Cranfield currently has a pilot facility on campus that is growing and processing algae for biofuels. However, the long-term the goal is for Sea Green to be an ocean based facility and producing commercial scale levels of bio-jet fuel within three years. According to a press release, Sea Green’s ocean based facility, “will be designed to use the expanse of the world’s near-shore waters to rapidly grow microalgae at a faster rate than any other initiative and capture CO2 from the atmosphere and seas at the same time”

Researchers argue that this is a more sustainable method of biofuel production because it does not compete with agricultural land, doesn’t require fresh water, doesn’t result in deforestation, and doesn’t damage the environment.

“Many biofuels compete with agricultural land and fresh water which results in the price of food being pushed up. This project and consortium aim to see how algae could benefit the aviation industry,” said Professor Feargal Brennan, Head of Cranfield University’s Department of Offshore, Process and Energy Engineering.

Brennan continued, “It will look at ways to grow and harvest naturally occurring species of algae in large volumes and to process these into fuel. Algae grows naturally in sea water and with over 70 percent of the surface of the earth being water, Cranfield’s Sea Green project is a logical and potentially high yield solution. Few replacement options to kerosene for fueling commercial aircraft have been identified but jet fuel produced from algae produced in this way, could be a major break-through.”

Many of the recommendations of this report come as no surprise to the agricultural and biofuels industry, as over the past two weeks, members of Friends of the Earth surreptitiously called agricultural organizations across the country, questioning them about their methods of production.

According to an industry insider whose company received multiple calls from various people in the employ of Friends of the Earth, the organization was asking questions about ground water quality (ag production, mainly corn and soybeans have been linked to the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone) and hypoxia; two issues that have made national headlines in recent weeks. It is also no secret that Friends of the Earth has engaged in an active anti-agribusiness and biofuels campaign over the past few years, and the environmental organization has been tied to Big Oil through contribution monies.

It should be known that, Friends of the Earth, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Clean Air Task Force are currently engaged in a campaign to end the ethanol tax credit (VEETC) as well as the ethanol tariff. They have specifically attacked Growth Energy’s corn-ethanol advertising campaign in the Beltway.

They write on their website, “Tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money has already been wasted under the credit [VEETC]. And these funds do little more than to further line the coffers of the oil industry. This coalition is working to prevent an additional 30 billion plus dollars from being lavished on the industry to fulfill a legally mandated requirement to blend an environmentally harmful fuel into another environmentally harmful one.”

In a press release today, Friends of the Earth Energy Tax Analyst Ben Schreiber said, “For far too long, the federal government has incentivized practices that destroy our environment. This is particularly true with energy. In the fight to combat global warming, we cannot continue to subsidize the harmful practices that have forced us into this dire predicament.”

However, as Friends of The Earth, along with their ‘friends,’ attack Big Oil subsidies and ethanol subsidies alike, citing the economic and environmental damage of both industries, they fail to offer a solution in the report to convert away from our current fossil-fuel based transportation system, but they do in fact have the solution: plug-in electric vehicles.

The fallacy with their rationale, is that nearly 80 percent of our country’s electricity is generated from coal and natural gas  – two other areas that were attacked in the report. Yet before I lead you astray, the organization’s future energy choice is solar, in the form of solar charging stations. The irony however, is that solar, along with wind, also receive subsidies but nary is there a mention of this in Green Scissors 2010.

Are we to believe then, that solar subsidies, and wind and geothermal by omission, are good subsides for the country and the environment?

Look I’m all for a review of energy subsidies and I am a vocal supporter of renewable energy. But the bottom line is you can’t pick and choose which industries receive subsidies and which ones don’t.

It’s all or nothing people. ALL or NOTHING.

In the meantime, while people continue to fight over the veracity of several biofuels subsidies that are up for renewal this year (yet fail to bring in oil and gas subsidies in the debate) the Green Scissors campaign, that was launched 15 years ago, continues on. This campaign causes me to ask if Friends of the Earth actually has any friends.

HGAT is an internet based tool for small to mid-sized companies that can measure a company’s carbon footprint, manage its carbon footprint and maintain carbon footprint goals, explained Balinas. The tool measures five categories: water, energy, transportation, materials and waste. Ultimately the tool helps companies become not only more sustainable but more profitable as well.

“People usually first think, it’s about the environment, it’s about global warming. That’s part of it,” said Balinas. “But it’s good governance and it’s actually profitable for organizations.”

A few years ago, people perceived that going green meant going broke. That is actually not the case. Going green will actually help you make more green. For example, if all small to mid-sized businesses turned off their computers and printers at night (unplug the electronics) nearly $2.1 billion could be saved annually.

Here is how it works. After 35 days of metrics based on the five categories outlined above, the HGAT will tell a company how to reduce the carbon footprint and give suggestions that a company can choose to integrate. Ultimately, the tools that are put into place will help a company manage its program and save money.

Companies can implement the program alone or partner with other small to mid-sized companies. Balinas said that the average cost to a company with less than 50 employees is around $50 per month but the return is much greater.

Listen to my interview with Lynn below to learn more about HGAT.

“We are proud that our partnership with BNSF has helped keep transport of ethanol safe and efficient,” said, POET CEO Jeff Broin. “These POET plants work hard to ensure that safety remains a top priority.”

POET Biorefining plants in South Dakota recognized in the award are Chancellor, Mitchell, Big Stone City, Groton, Scotland, and Hudson. POET plants in Iowa are Coon Rapids and Corning.

According to information released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), drivers pumped 371.2 million gallons of non-ethanol gas every day in 2007. EIA anticipates a 6.9 percent decrease in 2009 to 345.7 million gallons, citing reduced gasoline demand and increased use of ethanol blends. Although some sources report that gasoline use today is higher than last summer, the EIA predicts that future gasonline demand will never exceed 2007 levels.

In addition, WSJ reports that, “Demand for all petroleum-based transportation fuels — gasoline, diesel and jet fuel — fell 7.1% last year, according to the EIA. This is the steepest one-year decline since at least 1950, as far back as the federal government has reliable data.”

This is great news for ethanol producers, especially as there are an estimated 300 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol ready and waiting to enter the fuel market. The historical barriers to an increased market for ethanol have been lack of infrastructure for E85 and mid-level blends and the need to raise the ethanol blend wall. Last month the ethanol industry joined together to file an E15 waiver, which is currently under EPA review and there is talk about the possiblity of biofuels infrasture funding from the federal government.

In the meantime, it appears that Big Oil is taking the decrease in gasoline production to heart and is activiely pursuing entry into the biofuels market.

He’s worked on a project with the state department of transportation in Indiana to study traffic flow changes and suggests that more of this type of research needs to be done. He says that a 100 million gallon ethanol plant will have up to 110 trucks in per day.

You can listen to my interview with Frank here: ff-bio-08-dooley.mp3

You can also download the interview using this link (mp3).

Transition To A Bio Economy Photo Album

The EPIC survey found 47 percent of those polled stated that a fuel price below $5 a gallon should be the point where fossil fuels are no longer our primary fuel sources. An additional 27 percent of those polled reported that the critical price point lies between $5 and $5.99. America is getting close to the break-point as Sunday, the national average of a gallon of gasoline rose to $4.005, 90 cents higher than a year ago, according to AAA.

Even in the face of heavy criticism from anti-ethanol groups and misplaced blame for rising food prices, the ethanol fuel industry continues to help keep fuel prices below the even-more exorbitant prices consumers would pay without the availability of ethanol fuel.

The survey found that 42 percent of those polled said they were coping with rising gas prices by driving less, but 15 percent reported there was nothing they could do to cut back on the increasing expense of driving.

The survey was completed online with 1,004 respondents from April 24 through April 30, 2008.

Rising gasoline prices is what peaked the interest of the St. Louis Regional Clean Cities Program to bring this movie to the St. Louis region. The Hi-Pointe Theater at 1005 McCausland Ave, in St. Louis (ironically under the shadow of a giant Amoco sign) will premiere The Film Racket’s new documentary, GasHole.

According to a news release, “GasHole examines US dependence on foreign supplies of oil and poses pointed questions about America’s turn from leading exporter to largest importer and the contributing economic and social forces. Several potential solutions are examined, including untapped technologies, navigating bureaucratic governmental roadblocks, and alternative fuels – all while questioning the American Consumer’s reluctance to embrace alternatives.”

The film is directed and produced by Jeremy Wagener and Scott D. Roberts. This will be the movie’s 17th stop in a nationwide tour that has reportedly been selling out across the country.

For more information on the movie, go to www.gasholemovie.com.

A motorcycle enthusiast himself, Taylor commissioned the Cadillac chopper in the photo above from Great American Chopper of Clawson, Michigan. More interesting still is a second bike that’s still in the works, which will feature a hybrid engine capable of running on ethanol or in a pure electric mode.

The hybrid Cadillac bike is being built by V20 Consulting of New York City, and has been tasked with displaying “GM’s strength in science and technology.” The bike is purported to be capable of a 0 to 60 sprint of 4.5 seconds, and should be unveiled for the public at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show.

Click here to see the article at Winding Road.

Vice-President of U.S. Development Group, LLC noted, “This terminal will help bring cleaner air to the Dallas-Forth Worth area by more efficiently distributing fuel-grade ethanol to the metroplex. The Dallas Fort Worth Rail Terminal forms a key link in the supply chain needed to meet growing demand for cleaner-burning blended fuel. The ability to pump ethanol directly to gasoline blend terminals via pipelines significantly reduces the time and cost associated with secondary trucking.”

U.S. Development Group has five additional terminals across the country, two of which also handle fuel grade ethanol. These facilities are in Linden, New Jersey and Baltimore, Maryland.

Currently, there are 38 E85 fueling locations to serve nearly 600,000 flexible fuel vehicles in the state of Texas.

The vehicles will be embedded into AT&T’s workforce as operational components of its fleet. AT&T will measure and track fuel efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, operating costs, performance and driver satisfaction of each vehicle.

AT&T estimates that its use of these alternative-fueled and more fuel-efficient vehicles will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 124 metric tons and conserve nearly 34,395 gallons of fuel annually.

The U.S. Air Force recently accepted MAG’s bid to provide a new fleet of off road vehicles designed to reduce exhaust emissions. Reducing the exhaust emissions of its fleet is a major concern of the Air Force. The vehicles supplied by MAG will use Flextek technology to allow the vehicles to utilize emission reducing E85 fuel.

As an OEM Flextek distributor, MAG will be marketing to military installations and other government facilities as well as private off-road vehicle purchasers including farms, refineries, stadiums, hotels, resorts, casinos, amusement parks, airports, building complexes, universities and colleges.

The system is the first and only E85 conversion unit certified by the EPA for passenger and fleet vehicles. A copy of the EPA certificate issued to Flex Fuel U.S. can be found on their homepage at: www.flexfuelus.com. With this Federal certificate of conformity, the Flex-Box Smart Kit™ is approved for the most popular Dodge vehicles: the Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Chrysler 300 2wd and AWD 5.7L Hemi.

The FLEX-BOX SMART KIT™ is an easy-to-install system that lets you operate your vehicle on any combination of ethanol and gasoline. One can fill up on E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline), E20 (20% ethanol and 80% gasoline), E10 (10% ethanol and 90% gasoline) or pure gasoline.

The group plans to study ways to make commercial aviation fuels out of so-called second-generation feedstocks such as algae.
Airbus A380

That’s where the backing of established and heavyweight manufacturers such as Honeywell and Airbus could make a difference. Honeywell says that its UOP subsidiary, a specialist in refining technology, has been working for some time in a DARPA-funded project to convert natural oils and grease into military jet fuel and has commercialized a process for producing “green diesel” from biofeedstocks.

“With clean diesel power, drivers can have approximately 30 percent better fuel economy and 50 percent more torque, as well as reduce emissions by up to 25 percent, when compared to gasoline-powered passenger car engines. With clean diesel no longer are fuel economy and performance mutually exclusive,” Banks said.

Bosch is a leading supplier of automotive technologies and the developer of the common rail diesel injection system. As concerns grow over the environment and fuel economy, clean diesel technology provides an alternative for consumers and automakers. Bosch estimates the North American market for light-diesel vehicles will reach 15 percent of new vehicle sales by 2015… Bosch’s advances in diesel technology have helped position the company as a leader in powertrain development and a factor in motor sports. Bosch sponsors the American Le Mans Series champion Audi R10 TDI race team.

Various news sources have reported that more and more auto manufacturers will be offering clean diesel vehicles. Acura, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Ford and General Motors are expected to join Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and VW in clean diesel technology. The growth in clean diesel options has led to vehicles on the market today that meet emissions standards in all 50 states.

Now, old brown is outdoing itself. UPS has placed an order with DTNA’s Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation for the largest order of alternative-fuel and drive-train commercial vehicles to date. This time, UPS will be adding 300 CNG vehicles to its fleet, plus, 200 hybrid electric vehicles.

These environmental friendly vehicles are part of Daimler’s world-wide “Shaping Future Transportation” initiative and will be used by UPS for daily delivery operations across the United States and will function in concert with their current fleet of conventional diesel powertrain vehicles.

The hybrid-electric power train, combined with a diesel engine and electric motor, drive the FCCC chassis to achieve an over 40% improvement in fuel economy and an over 90% reduction in emissions compared to baseline non-hybrid vehicles.

UPS expects its fleet of hybrid trucks to save 176,000 gallons of fuel and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,786 tons each year.

NorthStar Moving Corporation has announced that they have converted all of their trucks to biodiesel fuel. NorthStar Moving continues to find new ways to lighten its carbon footprint, now powering its vehicles with cleaner burning fuel made from natural renewable sources such as vegetable oils.

NorthStar Moving not only took the radical step of eradicating all diesel fuel from its fleet, but also installed battery-powered lift gates on all of its trucks so that the vehicles could be turned off while the lift gates are still in use. This alleviates any need to leave vehicles idling.

In terms of design a diesel is much more efficient: It uses less fuel and emits less CO2. To purify diesel exhaust fumes is a challenge and only possible because manufacturers of catalytic converters like BASF Catalysts are continually improving their exhaust gas after treatment systems.

Direct subscription via RSS-Feed or iTunes (search for “basf”): http://corporate.basf.com/en/podcast/innovation.xml

To be eligible for the award, companies must ship 600 or more railcars per year on CSXT and have zero non-accidental releases during the year.

Among the ethanol industry winners for 2007: Ace Ethanol; Archer Daniels Midland Company; Glacial Lakes Energy; Global Ethanol; Granite Falls Energy; Lincolnway Energy LLC; Poet; US Bioenergy; and Verasun Energy Corporation.