Domestic Fuel

In his nomination of former North Dakota governor Ed Schafer as Secretary of Agriculture on Wednesday, President Bush noted his support of domestic fuel.

“Ed Schafer is the right choice to fill this post. He was a leader on agricultural issues during his eight years as the governor of North Dakota,” Bush said. “He oversaw the development of the state’s agricultural biofuels industry. He helped families recover from natural disasters — including drought, fires and floods. And he pioneered innovative programs to increase economic opportunity in rural communities.”

Schafer served as Governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000. He is nominated to replace Mike Johanns who resigned from the position last month to run for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska.

A Tennessee company will try to make biodiesel out of sludge from the Chattanooga public works and wood chips.

This story posted on Chattanooga.com says the city council has given GSL Energy Solutions the green light on a six-month, test contract:

Gerry Harstine, president, said the bio-diesel produced by the process has a higher BTU than ethanol.

Mr. Harstine said the process can produce 2,000 gallons of the fuel from 60 wet tons of sludge. The city produces about 400 wet tons per day.

If it works, the benefits for Chattanooga are two-fold: the energy produced and the sludge going into the landfill reduced.

Internet search giant Google is the largest corporate installer of solar power, and company officials say they want to use more renewables in the future.

According to this article on C|Net.com, Robyn Beavers, the director of environmental programs at Google, says they intend to use renewable energy sources for 50 megawatts of electricity for its operations by 2012:

Beavers spoke at the Conference on Clean Energy here on Monday where she outlined a number of initiatives that Google participates in aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Wind, solar, geothermal, fuel cells–you name it, we’re looking into it,” she said.

Google officials say their investment in solar will pay for itself in seven and a half years. They’ve already dropped 30 percent of their consumption from the grid.

Ethanol producer POET is working with several leading agricultural equipment manufactures to refine methods for harvesting, storing and transporting corn cobs for commercial cellulosic ethanol production.

Among them is John Deere, according to public relations manager Barry Nelson, pictured here with POET CEO Jeff Broin. “On behalf of John Deere, we’re very interested in the new technologies that will be involved with the advancement of cellulosic ethanol,” said Nelson. “We’re designing and testing machines that can harvest the crops needed for ethanol production and see potential for expanded markets for our customers as the industry develops this renewable fuel resource.”

POET is harvesting, storing, transporting and performing research on 4,000 acres of corn in South Dakota this fall in order to find the most efficient way for farmers to harvest cobs in large quantities. At a media event this week, some of the equipment was put to the test. In the photo from Poet, a John Deere 9860 STS Combine harvests co-mingled corn grain and cobs and dumps them into a Kinze Auger Wagon on the family farm of Darrin Ihnen near Hurley, S.D.

Jeff Broin says, “We are going to do something that has never been done before: produce cellulosic ethanol from corn cobs on a commercial scale. When our Emmetsburg, Iowa plant is operational in 2011, it will necessitate harvesting, storing and transporting 275,000 acres of corn cobs. The 4,000 acres we’re harvesting this fall represents the first step toward making that massive harvest achievable.”

Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen is pleased with new poll results that show Americans want renewable fuels and he’s excited about a new coalition that is working to make that happen.

Dinneen says the poll affirms what many in the industry have known for a long time “that Americans absolutely believe we need to be maximizing the use of domestically produced renewable fuels like ethanol.”

The poll commissioned by RFA found that nearly three-quarters of Americans believe we should increase our use of renewable fuels and even more (87%) think the government should support the industry’s development.

“Those are powerful numbers, particularly given the negative media attention and misinformation that has been out there about renewable fuels over the past several months,” said Dinneen. “Americans get it. Americans understand that we are in a crisis with respect to energy usage in this country and that we have to do more to promote domestic renewables like ethanol.”

To that end, the Renewable Fuels Association has joined with a number of other biofuels and agricultural organizations and companies to create the Renewable Fuels Now coalition.

“We really felt that we needed to get out there in a much more aggressive and public fashion in a coordinated way by pooling the resources of these various groups to make sure that we’re not conceding the field to those who misrepresent the facts,” said Dinneen. “We’re going to make sure that Americans, who do get it, continue to have access to the best, most timely and most accurate information about renewable fuels.”

Listen to my interview with Bob here: rfa-interview-10-30.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.6MB)

The famed ‘Crossroads of America’ could become the ‘Crossroads for American Energy’ if Duke Energy Corp. gets what it wants for Indiana. Duke Energy Chairman, President and CEO Jim Rogers outlined a plan to equip Indiana with a combination of solar, wind, water and organic energy solutions to the Economic Club of Indiana earlier today in Indianapolis.

To ensure a sustainable and secure energy future, I have two aspirations for this country – that we substantially decarbonize our energy supply in this century and that we become the world’s most energy-efficient economy. Practically speaking, the way we can begin to achieve these aspirations is to take an entirely new path – and change the way we think about and use energy in this country.

Just last week, Duke Energy issued bids for power from renewable energy sources – including sun, wind, water, organic matter and other sources. Earlier this year, we agreed to purchase energy from Indiana’s first commercial wind farm, in Benton County, beginning in the spring of 2008. We are also collaborating with Purdue University on wind-power research, and on the potential for using switch grass as a fuel combined with coal.

Duke has already requested to increase its energy savings by more than ten times with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and has also filed similar requests in the Carolinas. Duke plans to introduce similar proposals to Ohio and Kentucky within the next six months.

OGE Energy Corp. is the latest company to outline a program to harness more wind power. OG&E President and CEO Pete Delaney says the company plans to quadruple its wind power production. He announced the company also plans to be a big player in ushering in development for more wind power projects in western Oklahoma.

In a speech before the Downtown Rotary Club, Delaney also announced a major transmission line project in western Oklahoma. He said implementation of the company’s plans should give more OG&E customers the choice of being up to 100 percent “green power” users in a few years.

The investment in wind energy development could move Oklahoma from being sixth in the nation to as high as third in wind power production behind Texas and California.

Ethanol production continued to grow in July, averaging 434,000 barrels per day according to the Energy Information Administration. Ethanol demand, as calculated by the Renewable Fuels Association, also increased to 464,000 barrels per day.

To date, RFA says the U.S. is averaging 402,000 barrels per day production with average demand exceeding production at nearly 429,000 barrels per day.

There’s been a lot of debate over the use of some foods as feedstocks for biofuels. But a company in Canada might have the solution that allows those feedstocks to be made into biodiesel, while retaining the proteins that are needed for animal feeds.

This article in Canada’s Globe and Mail says BioExx employs a “cold process” that not only saves the proteins sometimes cooked away in the biodiesel process, but it’s better for the environment:

The BioExx process uses a gaseous fluorocarbon iodine derivative as the extraction medium; a combination of pressure and low heat (about 20 degrees) is used to first extract the oil and then to physically separate out the proteins in liquid form.

BioExx says its process produces almost no waste or pollutants and consumes less energy than conventional methods, making it environmentally friendly as well. Even the spent plant biomass (such as stalks or leaves) can be sold for animal feed or other products, Mr. Carl says.

BioExx has already put one small-scale commercial in Canada. Now, with the help of Calgary-based BioNex Energy Corp., the two will be building and operating plants across the country that combine seed-crushing and biodiesel production plants.

It seems ethanol is on the lips of just about every politician both nationwide and at the state level. The fuel has broken into two major motorsports arenas. Environmentalists are touting ethanol as a major player in the development of renewable fuels. Much of the credit for the industrial, political and consumer awareness of ethanol belongs to the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, and to the man who has lead the organization since it’s beginning. Executive Director Tom Slunecka says the first three years of EPIC’s operation has marked a tremendous start, and he’s confident the organization will move full steam ahead with exciting projects for 2008… just, with a new leader at the helm. Tom has announced his departure from the organization, after directing it for it’s first three years. He says he’s the kind of guy who likes step in, get things off the ground and then leave a successful opportunity open for someone else. The go-getter isn’t straying too far though. Tom will be moving into a new opportunity with one of EPIC’s members: The KL Process Design Group.

This edition features comments from interviews conducted at the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit in Washington, DC.

The “Fill up, Feel Good” podcast is available to download by subscription (see our sidebar link) or you can listen to it by clicking here (5:30 MP3 File): epic-podcast-10-30-07.mp3

The Fill Up, Feel Good theme music is “Tribute to Joe Satriani” by Alan Renkl, thanks to the Podsafe Music Network.

“Fill up, Feel Good” is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.2MB)

It took a lot longer than anticipated, but lawmakers in Wisconsin have finally reached agreement on that state’s budget… and the Wisconsin Biodiesel Association (WBA) says its $26 million renewable energy package will help make the state competitive in the biodiesel business.

This story in Wisconsin Ag Connection says the WBA is applauding the approval of the biodiesel measures in the bill, including biodiesel distribution incentives, a $4 million grant to develop a soybean crushing facility, and a biodiesel producers’ state income tax credit:

“We are thrilled that the Legislature has made such a significant commitment to the biodiesel industry in Wisconsin,” said John Blaska, president of the Landmark Services Cooperative Board of Directors. “Thanks to the dedication of Governor Doyle and the efforts of State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, State Rep. Brett Davis, and State Sen. Bob Jauch, we are now one significant step closer to bringing Wisconsin’s first soybean crushing facility to Evansville.”

“It is difficult to envision a more concrete example of the way in which Governor Doyle’s pursuit of a renewable energy bio-industry could create more positive economic impact for the state,” said Jeff Pieterick, president of the Wisconsin Biodiesel Association. “The passage of this renewable energy package provides substantial infrastructure that supports the bottom line for agricultural producers throughout Wisconsin.”

The Indiana State Museum will have a new exhibit in 2009 titled, “Corn: Powering the World.”

The exhibit will showcase all things corn — demonstrating how this versatile crop feeds and fuels the world’s population. Opening at the Indianapolis museum in August 2009, the exhibit will continue through January 2010 before traveling to other venues nationwide.

Visitors will be able to view archeological artifacts, discover how popcorn pops and calculate how much corn it takes to power an Indy racecar. A modern lab built into the exhibit will allow visitors to experience genetic engineering first-hand.

Barry Dressel, museum president & CEO, made the announcement last week in conjunction with the annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.

The exhibit is presented by Dow AgroSciences through the Dow Chemical Company Foundation and Ford Motor Company, with contributing national support from Case IH and National Starch Food Innovation.

The Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, a department of the U.S. Army, is working with executives from Chevron Technology Ventures and the Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center to see how the military could use hydrogen fuel technology and how the technology operates in a real-world setting. The joint-project will take place at the Selfridge Air National Guard (SANG) Base in Michigan, which is home to a state-of-the-art hydrogen energy station evaluation and demonstration program.

Through Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA), the U.S. Army, CTV and Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center collaborated to implement this cold weather test site for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Controlled Hydrogen Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Program.

This is the fifth hydrogen demonstration station commissioned by Chevron Technology Ventures. Other stations are located in California and Florida, and fuel buses and automobiles used in real-world applications. Each Chevron Hydrogen energy station features a different production technology so that project participants can assess and determine the benefits of various production systems.

VeraSun Energy Corporation has announced the startup of its fifth production facility located near Albion, Neb.

According to a company release, the Albion facility is expected to produce approximately 110 million-gallons-per-year and is one of three biorefineries VeraSun purchased from ASAlliances Biofuels, LLC in August.

Along with sister facilities in Aurora, S.D., Fort Dodge and Charles City, Iowa, and Linden, Ind., the Albion facility is the third VeraSun plant to come on-line in 2007, bringing the company’s total operating capacity to approximately 560MMGY. Charles City began operations in April of this year followed by the Linden facility in late July. VeraSun also has three additional production facilities under construction in Hartley, Iowa; Welcome, Minn., and Bloomingburg, Ohio, and one under development in Reynolds, Ind.

The biofuels boom is leaving out a big piece of the consumer pie: mid-level consumers. Well, that’s what Pacific Natural Energy believes. PNE also believes it has the perfect “pie filling.” The energy company has introduced it’s BioBox Mobile Processor as the perfect, viable biodiesel solution for the middle men.

Everyone’s heard of the avid garage-based hobbyist brewing a biodiesel concoction to fuel his car. And it’s old news that oil conglomerates are investing in big biodiesel factories. Yet both approaches forget the largest segment for rapid expansion of biodiesel production and usage, the mid-market producer/user. That’s why most national restaurant chains haven’t jumped aboard the renewable-energy bandwagon and embraced biodiesel technologies – until now.

Recognizing a need for a more manageable and realistic approach to biodiesel production, the Los Angeles-based Pacific Natural Energy (PNE) has created the BioBox, a mobile processing plant that turns waste vegetable oil into high-quality biodiesel. Able to be located at or near the source of waste, the BioBox is the most efficient, functional mobile biodiesel processing unit made in America. Pacific Natural Energy is the only company offering a total turn-key solution that comes installed in cargo containers for the storage of methanol, waste vegetable oil and refined biodiesel. With the BioBox, those affiliated with waste, recycling and the restaurant industry finally have a way to make biodiesel.

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