Domestic Fuel

Last week, several researchers from Rice University unveiled a new method for converting simple glucose (sugar) into biofuels and petrochemicals 10 times faster than any method previously reported. The research was published in Nature online and details how the team reversed one of the most efficient of all metabolic pathway, the beta oxidation cycle, to engineer bacteria that quickly produce biofuels.

“That’s really not even a fair comparison because the other organisms used an expensive, enriched feedstock, and we used the cheapest thing you can imagine, just glucose and mineral salts,” said Ramon Gonzalez, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice and lead co-author of the Nature study.

The bacteria actually create butanol, a fuel that many believe has greater hope than ethanol because of its higher energy content, ability to be transported with current infrastructure and butanol can be used in current vehicles with no modifications.

“We call these ‘drop-in’ fuels and chemicals, because their structure and properties are very similar, sometimes identical, to petroleum-based products,” Gonzalez continued. “That means they can be ‘dropped in,’ or substituted, for products that are produced today by the petrochemical industry.”
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While the big U.S. auto makers have struggled for several years, it has opened up the doors for smaller, independent car companies to compete. One emerging company is Maryland-based Genovation Cars, a designer and builder of plug-in electric vehicles. (PHEV). The company has been awarded a $135,110 product development grant from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS). The monies will be used to fund validation of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of its PHEV G2 automobile at the Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel at the University of Maryland, College Park.

“We are very pleased to have received this grant,” said Andrew Saul, Genovation Cars CEO. “Having the University of Maryland’s wind tunnel facility and its faculty involved with the G2 project will be a tremendous boost in the development and production of the car.”

The grant marks the 48th round of MIPS funding. Products developed with MIP grant funds have generated more than $21.6 billion in revenue and created thousands of jobs. MIPS is an initiative of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute at the University of Maryland and provides grants to companies that partner with researchers in Maryland public universities.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley added, “Our number one priority is to create jobs in this new economy. The Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program invests in innovation, enabling us to improve our quality of life and create jobs for the next generation of businesses in Maryland.”

Nicholas Theisen is the winner of a $1,000 scholarship for his entry in the Clean Air Choice Biodiesel Essay Contest. The 2011 graduate of Apollo High School wrote, “Biodiesel is clearly a beneficial alternative fuel that benefits Minnesotans directly and indirectly. It offers environmental benefits in that in cuts down greenhouse gases and carbon emissions, it’s a more efficient energy source than petroleum, and it helps to reduce soil erosion and increase water quality.”

The contest was created five years ago and is open to all high school seniors who attend school in Minnesota. The contest is sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and the American Lung Association in Minnesota.

Nicole Schaub, a 2011 graduate of White Bear Lake High School took second place and was awarded a $500 scholarship. In her essay she wrote, “Not only is biodiesel better for the environment, but its widespread use can decrease our dependence of foreign oil. With gas prices rising and our economy coming out of a recession, the use of biodiesel is a win-win for everyone.”

Click here to read the winning essays.

Riding all the way to Sturgis, SD from Richmond, Virginia was Doug Brandmahl. He was one of the participants I spoke with during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Doug says he’s been to Sturgis before and it’s worth all the pain in his butt to get there. He says he hadn’t thought much about ethanol before since it’s blended in all gasoline in his state. He’s seen a lot more E85 stations on his way out to Sturgis and has been happy to learn more about it. I asked him if ethanol has caused any problems with his bike and he says that “As fast as we burn it out coming here it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference.”

You can listen to my interview with Doug here: Doug Brandmahl Interview

2011 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Photo Album

As Sturgis winds down I thought I’d share a comment from one of the attendees. He was wearing a Dekalb cap so I figured he might just know something about corn and perhaps ethanol.

Joe Randall is from Missouri and was in the crowd that gathered to get some t-shirts. He says his son is on the family farm and he’s glad to see ethanol on display fueling the Sturgis Rally. He says “they run the corn through the ethanol plant, and then after that they take the mash to the feedlot.” Sounds like he knows how this renewable fuel works!

You can listen to my interview with Randall here: Randall Interview

2011 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Photo Album

U.S. automakers are making the move to produce more environmentally friendly vehicles. They are also making the move to producing them in a more environmentally friendly way, and Ford has even gone a step further to partner with SunPower Corp. to help consumers who purchase plug-in electric vehicles to charge up with renewable energy.

According to Mike Tinskey, Ford director of Global Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure, the “Drive Green for Life” program enables Focus Electric owners to reduce their cost of ownership by generating enough energy from their SunPower rooftop solar system to offset the electricity required to charge the vehicle at night. “It’s an eco-friendly solution that perfectly complements our plug-in products and other green initiatives,” he said.

“SunPower’s innovative partnership with Ford is a win-win for customers, providing a comprehensive sustainability program,” said Tom Werner, SunPower president and CEO. “By taking advantage of this program, Focus Electric customers can receive the added benefit of installing a SunPower solar system, the highest-efficiency, most reliable on the market today, generating the electricity needed to charge their vehicles.”

The 2.5 kilowatt rooftop solar system generates roughly 3,000 kilowatt hours of power each year. SunPower says this is nearly 50 percent more energy than conventional panels while at the same time utilizes less roof space than other panels. This is enough energy to charge an EV that drives about 1,000 miles a month. The rooftop solar system will also be compatible with the C-MAX Energi PHEV that Ford is rolling out in 2012.

This is the second renewable energy initiative that Ford has undertaken. In January, the company announced a partnership with Best Buy to offer a 240 volt home charging station for the Focus Electric and all future Ford EV models.

Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) announced this week his intent to introduce bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate that would help level the playing field for advanced biofuels such as algae. He wants to accomplish this by reforming the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) to make it technology agnostic. Of the 36 billion gallons required by the RFS, up to 15 billion gallons can come from corn-based ethanol while the remaining gallons are a mix of biodiesel and advanced biofuels but cellulosic fuels (ethanol) are heavily favored.

Udall’s decision came after he toured New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Energy Research Laboratory where he spent time discussing the state’s growth in the biofuels sector with NMSU President Barbara Couture. He also met with researchers in the Algal Bioenergy Program. It should come as no surprise that Udall found the algae research interesting because NMSU is one of 16 other research institutions that are part of a consortium with Los Alamos National Laboratory that received a $49 million DOE grant to study the commercialization of algae-based fuels.

The bill will be supported by Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) and the the two intend on introducing it after the Senate returns from its August break. One goal of the proposed bill is to remove the cellulosic biofuel carve-out and replace it with a feedstock neutral category that includes all advanced biofuels including algae, cellulosic and other next-gen fuels. Similar legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House by Reps. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and Jay Inslee (D-WA).

“Congress shouldn’t be in the business of picking winners and losers when it comes to the use of emerging technologies,” said Udall. “This bill simply puts all advanced biofuels on a level playing field and lets the market determine which emerging technologies prove most useful.”

Udall is a long-time supporter of the “Do It All” energy approach and is a strong advocate of a national energy policy that includes all forms of energy such as wind, solar, biofuels, natural gas, enhanced oil recovery, clean coal technology and nuclear power.

“The West and my home state of New Mexico are rich in renewable energy opportunities like wind and solar and advanced biofuels. This legislation is an important step in making sure we’re taking full advantage of all the energy technologies our country has to offer,” added Udall.

A court date has been set for August 22 with Judge Larry McKinney in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Indiana to hear arguments in the consolidated GreenShift patent infringement case. Fifteen ethanol plants have been named in the suit as well as several other companies including ICM, GEA Westfalia Separator, GEA Mechanical, and Flottweg Separation Technology.

As the date approaches, ICM has publicly stated that they are continuing to offer corn oil extraction solutions for the ethanol industry. Earlier this summer, the company filed a non-provisional patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its Advanced Oil System and is also offering its Tricenter Oil Separation System.

“We offer products, technology and services to ethanol plants that are designed to increase the revenue to the plant from each bushel of corn,” said Chris Mitchell, Executive Vice-President of ICM. “Our focus is on the success and viability of our customers. Our oil extraction offerings are examples of this focus.”

Mitchell continued, “We offer the systems on a non-royalty bearing basis with a strong return on investment for the customer. We also offer full indemnification from patent infringement as part of each sale. While we prefer to focus on the benefits of ICM’s technology, we feel compelled to respond to a press release issued by GreenShift Corporation on July 25, 2011.”

According to ICM, the press release pointed to a notice of allowance from the USPTO for GreenShift’s patent application number 11/241,231, titled “Method of Processing Ethanol Byproducts and Related Subsystems,” and the company made “legal characterizations and conclusions with respect to the action of USPTO.”

Brian Burris, General Counsel of ICM, stated in an ICM press release that they are confident that the GreenShift patents will be declared invalid and stress that ICM’s current corn oil technologies fall outside all patent claims. “While our company policy is not to comment on matters in current litigation, ICM felt it is necessary to clarify to the industry statements made by GreenShift,” added Burris.

In comments submitted this week to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Iowa Biodiesel Board (IBB) said that the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) has “breathed new life into Iowa’s struggling biodiesel industry.”

The comments were submitted by IBB executive director Randy Olson in regard to EPA’s notice of proposed rulemaking on the Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: 2012 Renewable Fuel Standards.

Home to 15 plants with 315 million gallons of capacity annually, virtually all of our state’s plants shut down or operated at reduced capacity in 2010. Today most of those plants are operating again, many at or near their full potential. Other idled plants have been purchased and plan to begin production soon. The RFS2 has stimulated an investment in infrastructure, which is critical to the long-term success of biodiesel in our nation’s energy portfolio. In Iowa, Magellan Pipeline has announced plans to install equipment for biodiesel blending at its Des Moines terminal. Other Iowa terminals carrying biodiesel are in Mason City, Ottumwa and Fort Madison. The RFS2 serves as a stabilizing force that will make these investments pay off over the long term. Despite claims of RFS2 opponents, the needed infrastructure is falling into place.

Read the full text of the comments from IBB.

Bikers come a long way to go to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Probably none came any further than these folks from Queensland, Australia. They got some nice t-shirts from the on-location ethanol team.

I asked them what they thought of using renewable fuels like ethanol. The answer, “I guess we’re really going to have to do something about an alternative fuel because I don’t think that the oil resources are going to last forever so we’ve definitely got to look somewhere else for our fuel needs.”

You can listen to my interview with our Australians here: Australians at Sturgis Interview

2011 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Photo Album

The ethanol team got a helping hand this week at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally from Jere White, Executive Director, Kansas Corn Growers Association. Here he is handing out promotional t-shirts.

I sat down with him to get his thoughts on this promotional opportunity. Jere says the audience is a little different than might have been considered in the past but when it comes to the E15 issue it was found that some of the push back came from boaters and bikers. The Sturgis event is the largest gathering of bikers in the country and he believes that after several years of promotion and education a difference is being made. Jere rode his own motorcycle to the event which he has converted to run on E85 and it is performing well.

You can listen to my interview with Jere here: Jere White Interview

2011 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Photo Album

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally sponsor Interstate Batteries likes seeing ethanol as a sponsor too since both companies are energy oriented.

According to Mike Ragan there’s also a tie through the fact that both are working on more environmentally friendly means of producing energy. In my interview with him he describes how they’re changing some very old technology. He also made a point of saying that batteries are the most recyclable part of a car. He says eighty percent of a battery can be recycled including the casing.

Interstate Batteries sets up a battery testing tent at the Buffalo Chip in which they stock some of the most popular battery sizes. While we talked a bike rolled in, got its battery tested and replaced.

Listen to my interview with Mike here: Interstate Battery Interview

2011 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Photo Album

India’s second largest petroleum company, Bharat Renewable Energy (BREL), has partnered with SG Biofuels (SGB) to develop sell jatropha hybrids modified for the production of biodiesel in India. The first phase of the program will focus on crop development aimed at creating oil-rich jatropha hybrids suited to growing conditions throughout India. The next phase will consist of deploying more than 86,000 acres of jatropha using SGB’s JMax hybrid seeds.

“With the genetic diversity of their Jatropha hybrid material combined with ability to produce large volumes of hybrid seed, SG Biofuels is an ideal partner to work with to successfully develop, validate and scale Jatropha as the primary source for biodiesel in India,” said Mr. M.V. Radhakrishnan, chief executive officer of BREL.

Through molecular breeding and biotechnology, SGB is optimizing jatropha hybrid varieties at its JMax crop development centers. The centers feature hybrid material from SGB’s germplasm library totally more than 12,000 genotypes. The company will work with BREL to select, test and scale up the hybrids most suited to various growing regions across India. The ultimate goal is to grow jatropha suited for biodiesel production to help meet the country’s National Policy on Biofuels targets of blending 20% of fuels with ethanol and biodiesel.

“We look forward to working with BREL to develop a thriving Jatropha industry capable of meeting the country’s significant demand for biodiesel,” added Kirk Haney, president and chief executive officer of SGB. “Our partnership is a great example how collaborations across the entire value chain – from crop science and agronomics to downstream refining and logistics – are the key to the successful scaling of Jatropha.”

This is kind of fun. Have you wondered how much power you can really get from a home solar power system? You’re not alone. A new video, “Solar Overload” demonstrates just how much power can be produced from a home solar power system. HelioPower has created “Solar Overload, How Many Appliances Does It Take to Spin the Meter Forward?” and features a 4 kilowatt (kW) residential solar power system in Laguna Niguel, California trying to “overload” the solar system. Scott Gordon had the system installed in 2006 and today he is the vice president of residential sales for HelioPower.

More accurately, Gordon along with his colleague Bret Pursuit, demonstrate how many appliances it takes in Scott’s 2200 square foot home to incur a utility charge, or “spin the meter” forward – what happens to most of us folk not benefiting from solar energy.

“As a leading solar installation firm in California, HelioPower is committed to educating consumers on the benefits of solar,” said Gordon. “In ‘Solar Overload‘ I’m able to show just how many appliances it takes to activate a utility cost from my residential solar power system. Over the five years I’ve had the solar panel system my family has saved $10,000 in utility bills. We are able to demonstrate how that happens when you see the many appliances it takes to spin the meter forward.”

So how much did it take? At 2 pm on a sunny afternoon, he turned on two refrigerators, two DVRs, one laptop, a 21″ monitor, and one cell phone charger. Guess what? The meter was still spinning backwards. He also added 56 light bulbs, one attic fan and five ceiling fans set on high. Still not running the meter forward. Now take a guess and see what happens when he adds a microwave, electric clothes dryer, energy efficient washing machine, and a pool pump.

It’s good to see that the U.S. has not lost all of its renewable energy manufacturing jobs overseas. Today, Ventower Industries has cut the ribbon on its new 115,000 square foot wind turbine manufacturing facility located in the Port of Monroe, Michigan. A ceremony earlier this week marked the occasion and acknowledged the four-years of work between Ventower management, local, state and government entities and various funding agencies.

“I am grateful for the commitment and the efforts of our shareholders, employees, contractors and the unwavering support of our economic development and training partners who contributed to building this state of the art facility,” said Gregory Adanin, Ventower president & CEO. “Ventower is well positioned to supply towers to our Great Lakes region where we continue to see increased wind project development opportunities. It is and always has been our goal to become an integral part of the industry supply chain and be part of advanced wind energy component manufacturing, education and innovation.”

Production at the facility will begin later this month to meet orders for towers this year and into 2012. The company will provide wind towers for both onshore and offshore applications and is focused on customers throughout the Great Lakes and Atlantic Regions.

“Our commitment to domestic manufacturing, job creation and renewable energy have all been important drivers during our initial efforts here in Michigan. Moving forward, Ventower will embrace the new, green economy while utilizing advanced fabrication techniques and processes at our state of the art facility,” added Board Chairman James Viciana.