Domestic Fuel

At the same time Florida was hosting the third Cellulosic Ethanol Summit in Coral Gables this week, U.S. Sugar announced an agreement with Coskata to explore building a 100 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol facility in Clewiston, Florida. The facility would be the world’s largest second generation ethanol facility, converting left-over sugar cane material into ethanol.

That is great news for the relatively young Florida Biofuels Association, which helped to host the summit in south Florida.

“We launched in May of 2007 so we are a pretty new organization,” said FBA Executive Director Dana Weber. “We’re focused primarily on a sustainable, clean and safe biofuels sector here in Florida.”

Weber says Florida has an extremely positive environment for biofuels growth. “We’ve got a very aggressive governor who has put some pretty strong policies in place with regards to climate change and alternative energy.”

You can listen to an interview with Dana Weber here:
cell-summit-08-weber.mp3

See photos from the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.0MB)

According to the China Economic Net, the global vehicle manufacturers are committed to increasing the economical efficiency of the existing fuel and developing the alternative energy. They are practicing the new energy system strategy further. Against this background, more and more new energy vehicles with commercial outlook have gone beyond the laboratory stage and are stepping into the commercialization rapidly. The flexible fuel vehicles are one of the products which are developing fast.

At the “China International Conference on bio-fuels” on the 20th of October, GM revealed that they would explore the commercial feasibility of non-grain ethanol. That means GM is seeking the feasibility of developing the Chinese market for such flexible fuel vehicles and preparing for that now. Mr Chen Shi, Vice President of GM in Chinese branch said that among a variety of ways, the bio-fuel was the most feasible approach for new energy vehicles.

A $740,000 grant has been given to Ames, Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group Inc. to fund staff for a new state-of-the-art biodiesel research and feedstock commercialization lab at the company’s headquarters.

This story in Biodiesel Magazine says the announcement of the Iowa Power Fund money was made by Iowa Gov. Chet Culver and Iowa’s Office of Energy Independence Executive Director Roya Stanley:

The grant awarded to REG’s lab will help Iowa move closer to energy independence through partnerships with business and industry, community leaders, government and public agencies, and other stakeholders. “As governor, I have long been committed to building on Iowa’s strengths in renewable energy,” Culver said. “These Power Fund grants will help keep Iowa on the forefront of the green energy revolution.”

“REG has been at the forefront of the biodiesel industry’s quality and feedstock research for more than a decade,” said REG’s Chief Operating Officer Daniel Oh. “This grant will further help REG research how to better understand and utilize alternative feedstocks, challenges in fuel handling due to biodiesel’s emission-reducing moisture levels, and the need for continued advancement in fuel purity.”

Construction on the new lab, which will employ staff from up to 15 companies in Iowa, is expected to be completed next spring.

Don’t know what to do with the used cooking oil leftover from frying your turkey for Thanksgiving? The folks in Fort Collins, Colorado will be able to turn their used oil into clean-burning biodiesel.

This story in The Coloradoan has details:

The city of Fort Collins and Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprises, or RMSE, are having its second annual Holiday recycOil event to help residents recycle waste fryer oil after Thanksgiving. This will divert hundreds of gallons of waste vegetable oil from municipal sewer systems and landfills. So take that leftover vegetable oil to our one-day collection event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 29 at the city’s Rivendell Recycling Facility, 1702 Riverside Drive. The oil will be used to manufacture biodiesel.

Bring your used vegetable oil in a sealable container, such as the original oil jug, a coffee can, etc. At the collection site, you’ll be asked to pour the oil into the recycOil barrel and take your container back home to be reused. Last year, 375 gallons were collected from city residents at the event.

More information is available at fcgov.com/recycling/.

Members of the National Biodiesel Board, the industry’s coordinating and research association, has elected some new members and re-elected some of their previous leaders to make the group a true representation of the diversity of the group.

This press release from the NBB says Doug Smith of Baker Commodities, and David Lyons of Louis Dreyfus Commodities, are new to the board:

“I feel honored to serve on the governing board representing the rendering industry,” Smith said. “I bring the perspective of using animal fats and recycled greases as feedstocks as the board increasingly focuses on diversification. Baker can also help bridge any gaps between the two industries, and share their policy development resources.” Based in Los Angeles, Baker Commodities is an international company that sells fats and oils into biodiesel production streams, or for other uses.

“Louis Dreyfus is committed to the production of biodiesel,” said Lyons of Louis Dreyfus, who represents the company in Washington, D.C. “In ways, it’s a challenging time for the industry and we feel we can help the industry move forward through bringing forth the concerns of a production facility.” Louis Dreyfus is a worldwide merchant of agricultural and energy commodities. Its biodiesel plant in Indiana combines soybean crushing and biodiesel production facilities.

Appleton, Minnesota soybean farmer Ed Hegland was re-elected to chair the board, serving his second term after first being elected to the NBB in 2005.

“The diverse makeup of the governing board is a show of unity as the biodiesel industry continues to demonstrate that it is a sustainable, viable part of meeting the nation’s energy needs,” Hegland said.

Gary Haer, of Renewable Energy Group, Inc., in Ames, Iowa was re-elected vice-chair; Jim Conway from Griffin Industries in Cold Spring, Ky. was tapped for another term as secretary; and Ed Ulch with the Iowa Soybean Association was re-elected treasurer during the elections held this week at the NBB fall board meeting in St. Louis, Mo.

The Pontiac G6 will soon be E85 compatible. According to Automobilemag.com, among other changes, the model will soon be flexible fuel.

Upgrades to the current G6 will include a sportier front and rear fascias, inspired by the G8 design, a reimaging on the interior, and a better integration of the various entertainment and comfort options.

The G6 coupe will also have the option of receiving the four-cylinder 164 hp 2.4-liter Ecotec engine. The Ecotec engine provides improved fuel efficiency of 33 mpg. An E85-capable engine will also be offered in areas where the fuel is readily available. Still offered for the G6 is the optional 222-hp 3.9-liter V-6 for the G6 convertible as well as the standard 252-hp 3.6-liter V-6 for all GXP models.

“The G6 has always been one of our most important vehicles and has been Pontiac’s number-one seller since it was launched in 2004,” said Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. “As the most complete family of mid-size vehicles available in the marketplace, the new enhancements for 2009 will further solidify the G6′s reputation for sporty style and handling without sacrificing value and fuel efficiency.”

Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer spoke to the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit Wednesday in Florida and outlined all the advancements being made in biofuels and the potential for the industry in the future. “Nobody is talking about us going backward,” Schafer said, then quickly corrected himself, saying “almost nobody,” noting that the Grocery Manufacturers Association and some others would like to see the industry move backward.

Speaking to members of the media after his speech, Schafer said the group that held a press conference yesterday calling for an end to ethanol subsidies “stood up there with no credibility whatsoever,” when they claimed that it will take 18-24 months for the lower commodity prices to bring food prices back down. “I just think that they are totally off base,” Schafer said. “They are trying to justify the increased cost and increased profits that they’re making at the expense of another industry and that’s just not appropriate.”

Schafer left the summit for Brazil to lead the U.S. delegation at an International Conference on Biofuels in Sao Paulo this week. “Seventy-five countries are going to be there,” Schafer said. “Our effort is to come together between the US and Brazil as the world’s two leading biofuels producers and look at regional and global approaches to bioenergy.”

Schafer also announced at the conference that applications are now being accepted for loan guarantees under the Biorefinery Assistance Program of the 2008 Farm Bill. The Biorefinery Assistance Program is designed to promote the development of new and emerging technologies for the production of advanced biofuels.

You can listen to some of Secretary Schafer’s comments to the press here:
cell-summit-08-schafer-press.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.5MB)

Militaries and defense industries the world over must look to using alternative fuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol… that according to an oil advisory group expert.

In this article in Jane’s Defence Weekly, the world’s leading military publication, quotes Julius Pretterebner, director of Cambridge Energy Research Associates’ (CERA’s) Global Oil advisory group:

Pretterebner added that industries need to look beyond current alternative hydrocarbon fuels – including ethanol and biodiesel and fuels that are produced from the Fischer-Tropsch process – in order to find a solution that works effectively.

“But I have doubts whether militaries and the defence industries are doing enough to evaluate the potential fuels and different synthetics,” he said. “Not every fuel must be a hydrocarbon fuel. We should expect that fuels other than oil will provide the transport energy of the future.”

One example Pretterebner points to is hydrogen poly silicon… a promising fuel alternative that can be produced from sand, sun and water, and making it free of carbon dioxide.

Renewable energy sources are important to the U.S., especially during the upcoming period of holiday travel.

President George W. Bush was at the U.S. Department of Transportation today, talking about how his administration will step up efforts to ease holiday travel woes this year. While at the DOT, Bush praised the good biodiesel and ethanol are doing for fuel supplies:

By dramatically boosting our output of clean-burning biodiesel and ethanol, providing tax credits for the purchase of low-emission hybrid vehicles, and investing in technologies like advanced batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, the department can be proud of the ways in which we have made America’s transportation system safer, cleaner, and more effective.

The ethanol industry wasted no time fighting back today against another attack by the food industry to blame higher prices on ethanol production.

The newly-formed Growth Energy called on the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) to “discontinue its deceptive attacks on the government’s investment in ethanol and other renewable fuels.” Growth Energy held a press conference shortly after the group “Food Before Fuel,” which is back by GMA, held a press conference calling for an end to all ethanol “subsidies.”

Growth Energy members in turn pointed out that the food companies themselves have been the beneficiary of subsidies, such as the $55 billion being spent this year on federal food assistance programs. “The federal government has an important role in supporting programs that promote the common good,” said Dave Vander Griend, President & CEO of ICM, Inc. and board member of Growth Energy. “Whether by funding anti-poverty programs like food stamps or championing renewable energy that will jumpstart our green economy and create jobs, we believe that it is good public policy to make smart investments for our nation’s future.”

The “Food Before Fuel” group called the press conference today as the “30th anniversary of ethanol subsidies” and referred to ethanol as “30-year-old under employed child” living in our basement. During the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit in Florida, Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen said, “It’s a cute analogy but the problem is there’s somebody else living in that house and it’s the 120-year-old oil industry that continues to be subsidized,” as well as other energy industries. “There is not a single energy market today that is not heavily subsidized by the government because energy is so darn important to every nation’s economy.”

The National Corn Growers Association was outraged by the attack, which was focused only on corn ethanol. “These same ethanol critics are the ones who virtually promised to reduce food prices immediately, and have failed to do so, even though corn prices and energy prices are down by more than half in the last few weeks,” National Corn Growers Association president Bob Dickey said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reminded the petroleum industry that next year’s renewable fuel standard (RFS) is being stepped up, and the industry must be ready to comply.

This press release from the EPA says the 2009 RFS will be 10.21 percent to ensure that at least 11.1 billion gallons of renewable fuels will be blended into the transportation gasoline supply… just a fraction of what the RFS will be in the years to come:

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) established the annual overall renewable fuel volume targets, reaching a level of 36 billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, EPA calculates a percentage-based standard by November 30 for the following year. Based on the standard, each refiner, importer and non-oxygenate blender of gasoline determines the minimum volume of renewable fuel that it must ensure is used in motor vehicle fuel. The 2008 standard was 7.76 percent, equating to roughly 9 billion gallons.

The National Biodiesel Board is praising the move that is expected to produce 500 million gallons of biomass-based diesel, which prominently includes biodiesel, to meet the 11 billion-gallon goal:

Joe Jobe, the CEO of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) applauded the EPA for their diligence to ensure that obligated parties would be required to use 500 million gallons of biomass-based diesel to meet these requirements. “Biodiesel is a proven alternative that is ready now; with the highest energy balance of any renewable fuel, its growing economic impact of creating new ‘green’ jobs and an alternative that brings the U.S. closer to energy independence, biodiesel is the logical renewable fuel to look towards in the future,” Jobe stated. “Not to mention its environmental impact is significantly lower than any other fuel on the marketplace today.”

The EPA also is reminding those affected that they need to get the necessary Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) representing biodiesel and renewable diesel in 2009 in preparation for their 2010 compliance demonstration.

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson believes that Florida can be a leader in the production of cellulosic ethanol.

“Because of the amount of sunshine, water and year-round growth that we have for cellulose potential, I think Florida can lead the nation in this process,” Bronson said during the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit on Tuesday. Bronson was the keynote speaker at the event and he talked about a few of the crops Florida can grow for energy. “Energy cane is going to be one, sweet sorghum is going to be another,” Bronson said. “I really envision this as a second and third crop on pieces of ground that only one crop a year is being grown.”

As a cattle rancher by background, Bronson says he disagrees with some of his friends in the cattle industry. “They think that corn production is all being used up in the fuel, but it’s not,” Bronson said. “We’re producing more corn today than ever before in the United States so there is still plenty of corn left for humans and animals.”

Bronson stressed the need to keep moving toward renewable, alternative energy fuels and not become complacent now that gas prices have dropped. “We cannot allow for the development of new alternative energy to fall down, we have to keep it going,” he said.

You can listen to my interview with Commissioner Bronson here:
cell-summit-08-bronson.mp3

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

President Elect Obama has vowed that half of all ‘cars purchased by the federal government will be plug-in hybrids or all-electric by 2012′. These vehicles may likely include E85 compatible models.

According to EV World, the base engine could be an E85/gasoline version of a small I-4, similar to the 100 bhp unit in the Chevrolet Volt. The optional more powerful engine might be a turbocharged version of the same engine, producing some 150 bhp on gasoline and 180 bhp on E85. Perhaps surprisingly, the more powerful engine should use less E85 than the base engine when cruising because it will have properly implemented flexible fuelling, unlike most other systems claimed to be optimal.

General Motors debuted the Volt in September and touts that it delivers up to 40 miles of gasoline- and emissions-free electric driving, with the extended-range capability of hundreds of additional miles. It will be available in 2010.

The third annual Cellulosic Ethanol Summit is underway in Coral Gables, Florida this week. Summit chairman and Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen kicked off the event on Tuesday morning.

It is the first time the summit has been held outside of Washington DC and one of the reasons Florida was picked is because the state has become a leading supporter of the biofuels industry. The first speaker at the summit, Jeremy Susac, Executive Director of the Florida Energy & Climate Commission, discussed some of the initiatives Florida has put in place to promote the development of biofuels, including a Renewable Fuels Standard for the state.

“We have an E10 standard by 2010,” said Susac. “Another initiative that we are very proud of is the Department of Agriculture’s Farm to Fuel to stimulate the agriculture community to grow our fuels, fuel out cars, enhance our economy and strengthen our energy security.”

Susac says some of the most promising biofuels feedstocks for Florida include bagasse from sugar production, citrus peels, energy cane and sweet sorghum.

You can listen to my interview with Jeremy Susac here:
cell-summit-jeremy-edit.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.7MB)

The Governator wants his state to get more of its energy from renewable sources.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has issued an executive order that ups his state’s renewable energy goal from 20 percent by 2010 to a full one-third by 2020. His press release has details:

“I am proposing we set the most aggressive target in the nation for renewable energy-33 percent by the year 2020-that’s a third of our energy from sources like solar, wind and geothermal,” Governor Schwarzenegger said. “But we won’t meet that goal doing business as usual, where environmental regulations are holding up environmental progress in some cases. This executive order will clear the red tape for renewable projects and streamline the permitting and siting of new plants and transmission lines. With this investment in renewable energy projects, California has a bright energy future ahead that will help us fight climate change while driving our state’s green economy.”

The Governor made today’s announcement at the site of OptiSolar’s new plant in Sacramento, which will begin manufacturing solar panels in early 2009. When fully built out, the one-million-square-foot plant will be the largest photovoltaic solar panel manufacturing plant in North America, providing 1,000 green jobs and producing approximately 2,000 solar panels per day.

Schwarzenegger says he’ll need to propose new legislation to make the new standard a reality while also putting in safeguards for low-income customers.