Domestic Fuel

The state of Washington has missed its goal of having biodiesel and ethanol make up at least 20 percent of its state vehicle fuel use. And that has prompted the founder of one of the nation’s biggest biodiesel facilities… which just happens to be located in Washington… to make the case that it didn’t have to happen.

John Plaza, the CEO of Imperium Renewables, writes in the Seattle Times that a recent Washington General Administration document that recommends postponing the biofuels target for another year is a sad report on biodiesel in the state… and sends a flawed mixed message:

First, let me address the GA’s wonderfully bureaucratic justification for why the state will fail to hit its goal: “limited supply.” Since January, Imperium has been storing 2 million gallons of biodiesel at our Grays Harbor facility. (Ironically, the state included this volume in its calculations to determine that the state’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was being met.) For the GA to say there is “limited supply” of biodiesel is both wrong and misleading.

Third, the report blames a lack of infrastructure for problems in accessing fuel. Shell, Sound Refining and Exxon/Mobil have collectively invested millions of dollars into biodiesel infrastructure, including terminals, tanks, blending racks and truck/rail loading facilities. I’m puzzled as to how GA overlooked these facts.

Plaza goes on to say the postponement of the biofuel requirement is most shameful part of the document. He says the answer is not to buy less biodiesel… more will help everyone involved.

During a visit to Des Moines Monday, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu gave some hope to ethanol supporters hoping that the federal government will approve a waiver that would allow up to 15 percent ethanol blends for standard vehicles.

“I don’t want to prejudge what they’re going to find, but if the existing automobile fleet can handle 15 percent, I would say let’s make that a target and go to 15 percent,” Chu said. “This is very important for decreasing our oil independence.”

Chu was in Des Moines Monday to announce more than $16 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Iowa during a news conference with Governor Chet Culver.

“Energy independence is more than simply an Iowa initiative, it’s something of national importance,” said Culver. “We are well on our way to making Iowa the renewable energy capitol of the United States and the Silicon Valley of the Midwest.”

Secretary Chu also suggested that car manufacturers ought to make all new automobiles able to run on E85 ethanol-blended fuel. “I’ve been told it costs about $100 in gaskets and fuel lines to turn a car so that it can go all the way to E85,” Chu said. “But a new car , it would only cost $100 out of $15,000. Wouldn’t it be nice to put in those fuel lines and gaskets so that we can use any ratio we wanted. It’s just a thought, I don’t think you’re going to get any objections in this audience.” He said that requiring companies to make all vehicles flex-fuel is “beginning to be discussed” but first “we’ll see about whether the current fleet can take 15 percent or 13 percent ethanol.”

Chu spoke optimistically about making cellulosic ethanol commercially viable in the near future and said the agency is doing all it can to make that happen. “Department of Energy is funding three biofuels research institutes,” he said. Once it becomes a reality, Chu says agriculture could provide about half the transportation fuel needed for the nation. “The United States has incredible potential so we want to push this as hard as possible.”

However, Chu avoided direct comment about how EPA may choose to determine indirect land use changes that could be detrimental to biofuels when asked by a reporter about concerns that it could impact the future of corn ethanol. “It’s out for peer review and we’ll see how it plays out,” he said.

Listen to audio of Chu’s answers to some of the questions posed.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.9MB)

Minnesota is the place this summer for biofuel promotions! The state that boats the most E85 fueling locations will offer E85 at a discounted rate at a handful of sites within the next couple of months.

The Meeker County Corn Growers, Minnesota Corn Growers Association & MN Clean Air Choice Team will be sponsoring a promotion at the Valley Quick Stop in Eden Valley, MN on Thursday, June 25 from 2 pm – 5 pm. The station will offer E85 for 85 cents off per gallon. Also, the Renville County Corn & Soybean Growers, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association & MN Clean Air Choice Team will offer the same discount at the Bird Island Handi Stop in Bird Island, MN from 10 am – 1 pm on June 26. This fueling site will also offer B5 at a discount of 10 cents per gallon.

In July, promotions will take place at:

July 8, 2009
Fairfax Mobil Mart in Fairfax, MN
10 am – 1 pm
E85 85¢ off per gallon, B5 10¢ off per gallon

July 9, 2009
Consumer’s Coop Cenex in Litchfield, MN
2 pm – 5 pm
E85 85¢ off per gallon

July 24, 2009
Cenex C-Store in Glenwood, MN
2 pm – 6 pm
E85 85¢ off per gallon

July 31, 2009
Jack’s BP in Watkins, MN
2 pm – 5 pm

For more detailed biofuel promotions, go to www.CleanAirChoice.org.

Summer is officially here and with it summer driving season (and high gas price season). As people pack their bags and head to the gas station to fill up for summer vacation,  EcoDriving USA, a campaign from the Auto Alliance, is encouraging people to become “EcoDrivers.” EcoDrivingUSA claims that practicing “green driving” produces the highest miles per gallon, regardless of size or age of your car–and can reduce gas use and carbon emissions by as much as 15 percent or more.

You can be on your way to better fuel-efficiency and a smaller carbon footprint by following three simple steps from EcoDrivingUSA and two simple steps from me.

1.  Turn off the engine when waiting at a curb. This can save more than half a gallon of fuel for every hour that the car would otherwise have been idling.

2. Maintain proper tire pressure. Tire pressure changes an average of one PSI for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit change in temp. By keeping your tires properly inflated, you can improve gas mileage by approximately 3 percent earning drivers a “free” tank of gas every year.

3. Avoid rapid starts and stops. This can save more than $1 per gallon according to the EPA while improving fuel economy by up to 33 percent.

4. Use biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel when available. Not only are biofuels less expensive at the pump and can save an average family up to $500 per year, but using a 10 percent ethanol blend (E10) can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 20 percent over traditional gasoline and it can increase to more than 80 percent reduction if you use an 85 percent ethanol blend (E85).

5. When your travels require renting a car, choose a vehicle from the rental company’s “green collection.” The green collection features flex-fuel vehicles, hybrid vehicles and in some locations electric cars. These technologies help reduce your carbon footprint and can help increase your fuel economy.

And remember, by following the driving green tips, you can save also save some green.

Concerns about the impact that soy-based biodiesel might be having on the environment (and, I know, that’s another story and debate of its own), Seattle officials have stopped buying biodiesel for the city’s fleet.

But the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that they could start buying biodiesel made from local waste grease:

“Not all biodiesels are the same,” [Brenda Bauer, director of Seattle's Fleets and Facilities Department] said.

“Fuels are really complex,” Bauer said. “We are trying to stay ahead of the curve in terms of finding fuels that are responsible fuels that will help us reduce our petroleum consumption. We’re looking for a fuel source that has a good greenhouse-gas profile — ultimately it’s not going to be petroleum.”

Seattle uses about 73,000 gallons of biodiesel a month in its fire engines, pickup trucks and diesel vehicles. Officials say the waste grease option will also help keep that out of the city’s landfills and sewer system.

Jatropha is one of the promising non-food feedstocks for biodiesel. However, the tropical plant is not well-suited for the cooler climes of some parts of the U.S. But Biomass Magazine reports that an American company is working on a variety of jatropha that could grow in colder areas:

California-based SG Biofuels has identified several strains of cold-tolerant jatropha and has initiated a breeding program to develop them as an oil-producing crop in colder U.S. climates. The company has been working to develop several traits of the plant for the last three years, including increasing oil content, seed size and decreasing input requirements, among others. “Anything that will increase the quality of biomass,” said Kirk Haney, president and CEO. The firm has collected a range of jatropha curcas from various climates and geographies around the globe and has the largest and most diverse collection in its recently launched Genetic Resource Center, Haney said, adding that the center has garnered a lot of attention.

The cold-tolerant strains were collected from various sites in Central America at elevations ranging from 1,600 meters (5,200 feet) to over 1,800 meters (about 6,000 feet). The average daily low temperature there between December and February is around 45 degrees Fahrenheit and temperatures at night fall below freezing, according to SG Biofuels. Jatropha is typically seen in climates where the average minimum temperature is 60 degrees or more.

With oil yields of 200 to 300 gallons per acre and the ability to grow in poor soils, the non-food biodiesel feedstock could soon be coming to an area a little north of the border.

Some of the world’s best and brightest fighter pilots soon might be headed off to war running on a fuel that used to be reserved for green peaceniks.

This article in the Navy Times says the U.S. Navy could be testing non-petroleum based fuels in F/A-18E/F Super Hornets as early as next year:

A team of chemists at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., is testing alternative fuel formulas using items such as algae, weeds, animal fats and liquefied coal.

“If we have done our job properly, the sailor will not notice the difference,” said Rick Kamin, the fuels lead for the Navy Energy Coordination Office. “It’ll all be JP-5 when it gets to the ship, and they’ll only know it as JP-5m.”

The Navy says it has a dual goal in instituting the green energy initiative: to reduce environmental concerns and to reduce the need for foreign oil. Maybe, then, some of those warriors won’t have to go off to fight after all.

Don’t know where to buy your biodiesel? Un-enlightened about ethanol’s whereabouts? Perplexed about propane? Well, a new tool from the National Renewable Energy Labs and Google could help you be a more active alternative fuel buyer.

Ecogeek.org reports that the two have launched TransAtlas, an interactive map that shows all existing and planned alternative fuel stations across the country:

The mapping tool allows you to view each type of fuel station as a layer, so you can view one at at time or all fuel types simultaneously. The seven alternative fuels mapped are hydrogen, propane, electric, liquified natural gas, compressed natural gas, E85 and biodiesel.

The tool also allows you to view vehicle density layers for hybrid-electric, flex-fuel and diesel cars. Electric and hydrogen stations are far behind fuels like E85 and biodiesel, but their locations correspond pretty neatly with the areas where those cars are being driven. I’d like to think that if more of those types of stations are built in more areas, the corresponding vehicles will follow.

This should help solve the problem that too many well-intentioned, potential alternative fuel-using people are having: not being able to find their favorite green fuel.

Missouri’s biggest utility has struck a long-term agreement with an Iowa wind farm to buy enough power for 26,000 homes.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that AmerenUE will buy 102 megawatts of wind power beginning September 1:

The utility entered a 15-year agreement for about a third of the output from the second phase of a 300-megawatt Pioneer Prairie wind farm, owned by Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy LLC. That’s enough to power 26,000 homes.

“We will still be looking for opportunities as we increase the amount of renewable resources in our generating portfolio,” AmerenUE Chief Executive Warner L. Baxter said in a statement.

The wind farm started operation just after the beginning of this year and is located in the northern part of the Hawkeye State.

About three weeks ago, Boeing officials proclaimed that biodiesel is just fine to use in aircraft. Now, they’ve backed up that claim with a study that proves biodiesel’s effectiveness in flight.

Forbes reports that the Boeing study was released during the Paris Air Show and found that a series of tests by Japan Airlines, Air New Zealand and Continental Airlines has shown that the green fuel performed “as well or better” than traditional petroleum-based jet fuel:

The green fuels met benchmarks for standards such as freezing point, viscosity and fuel density, Boeing said. The tests also found the blends had greater energy content by mass than regular jet fuel, meaning they could help airlines use less fuel per mile. In the three test flights, the fuel blend was half regular fuel, half biofuel.

Still, “this is technology we’re interested in pursuing,” Plaza said in an interview with Forbes. Imperium’s main plant in Washington state is not producing any biodiesel now but hopes to start up again if demand picks up and the credit market thaws.

Boeing officials say they want to subject the biodiesel to international testing standards so that it can be used in commercial airline operations in the next few years.

While it might have been something that farmers have tried to keep out of their fields, stinkweed could prove to be a successful product for those growing feedstocks for biodiesel.

This article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution says stinkweed… also known as field pennycress… might just be the ticket for those trying to find a non-food stock for the green fuel:

Past promises of cheap fuel grown on American soil have sometimes become, um, stuck in the weeds as prices for commodities such as corn and soybean oil rose. But a number of researchers believe that this winter weed with oily little seeds has an advantage in that it is not a food crop.

“The rise in commodity prices has really driven us to focus on other alternatives,” said John Fox, Innovation’s chief executive officer. Innovation relies primarily on animal fat to make biodiesel at its Newark, N.J. refinery.

The article goes on to point out that in addition to the non-food sources, researchers are also looking at increasing the yields of a more traditional feedstocks, such as soybeans.

On the heels of its successful launch on YouTube earlier this year, the nation’s premier biodiesel advocacy group has expanded its Web presence with the launch of the National Biodiesel Board’s Facebook page.

This press release from the NBB explains how the board will use this newest medium as another outlet for biodiesel information and discussion:

With more than 100 million users logging on at least once each day, Facebook is the fourth-most trafficked Web site in the United States. Increasingly more people are turning to the Internet for information than any other media source – including television and newspapers.

“We’re using Facebook to communicate the promise of biodiesel to a wider audience and using facts to correct any misconceptions,” said NBB Director of Communications Jenna Higgins. “Our Facebook group is a valuable tool in our effort to help consumers understand what biodiesel is: a sustainable, cleaner alternative fuel that promotes food security and strong global environmental benefits.”

Higgins compares these new social media outlets to the modern version of the water cooler where discussions about the green fuel can take place. Check it out!

In recent weeks, the city of Sacramento has added 25 E85 fueling locations. The city is now boasting as being the nation’s ethanol epicenter, at least west of the Mississippi.

California Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary Nichols, recently unveiled the E85 fueling facility at a Valero on Madison Avenue. She said, “This is a test market for the state. We’re in the early stages of the revolution. Consumers will see a lot of new fuels coming onto the market.”

The clean burning alternative is selling for $.66 less per gallon than regular unleaded at the Valero. Sasha Faught of Natomas, who owns a flex-fuel Chevy Tahoe, has been using E85. “I want to be green,” she said. “Let’s face it, we’re using up our resources. It’s smart to get on with it.”

The new E85 dispensers were funded mainly by a grant administered by the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. The grant from the California Resources Board totaled $3.5 million.

There are currently 23,000 flexible fuel vehicles registered in Sacramento that can use E85.

The 2009/2010 Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) buyer’s guide is now available from the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVi). This easy to use guide helps fleet managers who are looking for information on alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles make informed decisions.

The Guide is divided by vehicle class, from Class 1 through Class 8. Other sections include Small Volume Manufacturers, Engine Manufacturers, OEM Contact Information, Industry Listings, a Cross Reference Directory and Industry Acronyms. The Guide includes basic specifications for all the known and commercially-available AFVs, engines and advanced transportation technologies.

“Oil prices are beginning to climb again and, every time that happens, AFVi is inundated with requests for information on non-petroleum vehicle options that will lower fuel costs,” said Annalloyd Thomason, Executive Director of AFVi. “The Buyers’ Guide is a direct response to requests from purchasers who want an easy to understand purchasing directory of currently available AFVs.”

The Guide is available for purchase exclusively through AFVi at www.afvi.org.

The Sudanese government celebrated a milestone today with the opening of its first ethanol plant. The facility will produce 65 million litres and will expand to 200 mlpy within two years. The government is an investor in the plant which is using products from the local sugar mill as its feedstock.

In addition to the launch of the ethanol refinery, the government has developed an aggressive plan to expand the country’s sugar production from 800,000 tons per year to over 10 million tons per year. The increased sugar production could support both increased sugar exports and approximately 18 new ethanol plants.

The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance praised the Sudanese government for their efforts to build a sustainable biofuels industry. “This is a sound sustainable model for energy security and economic development,” said Bliss Baker, Global Renewable Fuels Alliance spokesperson.“ The plan will require significant and scarce investment dollars and a continued commitment from the national government to be completely successful.”

The hope is that this plant will not only be a successful economic driver for Sudan, but that other countries will follow their model of developing sustainable biofuels.