Microorganisms can be turned into biodiesel, and the cost is going down
from MSNBC.com:
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The 16 big flasks of bubbling bright green liquids in Roger Ruan's lab at the University of Minnesota are part of a new boom in renewable energy research.
Driven by renewed investment as oil prices push $100 a barrel, Ruan and scores of scientists around the world are racing to turn algae into a commercially viable energy source.
Some varieties of algae are as much as 50 percent oil, and that oil can be converted into biodiesel or jet fuel.
...Ruan's researchers grow their algae in sewage plant discharge because it contains phosphates and nitrates — chemicals that pollute rivers but can be fertilizer for algae farms. So Ruan envisions building algae farms next to treatment plants, where they could consume yet another pollutant, the carbon dioxide produced when sewage sludge is burned.
Jim Sears of A2BE Carbon Capture LLC, of Boulder, Colo., a startup company that's developing fuel-from-algae technologies that tap carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, compared the challenges to achieving space flight.
"It's complex, it's difficult and it's going to take a lot of players," Sears said.
Read More>>
Friday, November 30, 2007
Oil from Algae? Scientists Seek Green Gold
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Fuel MPG Standards Deal May Be Revealed Today
Pelosi Seeks Vote Next Week on 35mpg Standard by 2020
from freep.com (Detroit Free Press):
November 29, 2007
BY JUSTIN HYDE - FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF
Congressional staffers have hammered out the outlines of an agreement for increasing U.S. fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, and a deal could be announced as soon as today if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers approve.
...As expected, the deal would require federal regulators to treat cars and trucks differently under fuel economy rules, and preserve some kind of credits for selling vehicles capable of burning ethanol or other alternative fuels. Both were key concerns of Detroit automakers, which will face higher costs for meeting tougher standards than their foreign competitors.
Read More>>
ASA Raises Concerns About Farm Bill Priorities
from American Soybean Association press release:
...In the Energy Title (of the Senate's proposed Farm Bill), ASA is very concerned with the level of funding provided for payments to domestic biodiesel producers under the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels. Biodiesel producers have seen prices for their feedstocks, including soybean oil, more than double in the past year as aggressive policies to raise ethanol production have shifted nearly 12 million acres from soybeans to corn this year. As a result of higher feedstock costs, the biodiesel tax credit is not sufficient to ensure competitiveness of domestic biodiesel in the U.S. market.
"An additional payment is essential to ensure the viability of our fledgling domestic biodiesel industry in the current volatile energy market," Hoffman said.
Unfortunately, the funding level provided in the proposed bill would not allow a payment sufficient to make domestic biodiesel competitive. Also, and for the same reasons, the proposed bill should provide payments on all biodiesel production, as has been done in the past, not on incremental production. In addition, the proposed requirement that biodiesel producers choose between biodiesel payments under the Bioenergy Program and the small biodiesel producer tax credit would be a disincentive for start-up biodiesel companies, and should be eliminated.
Read More>>
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Imperium Looks to Algae for Fuel, a Future in Farming?
Algae "could contribute 100 million gallons of biodiesel by 2011."
from SeattlePI.com (blog):
In a BusinessWeek story titled "Here comes pond scum power," Imperium Renewables Chief Executive Martin Tobias and others discuss the promise of algae in biofuel production.
Tobias says that algae could contribute 100 million gallons of biodiesel by 2011. And he hints that Imperium -- which already has a deal with South San Francisco algae producer Solazyme and recently invested in Tacoma algae-to-fuel producer Inventure Chemical -- may spend more money on the emerging fuel source.
"The only thing missing is the farms. I prefer not to operate a large-scale farm myself, but I may have to do it," Tobias tells BusinessWeek.
Read More>>
Farm Bill Hot, but Focus Switches to Energy
from DesMoinesRegister.com
By Philip Brasher • WASHINGTON FARM REPORT • November 25, 2007
Washington, D.C. - Democrats hope Republican senators will get an earful from farmers about the Senate's gridlocked farm bill. Democrats would probably prefer that farmers not notice the stalled energy bill.But that energy bill could have a bigger impact on the agricultural economy. Prices for corn, soybeans and even wheat and cotton have risen sharply since Congress passed the last energy bill in 2005, which set the first mandate for ethanol usage.
The demand for corn to make ethanol drove up corn prices to the highest levels in a decade. And that, in turn, led farmers to plant more corn this year and less wheat, soybeans and cotton, helping to push up prices for all three of those commodities. Net farm income is expected to top $87 billion this year, a 48 percent increase from 2006.
Farmers and ethanol and biodiesel producers worry the good times won't continue unless Congress acts soon to raise the mandate and guarantee a growing demand for both products.
"Obviously, people do know that the ethanol and biodiesel market has done a lot for commodity programs. There is a bigger threat that we're not going to finish the energy bill than there is the farm bill," said Mary Kay Thatcher, a lobbyist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Read More>>
Efficiency, Clean Emissions Earn Award for Audi TDi
Audi A5 3.0 TDI triumphs in the Challenge Bibendum
from AutoBlogGreen.com
Posted Nov 27th 2007 8:06AM by Sam Abuelsamid
Audi clearly demonstrated the efficiency and clean emissions of their TDI power-train system last week when the new A5 TDI was declared the overall winner in the prototype vehicle class of the Challenge Bibendum in Shanghai last week. They used their experience with efficient high-performance diesels to create the A5 coupe that was powered by the latest version of the 3.0L V-6 diesel equipped with the urea injection exhaust after-treatment system. The A5 TDI finished first overall the handling, acceleration and emissions categories and did well enough in other areas to capture the class victory. In the fuel consumption tests, the A5 managed 40.6 mpg (US) which is pretty respectable for a mid-sized sport coupe.
That same engine and exhaust system will be installed in the new A4 and Q7 TDI models that are coming to the U.S. in 2008. The A4 and Q7 will be fifty-state legal under the Tier2 Bin5 standards. In addition to the A5, Audi also ran an A6 wagon with the 2.7L V-6 TDI and an A3 with the 1.9 TDIe. The A6 had a mild hybrid system that helped it achieve 50.2 mpg in the fuel economy test which was only good enough for 25th place in the prototype class. The A3 pulled out a 62.2 mpg result in the production class which earned it fourth place behind the Mercedes E300 Bluetec, VW Passat Bluemotion and BMW Hydrogen 7.
Read More>>
Biodiesel Could Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions says CSIRO
A CSIRO report (the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia's national science agency) released today (27th November 2007) confirms that using pure biodiesel or blending biodiesel with standard fuel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. The report, The greenhouse and air quality emissions of biodiesel blends in Australia, assesses the emission levels and environmental impacts of biodiesel produced from sources including used cooking oil, tallow, imported palm oil and canola.
CSIRO Energy Transformed National Research Flagship researcher and report author Dr Tom Beer believes the wider introduction of biodiesel in Australia could help address the high greenhouse gas intensity of the country’s transport sector.
$100 Oil and the "S" Word
Is it growing demand and tight supply, or merely rampant speculation that has pushed crude to record highs?
from CNNMoney.com:
By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer November 27 2007: 2:35 PM EST
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Greed is driving oil prices to $100 a barrel.
That's a common feeling among the general public, which sees record profits for investment banks that bet on oil prices - making wealthy oil companies even wealthier - while drivers shell out $3 and more for a gallon of gas.
It's also a common refrain from OPEC states. Having to defend themselves against charges their production quotas are responsible for the high prices, they point to near-average crude oil supplies and say speculation is what's behind the frenzy.
But industry experts offer mixed opinions on speculative investment's impact on oil prices. Some say it's marginal, that strong demand and limited supply are the real reasons oil prices have risen five-fold since 2002, and say additional investors actually benefit the market by adding more liquidity.
Others say the tight supply and demand situation has been known for a while, and nothing but speculation is behind the doubling of oil prices over the last year. They say there is a cost to the sheer number of oil contracts now traded on the oil exchanges, and this trading has just enriched Wall Streeters at the expense of average Americans.
Read More>>
Ethanol a Sticking Point in Energy Bill
Some Democrats extol corn as a source; others want the fuel made with nonfood materials easier on the environment.
By Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Nov 28, 2007
WASHINGTON -- With oil prices in record territory, presidential candidates stumping for votes in corn-centric Iowa, and congressional Democrats anxious to pass an energy bill to cut the nation's dependence on Mideast oil, this should be the right moment for ethanol.
But a plan to dramatically increase ethanol production has become a major sticking point in congressional negotiations to complete work on the bill. And it has created a challenge for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose Democratic caucus has split over the issue.
Pro-ethanol Democrats and farm groups want the bill to require a nearly fivefold increase by 2022 in the amount of home-grown alternative fuels that must be blended into gasoline. They say the mandate would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and help America's farmers.
Democrats on the other side, joined by environmental and food-industry groups, think the mandate could raise the price of corn used for food; harm the environment by using more land to produce biofuels; and gouge taxpayers by expanding ethanol subsidies.
Read More>>
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Research: Generating Hydrogen from Glycerin
from PHYSORG.com:
Researchers at the University of Leeds have a potential solution to the problem of large quantities of low value by-product generated in the synthesis of biodiesel – by turning it into high value hydrogen.
Dr Valerie Dupont and her co-investigators in the University’s Faculty of Engineering have developed a novel process that turns glycerol into a hydrogen-rich gas, a high value product in great demand for use in fertilisers, food production and chemical plants. Moreover, hydrogen is itself viewed as a future ‘clean’ replacement for hydrocarbon-based transport fuels, and most countries currently reliant on these fuels are investing heavily in hydrogen development programmes.
Dr Dupont’s process mixes glycerol with steam at controlled temperature and pressure, which separates the different components into hydrogen, water and carbon dioxide, leaving no waste residues. A special absorbent material filters out the carbon dioxide, which leaves a much purer product.
Read More>>
Construction Suspended at IN Ethanol Plant
VeraSun Energy Cites Current Market Conditions; Expects to Resume in 2008
from VeraSun Energy press release
Brookings, S.D., October 1, 2007 - VeraSun Energy Corporation (NYSE: VSE), one of the nation’s largest ethanol producers, today announced that it will suspend construction of its 110 million-gallon-per-year ethanol biorefinery in Reynolds, Ind., due to current market conditions. The company expects to resume construction in 2008, depending upon the return of more favorable market conditions.
“We believe it’s important to be mindful of the current market conditions and manage our business accordingly,” said Danny Herron, VeraSun Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President. “Given the abrupt change in market conditions that have seen ethanol prices drop nearly 50 cents per gallon in the last 60 days, it is prudent for us to adjust our current pace of expansion. Due to Reynold’s early stage of development, we believe it is wise to suspend investment until the market provides an acceptable return.”
VeraSun originally announced plans to build the Reynolds facility on April 18, 2007, and completed site grading and preparation work in August. VeraSun continues to expand its business with four facilities under construction in Hartley, Iowa, Welcome, Minn., Albion, Neb. and Bloomingburg, Ohio.
“We have a large business that we are growing rapidly with four facilities continuing under construction,” said Don Endres, VeraSun Chairman and CEO. “We remain confident in the outlook for our industry and believe that with ethanol currently priced at a dollar less than gasoline, it provides a great value as a high-octane, clean-burning renewable fuel that will drive additional blending throughout the nation.”
Read More>>
EPA Announces 2008 Renewable Fuel Standard
WBA: Focus Remains Upon Alternatives for Gasoline; Important Diesel Market Continues to be Overlooked
from EPA Newsroom (press release):
Release date: 11/27/2007
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan (202) 564-4355 / perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov
(11/27/07) Today, the EPA is setting a new renewable fuels standard (RFS) of 4.66 percent to meet the 2005 Energy Policy Act's mandate that at least 5.4 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into transportation gasoline in 2008. Based on the standard, each party determines the minimum volume of renewable fuel that it must ensure is used in its motor vehicle fuel. The standard for 2007 was 4.02 percent, equating to roughly 4.7 billion gallons. The overall volume target increases every year, reaching 7.5 billion gallons in 2012. The Energy Policy Act requires EPA to annually determine the standard -- which applies to refiners, importers and non-oxygenate blenders of gasoline -- by Nov. 30 for the following year.
The RFS program, which formally began last September, creates new markets for farm products, increases energy security, and promotes the development of advanced technologies that would greatly expand renewable and alternative fuels. It also serves as one of the many pieces to help inform the greenhouse gas regulation that EPA and federal partners are developing under an Executive Order issued by President Bush in May.
RFS Notice is here>>
Lack of Energy Policy Slows Investment in Renewables
New York Alternative Energy Symposium: Energy and Politics finds Investors Awaiting Congressional Action
from DEALSCAPE (blog):
Speaking at the Alternative Energy Investment Symposium in New York Tuesday morning, Leslie Haines, editor in chief of Oil and Gas Investor, looked at how politics and private capital firms are affecting the cleantech and traditional oil and gas industries.
Although the amount of money going into alternative energy projects is increasing, Haines thinks there may be a great deal of pent up capital on the sidelines waiting for what happens within the political arena. "Investors are leery about investing in anything that relies on government subsidies because governments change their mind. There’s been a real slowdown in investments as investors wait to see if there will be a bill on alternative energy out of Congress this year, if not next year, is anyone’s guess due to the presidential election."
Haines noted that venture capitalists have invested $3.6 billion in emerging green technologies this year. But the amount of private equity still going into energy is huge, as buyout firms are willing to back experienced teams with $500 million to $1 billion in startup capital for companies in the oil and gas sector. She also noted that institutional investors — university endowments and pension funds — still consider oil and gas an alternative asset class, although it's been around for 100 years and is integral to the economy. "What are they going to think about green tech, which is an alternative within an alternative?" she asked.
Private investors will be seeing more competition from corporations, as she noted that traditional energy companies are starting to go into alternative energy. "All the majors are doing something in alternative energy. Managers and executives are also leaving traditional oil and gas to go into green ventures. It’s a good time to get involved because the two worlds are starting to converge." — George White
For National Security, We Must Expand Alternatives to Oil
"Our future is renewable energy"
from address given by US Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to the Denver meeting of the World Affairs Council. Salazar is a Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and Veteran's Affairs
Today, with oil climbing toward $100 a barrel, we are witnessing one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history. Oil consumers - from the farmer in the San Luis Valley whose diesel bill will reach $10,000 this year to the driver in Denver who is paying $70 to fill the tank - are paying almost $5 billion more every day for oil than they did five years ago. Revenues for oil-producing states and oil companies - primarily oil companies controlled by foreign governments - will reach $2 trillion this year.
The massive transfer of oil wealth that is under way - and to which we contribute by importing 60 percent of our oil - is having dangerous effects on our national security and is eroding our influence in the world...
We deploy our Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines around the world so that commerce may proceed unharmed. But the mission, of course, is not free. It keeps our service members away from their families, and it costs the taxpayer billions of dollars.
How then do we secure the energy we need for our prosperity while protecting our national security? The question is not a new one.
Winston Churchill, in contemplating how to keep the British Navy supplied with Middle Eastern oil before World War I, came to this conclusion: "Safety and certainty in oil," he said, "lie in variety, and variety alone."
Churchill was right. American energy security demands that we broaden our list of suppliers of oil. But diversifying our supply also means that we must expand our supply of energy sources that can substitute for oil.
Read More>>
Monday, November 26, 2007
BMW builds Diesel Engine for WTCC Race Series
from AutoBlog.com:
In only its second World Touring Cup Championship Series (WTCC) race, the diesel-engined Seat Leon TDI came in first -- in front of its gas-powered Leon sibling. The diesel car only entered the series in July, yet it won three races and the driver was in championship contention up until the final race. BMW didn't need any more impetus than that to start planning its own turbocharged diesel engine program for the race series.
Read More>>
Aussie JV to Make Algae Fuel from Coal Plant Emissions
from Green Tech Blog
posted November 26, 2007 8:56 AM PST by Martin LaMonica
Two Australian firms have established a joint venture that intends to use emissions from coal power plants to grow algae that can be used as fuel.
Linc Energy and Bio Clean Coal announced the creation of the company last week and said they would spend $1 million over the next year to build a prototype bioreactor.
The bioreactor will be designed to grow algae, using the carbon dioxide produced from processing coal for electricity as "food." That process should dramatically reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal, the company said.
The dried algae could be burned for power generation, turned into biodiesel or fertilizer, the company told GreenTech Media.
Cambridge, Mass.-based GreenFuel Technologies has also developed a bioreactor that uses power plant pollution to grow algae. The company had to suspend its pilot project with an Arizona utility earlier this year because it grew more algae than it could harvest.
Several other companies are looking to grow algae to make biodiesel, although none have come up with a commercial scale process.
Huckabee: "America Enslaved to Saudi Oil"
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers are financing both sides in the war on terror because of the actions of U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said Sunday...
"Every time we put our credit card in the gas pump, we're paying so that the Saudis get rich — filthy, obscenely rich, and that money then ends up going to funding madrassas," schools "that train the terrorists," said Huckabee. "America has allowed itself to become enslaved to Saudi oil. It's absurd. It's embarrassing."
Read More>>
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Volkswagen's Cleanest Diesel Engine Ever
from Auto123.com:
Photo Credit: Marc Bouchard
Last week, Volkswagen of America introduced its cleanest diesel engine ever produced. It's a 2.0L four-cylinder TDI that will be available in Jetta sedan and wagon body styles in the summer of 2008 (as 2009 models) in all 50 U.S. states.
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Volkswagen's 2.0L TDI uses 16 valves to generate 140 horsepower and 235 foot-pounds of torque. Featuring a common rail fuel supply system and high pressure injectors, smoothness and drivability have been greatly improved over previous Volkswagen diesel engines.
The benefits of using such a powertrain are aplenty. "Real world" fuel economy is said to be up by over 30 percent compared to an identical gasoline model. What's more, the new clean diesel TDI offers legendary durability and reliability without compromising the "fun to drive" factor.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Website Tracks Carbon Emissions Sources
from 
Climate Connections: Causes
by Kathleen Schalch
NPR.org, November 14, 2007 · Power plants are the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. They account for 40 percent of the CO2 pumped into the atmosphere. But up until now, it has been difficult to figure out precisely how much is coming from each plant or company.
A new database and Web site make it easy.
The CARMA Web site (it stands for Carbon Monitoring for Action) tracks the carbon emissions of every electricity generator in the United States and throughout the world — 50,000 power plants and 4,000 companies in all. In a few clicks, the site shows each one's emissions — past, present and future — based on existing plants, those under construction and ones on the drawing board.
Read More>>
Friday, November 23, 2007
Higher German Biofuel Blend Will Raise Imports
Thursday November 22 2007
By Michael Hogan
Germany's government said on Wednesday it plans a long term increase in biofuel blending to counter global warming. By 2010 it is planned to raise the level of biofuels blended into fossil diesel and gasoline from five percent now to ten percent, rising to 20 percent by 2020.
"This new plan will only generate huge imports of biodiesel for blending," Peter Schrum, head of German renewable fuels industry association BBK, told Reuters.
Schrum said that if the government wanted to increase biofuel use it should drop plans for biodiesel tax increases.
"An increase in the blending levels will have no affect on the German biodiesel industry because experience shows that the vast majority of blended biodiesel is imported," Schrum said, adding that the biodiesel used for blending so far this year has virtually all been imported.
"I estimate about one million tonnes of imported biodiesel will be blended this year in Germany. The only people who would benefit from higher blending would be subsidised producers in the U.S., Argentina and elsewhere."
EU Urges New Investments in Renewable Energy
from The Associated Press:
SINGAPORE (AP) — European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Thursday that countries should invest more in renewable energy to mitigate the impact of expensive fossil fuels such as crude oil.
"It's quite obvious that the prices of oil and gas and fossil energies are indeed creating new scenarios," Barroso said at a news briefing following meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Singapore.
"This is one of the reasons why we should not be so dependent on fossil energies," Barosso said. "We should invest more on renewable energies and we should also try to accelerate (a) transition to a low carbon economy because this is crucial to understand what is going to happen in the global economy in the future."
Read More>>
"Everything's Cool" Looks at Politics of Global Warming
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
Published: November 23, 2007
Here is an idea worth pondering from “Everything’s Cool,” a breezy polemic about the politics of global warming: The fossil fuel industry doesn’t care who wins or loses the debate about the reality of global warming, as long as the public continues to feel that it is debatable.
To put it differently, doubt means delay. On television, where every issue is presumed to have two sides, shills from the fossil fuel industry glibly dispute the overwhelming scientific evidence for global warming. Casual viewers can thus reassure themselves that they don’t have to worry about climate change. Given the warnings that the world has a narrow window of opportunity to reduce carbon emissions drastically, who doesn’t wish that those oil and coal flacks and their well-funded political supporters were right?
Read More>>
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Jatropha: Planting Seeds for Biofuels Where Little Else Will Grow
By Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop
Published: October 29, 2007
SINGAPORE: Until recently, Jatropha Curcas, a tall bush with highly toxic fruit and bark, was mainly used as a hedge plant to keep livestock away from crops.
But amid soaring prices for traditional biofuel feedstock, including palm oil, the nuts from the perennial bush are now being eyed as a possible sustainable alternative throughout South and Southeast Asia.
Read more>>
Camelina Feedstock Proposed for Montana Biodiesel JV
Targeted Growth and Green Earth Fuels Announce Landmark Deal to Produce Camelina-Based Biodiesel
from ad-hoc-news.com:
...The new venture will produce and market up to 100 million gallons of Camelina-based biodiesel by 2010, launching the single largest U.S. contract for the unique biodiesel-specific feedstock. Nearly all of the initial Camelina production is expected to be grown in Montana...
This joint venture sets a precedent for continued research and development of dedicated energy crops. For Montana agriculture, it means that Montana farmers now have a new way to participate in the emerging green fuel industry and a lucrative new cash crop. Camelina, a distant relative to Canola, can grow on marginal land, requires minimal water or fertilizer, and can be harvested with traditional equipment.
Targeted Growth has spent years applying its suite of yield and trait technologies to Camelina to create the first Elite Camelina Seed. Green Earth Fuels opened one of the country's largest biodiesel production facilities this month, in Houston, and is successfully developing additional projects to provide biodiesel that meets exceptional quality and ratability standards to leading energy companies.
Read more>>
Monday, November 19, 2007
"Oil's Not Well"
editorial from The Times of India:
India's economic growth could come up against two major roadblocks: energy and infrastructure. Oil prices are flirting with the $100 mark, prompting questions on India’s long-term energy plans. The International Energy Agency has projected that China and India will account for 45 per cent of the increase in demand for oil between now and 2030.
Transport will lead the demand surge. The supply-demand gap is set to worsen for a number of reasons. Proven reserves are estimated to last another 40 years at current rates of demand but the economic and political costs of extraction will increase. How should India cope with the emerging crisis?
Read More>>
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Biodiesel Incentives Proposed for Iowa
from Wallaces Farmer:
Rod Swoboda rswoboda@farmprogress.com
November 8, 2007
The Iowa Soybean Association Board of Directors has endorsed an incentives-first approach to 2008 biodiesel policy for the upcoming 2008 Iowa legislative session. The ISA biodiesel policy options feature a variety of market-driven strategies for Iowa legislators to consider. Highlights of this plan include:
- an increase in the current retail tax credit program,
- creation of a "bulk sales" incentive,
- new infrastructure support options through the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Board,
- subsidies to existing biodiesel production facilities, and
- increased biodiesel usage by state fleets.
Read more>>
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Governors Taking the Lead to Combat Global Warming
Governors Join in Creating Regional Pacts on Climate Change
from The New York Times
By JOHN M. BRODER
Published: November 15, 2007
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 — Frustrated with the slow progress of legislation in Washington on energy and global warming, the nation’s governors have created regional agreements to cap greenhouse gases and are engaged in a concerted lobbying effort to prod Congress to act.
Beginning Monday, three Western governors will appear in a nationwide television advertising campaign sponsored by an environmental group trying to generate public and political support for climate change legislation now before the Senate.
The 30-second ad features Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican of California; Jon Huntsman Jr., Republican of Utah; and Brian Schweitzer, Democrat of Montana, standing in casual clothes in scenic spots talking about the threat posed by greenhouse gas emissions. The nation’s governors are acting, but Congress is not, they say. “Now it’s their turn,” Mr. Schwarzenegger says.
Separately, in Milwaukee on Wednesday, nine Midwestern governors and the premier of Manitoba signed an agreement to reduce carbon emissions and set up a trading system to meet the reduction targets. The Midwestern accord is modeled on similar regional carbon-reduction and energy-saving arrangements among Northeastern, Southwestern and West Coast states.
The advertising campaign is underwritten by Environmental Defense, an advocacy group that is pressing for quick action on a climate change proposal sponsored by Senators Joseph I. Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, and John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia.
The Lieberman-Warner legislation would cap carbon emissions at 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and set up a system for polluting industries to trade emissions credits to meet the goals. Like other such bills before Congress, it would provide incentives for research on capturing and storing carbon dioxide from power plants and subsidies to help the poor handle the higher costs of electricity in a carbon-constrained economy.
Read More>>
ADD Grant Recipient Making Fuel from Cheese
from Oshkosh Northwestern:
(STRATFORD, WI) — What will the fuel of the future look like and where will it come from?
Prepare for a variety of fuels from many sources, says Wisconsin entrepreneur Joe Van Groll whose start-up renewable energy company produces both ethanol and bio-diesel without a single corn kernel or soybean in sight.
The Grand Meadow Energy LLC near Stratford trucks in waste from surrounding cheese plants and raw canola oil from a nearby farm.
"There is no one silver bullet," Van Groll said in a press release. "The silver bullets are already out there — taking waste streams and turning them into profit centers."
Van Groll bought the Grand Meadow Coop cheese plant when it closed more than three years ago, converted it and with $29,000 from the state's Agricultural Development and Diversification grant program, began testing what is now a trade secret. Today, customers buy a license to use the yeast-based technology he developed with help from the grant.
As concerns about the environmental and societal impact of corn-based ethanol rise, he lists the advantages of his method.
"I don't use energy; I put it back on the grid. I don't slurp up water; I purify and recycle it. I don't push up food costs; I dispose of waste," he said.
Read More>>
Water Usage & the Ethanol Industry Placed in Perspective
from information provided by the Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance:
The ethanol industry (the "other" biofuel industry) has recently taken its knocks over the amount of water used in the making of the alternative fuel product. Consumption of our water resources is certainly a growing concern, but the facts show ethanol to be much more efficient in its impact on the water supply than is the petroleum it replaces.
It does take water to make ethanol – about 3 gallons of water for each gallon of ethanol. However, through environmental efforts and developments in technology, ethanol plants have been able to significantly reduce their water usage.
The facts show that in comparison to other industries, ethanol plants are relatively small users of water. Here are some examples:
- It takes 1,851 gallons of water to refine a 42 gallon barrel of crude oil – 44 gallons of water / gallon of crude oil.
- It takes 62,600 gallons of water to produce one ton of steel.
- It takes 39,090 gallons of water to manufacture a new car.
- It takes approximately 1 gallon of water to process a quarter pound of hamburger.
- It takes 11.6 gallons of water to process one chicken.
- It takes 9.3 gallons of water to process one can of fruit or vegetables.
- It takes 1,500 gallons of water to process one barrel of beer.
- It takes 24 gallons of water to make one pound of plastic.
Bosch Ramps Up for US Diesel Market
from AutoblogGreen:
Nov 12th 2007 6:39PM by Sam Abuelsamid
Not counting heavy duty trucks, diesel engines make up only a tiny percentage of the light duty vehicle market in the US right now. But the world's largest automotive supplier doesn't expect it to stay that way for long. Bosch is projecting that by the middle of the next decade, diesels will comprise fifteen percent of the U.S. market. They feel that diesels are better suited for the driving style of many Americans than hybrids because of the spread-out nature of our communities.
As a supplier of diesel fuel systems and after treatment systems, the German company is actively working with all three of the Detroit-based automakers. Each of those companies has already announced plans for diesel engines in the 4.5L range for their light duty pickups and SUVs for introduction in the 2009-10 time frame. Smaller diesels are also likely to appear in other vehicles in the next few years. [Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]
Read More>>
Related Headlines from AutoblogGreen:
Diesel VS Hybrid VS Ethanol, which is best?
Jeep adds diesel option to entry level model and cuts price by $1,000
LA 2007: Mercedes shows off S400 Bluetec diesel hybrid concept
Ford's Easy Fuel System should stop a few Darwin Awards
Biodiesel turbine, super capacitor, series hybrid... HUMMER! (60 MPG and 0-60 in 5 seconds)
Mercedes Shows Off Diesel Hybrid Concept at LA Show
A Hybrid Concept With 40 Miles per Gallon AND V8-Like Power
from AutoblogGreen:
Nov 14th 2007 7:29PM by Sebastian Blanco
The Mercedes S400 Bluetec diesel hybrid concept making its North American debut at the LA Auto Show this week isn't the company's first hybrid idea, but it is one of the best-looking, and the combination of diesel and electric power gets this luxury machine up to 40 mpg. Considering the size and power of the S400, that's a great number. Tell me again why automakers are so afraid of the 35 mpg CAFE standards when cars like this are (at least in concept form) possible.
Mercedes promises the V6 BLUETEC diesel engine under the S400's hood can deliver "the performance of a V8 with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder." If you're intrigued by the look and the performance of this car, hang on to your cash, as it won't be available until "after 2010."
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Biofuels Incentives Needed to Leverage Environmental Benefits of High Oil Prices
Oil Turmoil: Pricey Fuel's Impact
Will Pricey Fuel Prompt Greener Energy Habits?
by Elizabeth Shogren
Listen Now [4 min 15 sec]
from NPR:"All Things Considered":
(Washington, DC) ... "High oil prices are going to make people use less oil, pure and simple," says Billy Pizer, an economist at the Washington think tank Resources for the Future. "People are going to buy more efficient cars. You already see the effects in terms of sales of big Hummers and large SUVs."
But Richard Newell, an economics professor at Duke University, sees it differently. "From an environmental perspective, increasing oil prices might seem like a good thing, but it's not that simple," Newell says.
Newell worries that high oil prices will lead to the use of fuel sources that produce even greater amounts of pollution.
"For example, you can make liquid fuels from coal, which is an amazing technological feet," Newell says. "But the resulting amount of carbon dioxide, which is associated with global warming, is almost twice that from a barrel of oil."
Oil shale and tar sands are other sources of liquid fuel that are harder on the environment than petroleum. High oil prices already have sparked a boom in Canada's tar sands business.
Newell says getting businesses to develop cleaner types of fuel depends on government providing incentives for the environmentally friendly technology, and regulating higher-polluting fuel sources.
"The market's oriented to supplying the cheapest energy, not the lowest-polluting energy," Newell says.
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Biodiesel to Anchor Integrated Biofuel Environmental Industrial Park Planned in Malaysia
from Earth Biofuel (Asia) SDN BHD (press release):
JV FORMED FOR ‘FIRST IN THE WORLD’ US 400 MILLION INTEGRATED BIOFUEL ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRIAL PARK TO BE BUILT IN MALAYSIA
(State of Perak, Malaysia) This Integrated Biofuel-Environmental Industrial Park, will be constructed in a international industrial zone designated by the Perak State Government, called the Ipoh Hi-Tech Park, 8 kms from Ipoh City Centre.
This project will span 200 acres and will house variety of Intergated Industrial Park facilities from manufacturing, services to controlled waste treatment designated for international investment.
The key feature of this innovative development is that the companies present in the Integrated Biofuel-Environmental Industrial Park will all be self-sufficent as the electricity and steam will be generated on-site from the Biomass plant. Bio-diesel will also be locally manufactured on-site for local use and exported. All waste will be recycled or processed for safe disposal.
This project has the full backing of the Malaysian Government and the State Government of Perak as a whole.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Biodiesel Profits Elusive as Costs Rise
from Reuters financial newswire:
By Timothy Gardner - Analysis
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Profits for making biodiesel from U.S. soybeans are elusive because capacity to make the renewable fuel has surpassed demand while the costs to make it keep rising.
U.S. biodiesel sales have soared on record oil prices, and as the renewable fuel has been promoted as low in greenhouse gas output. Sales tripled last year to about 250 million gallons and will be higher this year, according to industry group the National Biodiesel Board.
But the sales jumps have had the side effect of helping to spike prices for soyoil, the main U.S. biodiesel feedstock, to nearly 33-year highs. Plants that make biodiesel are running well below capacity because of rising costs.
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Algae-to-Biodiesel Plant Planned for Midwest
press release from Green Star Products, Inc.:
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--November 13, 2007 Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI) today announced that it has signed a contract to build a 100-acre Commercial Algae Facility in the Midwest.
Biotech Research, Inc. (BTR), who is a Consortium partner with GSPI, has signed the contract with GSPI to start initial preparation and material acquisition for field construction to begin in March 2008.
The 100-acre Algae Facility will be constructed adjacent to an existing biodiesel plant and will use the CO2 emitted from the biodiesel plant's boilers to feed a portion of the algae facility needs (CO2 mitigation), which will reduce Global Warming emissions.
The algae oil produced from the facility will be turned into biodiesel through the existing biodiesel plant facilities.
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Oil World's Mielke sees bull market for oilseeds
from The Economic Times:
CHICAGO (Reuters): World prices for oilseeds like soybean, sunflower and oil palm will rise in coming years as demand for grain-based fuels cuts acreage and diverts edible oils into the production of biodiesel, Oil World Editor Thomas Mielke said on Monday.
"The fundamentals for oilseeds point to the most bullish situation in at least 30 years," Mielke, long-time director of the Hamburg-based publication, told a biofuels conference.
The US Department of Agriculture on Friday in its monthly supply/demand report said global oilseed stocks for the 2007/08 season ending in September 2008 will be down 21 per cent from the prior season.
"We are facing the current season with an unprecedented decline in oilseed stocks," Mielke said, noting a decline of stocks of 10 key oilseeds by 17-19 million tonnes in one season.
But Mielke told media that despite the heavy drawdown of oilseed stocks over the coming year, a high level of stocks from the decade-long rise in production would help the market absorb production shortfalls.
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Biodiesel Industry Wavers as Feedstock Prices Increase
from Channel NewsAsia:
SINGAPORE: There has been growing interest in biodiesel fuel, amid the sharp hikes in oil prices.
But analysts at the Asia Biodiesel Conference on Tuesday also noted that there has been a 30 to 40 percent increase in feedstock prices this year, making biodiesel production more costly. Palm oil and soya are among the feedstock used for producing biodiesel fuel.
There are now about 100 biodiesel plants in Asia, with a total capacity of 3.5 million tonnes. This is expected to nearly double to 6.5 million tonnes by 2008.
Some industry players said margins are getting slightly better, but more help may be needed.
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Monday, November 12, 2007
Construction Halted at NPP Evansville Biodiesel Plant
from The Wisconsin State Journal:
Monday, November 12, 2007 - 11:16PM
soybean oil prices stop construction of Evansville biodiesel plant
MARV BALOUSEK
... (NPP board chairman John) Sheehy said if soybean oil prices go down or diesel fuel prices look like they're going up for an extended period, construction could resume, possibly as early as next spring.
"The biodiesel plants are struggling right now with these prices," he said. "We're in a better position because we aren't so far along that we have debt payments."
Sheehy said several Iowa biodiesel plants that rely on soybean oil also have suspended production due to the prices.
He said site preparation, footings, underground electrical work, roads and transformers have been completed at the Evansville plant. A storage building also has been erected.
Judy Ziewacz, director of the state Office of Energy Independence, said an emerging industry like biodiesel is bound to have stops and starts.
"It appears to be a prudent business decision on their part," she said. "We're still optimistic production will come online sometime in 2008."
Planning continues for an $85 million soybean crushing plant next to the proposed Evansville biodiesel facility. The crushing plant, which received a $4 million grant in the new state budget, would produce soybean oil for biodiesel and soybean meal for animal feed.
The halt to production of the biodiesel plant will have minimal impact on the crushing facility, which isn't slated to open for 18 months, said John Blaska, board chairman of Landmark Services Cooperative of Cottage Grove.
"It does not adversely affect our plans for the soybean crusher," he said. If the construction delay for the biodiesel plant is long enough, he said, both plants could benefit by sharing engineering and other construction costs.
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Ethanol & Biodiesel: Two Very Different Biofuels
from Seeking Alpha (Stock Opinion & Analysis):
The substitution of alternative liquid fuels - ethanol and biodiesel - for petroleum-based gasoline and diesel fuel is a “fountain of youth” dream of clean, renewable resources replacing scarce, dirty ones. Is the dream practical? There are uncertainties because technology and the role of government subsidies and mandates will change. But there are clearly big differences between the two flavors, ethanol and biodiesel.
...None of the problems of ethanol exist for biodiesel. It can be produced from low cost, non-food feedstocks like waste grease from commercial kitchens, the waste from meat and poultry production or waste oils from fish production. It can be mixed with traditional diesel for transport in pipelines or, potentially, piped by itself. It can be substituted for petroleum-based diesel in any amount up to 100%. Plus, diesel fuel of both the bio- and petro- varieties actually produces 25% +/- more power than gasoline for the same volume. Diesel is the dominant fuel in Europe and with the recent mandate for Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel [USLD] in the U.S., diesel is likely to take substantial U.S. market share from gasoline in the coming years.
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"Political Heat; Global Warming"
Expect any new Adminstration to "Turn up the Heat" on US Efforts to Address Climate Change
from The Hartford Courant (editorial):
Why did the White House cut by half the congressional testimony on global warming drafted by Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? Six of the 12 pages were deleted from Ms. Gerberding's draft because they did not "comport with the science," Dana Perino, the president's press secretary, said recently. There was no censoring, she said; the changes were necessary to match the science in a U.N. report on global warming.
...You can't keep a secret in Washington. Portions of the original text have already been leaked. One excised part had Ms. Gerberding warning that "CDC considers climate change a serious health concern." She warned of possible respiratory problems, the spread of diseases, and food and water shortages for some people. "Catastrophic weather events such as heat waves and hurricanes are expected to become more frequent, severe and costly," the draft version also said.
Those statements, however, don't square with the administration's more relaxed approach toward global warming. It continues to argue that the problems can be addressed voluntarily by individual nations.
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Sunday, November 11, 2007
Biofuel Advocates Want to Loosen Rules for Farm Credit
from Wallaces Farmer:
Rod Swoboda rswoboda@farmprogress.com
November 11, 2007
A group of leaders involved in Iowa's renewable fuels industry is calling for expansion of the Farm Credit System's lending authority. They want a change in federal law so Farm Credit would be allowed to make loans to build ethanol and biodiesel plants that do not have a majority of farmer-stockholders as owners.
The group has sent a letter to both of Iowa's U.S. Senators, Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin, and to other senators. The letter asks them to support expansion of Farm Credit's lending authority because of difficulties in expanding the renewable fuels industry and maintaining its profitability. An amendment has been proposed to add to the new farm bill being debated in Congress.
Farm Credit has been making farm loans for over 90 years and understands the challenges of agriculture, the letter points out. Because of that experience, the system has the ability and capacity to structure loans that account for the variables in the renewable fuels industry.
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"The Era of Cheap Oil is Dead" - $100/bbl is On the Way
Analysis in Advance of this Week's OPEC Meeting
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Device Captures Carbon Dioxide to Make Biodiesel
They’ve created an emission-capturing Greenbox device that can be fixed underneath a car to trap carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide which are expelled from a car’s exhaust pipe. The captured gases would be fed to algae and crushed to produce a bio-oil, which would then be converted to create a biodiesel almost identical to normal diesel.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Oklahoma Biodiesel Plant Files Bankruptcy
"Rising Soybean Prices; Lack of Financing" cited in downfall
from NewsOK.com:
Friday, November 9, 2007
By Paul Monies
Business Writer
... Green Country Biodiesel's bankruptcy comes amid a period of uncertainty for the emerging alternative fuels market.
Earth Biofuels in Durant is the only other biodiesel plant in the state, although plants are planned for Tulsa and Guymon. Meanwhile, six ethanol plants have been proposed for Oklahoma. So far, just two are operational.
Bobby Wegener, the state's deputy secretary of energy, said the market demand for alternative fuels remains high. But the biofuels industry is still in its infancy and is less adept at overcoming challenges like tight margins or rising feedstock prices.
"If there are plants out there having challenges, you have to look to what the feedstock is and how close it is to the plant,” Wegener said.
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Rising Demand for Oil Sparks New Energy Crisis
from The New York Times:
By JAD MOUAWAD
Published: November 9, 2007
With oil prices approaching the symbolic threshold of $100 a barrel, the world is headed toward its third energy shock in a generation. But today’s surge is fundamentally different from the previous oil crises, with broad and longer-lasting global implications.
Just as in the energy crises of the 1970s and ’80s, today’s high prices are causing anxiety and pain for consumers, and igniting wider fears about the impact on the economy.
Unlike past oil shocks, which were caused by sudden interruptions in exports from the Middle East, this time prices have been rising steadily as demand for gasoline grows in developed countries, as hundreds of millions of Chinese and Indians climb out of poverty and as other developing economies grow at a sizzling pace.
“This is the world’s first demand-led energy shock,” said Lawrence Goldstein, an economist at the Energy Policy Research Foundation of Washington.
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157mpg LoReMo Turbo-Diesel in Hunt for X-Prize
The LoReMo and other ultra-economic vehicles vie for the X Prize. Winners must be production viable and capable of 100 mpg
from BusinessWeek:
The super fuel-efficient LoReMo motor car (that's 157mpg of super-efficiency) is set to enter the Automotive X PRIZE, a competition designed to foster a new generation of viable, ultra-economic vehicles that are both accessible and affordable to the consumer. The car is among 30 teams that have signed a letter of intent -- another 300 are actively considering entry - to compete once the prize is officially funded and launched.
LoReMo -- short for "Low Resistance Mobility" -- was first introduced by Loremo AG at last year's Geneva Show. The 450 kg, highly aerodynamic, 2+2 auto is powered by a 20 PS (15 kw), two-cylinder turbo-diesel motor capable of 1.5 litre/100km (157 mpg).
As part of the objective the competition requires production feasibility and market studies for at least 10,000 units, meaning purely conceptual projects can't enter.
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Thursday, November 8, 2007
New Holland Endorses B100!
from Wisconsin Biodiesel Association:
NEW HOLLAND, PA. (NOV. 8, 2007) – New Holland today announced it supports the use of B100 biodiesel in all equipment with New Holland-manufactured diesel engines, including electronic injection engines with common rail technology. (Click here to gain all the details!)
New Holland has continually shown impressive leadership in support of biodiesel as an alternative to petroleum diesel that supports energy independence, a cleaner environment, and support for our ag economy. In addition to their other actions on behalf of biodiesel, Case New Holland is a founding member of WBA, and their Director of State Government Affairs Mark Huenemann presently serves on its Board of Directors. We are understandably proud of the association.
This announcement from New Holland extends this company's support for this industry in an impressive way toward assuring the consumer market that biodiesel is a proven alternative that meets our critical need to break our dependence upon foreign oil. The Wisconsin Biodiesel Association greatly applauds the effort!
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Wednesday, November 7, 2007
EIA: Why Are Oil Prices So High?
November 7th This Week In Petroleum
report from the U.S. DOE Energy Information Administration
Weekly report from the EIA, available via listserve sent to you via e-mail. Contains reliable, up-to-date information on the latest developments in the US Petroleum markets.
Read More, and sign up to receive weekly updates
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
"Bioheat" & Biodiesel Supports Included in Massachusetts Legislative Package
from The Boston Globe:
New push for renewable energy
Cellulosic Ethanol also targeted; Massachusetts legislative package would promote development, use of biofuels to cut oil dependence
By Bruce Mohl
Globe Staff / November 6, 2007
Massachusetts political leaders yesterday proposed a combination of first-in-the-nation mandates and incentives to promote the development and use of biofuels, with the hope of reducing the state's carbon emissions and dependence on foreign oil.
The mandates would require all heating oil and diesel fuel to contain at least 2 percent of "renewable biobased alternatives" by the year 2010 and 5 percent by the year 2013.
Biofuel heating oil currently costs the same or more than regular heating oil, but state officials said they were hopeful the price advantage would tip in favor of biofuel heating oil by 2010.
The bill filed yesterday also would exempt from the state's 23-cent gasoline tax any gasoline that contains ethanol produced from plant products other than corn. The exemption would give gasoline dealers a financial incentive to buy fuel blended with the new type of ethanol and give a handful of Massachusetts high-tech companies an incentive to produce it.
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BP, AZ State Look to Bacteria, not Algae, for Biofuels
from Green Tech Blog:
Algae's not the only organism that can be used as a feedstock for biofuel.
BP will collaborate with Arizona State University to try to figure out a way of using cyanobacteria, a photosynthetic form of bacteria, as a feedstock for diesel or synthetic petroleum. Ideally, the bacteria could be cultivated in large, contained plots of land baked by the sun--Arizona has a lot of that. The bacteria also consume carbon dioxide to grow. Thus, carbon dioxide could be pumped in from a power plant into the contained bacteria farm. The company could thus make money from selling carbon credits and selling fuel feedstock.
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Supersized Algae Bioreactors
from Biodiesel Magazine:
The biodiesel industry is facing a feedstock crisis and desperately looking for alternatives. Even the best alternatives to virgin vegetable oil could take years to develop. Or will they? A Dutch firm with ties to the biodiesel industry is the first to market an industrial-scale algae photobioreactor that may provide a solution to oil-hungry producers.
By Jerry W. Kram
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Gov't 'must' change the way biodiesel fuel is sold
Jobs go as Australia's last biodiesel company shuts down
from ABC News:
Australian Renewable Fuels is calling on the Federal Government for greater support and the creation of a separate market for biodiesel.
The company produces biodiesel from a feedstock called tallow. However rising feedstock costs has forced the company to wind down its operations in Australia, with two plants in Bunbury and Adelaide closing and 37 workers losing their jobs.
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