Domestic Fuel

Maybe it was the tough winter, but New Yorkers are loving them some biodiesel mixed with heating oil, better known as Bioheat. And that has led to the expansion of a renewable fuel providers’ capacity at a nearby fuel terminal.

This article from Biodiesel Magazine says this past winter’s record demand for Bioheat has prompted Ultra Green Energy Services Inc. to expand its operations at the New Hyde Park Fuel Terminal in New Hyde Park, N.Y., by increasing railcar storage capacity by 30 percent. Owned and operated by Hart Petroleum, it is the lone operating rail-to-rack terminal dedicated to biofuels on Long Island:

According to Michael Cooper, director of sales and trading for UGES, the impetus for the rail expansion came as a result from record demand for Bioheat from customers during the most recent winter months. As a result, Cooper said UGES worked with the New York and Atlantic Railway (NY&A) to add more track for the addition of seven railcars that will help meet the demand.

“The demand is coming now,” Falcone said. “We could always truck product directly to the terminal, but obviously rail is the most efficient way to do it because of the access to it. The idea is to keep growing and storing product for the demand to be met at a ratable price indexed to a heating oil market that’s done every day with the petroleum market.”

Most of the biodiesel passing through the terminal is made from yellow grease and used cooking oils.

While the idea of providing biomass to biorefineries and power plants seems like an idea that has some profit potential, some suppliers, and more accurately, potential suppliers, might find the prospect a bit daunting.

Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine says folks who want to become involved in the biomass supply chain can get some help on how to use federal incentives to maximize their profit potentials during a seminar at the upcoming 2011 International Biomass Conference & Expo, May 2-5 in St. Louis, Mo. Timothy Baye, a business development professor at the University of Wisconsin-Extension, will be speaking on the subject:

“It’s all about risk,” Baye said “It’s all going to be about managing the perceived risk, especially in response to the due diligence requirements of commercial debt. Commercial debt is still going to drive the process.”

Daniel Simon, partner with Washington, D.C.-based law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP, will explain where BCAP stands in terms of how biomass suppliers and their customers can capitalize on the prescribed benefits.

For more information and registration, just go to the conference’s website, www.biomassconference.com.

State funding for a biodiesel research facility in Montana could be on the chopping block.

This story from TV station KXLH in Helena says the cut would hit the Montana State University-Northern lab in Havre:

Five years ago, MSU-Northern received $800,000 in grant funding for infrastructure and staffing for a new biofuel lab at the MSU-N Bio-Energy Center

Greg Kegel, dean of the MSU-N technical sciences program, noted, “BNSF ran that switch engine through 40-degree below zero and never had a problem with it and the buses that are running around, they are very satisfied with the fuel.”

The article goes on to say that the lab actually makes money through fuel testing for private companies (and hopes to be self-sustaining one day) but needs the state funding to match some other grants. The center is in the middle of a $2.25 million Department of Energy-funded project to research and develop camelina-based jet fuel.

Figuring out where you can charge up your electric vehicle might just be a little easier, thanks to the folks at Google.

According to this article from Environment News Service, the search engine giant has added charging station locations to the Google Maps platform:

In the United States, there are over 600 charging stations. To locate the ones near you or in a location you are heading for in your electric car, just search on Google Maps for “ev charging station” plus the appropriate area, for example, “ev charging station near Mountain View, CA.”

A list comes up in the viewing pane to the left of the map complete with the name of the charging station’s location, the address and phone number, and sometimes even the brand of charging station at that location.

“We’d like to continue adding more charging stations to Google Maps, so we’re excited that our friends over at the the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory are working to make more data available,” writes Cynthia Yeung of the Google Strategic Partner Development Team on the company’s Lat Long Blog.

The article goes on to point out that NREL has information on nearly 7,000 alternative fueling stations, including more than 600 locations for electric vehicles.

Following in the footsteps of Canada’s national biodiesel mandate (see my story and Joanna’s post from last month), Saskatchewan has called for a biodiesel producer incentive and mandate in its provincial budget.

The news was welcomed by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association:

“Saskatchewan’s 2011 budget will be welcome news to farmers and biodiesel producers alike,” said Gordon Quaiattini, President of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association in responding to the budget. “With this budget Saskatchewan will tap into the new opportunities of biodiesel, and lay the foundation for a whole new advanced biofuel industry.”

Saskatchewan will now boast a five-year $26 million program that will provide a 13 cent-per-litre grant to biodiesel producers effective April 1 2011 and a 2% renewable biodiesel mandate that comes into effect on July 1 2012.

Biodiesel and ethanol generate $2 billion a year to Canada’s economy, with a great deal of that money in the farming regions of the agricultural provinces, such as Saskatchewan.

The American Lung Association in Minnesota and Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition will be offering a series of free workshops that highlight the growing role biodiesel is playing in the changes in diesel engines.

The workshops will be held April 19th at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria, April 20th at the American Legion in Crookston, and April 21st at the Brainerd Hotel & Conference Center, featuring presenter Hoon Ge of MEG Corp., a nationally recognized fuel expert, discussing recent refining changes in traditional petroleum diesel, best practices for sale and use of diesel fuels and how to recognize and respond to problems with diesel fuels:

“Nearly everything we eat, wear, buy or sell in this county is transported by a truck, train or barge powered by diesel fuel,” said Lisa Thurstin, coordinator of the Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition. “Unfortunately, this powerhouse fuel is linked to particulate air pollution, threatening the lung health of millions of Americans. “

With high fuel prices and unrest in the Middle East, interest in finding cleaner, home-grown alternatives to petroleum based fuels has never been greater. The workshop will cover some of the pioneering efforts by Minnesota to take the first steps away from imported oil.

Contact Thurstin at Lisa.Thurstin@lungmn.org for more information and to register.

The event is supported by the United Soybean Board, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, and Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition.

PetroAlgae has inked a deal with Haldor Topsoe to provide technology and catalysts to upgrade oils produced from PetroAlgae’s biomass through refinery coking processes and pyrolysis into drop-in renewable fuels including diesel and jet fuels. Haldor Topsoe is global company focused on the refining, petrochemical and power industries. Under the agreement, the two companies will work together to apply Haldor Topsoe catalysts, equipment, and licensed technology to upgrade oils derived from PetroAlgae’s biocrude.

PetroAlgae’s micro-crop technology employs indigenous, aquatic micro-organisms suitable to local climates. The company has structured its business in such a way to enable its licensees to produce an alternative to fossil fuels as well as a high-value protein co-product, while absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“We are very excited to be working with Haldor Topsoe to further validate the commercial viability of our micro-crop biomass for use in refinery cokers and the production of a drop in renewable fuel,” said Dr. John Scott, Chairman of PetroAlgae. “They have extensive hydroprocessing research and development expertise from both a catalyst and a technology design standpoint and we see this agreement as just the beginning of a relationship that will help us realize the promise of our biomass as a clean and environmentally sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.”

Niels Sorensen, CEO of Haldor Topsoe A/S added, “We look forward to taking this important step with PetroAlgae toward producing renewable fuels. PetroAlgae is a leader in developing technology to produce biomass at a large commercial scale, which enables them to be cost competitive with traditional fossil fuels. Haldor Topsoe is committed to renewable fuels and we are excited about implementing projects that will help reach the goals set for renewable fuels all around the world.”

Germany is taking the lead in offshore wind development and believes they have secured number one status with its new offshore wind park located off the Baltic Sea coast. The project is set to enter the testing phase. This week, the country is wooing renewable energy and environmental technologies to Germany during the AMERICANA conference in Montreal, Canada.

“For decades Germany has shown a dedicated commitment to environmental technologies. Only through sustainable industrial policy can we continue to foster innovation and generate economic growth independent of resource consumption. With this philosophy, Germany has created the ideal conditions for innovative cleantech companies to reach a large and sophisticated market,” said Thomas Grigoleit, Director of Renewable Energies and Resources at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

Germany is arguably one of the few countries that has not only met but surpassed its climate goals. It surpassed its environmental goals in 2010 – two years early- and is on track to meet is 2020 goals. One way the country has met its initiatives is through the use of renewable energy such as wind and solar. As Europe’s leading wind energy generator and the world’s top solar power producer, Germany is now tackling some of the industries leading challenges including energy storage to compensate for a fluctuating renewable energy supply and smart energy management technologies. The country is also looking at electric mobility as an important component, with renewable electricity slated to increase as a proportion of total energy consumption.

Yet energy is not the only area upon which Germany has set its sights. The country is also researching water efficiency in agriculture and food production. With the introduction of various new research and development incentives with significant funds behind them, Germany is supporting projects contributing to the reduction of water consumption in the food supply chain.

A company that builds the machines to turn raw materials into the green fuel biodiesel will put in a factory in the Reno/Carson City region of Nevada.

This press release posted on AltEnergyMag.com says Green Fuels America, known for its 5,000 gallon a day FuelMatic biodiesel processor, will help bring jobs to the state, according to Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki:

“Jobs are being imported from the UK because of the tax and business friendly environment, and vendor skill base here in Nevada. Biodiesel is a sustainable replacement for petroleum diesel made from crushed oil seed crops (such as soybean, camelina, etc), waste cooking oil, and animal fats (chicken and beef fat). When burned it’s CO2 emissions are 85% less than those of petroleum diesel…

“We believe that we will be able to manufacture six of these commercial biodiesel processors in Nevada this year using local sub-contractors, the majority will be for export,” said Greg Springer, VP and GM, of Green Fuels America.

While the factory will create just 10 new jobs this year, think of the potential as more biodiesel makers either get back or come online, thanks to the renewal of the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax credit.

Butamax has received another patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) number 7,910,342 entitled “FERMENTIVE PRODUCTION OF ISOBUTANOL USING HIGHLY ACTIVE KETOL-ACID REDUCTOISOMERASE ENZYMES.” The patent was awarded to protect a key step in the company’s biobutanol production pathway using genetic constructs with highly active enzymes. This is one of several patents that Butamax has been awarded for its biobutanol production technology.

“We pioneered microbial production of isobutanol as a single fermentative product and we are pleased that the U.S. patent office has recognized our inventive contributions in this field again,” said Tim Potter, Butamax CEO. “This patent protected technology is important because it enables commercially viable production rates.”

Just last December, Butamax was awarded a patent that covered various recombinant microorganisms, including yeast host cells, expressing classes of enzymes that catalyze the metabolic pathway for producing biobutanol at commercial scale. According to the company, the patent also protects methods for producing biobutanol as well as the fermentation medium in which the biobutanol is produced.

Butamax Vice President and Chief Counsel, Christine Lhulier, said, “We are the only company to hold issued patents for this technology. By obtaining and protecting our intellectual property portfolio, we ensure the highest sustainable value for our customers and licensees. Because our technology is not dependent on on-going royalties to multitudes of third party technology providers, Butamax is able to provide higher financial returns for converting ethanol capacity to biobutanol production.”

Lhulier also noted that Butamax is the only company to own all of its intellectual property. She said they are also the only company that can offer ethanol producers a technology that is clear of third party rights and obligations.

“We are uniquely positioned to provide unfettered access to the most advanced technology for producing biobutanol. We will continue to secure for our customers and licensees the ability to modify their production capacity to ensure sustainable growth for the biofuels industry,” concluded Lhulier.

The latest ZimmPoll results are in. So your answer to the question, “When will planting season start this year?” is as follows: 37 percent say later than average, 36 percent say at the five year average (late March) and 27 percent say sooner than average. I’m guessing that some of those “sooner” folks are already out in the field!

Our next ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How will Japan disaster affect US exports?” Our hearts go out to the people in Japan by the way. It is a disaster of monumental proportions. There are many organizations providing assistance and we hope you’ll support them. Let us know what you think and thank you for participating.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

Juhl Wind has completed a utility scale wind project in Meeker County Minnesota near the city of Atwater. The Danielson Wind Project, which is estimated to produce 19.8 megawatts (MW) of wind energy per year, cost nearly $42 million. The project was built in conjunction with the Adams Wind Project, also a 19.8 MW wind project and located in Meeker County, Minn. Juhl Wind served as both the developer and owner’s representative for the construction phase for both projects.

“We are very pleased with the startup and initial operation of the Alstom ECO 86 wind turbines and expect a very solid long-term operation,” stated Dan Juhl, CEO of Juhl Wind, Inc. “For Juhl as a company, Danielson is one of six projects we have been developing and constructing in the past couple of years. We recently announced the sale of our 20 MW Grant County wind farm, completion of the Adams Wind Project and we expect to wrap up our other projects in the next few months. Taken together, we believe this group of projects will result in very strong financial performance for our company in 2011 and will put us in a very strong position for the next few years of our growth.”

The Danielson Wind Project began construction in October of 2010 and consists of 12 Alstom ECO 86 Wind Turbines. The energy produced is being sold to Xcel Energy under a 20 year, 19.8 MW power purchase agreement. The wind farm incorporates one of the company’s “community wind” structures where ownership is shared with the local residents and farmers who own the land that the project is located on.

Andy Geissbuehler, the vice president and general manager with Alstom Wind Business North America, noted that his company appreciated the opportunity to work with Dan Juhl and his team “in order to bring the proven performance and environmental benefits of Alstom’s technology” to the project.

“As we have pointed out in our last couple of announcements, the Danielson project represents the success we have had in moving six major projects forward in the past couple of years,” added Juhl Wind President John Mitola. “In spite of the 2008 recession, we found a way to move almost $150 million in projects forward and we are pleased we are beginning to see the financial results and the project outcomes we targeted at the outset. We believe this level of performance puts Juhl into a class by itself when compared to other independent developers of wind power.”

Rainer Bomba, Undersecretary of State in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, visited CHOREN’s Beta plant at Freiberg in the German state of Saxony. His purpose of the visit was to discuss the progress of CHOREN on producing sustainable advanced biofuels and their role in achieving climate protection targets.

“Last year, the Beta plant completed several campaigns of synthesis gas trial production, successfully producing from wood a synthesis gas that is free of tar and aromatics on an industrial scale,” said CHOREN’s CEO Marcell Ulrichs.

Bomba said of his visit, “Industrial-scale BTL production may turn into a milestone in the future use of bioenergy. Therefore I very much hope that the development work of recent years will be rewarded and that the plant will run smoothly. We are planning to make greater use of renewable energies in the transportation sector, too. That includes biofuels – and BTL has particularly high potential in this respect, because far more biological material can be used than is currently the case.”

CHOREN said that there are several benefits of their biosynthetic fuel including significant CO2 reduction, no competition with food production and excellent compatibility with existing drive systems. The Beta plant in Freiberg has an annual capacity of 18 million litres of BTL (biomass to liquid) fuel. CHOREN said they are very active in various projects around the world to construct more BTL plants due to the need for sustainable biofuels.

Professor Dr. Jürgen Leohold, Head of Group Research at Volkswagen AG and a member of the CHOREN supervisory board, added, “BTL is a key technology in reducing greenhouse gas emissions sustainably in the transportation sector.”

Hawaiian Electric Company and SunPower Corporation have announced a agreement for SunPower to sell solar photovoltaic (PV) power to Hawaiian Electric for 20 years under a fixed price contract. The power will be generated from a 5 MW solar farm that SunPower will design, build and operate at Kalaeloa in West Oahu. The agreement still needs approval from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) but once the word is handed down, SunPower plans on having the solar farm, located on 40 acres leased from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, up and running within five months.

“We welcome this agreement for another solar facility for Oahu, part of our continuing effort to get as much renewable energy on our island grid as possible,” said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. “Hawaii already leads the nation in solar watts per person, much of it generated by customer-sited roof-top PV arrays. This and other large-scale projects will increase our solar leadership and help us meet our clean energy goals.”

Back in 2008, PUC sent out a request for proposal and this agreement is the result of that process. SunPower, the winning contractor, will install its solar panels on its SunPower Tracker system, which they believe are the most productive on the market today. The company says the system “tracks” the sun capturing up to 25 percent more sunlight than conventional fixed-tilt systems all on less land.

“With SunPower’s high-efficiency technology, Hawaiian Electric will benefit from reliable, cost-effective, guaranteed performance,” said SunPower Business Unit President Jim Pape. “The solar farm will contribute clean, renewable solar power to Oahu while generating welcome revenues for the important work of the Hawaiian Homelands department on behalf of native Hawaiians.”

When completed, this solar farm will join several other renewable energy projects on Oahu including an expanding waste-to-energy plant, a waste gasification plant currently under development; a wind farm, and several other solar farms under development.

Today is World Water Day and Green For All, an environmental non-profit organization, has partnered with SIGG USA, the maker of reusable aluminum water bottles, to kick off the “Keep It Fresh” public education campaign as part of the 2011 Campus Consciousness Tour. The campaign features hip-hop superstar Wiz Khalifa. The campaign kicked off today and ends on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.

Today, approximately 1 percent of the Earth’s freshwater is easily accessible. In the United States alone, 36 states are already experiencing or expect to experience water challenges that include pollution and shortages. Globally, 70 percent of all water used goes to agriculture followed by water used to create energy. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, on at least one-third of the world’s cropland, water rather than land is the binding constraint – a real challenge as the world looks to feed 9 billion people by 2045-2050.

The goal of the Keep It Fresh campaign is to educate communities about today’s water challenges using interactive online tools as well as onsite activities. The campaign is designed to raise awareness about the crisis-level water shortages, create personal action around water conservation and advocated for improving local water situations.

“We are proud to partner with the Campus Consciousness Tour featuring Wiz Khalifa for the ‘Keep It Fresh’ campaign to raise awareness about our clean water crisis and the economic opportunity provided in protecting our fresh water supply,” stated Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All. “Access to clean water isn’t a future problem, it’s a current problem facing many of us, particularly, many of our nation’s low-income communities and communities of color. I am excited about this partnership’s potential to create change through action.”

The campaign chose Wiz Khalifa as a spokesperson because of his positive environmental stance on current issues facing America coupled with his unique ability to reach young adults throughout the country. As part of the promotions surrounding the campaign, people can register to win prizes including a free IPad2 and custom SIGG bottles on their Facebook fan page as well as the Keep It Fresh website.

Rob Dewar, President of SIGG North America concluded, “SIGG is proud to be partnering with Green For All in its mission to improve drinking water availability and awareness about the necessary steps needed to insure continued access to this basic necessity.”