frolich to Director of Communications. He joined the ethanol organization in May 2012 as the press secretary. In his new role, he will continue to serve as the primary spokesperson and media contact.
Since its inception, Growth Energy has advocated for increasing the use of ethanol in the American fuel system by promoting ethanol’s benefits among the general public. “The appointment of Michael to Director of Communications will help strengthen and focus the strategic vision of our efforts to communicate the numerous benefits of renewable fuels to the economy, the environment and to consumers,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis.
Prior to joining Growth Energy, Frohlich served as Director of Media Relations with the National Association of Manufacturers as well as Director of Federal Communications at the National Biodiesel Board. He is a native of Rochester, N.Y. and earned his bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College.
Iowa Retailer Says Big Oil Disrupting E15 Sales
An Iowa congressman and a fuel retailer in his state are claiming that the oil companies’ fuel distribution monopoly is forcing the discontinuation of 15% ethanol blended fuel (E15) sales during the summer.
Representative Bruce Braley (D-IA) joined Linn Coop Oil Company service manager Jim Becthold and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw for a press conference at Bechtold’s station Monday morning.
“I’ve said on multiple occasions that there is a war on renewables being funded by Big Oil,” said Braley. “Consumers who want a higher grade ethanol blend (E15) are being denied that choice” due to oil companies refusing to ship the blendstock for E15 that is necessary during the summer months.
Braley, who is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee which has jurisdiction over the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), says that is exactly why Congress passed the RFS in the first place, “to make sure that we were providing a cleaner burning fuel that would help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and provide consumers greater choices at a lower cost.”
Bechtold, who faced the same situation last summer as he was preparing to offer E15, said he actually had to bag his E15 pumps over the weekend. “We’ll be able to sell it again on September 15, but through the summer months with the high gas prices, we can’t offer that fuel,” he said. “Really can’t see why we can’t do that. We can sell E10, E85, E30, but we can’t sell E15.”
The E15 blend was approved by the EPA for use in 2001 and newer vehicles, while E30 and E85 can only be used in flex fuel vehicles. Earlier this year a number of Iowa’s E15 retailers sent a letter to the oil refiners supplying Iowa asking them to provide the proper summertime gasoline blendstock for E15. The letter noted that such fuels are already transported by the pipeline servicing Iowa. Yet, as of the June 1st summertime deadline, no oil refiner allowed Iowa retailers access to the necessary fuel. That refusal forced Linn Coop Oil Company and Iowa’s other E15 retailers to stop selling E15 as a registered fuel to 2001 and newer vehicles.
“We’re not asking for something that doesn’t exist,” said Monte Shaw. “The gasoline blendstock we need to make E15 in the summer is available, it flows through the very pipeline system that services Iowa, but they will not let us take it out of the pipeline here.”
Listen to press conference here: Iowa RFA E15 press conference
Students Win Clean Air & Biodiesel Poster Contest
The American Lung Association in Minnesota and the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council recognized three Minneapolis students for their entries in the Clean Air & Biodiesel Lesson & Poster Contest. This Biodiesel Magazine article says the contest, open to 5th and 6th graders, helped demonstrate how biodiesel helps to protect clean air and protects our health:
The winners are in Leif Vanhala’s 6th grade science class. Two students, Fardowsa Jama and Samantha Martinson tied for first place honors; Logan Couillard was awarded 2nd place for his poster. First place class prize is a $50 gift card. Second place class prize is a $25 gift card. All three classrooms that participated will receive a $50 gift card for classroom supplies.
“It is exciting to have students play a role in promoting the sustainable energy solution offered in biodiesel fuels,” Leif Vanhala said. “Students took pride in helping to expanding the public’s knowledge of the health and environmental benefits of using biofuels compared to traditional fuels.”
Officials with the American Lung Association in Minnesota applauded the students’ efforts of showing how cleaner-burning fuels like biodiesel make Minnesota air cleaner and healthier.
Cold-Growing Algae Shows Biodiesel Promise
A new strain of algae found growing in the snowy Rocky Mountains could provide a promising feedstock for biodiesel. This story in Science Daily says heterococcus sp. DN1, a new variety of yellow-green algae, grows at near freezing temperatures and accumulates large amounts of lipids, working best at high light at the low temps:
Algae that can grow in extreme conditions and accumulate lipids are of great interest to industry. The team found that as H. sp. DN1 produces the highest quantity of lipids when grown undisturbed with high light in low temperatures, it is a potential source of lipids for human nutrition when grown undisturbed, and it has an ideal lipid profile for biofuel production when stressed.
“We have isolated and characterized a new cold-tolerant lipid-producing strain of algae from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, US,” said Dr. David Nelson [Department of Plant Biology at the University of Minnesota]. “This may have implications for the commercial production of algal lipids at northern latitudes where the culture of other algal species is limited or impossible.”
WWF Launches Renewable Energy Campaign
WWF is calling on the world to Seize Your Power and invest in renewable energy.
WWF, the international name for the 50-year-old environmental focused World Wildlife Fund, is issuing a global call to action urging governments and financial institutions worldwide to increase investment in renewable energy by at least $40 billion over the next 12 months.
“We are running out of time. We know that if we continue to rely on fossil fuels we will face a future of worsening air pollution and an increasingly inhospitable climate. It is now our collective responsibility to commit to the future we want. We call on political and financial decision-makers to seize their power to make the switch to clean and sustainable renewable energy and end the inertia of coal, oil and gas,” said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International.
The WWF Seize Your Power campaign features an on-line pledge that enables supporters to call for increased investments in renewable energy and the phasing out of investments in coal, oil and gas.
The pledge, which can be found on www.panda.org/seizeyourpower, calls on financial institutions and governments worldwide to act immediately, by making stronger commitments to increased financing for renewable technologies and policies and to directly invest more money in sustainable energy powered by wind, water and sun.
From today, WWF will campaign to seek major public commitments from governments and international financial institutions to make new investments of $40 billion USD beyond business-as-usual in the renewable energy sector. The public campaign will feature in more than 20 countries, where WWF is targeting public finance, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds. By establishing a business case for moving new money into renewable energy, the campaign will show the environmental, social and economic risks of the dependence on dirty energy such as coal, oil and gas.
“The energy markets’ driving forces include speculation, institutional inertia, lack of accurate information, perverse incentives but also huge economic and political interests. It’s time to reframe the debate and expose the real costs of fossil fuels and the real opportunity of the renewable energy sector. The call to action we’re launching today is an invitation to every decision maker to invest in the future we want – one that is powered by clean, renewable and sustainable energy,” said Samantha Smith, Leader of the Global Climate and Energy Initiative of WWF-International.
While US$40 billion is only the start of the additional amount of investment that is needed, WWF believes that these new investments are an essential turning point in shifting money from risky fossil fuels into clean and renewable energy.
Green Plains to Buy Nebraska Ethanol Plant
Green Plains Renewable Energy has signed a purchase agreement to acquire the membership interests of Choice Ethanol Holdings, owners of the former NEDAK Ethanol ethanol plant in Atkinson, Neb. The purchase also includes an ethanol storage and loading facility located near the plant. The dry-mill ethanol plant will add approximately 50 million gallons of operating capacity to Green Plains’ current annual production capacity of 740 million gallons.
“The acquisition of the plant in Atkinson expands our ethanol production platform and aligns with our ongoing strategy of growing our business and enhancing long-term shareholder value,” said Todd Becker, Green Plains’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “The plant meets our disciplined acquisition criteria and we have a deep understanding of this technology, size and geographic area. We believe we can rapidly improve the overall performance of this plant.”
The ethanol plant utilizes Delta-T processing technology. The ethanol storage facility holds approximately 24,000 barrels of ethanol and is located on the BNSF rail line. Green Plains plans to staff and re-start the plant within the next four weeks. Once the transaction closes, the Company plans to begin installing corn oil extraction technology, which should be completed in the fourth quarter of 2013. Completion of this transaction is subject to standard and customary closing conditions.
Ethanol Supporters Disappointed in Florida Bill
A bill repealing Florida’s Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) was signed into law Friday by Gov. Rick Scott to the disappointment of many ethanol and other biofuel supporters.
State Representative Debbie Mayfield of Vero Beach, led the opposition to the repeal of the requirement which was passed in 2008 when her late husband Stan Mayfield chairman of the Florida House energy committee. “We said that we were going to be a renewable energy state,” said Mayfield.
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) supported the repeal, but long-time member and strong ethanol supporter Bobby Likis says they did not speak for him. “The automotive industry, businesses and consumers SEMA is purported to serve will regret this action, which is not based on facts but rather on misinformation, myths and interests spear-headed by a few,” said the automotive technician and talk show host, adding that those supporting the repeal ignored the interests “of the consumer, advancing technology, independence from foreign oil and American business development and financial success.”
“As this country struggles to comeback from recent economic hardships, it is sad to watch a state legislate away good paying jobs in the renewable energy sector and the abundant economic opportunities that come along with them,” said Bob Dinneen of the Renewable Fuels Association and Tom Buis with Growth Energy in a joint statement, noting that the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) supersedes any state law. “This toothless legislation might win favor with Big Oil supporters, but it has closed the door on job creation by the biofuels industry and sent investors packing for more visionary states. This is most definitely a lost opportunity for people of Florida.”
Navy Welcomes 1st Solar-Powered EV Charging Station
Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South officially welcomed into service the Navy’s first solar-powered electric car charging station with a ribbon cutting ceremony. During the ceremony NSA Mid-South Executive Officer Cmdr. Brad Meeks thanked the combined Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) and 
Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) team that brought the station online. He noted that the new photovoltaic carports are a sign of how the base is evolving to face new challenges.
“Naval Support Activity Mid-South is leading the way,” said Meeks. “This is the first solar power charging station in the Navy, and I want to thank our NAVFAC public works team for seeing this project through. Their efforts have ensured NSA Mid-South’s role in building a clean, sustainable future for our Navy and our nation.”
The carport will enable NSA Mid-South to recharge its current fleet of 17 electric vehicles with renewable electricity in approximately four hours, while reducing demand on the commercial power grid. In addition to charging vehicles connected through either 110V or 220V plugs, the carport will also provide excess electricity to the local power grid, further reducing the base’s electricity costs. The 150-foot-long panel structure tilts automatically to track the sun and includes several safety features to protect against high wind or lightning strikes. So far, the energy generated is enough power more than 60 average sized homes for a day.
Public Works Department Mid-South will monitor the carport’s production via a Web-based system and will rely on the base operations support contractor to maintain the individual solar arrays and components over its expected 25-year lifespan. The carport is part of an ongoing $10 million CNIC project to install seven sites with E85 (85% ethanol / 15% gasoline) stations, nine sites with solar carports and five sites with stand-along electric vehicle charging stations and Navy installations.
Farmers, City Slickers Connect Through Soy Biodiesel
Farmers and folks from the city might not have a lot in common (although more than most people realize), but they’re united by their love of biodiesel. This week, the United Soybean Board (USB) and Empire Clean Cities are recognizing New Yorkers’ efforts to reduce dependence on foreign oil, while going green and creating American jobs.
“America’s soybean growers are excited to support many positive connections and products that bring benefits to New York City residents,” said Sharon Covert, an Illinois farmer and USB Customer Focus Action Team chair. “New York is a leader with biodiesel used in thousands of vehicles and buildings. Now soy-backed turf is newly installed at Battery Park and New York’s first LEED Gold certified restaurant chose soy-backed carpet. The United Soybean Board is pleased state-of-the art products, such as biodiesel, Signature Carpet and AstroTurf, use soy as a rapidly renewable ingredient for sustainability.”Read More