JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. has announced that it has supplied solar PV modules to CSEM-uae, an independent, non-profit Swiss-UAE joint venture company for applied research. The modules will be used for CSEM’s Solar Outdoor Laboratory, an R&D and innovation center for renewable energy in Ras al-Khaimah, UAE. Located in the northern Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah and built to develop and …
Idle Nebraska Biodiesel Plant Looks to Start in 2015
A Nebraska biodiesel plant originally completed in 2007 but never opened could see new life next year. According to this story from the Beatrice (NE) Daily Sun, the new owners, Duonix Beatrice, a joint venture between Flint Hills Resources, which is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc., and Benefuel, Inc., have spent the last couple of years renovating the 50-million-gallons-per-year …
New Study: Corn Ethanol Reduces GHG Emissions
According to a new study, that compared the greenhouse gas emission reductions of corn ethanol and those of crude oil production and fracking, corn ethanol’s carbon intensity is declining while the carbon intensity of petroleum is increasing. The study was conducted by Life Cycle Associates and found that the carbon impacts associated with crude oil production continue to worsen as …
Lignol Ups Ownership of Territory Biofuels to 100%
Canada-based Lignol Energy Corp. is taking 100 percent control of Australia’s largest biodiesel producer, Territory Biofuels Ltd. (TBF). This article from Biodiesel Magazine says Lignol already had a controlling stake (55 percent) in the 37-million-gallon refinery. TBF owns a large-scale biorefining facility located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, which includes a Lurgi-designed biodiesel plant and the largest glycerin refinery in …
Biodiesel Advocate Slams EPA at Ethanol’s Expense
A former Texas congressman is saying the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) got it wrong in its latest proposal on cutting back on the amount of biodiesel to be blended into the Nation’s fuel supply. But in this opinion piece from The Hill, former Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Silvestre Reyes, seems to toss fellow green fuel ethanol under …
Ethanol Celebrates Six Years of RFS
Six years ago today, President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), which greatly expanded Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to become the RFS2. The goals of the new standard were to reduce our dependence on oil, confront global climate change, and expand production of renewable fuels for the security of future generations. …
RFS is Working… Why Are We Here?
So the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) should certainly be considered a success since it is doing many of the things it was projected to do: – A capacity that is greater than 10 percent of the total fuel supply (that amount was expected right in the original bill) – An alternative to foreign-based fuels – A growing renewable fuels industry …
Branstad Makes Impassioned Plea for RFS
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad made an impassioned plea in favor of the current Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and showed no love for what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing for reducing the amount of ethanol and biodiesel to be put into gasoline as originally mandated in the 2007 law. “After decades of efforts to reduce our dependency on foreign …
ACE to Testify in Support of RFS at EPA Hearing
Brian Jennings, executive vice president for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), along with ACE officials and members will be testifying against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard rule during the EPA’s public hearing in Crystal City, Virginia on December 5th. Jennings says ACE’s Washington D.C. advisor Jonathon Lehman and Bruce Vollan, owner of Vollan Oil …
Genscape Invokes NASA for Updated Corn Yield Forecast
As the federal government and its agencies begin to ramp up from a mandated furlough, Genscape is filling the gap by using NASA satellite data. The company has released an updated October corn yield forecast of 13.3 billion bushels. The company has noted that other analysts, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), have wide gaps in their predictions ranging …