NEC 2027

RFS Hearing – Study in Hyprocrisy

Joanna Schroeder

The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements held a hearing to discuss the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS),”Up Against the Blend Wall: Examining EPA’s Role in the Renewable Fuel Standard.” While many were on the witness list, none actually worked in the biofuels industry. The ethanol industry was quick to respond and Chad Willis, ethanol committee chair for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) noted, “It was a disappointment to hear the outcome of today’s hearing on the RFS and blend wall.”

JamesLankfordCapital“During the summer months, when gas prices are typically the highest, consumers could have benefited from a balanced discussion on the future and positive impacts of the renewable fuel industry,” continued Willis. “Unfortunately all we saw today were mistruths and a one-sided agenda.”

Many cite a problem with the RFS is lack of availability of advanced biofuels. However, first generation biofuels, such as ethanol made from corn, are a stepping stone to future fuels and the RFS is designed to foster the development of these fuels. “A number of stakeholder groups are attempting to create a view that the RFS is broken and should be wholesale repealed rather than allowing the EPA to utilize their authority to make any required adjustments,” said Michael McAdams, president of the Advanced Biofuels Association.

McAdams notes this would be a step backward in America’s energy future especially as many advanced and cellulosic companies are seeking to break ground or attempting to raise funds to build their first plants, and the discussions have a negative impact on the momentum.

One of the key experts was Jeremy I. Martin, Ph.D. senior scientist, Clean Vehicles Program, with the Union of Concerned Scientists. In response to his remarks, American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Executive Vice President Brian Jennings pointed out, “While the oil industry will simply repeat their same worn-out attacks against the RFS during today’s hearing, I want to thank the Union of Concerned Scientists for reiterating our position that Congress should not make any legislative changes to the RFS.

Jennings continued, “ACE and UCS don’t agree on everything, but we proudly stand with them in support of the RFS. I also encourage Members of the Committee to ask oil industry representatives at the hearing the hard questions that they’d rather dodge.”

One question that was dodged: Why are gas prices are consistently near record levels?Read More

advanced biofuels, biofuels, Ethanol, RFS

Corn Growers React to Rice Climate & Corn Study

Joanna Schroeder

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is questioning the results of a recent study from Rice University and University of California that looked 40 years ahead at farming and climate change. The study finds corn ethanol has water issues that outweigh potential reductions in tailpipe emissions. In response, NCGA is saying they need to go back to the ncga-logo-new“research table”.

“At a time when meteorologists struggle to tell you what the weekend will be like, it’s odd to see a report that tries to so specifically pinpoint the weather 40 years from now,” said NCGA President Pam Johnson. “But that’s only one of the problems we have with this very problematic study.”

The report, forecasts that the yield of corn grown for ethanol in the U.S. would be reduced by an average of seven percent over the next four decades, and the amount of irrigation needed for the corn would increase by nine percent.

Among its other flaws, Johnson noted:

  • The report news release clearly states the bias of the authors, who “have long questioned the United States’ support of biofuels as a means to cut vehicle emissions,” the release said. It’s no wonder, then, that the report looks ahead a full four decades to criticize an ethanol policy, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which only cover renewable fuels for the next nine years.
  • The report ignores any possible advances in technology to improve corn growing, such as new agronomic practices or technology. “Looking back 40 years, corn farming was so different in 1973 than it is today, and it’s a difference that could not have been predicted back then,” noted Johnson. Read More
biofuels, corn, Ethanol, NCGA

World Prepares for the Power of Global Wind Day

John Davis

GlobalwinddayPeople around the world will participate in hundreds of activities to discover the power of wind energy during Global Wind Day on June 15. This news release from the European Wind Energy Association says there will be a wide variety of things going on … from concerts to boat trips … as well as a big push through social media channels:

25,000 people have already shown their preference for wind energy over polluting fossil fuels by ‘Liking’ the Global Wind Day online app which calls on eight world leaders such as Angela Merkel and Barack Obama to stop giving six times more money to coal, oil and gas than to renewables.

The app allows you to choose which leader, in the run-up to their G8 meeting on 17-18 June, you want to tell to switch to renewable energy now.

People from 66 countries have also been busy sending pictures to the Global Wind Day photo competition, which closed earlier this month. The winning photos will be announced on 13 June – have a look at some of the entries.

You can find more information about Global Wind Day at www.globalwindday.org.

International, Wind

Prediction: Demand for Solar PV Will Rise

Joanna Schroeder

According to the latest NPD Solarbuzz North America PV Markets Quarterly, demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in the U.S. is forecast to grow significantly during 2013 and post another record high of 4.3 gigawats (GW). In addition, solar PV demand from the U.S. market now contributes over 12 percent of annual global demand compared to just five percent three years ago.

In second quarter 2013, demand is forecast to reach 1 GW with over 70 percent coming from California, Arizona, New Jersey and North Carolina. Residential and small commercial rooftop PV installations will account for 18 percent of this demand with another 14 percent from large commercial rooftops. The utility dominated ground mount segment will account for the remaining 68 percent.

gI_120916_US Solar PV Market Demand by State“The strong commercial and utility-based solar PV being deployed in the U.S. is stimulated by state specific mandates that require solar to meet target levels, or carve-outs, of total energy production,” explained Chris Sungon, analyst at NPD Solarbuzz. “Meanwhile residential demand is being driven by new third-party ownership models that allow homeowners and businesses to install PV systems with minimal upfront commitments.”

New solar PV incentive policies and additional utility-scale projects are also starting to diversify PV demand across a greater number of states within the US, moving away from the traditional strongholds limited to the East and West Coasts. Six of the 10 fastest-growing U.S. states for solar PV demand in 2013 are located in the South or the Midwest, providing annual growth rates averaging above 180 percent.Read More

Alternative energy, Electricity, Energy, Solar

ICM & NCAT Sign Software Deal

Joanna Schroeder

ICM has signed a software development and marketing agreement with Houston, Texas -based NCAT, Inc. to co-develop and market the Inseo Suite line of software services. ICM has been granted exclusive rights to market the first release to Inseo Suite, the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Module, to the biofuels and alcohol manufacturing industry worldwide The Inseo Suite application utilizes NCAT’s Plant Intelligent Life Cycle Platform data repository.

The KPI Module was the first Inseo Suite application developed with ICM for the biofuels industry, and integrates ethanol plant operational data and produces dashboard-driven information that provides both critical overview and detailed views ICM Inseo Suiteof plant performance. The KPI Module gathers, analyzes and stores over 30 key process metrics including: cook, fermentation, distillation and evaporation, key enzyme ratio, dried distillers grain (DDGs) and modified distillers grains.

Tom Ranallo, ICM vice president of operations said, “ICM is pleased to collaborate with NCAT to market the Inseo Suite and introduce its first KIP module product release. This proprietary suite of products has the capability to convert data into actionable information and deliver sustained profitability for our customers. We look foward to working with NCAT in the rollout of the Inseo Suite product line in our industry,” added Ranallo.

According to ICM, the Inseo Suite design greatly reduces the need for paper records, graphically illustrates all KPI metrics on one display and allows deep analysis into the data to better understand and proactively correct issues with out-of range processes as they arise. In addition, the software enables plant operational and management personnel to manage optimal plant ethanol yield based on current market conditions.

“We feel very proud to have been chosen by ICM as their software development partner for the Inseo Suite,” added Bobby Anderson, chief operating officer and chief marketing officer of NCAT. “Our professionals have spent their careers in developing leading edge software for process plant industries and our team will bring the latest thinking in integrating the operations, maintenance and financial information for ethanol plants. It’s ultimately about driving shareholder value and that only happens with elegantly managed data collection, analysis and decision making.”

biofuels, Company Announcement, Ethanol

Pacific Ethanol Providing Corn Oil for Biodiesel

John Davis

Pac-ethanol-logo2An Idaho ethanol plant is producing distillers corn oil that could go in to biodiesel production. Pacific Ethanol Inc. announced that it is using ICM Inc.’s Advanced Oil Separation System™ to get the corn oil at its 60 million gallon a year Magic Valley, ID plant.

Neil Koehler, the company’s president and CEO, stated: “Corn oil is a high value co-product with multiple markets including animal feed and biodiesel. Corn oil sales at our Magic Valley plant diversifies our revenue streams, providing greater financial stability to the plant, and is expected to contribute as much as $4.5 million or seven cents per gallon of operating income annually.”

Pacific Ethanol, Inc. touts itself as the leading marketer and producer of low-carbon renewable fuels in the Western United States, with an 83 percent interest in and operating four ethanol plants in the West with a combined operating capacity of 200 million gallons.

Biodiesel, corn, Ethanol

Climate Change Raises Stakes on US Biofuels Policy

Joanna Schroeder

According to a new study by Rice University and the University of California at Davis, if the climate continues to evolve as predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.S. stands little to no chance of satisfying its current Rice Corn Ethanol and Waterbiofuels goals. The study, published in journal Environmental Science and Technology suggests that in 40 years, a hotter planet would cut the yield of corn grown for ethanol by an average of seven percent while simultaneously increasing the amount of irrigation necessary by nine percent.

Principal investigator Pedro Alvarez, the George R. Brown Professor and Chair of Rice’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, said that this could sharply hinder a mandate as being executed by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that mandates 15 billion gallons of ethanol (corn) per year by 2022. The policy, Alvarez explained, is based on the idea that blending ethanol reduces harmful tailpipe emissions, but the cost in water may outweigh these concerns.

“Whereas biofuels offer a means to use more renewable energy while decreasing reliance on imported oil, it is important to recognize the tradeoffs,” Alvarez said. “One important unintended consequence may be the aggravation of water scarcity by increased irrigation in some regions.”

The authors of the new paper have long questioned the United States’ support of biofuels as a means to cut vehicle emissions. In a 2010 white paper on U.S. biofuels, the authors found “no scientific consensus on the climate-friendly nature of U.S.-produced corn-based ethanol” and detailed what they saw as economic, environmental and logistical shortcomings in the renewable fuels policy and suggested a need for further study of water impacts.

In the most recent study, the team built computer simulations based on crop data from the nation’s top 10 corn-producing states – Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kansas. Read More

biofuels, Climate Change, Ethanol, Research, water

IKEA Adds More Solar to Stores

Joanna Schroeder

solar_panels_atop_IKEA_Charlotte,_NC_-_1_-_hiIKEA has added another solar installation to one of its stores, this one located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 122,000 square foot PV array consists of a 1,015 kW system, built with 4,228 panels. The system is estimated to produce 1,330,000 kWh of solar power each year.

This solar installation is the 39th for IKEA in the U.S. increasing its solar presence to nearly 90 percent of its locations with a total generation goal of 38 MW. Unlike many other companies, IKEA owns and operates all of its solar PV energy systems as opposed to a solar lease or power purchase agreement (PPV). The company has set a goal of becoming energy independent by 2020 and to date, has more than 250,000 solar panels installed on buildings around the world.

“The installation of solar panels at IKEA Charlotte is another way we can build upon our ongoing commitment to sustainability,” said Richard Castanon, IKEA Charlotte store manager.  “At IKEA, we believe in creating a better every life for the many people, so investing in renewable energy accomplishes helps contributes to that goal. We appreciate the support of the City of Charlotte, Duke Energy, and Gehrlicher Solar, our partners in this project.”

Alternative energy, Electricity, Energy, Solar

Study: EPA Lacks Transparency in Feedstock Approvals

John Davis

epa-logoA study from a pair of University of Illinois researchers says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lacks “transparency and clarity” when it comes to approving new feedstocks for biofuels as new pathway determinations. In farmdocdaily.com, James McCubbins and Bryan Endres say that if it’s not biodiesel or corn ethanol, it seems to take a lot longer to get the agency’s approval… twice as long in some cases… and that affects the biofuel producer’s ability to generate Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs):

Under the RFS2 pathways process, EPA assess biofuels based upon an energy balance equation that considers a biofuel’s feedstock, process, and type of fuel produced. EPA requires that if a particular fuel type, process, or feedstock varies significantly from any of the already modeled pathways found in the regulations, then companies seeking to develop biofuel through non-modeled pathways must petition EPA to determine the energy balance of that biofuel production process. Before conducting an assessment of the new pathway, EPA also will consider how close the new pathway is to actual production. Based upon priority, EPA will then determine the energy balance of the new fuel, feedstock or process, and assign it an applicable D-code that categorizes the biofuel as renewable, advanced, cellulosic or biodiesel. The D-code assignment allows producers of the biofuel, using approved pathways, to generate Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) to a batch of biofuel, for the purpose of tracking its production, use, and trading.

The length of time between filing of the petition and final determination suggests that there may be a lack of transparency and clarity of the data EPA needs to conduct its assessment, especially for petitions involving substances or processes other than biodiesel or corn ethanol.

The study goes on to say that going forward, the EPA must develop clear guidance on the pathway approval process. If more hurdles are removed, the researchers contend that more advanced biofuels could meet RFS2 mandates.

Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Government, News, RFS, RINS

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFDyadic International’s President and CEO, Mark Emalfarb, is presenting at the World Biotechnology Congress 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts June 3-6, 2013 and the BIO World Congress, June 16-19, 2013 on Industrial Biotechin Montréal, Canada. He will be joined by James Moe, Chairman and Steve Hartig, General Manager, both with POET-DSM who will also be presenting at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri June 10-12, 2013.
  • Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits has unveiled its new website. It is designed to provide information of the company’s products as well as educational and technical service offerings for the Fuel and Beverage Alcohol industries.
  • Dr. Jeremy Martin, a senior scientist in the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Clean Vehicles Program, will testify before members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday, June 5 on proper implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). He will discuss the importance of expanding the production of biofuels, the flexibility Congress granted EPA to manage the goals of the RFS, and how the agency can use its existing authority to set ambitious but realistic goals for production goals in the coming years.
  • The 5th annual All-Energy Australia is taking place in Melbourne October 9-10, 2013. The focus of the event is the country’s clean energy sector and is co-located with Australian Sustainability and Waste Expo.
  • Platts 2nd annual Biomass Power Generation conference will take place in London on September 23 & 24, 2013. The agenda has been finalized, and registration is open.
Bioenergy Bytes