DuPont recently received confirmation from an independent sources that its ethanol yield calibration system really works.

The external independent validation came from the Illinois Crop Improvement Association (ICIA), which demonstrated that the Ethanol Yield Potential (EYP) near infrared (NIR) calibration does reliably predict the ethanol output of whole corn grain. The calibration, developed by DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred, allows ethanol plants to rapidly and consistently evaluate incoming grain, helping both plant managers and growers determine which corn hybrids and management practices can improve ethanol production.

“Rapid determination of EYP of corn can be a valuable step in improving ethanol plant efficiency,” said Dennis Thompson, ICIA chief executive officer. “ICIA recognizes the need for rapid measurement tools based on standardized reference lab methods. Our initial validation procedures have shown a strong correlation between the Pioneer EYP calibration and our laboratory method.”

The calibration has been incorporated into the QualiTrakSM system from Pioneer, a measurement and reporting program that facilitates the flow of ethanol yield information to both plant personnel and corn growers. The technology allows ethanol producers to use analytical data to manage the corn grain feeding for their ethanol production process through rapid analysis and grading at the point of grain receiving. Farmers are then able to take this information and combine it with their on-farm agronomic performance data to tailor the corn hybrids they plant and apply management practices to maximize the ethanol yield on every acre.

Making ethanol from a nuisance weed could be an idea whose time has come.

A Tennessee entrepreneur claims to have found a way to make ethanol out of kudzu - into a product he calls “Kudzunol.”

Doug Mizell is a co-founder of Agro*Gas Industries, LLC, which he promotes on his MySpace page. He and partner Tom Monahan are looking for funding to build a demonstration plant to prove that their technology will work.

Kudzu is an invasive species that grows vine-like throughout the southeast. “There’s 7.2 million acres of kudzu in the south that’s absolutely good to no one,” said Mizell. “It grows a foot a day, 60 feet a season and can be harvested twice a year and not even hurt the stand.”

Agro*Gas plans to break ground on a demonstration plant somewhere in Tennessee by end of the year and hopefully begin production in 2009.

The Glenville Mobil Mart in Glenville, New York is the proud 1,600th E85 fueling facility. The station is located at 245 Saratoga Road in Glenville, New York and the milestone was made just in recent weeks when they began selling the alternative fuel.

“We decided to sell E85 to help reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil,” said Stephen Weekes, President of Glenville Mobil. “We need E85.”

The station currently sells regular unleaded gasoline as E10 and diesel. They are open 24 hours and offer a full convenience store and 24 hour Dunkin Donuts. The 5000 E85 tank supplies four E85 nozzles.

Glenville Mobil received a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority which contributed to half the cost of the E85 infrastructure.

At this time last year, only 1230 stations were providing E85.

On May 25th, 2008, an F5 tornado ripped through the town of Parkersburg, Iowa… killing six people and practically wiping out the small town in Northeast Iowa. Now, with some help from biodiesel, the town is rebuilding.

This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and the Ames, Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group Inc. have announced a $10,000 donation toward the purchase of biodiesel to aid the recovery effort. And that has turned into a statewide money-raising effort:

“The idea was to round the price of diesel up to $5 a gallon and ask people if they would like to donate just a gallon,” an REG representative told Biodiesel Magazine. “We have been overwhelmed by the participation in this fundraising activity.”

KCPS Radio in West Burlington, Iowa, donated $1,000 accumulated from listeners, and although the deadline for helping to purchase biodiesel has passed, persistence to help continues. “My sidekick and I raised the money from our listeners in just one week,” said Chip Giannettino, KCPS station owner and morning show host. “In fact, we’ll exceed $1,000 as donations are still drifting in.”

Western Dubuque Biodiesel in Farley, Iowa; and Central Iowa Energy in Newton, Iowa joined REG and the IRFA in making addiitonal $500 donations. GATX Rail and the Iowa Biodiesel Board were also noted donators among dozens of others.

E85 will sell for 85 cents per gallon for 85 minutes celebrating the opening of the first publicly accessed E85 fueling location in the state of Massachusetts. Dennis K. Burke, Inc. plans to hold a grand opening celebration on Thursday, June 26 at their new biofuels center at 410 Beacham St. in Chelsea.

“We’re very excited about the grand opening on Thursday. We are currently competively pricing the product at $2.85 per gallon,” said Dennis K. Burke, Inc.’s Chairman of the Board, Ed Burke. “Thanks to Irving Oil, Chelsea Fire, State Fire Marshal and Gov. Patrick’s administration, E85 is now available in Massachusetts.”

Thursday’s ribbon cutting will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be hosted by Ed Burke and the company President, Ted Burke. Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash will emcee the event. Several state and local officials, as well as “green” industry friends are expected to attend. The E85 promotion, sponsored by General Motors, will begin following the ribbon cutting.

Burke is one of New England’s largest suppliers of diesel fuel, gasoline and motor oil products. The family-owned business has over 45 years of reliable service. They will also offer biodiesel at the Chelsea fueling facility, the first in the state.

The tenth E85 fueling station in Tucson, Arizona will offer E85 for $1.85 per gallon on Wednesday, June 25 in celebration of their grand opening. The Quik Mart at 1026 E. Irvington Road, at the intersection with Houghton Road in Tucson, will offer the alternative fuel at the discounted rate from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

“Bringing a clean fuel alternative like E85 to the Tucson consumer, being a good community partner and being a part of building a better tomorrow was important to Quik Mart,” said Troy Little, owner of the Quik Mart. “It just made sense.”

Quik Mart will also offer a jumbo hot dog, small bag of chips and 32-ounce soft drink for just $1.85.

“Opening Tucson’s 10th E85 site tells me that E85 is not only selling well for the other nine sites, but it also has found a permanent home in Tucson,” said Colleen Crowninshield, manager of the Tucson Clean Cities program at Pima Association of Governments. “With gas prices pushing $4 a gallon and the
need to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil more apparent than ever, we’re proud to be a part of fueling Tucson for $1.85 with clean alternatives to petroleum, such as E85. We’d like to thank Quik Mart and all of our other stations for bringing these fuels to the Tucson region.”

The E85 fuel promotion is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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The Midwestern Governors Association is calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to uphold the Renewable Fuels Standard passed by Congress in December.

In a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, the group said that granting a waiver would be contrary to the agency’s mission of protecting human health and the environment. The letter adds that blame placed on ethanol for higher food prices is misguided.

The Midwestern Governors Association includes the governors of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin working together on issues of significance to the Midwest.

A new report says millions of workers in the U.S. will benefit from a green economy… and many workers already have the skills to make the jump to clean energy jobs.

The National Resources Defense Council, a coalition of environmental organizations, has released a report titled “Job Opportunities for the Green Economy.” The paper, put together by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, takes a look at the potential of green jobs in 12 key states. This press release from the NRDC says the state-by-state report looks at existing jobs skills and how those skills will translate into clean energy jobs:

“Achieving a clean energy economy through green industries like wind and solar are just part of the story. This report is also about job security. Making homes and offices more energy efficient not only saves money and energy, but also represents growth opportunities for workers who build our communities and keep them running,” said Dan Lashof, director of NRDC’s Climate Center. “We’re talking about jobs at every skill level from construction to research, already available here at home.”

“Everyone is talking about how the transition to a clean energy future will create millions of new ‘green-collar’ jobs,” said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club. “This report shows that millions of Americans are already working in exactly the kinds of jobs we’ll need to build that clean energy future. Those millions and millions more—from steelworkers to software engineers—stand to benefit from implementing the clean energy solutions we need to fight global warming.”

The report breaks down the clean energy climates of 12 states: Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The full text of the report is available here.

A host of the Discovery Channel’s new “Planet Green” channel, which dedicates itself to earth-friendly causes, has written a pretty good opinion piece, urging the passage of a measure before Congress that will help create jobs in the renewable energy sector.

In the piece on ItsGettingHotinHere.org titled, “Green-Collar Jobs or Rust-Belt Future,” model and environmental scientist (I know, I almost couldn’t believe the title when I wrote it!) Summer Rayne asks people to call their senators and tell them to vote for the Investing in Climate Action and Protection Act (iCAP). She answers the question: how will the bill help create jobs?:

Simple, it would create the jobs of the future, new local jobs, jobs that cannot be outsourced—in other words, Green Jobs. And these jobs span the gamut, yet with one important thing in common. From installing solar panels and constructing transit lines to retrofitting buildings for energy-efficiency, reclaiming mine sites, and refining vegetable waste oil into biodiesel, all these jobs benefit the economy and improve our environment.

It shouldn’t have to be that way. Pennsylvania and other struggling areas should be a land of opportunity. Much of the U.S. workforce is ideally suited to green-collar work—many are middle-skill jobs that are well within reach for low income workers if they have access to effective training programs and support. Whether it’s learning the new skills needed to become a renewable energy technician or retraining workers for a clean energy economy, i.e., fixing an electric engine, our universities, technical schools, businesses and governments need to lead the way.

Rayne goes on to point out that if the bill passes, there could be $125 million annually for green jobs training, providing 30,000-35,000 jobs that won’t be outsourced to some foreign shore.