Domestic Fuel

America’s first eco-sustainable city is taking its first steps toward sustainable energy.

Destiny, Florida, as you might remember from my February 27, 2009 Domestic Fuel podcast, is a 41,000-acre community founded in 2005 in South Central Florida. Among the city’s eco-friendly features is The Sustainable Energy Farm that produces power from biodiesel, ethanol, solar and wind sources for companies that contribute to sustainable industries, such as building solar panels. Officials hope that one day, the city will have 16,000 green tech jobs. That energy park recently got a green boost when some sustainable feedstock sources… including jatropha, camelina, and new hybrids of sweet sorghum… were planted for study of the next generation of renewable and alternative fuel sources. This press release has details:

Several varieties of sweet sorghum were donated by Global Renewable Energy, and planted by Everglades Farm Equipment with the self-steering, precision guidance Autotrac system, which enables crops to be planted more efficiently, waste less seed, and fertilize more accurately. A new drip fertigation system, designed to reduce water waste, will be overseen by Treasure Coast Irrigation. The camelina, a new potential candidate in the biofuel market, and jatropha were planted by Bio Greens Oils USA.

To determine the validity of these crops as future fuels, scientists at the University of Florida will research yields per acre, water and fertilizer consumption, different harvesting techniques, and suitability to the Central Florida climate.

Officials say that Destiny is in the “sweet spot” for biomass production with long-growing seasons and large tracks of land for fields of these new feedstocks. We’ll keep tracking the success of the city and let you know how things go.

Today’s Earth Day Celebration is brought to you in part by the book, “Green Hell” written by Steve Milloy. I’ve never met or spoken to the man, but I can presume that he is not a celebrator of Earth Day since his entire book is dedicated to stopping the “greens.” The premise of his book is to educate the public on how environmentalists are trying to control our lives and what we can do to stop them. He writes, “While it is beyond the scope of this book to debunk the scientific claims of global warmists, we’ll take a brief moment here to note the fatal flaw of global warming alarmism: there is no scientific evidence indicating that carbon dioxide, much less man made carbon dioxide emissions, control or even measurably impact global climate.”

Milloy demonstrates the evils of the environmental movement by highlighting the extreme environmental “wackos” such as biologist Paul Ehrlich who has “railed against consumption virtually as a crime against humanity.” Even as a self-proclaimed lazy environmentalist, I think Ehrlich and some of his pals have gone off the deep end. But that being said, Milloy does have some valid points, especially when he talks about next generation transportation fuels. He speaks about how environmentalists are promoting “biofuels” but at the same time are lobbying against them. “Looking closer, we find that greens display their typical schizophrenic attitude towards ethanol. Even while touting is supposed superiority to gasoline, greens denounce ethanol for the environmental damage it causes.”

One of two things will happen if you read this book, you’re either going to agree wholeheartedly with him (many do) or you’re going to become even more passionate about saving the planet. But I think the real lesson to be learned is that moderation (nothing is perfect) is the key – we shouldn’t have to ruin our lives and those things we hold dear while still “doing right” for the planet.

You can buy “Green Hell” or any book I review here, and Happy Earth Day to everyone.

Eos Estate Winery, based in the California Central Coast wine country, is one of the first energy-sustainable wine brands in the U.S. The winery has successfully adopted a “trifecta of solar energy solutions” to meet its energy needs. Eos Estate Winery utilizes three solar energy systems that include a 504 kWp photovoltaic (PV) tracking system which spans two acres, a 36 kWp, 204-panel fixed-tilt PV system to power the winery’s popular visitor center and a 100-panel roof-mounted solar thermal system that provides the winery’s heating needs. The solar panels were all provided by Hamburg, Germany based Conergy, which also has U.S. offices in Dever, Colorado.

In a statement released today, Jeff Hopmayer, the owner of Eos Estates Winery commented about his decision to incorporate solar energy into his business. “Our primary motivator was to produce wines in a way that honors this beautiful coastal area and respects the environment. Conergy’s solutions enable Eos to optimize power generation throughout the day, avoiding the hours of shading confronted by standard systems set to peak hour production,” he noted. “These efficiencies — coupled with the government incentives associated with this project — made the economics of installing these remarkable earth-friendly systems viable,” Hopmayer said.

The winery’s environmental return on this project is expected to be substantial. According to Conergy, Eos’s solar initiatives will reduce CO2 emissions by over 21,000 tons – the equivalent of eliminating 68 million car miles from California’s freeways. The high return on investment is achieved in part by Conergy’s tracking system that is designed to maximize the winery’s daily solar energy harvest by following the sun’s trajectory from east to west. This type of system delivers up to 15% more energy than traditional fixed-mount solar technologies.

According to Conergy’s Project Developer Micheal DeSousa, “The rebates, tax incentives, accelerated depreciation, environmental benefits and brand cache that go with pursuing clean energy solutions in today’s marketplace have never been more appealing.”

Georgia has become the third state to pass a bill requiring suppliers to make available an unblended gasoline grade for marketers who want to make their own ethanol fuels. The measure awaiting the signature of Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue would require refiners to supply a straight-run gasoline for blending by July 1 this year. Refiners also would be barred from interfering with a jobber’s right to blend alcohol or claim federal tax credits on blended fuel, and would have to amend their supply contracts to delete any ban on blend sales.

The Georgia measure would require distributors who produce their own ethanol fuel to indemnify suppliers against any losses, damages or judgments resulting from the sale of any blended product. Refiners are lobbying hard to persuade Perdue to veto it. They cite trademark and contract law concerns, conflicts with federal renewable fuel requirements and interference with commercial transactions. Additionally, there may be a problem with state regs, says Ric Cobb, of the Georgia Petroleum Council.

Marketers in Georgia say they want to produce their own blended fuel from ethanol purchased at some of the new plants opening in the state and some have invested in their own production facilities.

“Wholesalers can go state-by-state passing blending rights laws, but majors just keep them tied up in court. We need something to happen on the federal level to rein in oil company opposition to renewable fuels,” says a leading Georgia jobber.

The police department in Hoover, Alabama will soon be receiving wood-based ethanol to fuel their flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs). A Livingston demonstration plant, Gulf Coast Energy, will be producing the ethanol.

About 100 gallons of wood produced E85 will be delivered to the police department, “We wanted to get there and show everybody we can do this in this country,” said Mark Warner, the chief executive of Gulf Coast Energy, the plant operator. He also said that this is the first time municipal wood waste has been transformed into a liquid fuel.

Gulf Coast Energy, Inc. was founded with the intention and mission to “change the world,” through the manufacturing of alternative, environmentally friendly, renewable biofuels. The company states that they developed a unique approach to the manufacture of alternative fuels that takes advantage of the latest state-of-the-art modular process technology for converting biomass to ethanol and other carbon-based fuels such as diesel and possibly gasoline among others.

Officials with Green Tech America Inc. have announced that they are producing a more efficient way to produce cellulosic ethanol with a new type of yeast. According to a Purdue Research Park press release, the feedstocks involved include: wood chips, grasses and agricultural wastes like corn stalks and wheat straw. The new yeast ferments both glucose and xylose, two major types of sugar recovered from cellulosic biomass. Conventional yeasts ferment only glucose.

The yeast was developed at Purdue University by Nancy Ho (pictured), a research professor in the School of Chemical Engineering, in the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering and the Energy Center. She also is founder and president of Green Tech America.

Green Tech America, which is based in the Purdue Research Park, also received exclusive license for improvements to the new yeast to be developed by Green Tech. “We licensed the yeast so we can provide it as well as technical assistance to other companies so they can use it for their own cellulosic ethanol production,” Ho said. “We can produce the yeast more cost-effectively. It is similar to how few people will make their own bread at home because it is more convenient and less expensive to buy loaves in the supermarket.”

Ho’s research at Purdue has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research Inc., Environmental Protection Agency and industry sources.

Both houses of Congress have now introduced a bill that would give consumers more choices at the pump.

U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), and John Thune (R-SD) are all co-sponsoring the Open Fuel Standards Act, introduced this week in the Senate. A similar bill was introduced in the House last month. Versions of the Open Fuel Standard Act introduced in the 110th Congress drew substantial bipartisan support.

“The Open Fuel Standards Act is an important step toward making our nation energy independent,” said Sen. Brownback in introducing the legislation. “Giving drivers more choices at the gas pump will ultimately increase the supply of available transportation fuels, while at the same time lowering the overall cost to consumers.”

Starting in 2012, the OFS Act will require 50 percent of new automobiles be flex fuel vehicles able to operate on gasoline, ethanol, and methanol or diesel or biodiesel. Starting in 2015, that number will be raised to 80 percent.

Earth Day 2009 is ironically the final day for filing written comments with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on a proposed low-carbon fuel standard, or LCFS, that threatens to undermine the role of renewable fuels in helping the environment.

An increasing number of university professors, scientists, researchers, and industry trade organizations have registered their opposition to the controversial proposal because they say incomplete and unproven modeling is being used to penalize renewable fuels.

Among the flaws in the proposal pointed out by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) in formal comments submitted to CARB this week is that it ignores the great growth in corn production per acre, or yield, that is expected to take place in the coming decade.

“Using yield data updated only through last year, the proposal’s analysis through 2015 assumes no growth in yield,” NCGA President Bob Dickey said. “This is like assuming we will all use the same computer and same technology in 2015 that we’re now using.” With the use of new technologies which allow desirable traits and genes to be identified and deployed much more quickly, annual yield increases may average 2.5 percent or greater into the future.

“America’s corn growers are eager to play a central role in the decarbonization of transportation fuel,” Dickey concluded in the written comments. “However, if adopted as currently proposed, the standard will uniformly dissuade the production and use of all forms of biofuels that utilize land and undercut what is a tremendous opportunity to spur economic growth in agricultural communities and reduce carbon emissions with American farming.”

Written comments may still be submitted until noon pacific time today by going to the CARB website. The formal public hearing will be Thursday and Friday of this week after which a vote will be held and a ruling made.

Happy Earth Day, everybody!!

“Biodiesel makes sense on Earth Day and every day.” Those words from our friend Joe Jobe, CEO at the National Biodiesel Board, sum up how the green fuel plays an important part in our lives… not just on days like this when we recognize eco-friendly actions, but every day. Burning the 700 million gallons of biodiesel produced in this country last year is the equivalent of taking nearly one million vehicles off the road… truly a friendly fuel to our beloved Earth.

That’s why the NBB is recognizing some of the cities around the country that are using biodiesel to make a difference:

“Denver has a strong environmental and sustainability program, so we are always looking to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Carlos Guerra, Denver Public Works Facility Manager. “You add that to the escalation of oil costs and biodiesel seemed like the only responsible thing to do.”

Albuquerque – All of Albuquerque’s approximately 750 diesel vehicles began using biodiesel blends in 2004. About 45 percent of the city’s fleet boasts alternative fuel, including biodiesel.
Read the rest of this post…

Sure, they might not be cast opposite stunning starlets such as Angelina Jolie or call for their closeup after jumping off a 30-story building in a spectacular stunt, but renewable energy sources, especially biodiesel and solar, are playing a starring role in Hollywood these days.

Even the entertainment magazine Variety recognized the renewables’ walk out on the red carpet of green living:

” ‘Green’ business is good business,” according to Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Barry Meyer, who maintains that the studio’s green initiatives “are not only good for the environment, but they are beneficial to our bottom line.”

According to the studio, the use of biodiesel fuel on the upcoming Focus Features pic “Away We Go” resulted in a reduction of harmful carbon emissions.

Even Hollywood staple William Morris Agency has invested in 15 hybrid vehicles for its fleet. Let’s just hope they don’t want an agent’s cut. But, then, maybe they could get a percent of biodiesel or ethanol… just like we do in our vehicles’ fuels!.

While my friend Michelle mentioned the National Biodiesel Board’s CEO Joe Jobe winning the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute’s Golden Bullet Award during the group’s conference and expo going on in Orlando, Florida, I wanted to pass along this picture of Joe picking up the honor and what the NBB had to say about it:

“Biodiesel is just one key part of the solution to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, preserve our natural resources, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and provide sustainable energy,” said Jobe. “I am honored to be recognized, but thank the members of the biodiesel community, who are dedicated and persevering when it comes to ensuring America can produce its own fuel.”

“Joe Jobe’s leadership has been a tour de force unifier behind the national effort to bring the biodiesel industry together and advance the use of biodiesel in our nation’s fleets,” said Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute’s Director of Education and Business Programs, Kimberly Taylor. “A rising tide lifts all boats, and biodiesel’s successful growth has a ripple effect in demonstrating that alternative fuels can power the nation.”

The release goes on to point out just how rapidly the popularity of biodiesel has grown over the past decade with production jumping from just 500,000 gallons nationwide 10 years ago to 7 million gallons last year. Pretty impressive! It’s no wonder our friends at the AFVI chose to honor Joe and the entire NBB. Congratulations!

With Wall Street still not recovered from the economic downturn and banks keeping a tight hold of the credit purses’ drawstrings, the next generation of biofuels producers could have a rough time getting going and staying going.

Recently, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)… a group that represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and more than 30 other nations… gave some of its ideas on how to loosen the credit crunch. BIO’s vice president of its Industrial and Environmental Section, Brent Erickson, said that will come through the federal government’s leadership to coordinate and fund biofuel-friendly programs and help the development of the new feedstocks, transportation and delivery of products, alternative fuel distribution networks and vehicles. Joining him in this call were several of the nation’s leading biofuels companies.

During a news conference, the companies, such as Verenium, Aurora Biofuels, Abengoa Bioenergy, and Gevo, Inc… just to name a few… gave an update on how they’re doing. There was some good news and some not-so-good news with the overall tone upbeat… although most of them agreed that the tough economic times will make it impossible for the cellulosic ethanol industry to meet the government’s goal of 100 million gallons next year. But after that, they remain optimistic. In addition, many on the conference call pointed out that with a finite amount of non-renewable petroleum out there, growing demand and a growing desire to eliminate the fuels that contribute to global warming, there’s really no other choice but to develop these clean, renewable energy sources.

It was a pretty interesting conversation, and you can either go to BIO’s Web site and look up the information so you can listen to the hour-plus of the conference call… OR you can listen to our own Domestic Fuel Cast (just about 7 1/2 minutes of your busy day) where we have condensed it down to its most important points here: DFCast-4-22-09.mp3

The choice is yours. Me… I’m a busy guy. I know which one I’d choose.

You can also subscribe to the DomesticFuel Cast here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.5MB)

As the third day of the 15th national AF&V Conference and Expo in Orlando moves in, industry excellence awards were announced. Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVI) recognized outstanding leadership in the alternative fuels and vehicles industry. The awardees shown superiority in advancing the use of alternative fuels, vehicles and advanced technologies thus furthering a clean air initiative.

According to a press release from AFVI, eight awards were announced:

The 20/20 Vision Award which acknowledged cooperative leadership, strength of purpose, and a powerful vision went to Mario Cordero, immediate Past President of the Port of Long Beach, CA, and S. David Freeman, President, of the Port of Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners. Under their plan, the fifth largest seaport complex in the world is now working with drayage truck owners to replace old trucks that can cut truck related air pollution by 80% by 2012.

The Golden Bullet Award went to Joe Jobe who brought together a national effort to bring the biodiesel industry together to advance the use of biodiesel in our nation’s fleets.

The Green Fleet Award went to Victor La Rosa, President of Total Transportation Services, Inc. (TTSI), was the first in line with alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) to operate in full-time drayage service at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The Invention and Innovation Award (Heavy-Duty) was given Michael Gallagher, president and COO for Bechtel Group and Fluor Corporation. Dr. Gallagher showed commitment to the development of alternative energy and environmental cleanup by working tirelessly with customers, industry partners and policy makers on natural gas.

The Invention and Innovation Award (Light-Duty) was presented to Toyota Prius as it changed the makeup of the world’s fleet of vehicles. In an evolving new vehicle market, Toyota has set the bar for eco-supremacy.

The Oxygen Award was given to Blue Bird VISION. The Vision is the first full-size, dedicated propane-powered school bus to be offered by a major manufacturer in the United States since 2002.

The Green Giant Award went to T. Boone Pickens (right) who has pushed national attention on natural gas for transportation as a key tenet in lessening U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

The Prescient Pioneer Award was presented to Mike Scarpino of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program. For twelve years Mike has been on hand to assist the national program and local coalitions as they’ve weathered budget threats, low gasoline prices, and erratic incentives.

The AF&V Conference concludes tomorrow.

A group of experts are slated to speak on the commercialization of biofuels at the 31st Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals on May 3-6 in San Francisco. Speakers will include scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), the Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and UC Berkeley, as well as private companies.

Sessions will focus on a variety of special topics: Biorefinery Deployment, highlighting recent progress in developing and operating demonstration-scale and commercial-scale integrated biorefineries; Biofuels Logistics and Sustainability, touching on the the potential of lignocellulosic biomass; International Commercialization of 2nd Generation Biofuels, presenting on recent international progress to accelerate deployment of advanced biofuels technologies; Development and Commercialization of Algal-based Biofuels, focusing on efforts underway to develop and commericalize algal-based biofuels; and Emerging Biofuels and Chemicals: highlighting on research and development of new fuels and chemicals from renewable feedstocks.

The meeting is organized by the Society for Industrial Microbiology, and hosted by NREL and ORNL, and sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Biomass Program. Cosponsors include EBI, NREL, ORNL, JBEI and other national laboratories and private companies.

More than 800 are expected to attend the event. For more information, go to http://www.simhq.org/meetings/sbfc2009/index.html.

On the eve of Earth Day 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency began accepting public comment on the waiver request to raise the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline from 10 percent to up to 15 percent.

Citing the Earth Day connection, waiver petitioner Growth Energy urged Americans to support the increased use of clean, green ethanol by submitting comments supporting the request. According to Growth Energy, moving from the current ten percent blend up to a 15 percent blend could reduce an additional 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per year – a reduction equal to removing 3.5 million vehicles from the road.

“As citizens and policymakers alike work to green our planet, ethanol represents among the best solutions to fuel our country’s environmental sustainability, economic growth and energy independence,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “Growth Energy encourages all Americans to stand with us in support of ethanol by making your voice heard to the EPA.”

Written comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0211, must be received within 30 days of today’s publication date. More information can be found on-line from EPA.