Domestic Fuel

Biofuel opponents are crying wolf, so it would seem, claiming that the blend wall is insurmountable. However, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today has published an infographic that busts the myths surrounding the blend wall.

“This graphic perfectly captures the ridiculous myth that an insurmountable blend wall exists,” said Bob Dinneen, RFA CEO and president. “The blend wall is a false façade built by the oil companies to protect their oil monopoly. The real walls are the ones they are building to keep legitimate, well-tested, cost-saving renewable fuel alternatives, like E85 and E15, out of the marketplace. They are building walls between consumers, gas stations, and the freedom to choose. Denial is the mortar holding these walls together — the denial that the Renewable Fuel Standard is a proven success and a powerful energy policy that needs to continue unchanged well into the future if the gains we have made in reducing our dependence on foreign oil, creating valuable jobs domestically, and improving our environment are to be sustained.”

Dinneen continued, “You could say oil companies are building a wall between America’s future and America’s petroleum-dependent past… but given recent events in Arkansas and New Hampshire, perhaps it is more of a moat of toxic ground water and spilled oil.”

Still need the thousand words behind the picture? A brief explanation of each brick in the wall blocking proper implementation by the oil industry of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and E15 is available here.

Lee Enterprises Consulting has formed of a strategic alliance with ICM, Inc. Recently, ICM developed a proprietary patent-pending Generation 1.5 Integrated Fiber to Cellulosic Ethanol Technology for the production of cellulosic ethanol.

ICM’s Director of Sales and Product Management, Brock Beach, will serve as ICM’s liaison to the consulting group. “As ICM continues to expand our presence into other alternative fuels, we are delighted to work with Lee Enterprises Consulting,” said Beach. He notes the new alliance allows the immediate pursuit of discussions with respect to projects combining various types of alternative and renewable fuels.

“We continually seek alliances with the top companies to further our ability to fully serve every alternative and renewable fuels industry client,” said Wayne Lee, principle owner of Lee Enterprises Consulting.  “As a leading biofuels and technology provider, ICM has been involved with the global development of 102 ethanol facilities, representing 6.6 billion gallons of annual ethanol production.”

Lee notes that ICM has focused its innovation efforts on cellulosic ethanol and gasification technologies, and adds “In addition to having the best ethanol, cellulosic ethanol and gasification partner available, I think our collaboration will also open the door to many combination projects, so I am very excited to work with ICM.”

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has launched the most comprehensive, dynamic, and interactive view of the U.S. government’s national and state energy data and information currently available to the public. The state energy portal adds a unique visual dimension to each state’s energy resources and infrastructure.

The agency designed the new portal with a range of users in mind, including policy makers, energy analysts, and the general public, who want to locate and compare state energy data and rankings and customize their own maps and charts, using an assortment of interactive tools.

“The EIA state energy portal raises the bar for visually segmenting state-level energy data. It provides a wealth of energy information to a wide variety of users, including state officials wanting detailed information on the mix of energy resources in their state, analysts assessing a state’s energy sustainability, or government officials seeking the most comprehensive energy information to help develop energy policy,” said EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski.

The portal takes EIA’s vast portfolio of state energy data and analyses and organizes it geographically. Its comprehensive 30-layer mapping feature provides a dynamic visual representation of energy infrastructure and energy resources at the national, state, Congressional district, or county level. Map layers for Federal lands and Electric Reliability regions are also included.

The new portal is EIA’s response to requests from policy makers and energy experts for quick access to multi-level state energy data presented in an easy-to-understand way. EIA collaborated with state energy officials and other stakeholders on the portal’s design and solicited feedback from the public during the beta phase of the project.

• On June 12, the Sustainable Energy Coalition – in cooperation with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses – will host the 16th annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum. The event is FREE and will be held at the Cannon House Office Building – Caucus Room U.S. House of Representatives Independence Avenue and New Jersey Avenue SE; Washington, DC.
• Amyris, Inc. has welcomed the announcement that Tonon Bioenergia, a Brazilian agro-industrial group with growing investments in the sugarcane industry, has signed a contract to acquire the Paraiso Bioenergia sugarcane mill, which supplies feedstock to Amyris’s farnesene production unit in Brotas, Brazil.
• Algae.Tec has confirmed the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been formed between Algae.Tec and WorleyParsons to support the company in its current projects.
• Butamax Advanced Biofuels, LLC has announced it will appeal the Court’s claim construction and decisions on certain motions before the Court in Butamax’s litigation against Gevo.
• Solectria Renewables, LLC, has announced that Anita Worden, Chairwoman of Solectria Renewables, has been named one of the 20 “Women to Watch” by Mass High Tech.
  

A few years ago, September 2011 to be exact, DomesticFuel.com brought you the story about Urbee, a 3D printed car that was designed to bring in the age of cheaper, more economical travel. Since then, it was tested and sent on a trip to Canada. Today, Jim Kor, who owns the company that created the Urbee, Kor Ecologic, has announced Urbee 2. This car will also be printed on a 3D printer and according to Kor, is making its way to the production line.

Urbee 2 (a bit sy-fy no?), will take about 2,500 hours to print and measure 10 feet in length when completed. It will be put onto a 1,200 pound chassis to help it achieve better mileage. BTW  - many of the new cars coming out with better gas milage are achieving this with lighter chassis/lighter weight cars.

The Urbee 2, like its predecessor, is very aerodynamic and will be powered by hybrid engine featuring a 36-volt electric motor and a maximum of 10 horsepower. Its top speed is 40 miles per hour.

The plans for Urbee 2′s expedition? To travel from San Francisco to New York on just 10 gallons of ethanol.

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What grade would you give Ag Sec. Vilsack during his first term?”

Our poll results: The majority of you at twenty-nine percent gave Vilsack an A. Twenty-two percent said D; eighteen percent said B; seventeen percent said C; and fourteen percent said F. Since the poll grades were similar across the board we decided to calculate his overall average. On his first term paper Vilsack scored a C+.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “Does warranty influence your decision to purchase new equipment?” When shopping for new equipment there are many factors to consider that may make or break a purchase decision. Is warranty one of the top considerations? Let us know.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by .

It’s not often I write about new solar systems going online in the Midwest. This week, Krtek Real Estate and Worldwide Energy announced the completion of 119 kilowatt solar system consisting of 628 tenKSolar RAIS solar photovoltaic modules on the roof of the Manor Square parking garage. According to Worldwide Energy, the array utilizes solar reflector technology, which will boost the power production to an equivalent rating of 164 kilowatts, one of the highest production ratings in the state of Missouri. In addition, the solar company says the tenKsolar system is the only solar design without cell-to-cell dependency. The module uses conventional crystalline silicon cells, but is packaged in a module design for superior and optimal production.

“Kansas City has one of the highest solar potentials in the country, and we are excited for Krtek Real Estate to take advantage of that,” said Gaylen Davenport, COO of Worldwide Energy. “Solar is an efficient and smart way to offset the utility usage for the facility, and with the tenKsolar technology, it produces more than the average 119 kW system.”

In its first year, the system will produce more than 205,000 kilowatt-hours and around 5,020,287 kilowatt-hours over 25 years. In the Kansas City area, the average annual sunshine level is nearly five hours a day, above average compared to other parts of the United States.

“Kansas City is in a unique position to utilize solar,” added Davenport. “While our city may not be known for renewable energy, we can certainly lead the way for other businesses in the area.”

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”Do you support biofuel production and the use of corn to do this?”

Our poll results: The majority of you at sixty percent say Yes, thirty-three percent said No, four percent were Indifferent and four percent chose Other. Growing crops to use as biomass for producing fuel seems to be the best alternative to depleting our finite stocks of oil and they have the added benefit of being more friendly to our environment.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What did you think of Dodge Super Bowl commercial?” The late conservative radio broadcaster Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer” speech was the voice of the Ram Trucks Super Bowl 2013 commercial. Paul Harvey was a large voice for HSUS and an animal rights advocate. This may cause agriculturalists to have mixed feelings about Ram’s commercial. How do you feel about the commercial? Can you look past what he represented and smile about the message that he conveyed? Let us know.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by .

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Should we sit down with HSUS in ‘common cause’?”

The results of this poll are skewed due to the hacking by HSUS. In the end, the poll read that eighty one percent voted Definitely, fifteen percent said Never, and four percent thought we Should in some cases. The attempt to affect our poll results has the HSUS/PETA goal of an end to animal agriculture. They are working to get the livestock industry to make concessions that drastically change production methods. When that happens it becomes a very slippery slope very quickly. It will only be a short matter of time before allowing chickens more room in cages becomes allowing all animals the right to life. Treating animals humanely is not the same as treating them like they are humans – but many activists see no difference.

The hacking we are referring to was having almost 400 poll responses to the Definitely answer come in during a few hours one night last week and none since. If you take them out, the answer Never would have been the highest result by far.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “How many machines (tractors, etc.) does your farm own?” Some of the urban folk believe that if you own more than 1-2 pieces of machinery, that would classify you as a large farmer. We disagree with that. So let’s see how many pieces of equipment most farmers/ranchers own. Let us know!

ZimmPoll is sponsored by .

2012 was a challenging year for the renewable fuels industry. The biodiesel tax credit expired, the Renewable Fuels Standard was attacked, E15 continues to be attacked and there is yet to be a Farm Bill passed. With the fiscal cliff looming, many tax credits and incentives for wind, solar and advanced renewable fuels are set to expire. This uncertainty caused the wind energy industry to lay off thousands of workers, and several companies striving to produce advanced biofuels altered their business plans to begin producing biochemicals and biomaterials instead.

But on the positive side, the Domestic Fuel industry won the battle to keep the RFS in tact, E15 is now being sold in several states, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 was passed ensuring the military can continue to use and develop biofuels and American Ethanol NASCAR driver Austin Dillion won Rookie of the Year. In addition, more energy was produced using renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal than ever before and President Obama was elected for a second term.  All of these stories, plus more, were some of the Top Stories of 2012 on DomesticFuel.

We now have more than 2,100 followers on Twitter (@DomesticFuel). There were over 1200 posts on Domestic Fuel this year, with nearly 175 with audio interviews, podcasts and recorded press conferences. We covered the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, National Biodiesel Conference, National Ethanol Conference, Automotive Service & Repair Week, Iowa Ethanol Day, Trade Talk, Farm Progress, the 25th Annual Ethanol Conference, RFA Sponsorship of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and more.

As we enter a new Domestic Fuel era, we wish all of our readers, sponsors and friends a healthy, happy, prosperous and blessed new year!

This is the time of year where people reflect on the year past and look to the next year. 2012 was a roller coaster year for the alternative energy industry but amidst some struggles, the industry saw many successes.  Here is a brief look at some of the top stories for 2012 covered on DomesticFuel.

Top Stories for 2012:

• National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 passes
• First wind farm on public lands begins operation
• New York BioHeat bill takes effect
• Obama Administration authorizes offshore wind leases
• EPA approves RFS pathway for grain sorghum
• E15 goes on sale in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska
• Attack of E15 wages on
• Anti-ethanol opponents call for waiver of RFS due to drought
• EPA remains committed to RFS
• Propel Fuels begins selling algae-based biodiesel to consumers
• President Obama elected to second term
• America’s largest biodiesel company, Renewable Energy Group (REG) has successful public offering
• Solar energy breaks installation record
• NASCAR drives 3 million miles on E15
• Gevo ships first batch of biobased isobutanol

As the country ends the year on the edge of the fiscal cliff, there will be widespread implications for the future of the alternative energy industry. Keep reading DomesticFuel.com as we continue to bring you the news.

Beginning to panic because you haven’t even begun your holiday shopping? Here is a just in time unique idea – give the gift of time with a corn and bamboo watch. I own one and I recommend it.

Sprout Watches manufactures a line of eco-friendly watches that contain corn resin and bamboo. The watches come in multiple colors, but I chose white because of its neat design on the watch face. Each color watch has a different earth themed design to go along with its earth themed materials.

But back to the corn resin. It’s used as a component of the plastic, rather than using petroleum-based products. Nice, right?  Sprout promotes the technology on its website and notes that corn resin pellets sequester far less fossil fuel and emits much less greenhouse gases.  In addition, the watches are biodegradable and will not leach toxins into the ground. If you want to learn more, they have some neat graphics to demonstrate the process from stalk to watch.

So why did this make my holiday gift guide other than the fact it’s awesome? Because it is another example of what our corn farmers across the country are bringing us today and a glimpse of what they will be helping to bring to use in the future – a myriad of products that are petroleum free.

Renewable fuels and green petrochemical maker Anellotech Inc. has inked a deal with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst that will triple the amount of plastics feedstock made from biomass. The agreement adds a new technology capability to Anellotech’s process that triples the amount of p-xylene used to make plastic bottles, clothing, carpeting, automotive and other products usually made from nonrenewable petroleum but now could be produced from non-food biomass.

Anellotech’s core technology, catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP), was invented in Professor George W. Huber’s laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Anellotech is developing the process to produce benzene, toluene, xylenes and olefins from non-food biomass. The additional breakthrough technology was first reported in an article published in the prestigious journal Angewandte Chemie in October 2012, where Professor Huber, Professor Fan and collaborators describe how to modify the catalyst used in this process to triple the yield of p-xylene within the benzene, toluene and xylenes product stream. The new invention allows the more economical production of renewable p-xylene from non-food biomass, thus enabling the production of lower-cost renewable PET. This research was funded by the Department of Energy Energy Frontiers Research Centers as part of the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation which is led by the University of Delaware. Anellotech is currently working on scaling up the new CFP technology and bringing it to the market place.

“There is increasing demand for p-xylene, particularly for making consumer products” said David Sudolsky, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anellotech Inc. “This new technology we will be developing under license from the University of Massachusetts will enable beverage manufacturers to obtain 100% renewable PET bottles made from green ethylene glycol (already on the market by others) together with Anellotech’s green p-xylene.”

The process could replace some of the petroleum now used to make 54 million tons of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) globally.

This past weekend marked the holiday shopping season with “Black Friday”. Hopefully you survived the lines and the crowd and are reading my blog post about my “E2 Gift Giving Guide”  (E2 = energy and environment). Modeled after the “12 Days of Christmas” (yes, I’m even drafting a song in my head as I write), I’m looking for ideas from you readers, on what should be included in my guide.

I’m looking for book ideas, solar ideas, cool products that would help others (for example through the National Arbor Day Foundation you can donate trees for planting) and more.

So bust out your Zen of Pitching guide and pitch me some unique ideas by November 30, 2012. You can contact me via email, Twitter, LinkedIn or via a comment to this post. And who knows, maybe Santa will donate some of the E2 gifts so several of our readers can have an extra present in his or her stocking this year.

Just in case you forgot the lyrics to “12 Days of Christmas” here is a brief summation:

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
12 Drummers Drumming
11 Pipers Piping
10 Lords-a-Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing
8 Maids-a-Milking
7 Swans-a-Swimming
6 Geese-a-Laying
5 Gold Rings
4 Colly Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Oh, and just in case you would like to get me a holiday present, I would quite enjoy a Chevy Volt, named the Greenest Car in the World by Motor Trend in 2012.

The concern over the American drought and the impact that ethanol production is having on corn prices has gone global. Jose Graziano da Silva, the director-general of the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization, said that the easing of U.S. ethanol mandates could stave off another world food crisis.

In response, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance  (GRFA) wrote, “While the current drought in the US Midwest has placed tremendous pressure on farmers, any action to reduce or eliminate the RFS would be premature and have immediate consequences in lost jobs and an increased reliance on crude oil imports.”

GRFA cited that the flexibility embedded in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is an effective way of reducing demand for corn during difficult time. U.S. ethanol production is down nearly 14 percent and refiners are holding an estimated 2.6 billion RFS credits that can be used to meet their compliance requirements.

Total grain output globally is expected to drop by 2.9 percent this year; yet, it is still estimated to be the second largest in history. Estimates show grain ending stocks 4% above the 10 year average.

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Garry Niemeyer thanked farmers for having done so much to increase the corn supply. This year’s corn acres paralleled that in 1937; however, this year with advanced agronomic practices, new seed technologies and improved genetics, corn is able to withstand extreme conditions, such as heat and drought, better than ever before.

.”..we remain hopeful that above average yields in some areas will further augment the crop. At the same time, we recognize that it will not fully cover yield concerns.” Without these advanced technologies, said Niemeyer, the production losses would be much greater.

“As prices and emotions rise, so does the temptation to take action that might actually hurt us all in the long run,” added Niemeyer. “Right now, farmers, ranchers, ethanol producers and much of the country is suffering through this historic drought. Yet, we suffer together. We have all seen our investments, be they of time, hard work or resources, wither under the unrelenting heat. With empathy and a strong spirit of cooperation, we will come through these difficulties stronger for the experience and with renewed vigor to build a brighter future for ourselves, our industry and our country.”