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Is Drought Still a Concern for 2013?

Talia Goes

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Has winter weather affected drought conditions in your area?”

Our poll results: Fifty percent said Yes, thirty-two percent said No, and eighteen percent said it’s Too Early To Tell. Seems the drought of 2012 may not be over. I heard once that weather cycles last 6 years. Sure hope that isn’t the case with this drought.

Untitled

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How do you combat social media overload?” With the weekly AgChat Twitter conversation turning 4 years old it is obvious that something is working when it comes to farmers and industry using social media to advocate for their industry. But even if you are not actively agvocating you’re probably using some form of social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and there are many more. So our question comes out of this week’s AgChat. For many it is easy to get so engrossed by the online conversation, especially with mobile devices like smart phones and tablets, that they start feeling overwhelmed by it all. Let us know … Are you on social media overload?

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

New Holland, ZimmPoll

Solar Plane to Make Cross-Country Trip Across U.S.

John Davis

solarimpulse1Makers of a solar-powered airplane have released the itinerary of a trip that will take it from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts late this spring and early this summer. The Solar Impulse will start out May 1st, depending on weather, of course, in California with several stops inbetween before ending its journey in early July in New York City:

The stopovers will be a great occasion to spread Solar Impulse’s message meant to inspire people. Only by challenging common certitudes can there be change and, through conferences on educational themes, Solar Impulse wishes to motivate everybody to become a pioneer in the search for innovative solutions for society’s biggest challenges.

solarimpulse2Solar Impulse has a wingspan of 208 feet but weighs less than an average car. It’s lightweight design obviously limits when and where the plane can fly, but designers intended it to be a demonstration of its ability to gather and use solar power for flight, even after the sun goes down. Flying for 10 years now, it made the world’s first solar 26-hour day and night flight in 2010, and last year, completed its first intercontinental flight connecting Europe to Africa. Ultimately, the designers want to fly around the world in it, hopefully, in 2015.

Solar

Wind Turbine without Blades Debuts at Dutch University

John Davis

EWICON1A university in the Netherlands debuts a wind turbine without blades, which means it produces no noise nor even casts any moving shadows.

The Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo recently installed the EWICON, or Electrostatic WInd energy CONvertor, which turns wind energy in electrical power without moving parts at the Delft University of Technology:

The Ewicon can be installed on land or sea, and can also be integrated in the roof of a tall building. The principle is as follows: Using high voltage, electrically charged droplets of water are produced in the horizontal elements. At the same time these horizontal elements, which are electrodes, generate an electric field. As the wind forces the electrically charged droplets against this electric field towards the earth, the converter is charged to DC.

This video also explains how the concept works:

This new type of wind turbine might be especially welcome in urban areas, where some opponents have complained about the noise and the repetitive shadows a traditional turbine casts.

Research, University, Video, Wind

Biodiesel Giant REG Inks Deal for Fuel Tax Software

John Davis

reg-logoThe nation’s largest biodiesel maker, Ames, Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group (REG), signed a multi-year deal with energy industry software and services company FuelQuest Inc. Biodiesel Magazine reports the deal will give REG a more accurate, transparent and agile way to calculate fuel taxes on invoices:

“Our business is growing quickly across North America,” said Jonathon Schwebach, senior manager of tax at REG. “With Zytax Determination integrated into our JD Edwards back office, we expect to achieve efficient automation of tax calculations for all of our fuel transaction invoices, which will also reduce tax accounting and support costs within the organization. Zytax Determination will allow us to scale with confidence, meeting the expectations of our customers as a reliable supplier providing accurate invoices and a seamless customer experience.”

FuelQuest Zytax Determination automates the identification and calculation of taxes for fuel, including petroleum products, natural gas, biodiesel and other products. A leading cause of inaccurate fuel invoices is incorrect tax calculations, which leads to higher internal processing and support costs as well as increased levels of customer dissatisfaction.

Phil Fraher, COO and CFO of FuelQuest [says,] “Fuel taxes are highly complex and continuously evolving. Automating tax calculations with Zytax Determination software that tracks and applies rates and rules for all major jurisdictions is the only way to achieve operational scale and reduce risk.”

The article goes on to say that Zytax Determination will give biodiesel makers more financial control, more reliable and trusted invoicing, and streamlines complex and changing tax rates and rules.

Biodiesel, REG

Purdue Study: Indiana, Midwest Open to Wind Energy

John Davis

Purdue University College of Agriculture funded studies shows Hoosiers, and possibly by extension, Midwesterners, are pretty receptive to wind energy. This school news release says that can even be true for areas that might have rejected wind turbine development:

prokopy1Linda Prokopy, an associate professor of natural resources planning, said much of the research on attitudes toward wind energy and wind farms has focused on coastal states and the reasons people don’t want turbines in their communities. She and Kate Mulvaney, a former graduate student, wanted to know how people in the Midwest feel about having wind farms in their communities and the factors that led some places to embrace or reject them.

Prokopy and Mulvaney published two studies on their results in the journals Energy Policy and Environmental Management. One focused on Benton County, Indiana, which has embraced wind farms. The other study compared Benton County with two other Indiana counties – Boone County, which rejected wind farm development, and Tippecanoe County, which at the time was still considering wind farms. The researchers conducted surveys and interviews and studied local newspaper articles on wind energy.

“We found that there is not a lot of opposition from the people in the Midwest,” Prokopy said. “And there are not a lot of perceived negative impacts from people who have or live near wind turbines.”

The survey found that more than 80 percent of respondents said they either supported wind farms in their counties or supported them with reservations. Those most opposed to wind turbines seemed to be those who worked in big cities, such as Indianapolis, but lived in rural areas. They were small in number but loud in opposition.

Research, University, Wind

Wind Energy to Create Boon for Carbon Fiber Industry

John Davis

Sancton Hill Wind Farm UK Photo Credit: Arnold UnderwoodBig gains in the wind energy industry will lead to gains in the carbon fiber industry. A new report from GBI Research shows that, globally, demand for carbon fiber, a technology making gains as a lighter, stronger alternative to current wind blade materials will nearly triple in the next few years:

[Global] carbon fiber demand will hit 153,700 tons in 2020, climbing from 52,500 tons in 2012 – a massive increase of 193% in just eight years.

Wind energy – a vital segment of the rapidly expanding renewable energy market – will be the key driver of the carbon fiber industry, says GBI Research. Currently, wind turbine blades constructed from Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) dominate the industry landscape, but due to their greater rigidity, lower weight and reduced cost, producers are making the move to carbon fiber alternatives.

Considering this shift in manufacturing materials, combined with the increasing deployment of wind farms across the world, GBI Research forecasts carbon fiber demand for the wind energy industry to jump from 12,270 tons in 2011 to 67,400 tons in 2020, making it the single largest carbon fiber end user segment by some margin.

Aircraft manufacturers are also expected to help drive the uptick in carbon fiber demand, with the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner a couple of the biggest users.

Read the report here.

Wind

Report: Iowa Biodiesel Sales Triple In 2 Years

Joanna Schroeder

Biodiesel Pump Photo Joanna SchroederAccording to a new report from the Iowa Department of Revenue (DOR), the total amount of biodiesel blended into diesel in Iowa has more than tripled from 7.4 million gallons in 2010 to 23.3 million gallons in 2012.

The report also shows that biodiesel’s market penetration has also made great strides, with biodiesel now blended in 42.6 percent of all Iowa diesel sales, an increase of more than 10 percent since 2010. Of those sales, the average biodiesel content has more than doubled since 2010 from 3.1 percent to an 8.1 percent blend of biodiesel.

“Based on the data, it’s obvious that both retailers and consumers are realizing the benefits of biodiesel, and that’s a win for Iowa,” said IRFA Communications Director T.J. Page. “Taking into account the switch in the state’s retailer tax credit from being applied to a 2 percent biodiesel blend to a 5 percent biodiesel blend and the continued support of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), I expect biodiesel sales to continue on this upward trajectory and grow dramatically in the coming years.”

Randy Olson, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board also noted that biodiesel has room for growth for on-farm usage. Just 30 percent of distributors, he says, reported carry biodiesel.

“We’re encouraging our state’s farmers to demand biodiesel as they head into spring planting, and we believe distributors will respond to their customers,” Olson said.  “Economic research shows soybean, corn, livestock and hog farmers all stand to gain from biodiesel production.  It is in their best interest to use their own product.”

To view the entire Iowa Department of Revenue report, please click here.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, Iowa RFA

Illinois Soybean Assn. Gets Pumped Up for Biodiesel

John Davis

Get+Pumped+Up+VideoThe Illinois Soybean Association’s checkoff-funded campaign touting the benefits of biodiesel is getting ready to make its next stop at a major petroleum tradeshow. Started in early February, ISA’s “Get Pumped Up!” On Biodiesel campaign goes to Indianapolis, Ind., for the Midwest Petroleum and Convenience Tradeshow (M-PACT), April 16-18th:

“A strong and growing biodiesel industry strengthens the Illinois soybean industry and the state’s economy,” says Lyle Wessel, soybean farmer from Waterloo, Ill., and ISA director. “Biodiesel’s environmental and cost benefits are central to ISA’s effort to get diesel drivers excited to fill up with this accessible, renewable fuel.”

ISA’s “Get Pumped Up!” On Biodiesel campaign debuted at the Mid-West Trucker and Trailer Show in Peoria, Ill., in early February. The campaign features a tradeshow display with an original animated video and an educational brochure customizable for the different segments of biodiesel customers. Visitors also receive a complimentary “Get Pumped Up!” hand gripper for completing a short survey about biodiesel use.

Aside from the economic value of production, the campaign touts biodiesel’s reliability, cost-efficiency and sustainability. Compared to petroleum diesel, biodiesel reduces greenhouse gases by more than 50 percent. Biodiesel blends are approved by most modern OEM automakers.

ISA points out that its state sells more biodiesel than any other state. Check out the YouTube video below.

Biodiesel, Soybeans, Video

Bioenergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFKatirina Tracy is stepping down as Chief Operating Officer of Cima Green LLC and into a new role as Senior Director of Sales and Operations. While highly effective as Chief Operating Officer over the last three years, this change in roles drives the organization’s new strategy towards greater market focus
  • SolarCity has been added to the Russell 200 (R) Russell 3000(R), and Russell Global(R) Indexes. Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for both passive and active investment strategies.
  • Peder Holk Nielsen has officially taken over as President & CEO of Novozymes. Peder Holk Nielsen takes over as CEO from Steen Riisgaard, who steps down after 12 years in the company’s top post and 33 years in Novozymes and Novo Industri/Novo Nordisk.
  • SCS Global Services is expanding its biofuel certification services in Southeast Asia. The third-party environmental certification body will now conduct audits under the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) program, which will allow biofuel producers in Southeast Asia to meet the requirements for export into the European Union under the EU Renewable Energy Directive.
Bioenergy Bytes

Ethanol’s Enviro Benefits Keep on Growing

Joanna Schroeder

FossilThe National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has developed a comparison of the environmental impacts of ethanol and petroleum as transportation fuels. Using scientific data, the side-by-side comparison examines a wide array of environmental factors. Most know today that petroleum, made from oil, is not “renewable”. Created over millions of years, it will takes thousands of years for more oil to be developed. However, ethanol made from corn is renewable, with each new crop, a new crop of ethanol can be produced.

Here are some other key highlights of NCGA’s comparison:

  • Ethanol is a tiny single substance that is non-toxic. Petroleum is a mixture of hundreds of different molecules and is toxic to biological organisms.
  • Corn used for ethanol in the United States is grown on approximately five percent of our nation’s cropland. For perspective, ethanol production uses less than three percent of all grain crops grown over the entire world. Petroleum is mined across the entire globe and must be extracted from deep underground. In order to collect petroleum, landscape fragmentation and the generation of toxic, hazardous and potentially radioactive waste streams often occurs.
  • Most corn-to-ethanol production facilities are located within 15 miles of the farms where the crop was produced. Since petroleum extraction happens across the globe wherever deposits can be found, it must be shipped to a facility where it can be refined.
  • Based on the results of scientific testing, the EPA considers corn starch ethanol as producing 23 percent less greenhouse gas emissions compared to making and burning gasoline from petroleum. Recent evidence shows multiple ways of producing ethanol with 50 percent or less GHG compared to gasoline production.
  • The U.S. oil and gas industry generates more solid and liquid waste than municipal, agricultural, mining and other sources combined.

NCGA says that looking at how the production of these fuels compares side-by-side, it becomes evident that ethanol is truly renewable and produced in a greener manner than its fossil fuel counterparts. Where petroleum creates reliance upon a fuel pulled from the ground and imported from abroad, ethanol improves our environment while increasing our national and energy security. Click here for the full comparison.

biofuels, corn, Environment, Ethanol, NCGA