from The Standard Democrat (Sikeston, MO)
By Michelle Felter
LILBOURN — Thanks to a push from the Governor and the General Assembly, biodiesel producers in Missouri may soon have a guaranteed market for their product.
“It will certainly be helpful — anything that is going to make more demand for the biodiesel product will help the producers,” said Stan Polivick, general manager of the Great River Soy Processing Cooperative in Lilbourn.
In a recent State of the State address, Gov. Matt Blunt offered support to the creation of a 5 percent diesel standard, which means that all diesel fuel sold in the state will contain a 5 percent blend of biodiesel, when it is the same price or less than conventional diesel fuel.
“The bottom line is that Gov. Blunt wants to increase access to renewable fuels in our state,” said Jessica Robinson, a spokeswoman for the governor. Something that’s hurting the industry right now is the low demand, said Polivick — partially due to a lack of awareness, as well a scarcity of locations that sell biodiesel.
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Missouri Governor, Assembly promote B5 standard
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Algae association forms to advance biodiesel production
By Hope Deutscher
The National Algae Association, which recently opened its headquarters in Houston, is providing a new forum for researchers, producers and investors to advance the discussion and production of algae as a renewable energy source.
The association, which is in the formation stages, was founded by Barry Cohen of Biofuel Capital Partners, a private equity fund for biodiesel and other biofuels-related technology and production companies. Cohen said biodiesel producers, who are facing problems as a result of high soybean and vegetable oil feedstock costs, are looking to alternative feedstocks, such as algae. "We’ve got biodiesel producers that are contacting us every single day because they know they’ve got a problem, so by putting this together, we’re bringing the researchers together. We’re bringing the algae production companies together so that we can share information and exchange ideas. From that, we are pushing the commercialization of algae.”
Algae can grow in ponds or tubes, and are considered a low-cost, high-yield feedstock. Up until now, researchers were researching algae production, but there was no motivation to commercialize it, Cohen said.
Since the association was created, Cohen said his phone has been ringing and his mailbox has been full. "People are asking me, 'Where can I buy algae feedstock from?' but there are currently limited quantities of algae feedstock available," he said. “This is sort of a new round of lower-cost, nonedible feedstock. Algae is not edible. We’re talking about something that can be grown and turned into algae oil, and we have companies that have been contacting us about setting up production plants in Texas and other areas of the country.”
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Wisconsin "Blueprint for Action" issued to combat climate change
Wisconsin Environment issues report outlining policy steps required to reduce carbon emissions
Posted by Jeff Pieterick, President, Wisconsin Biodiesel Association
Citing global warming as "a serious threat to Wisconsin’s future wellbeing and prosperity," Wisconsin Environment has released A Blueprint for Action: Policy Options to Reduce Wisconsin's Contribution to Global Warming
This environmental group has identified global warming as being among its top priorities in confronting issues that affect the world we live in. With a sense of urgency, Wisconsin Environment points out that "immediate action is needed to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. Scientists tell us that if we act quickly and aggressively to reduce global warming emissions there is a much greater chance of staving off the worst impacts of global warming."
In their report (Executive Summary available here) Wisconsin Environment applauds the efforts undertaken so far in Wisconsin to reduce our carbon emissions. Yet, they point out that Wisconsin's emissions of global warming gases continue to increase. The report offers a blueprint that includes 13 substantial policy steps that could help reverse this trend as required to do our part in effectively addressing this threat to our environment.
The significant impact of the transportation fuels sector of our energy market is well considered in this report. The Wisconsin biodiesel industry therefore has an important role to play in promoting the policy changes outlined therein.
Biodiesel has potential to contribute greatly to this effort, but only if it maintains a focus on sustainability in both its feedstock procurement and its production methods. Look to The Wisconsin Biodiesel News webpage for continual updates of research and industry developments that further enhance biodiesel's ability to address this most important issue of global climate change.
The Wisconsin Biodiesel Association joins with Wisconsin Environment and others in acknowledging the threat posed by increased carbon emissions. Biodiesel provides an immediate solution in reducing our carbon footprint, but much work is required going forward to increase the potential positive impact this industry can provide. It remains important, therefore, for the biodiesel industry to commit effort toward increasing its carbon efficiencies as it expands to supplant more and more of our distillate fuel requirement. It is the potential environmental benefits provided by biodiesel, after all, that truly establishes it as "Home Grown Fuel for a Better Wisconsin."
RENEW Energy making ethanol in Jefferson
Tour for corn growers features state-of-the-art technologies on display at brownfield site of new ethanol plant
As reported by Gloria Hafemeister for the Watertown Daily Times
JEFFERSON - When about 100 corn producers from southeastern Wisconsin toured Renew Energy's ethanol plant at Jefferson this week they saw a huge, state-of-the art facility that includes four new technologies.
Scott Busch guided the tour, showing how the high-efficiency, environmentally friendly plant produces ethanol from corn that has first been fractionated - broken down into starch, bran and germ.
Read more>>
The RENEW Energy ethanol plant in Jefferson is constructed on the abandoned site of a Ladish Company malting operation that had previously been a major employer in Jefferson County. RENEW Energy currently has 70 employees at their state-of-the-art facility.
Rumormill: Mercedes AMG experimenting with diesel performance
from AutoBlogGreen
The terms "performance" and "diesel" used to be mutually exclusive, but times, they are a-changin'. Audi's dominance of LeMans with its R10 TDI and the recent unveiling of the R8 V12 TDI concept might be giving Mercedes a reason to turn towards oilburners for some of its high-po offerings.
AMG has made a name for itself by providing, among other things, torque-rich engines that sometimes have to be electronically limited due to their tire (and differential) decimating potential. AutoExpress supposedly has it on good authority that plans are in the works to offer diesel models with an AMG badge, but both Mercedes and AE failed to provide any details about what vehicles or engines would be used. It might be a forgone conclusion that new CAFE standards in the U.S. are causing automakers to rethink their performance offerings, but in the meantime, we're going to throw this in the rumormill and see what comes out the other end.
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Friday, January 25, 2008
Xethanol announces sale of Georgia, North Carolina facilities
Company stock may be delisted from AMEX following setbacks in cellulosic ethanol plans
By Sarah Smith
Shares of Xethanol Corp. fell more than 10 percent upon news that the renewable energy company was scrapping plans to develop two proposed cellulosic ethanol facilities and was losing money on its only operational plant in Iowa. The embattled company may be in jeopardy of being delisted from the American Stock Exchange, according to exchange rules.
Xethanol announced at its annual shareholder meeting Jan. 22 that it would sell the site it purchased two years ago in Augusta, Ga., to build corn-based and cellulosic ethanol facilities. When it announced the purchase of the former Pfizer Inc., pharmaceutical plant, it said the 35 MMgy cellulosic plant would come on line in 2007. Production hadn't begun when Xethanol announced that the plant, which would also accommodate some corn-based feedstock, would expand capacity to 50 MMgy. The company hasn't produced any ethanol on the site.
Xethanol’s U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing also indicated that plans for a similar facility in Spring Hope, N.C., would be scrapped to save additional money. The company reported that it had lost $1.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. A small corn-based ethanol plant in Blairstown, Iowa, "is running at approximately 5.6 [MMgy] ... and is operating at a loss,” the shareholder report stated.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Governor Doyle highlights Renewable Energy & Biofuels in State-of-the-State Address
Policy objectives outlined to invest in renewable energy and increase distribution of biofuels.
(MADISON, WI) Governor Doyle presented his State of the State Address on Wednesday before both Houses of the Wisconsin Legislature. A key element of Doyle's plans for future growth in the Wisconsin economy looks to further development of our renewable energy industry.
Click here for a list of the Renewable Energy initiatives contained in the Governor's plan as provided by the Office of the Governor and the Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence.
Click here for a full text of the Governor's State of the State Address.
GM gains orders for over 1700 additional Diesel/Electric Hybrid Buses
Twin Cities to receive 300 hybrids in recent market surge that nearly doubles GM sales
from AutoBlogGreen
The pace of orders for GM's two-mode hybrid buses is picking up steam. At the Washington DC Auto Show, General Motors has announced orders for an additional 1,732 GM-Allison diesel-electric transit buses. With the 1,000 Two-Mode bus being delivered to Las Vegas this month, the new orders will more than double the fleet since they first hit the road in 2003. The Washington Metro Transit Authority has placed the largest single order to date for 952 buses. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's has ordered for 480 buses and Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Transit wants another 300. To date the buses on the road have accumulated 55 million miles with no battery failures.
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Subaru launches 2.0L diesel Outback/Legacy wagon in the UK with 41mpg
Diesel option to be made available in US market by mid-2010
from AutoBlogGreen
Almost a year after announcing their new diesel boxer engine at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, Subaru has finally put it on sale in the UK. The Outback and the Legacy Sports Tourer (aka station wagons) go on sale in February in the the UK with a 2.0L horizontally-opposed four-cylinder diesel engine. This apparently is the first diesel engine of this configuration ever installed in a production passenger car.
The new plant is rated at 150hp and 258 lb-ft of torque with an impressive 41.3 mpg (U.S.). That's better than either the Mondeo or Passat diesel wagons and the Subaru has all wheel drive. The Legacy wagon gets from 0-60mph in a respectable 8.5 seconds, even with this impressive mileage. The diesel engine is also 2.4 inches shorter than Subaru's 2.0L gas engine thanks to smaller cylinder bore spacing.
We can expect to see this engine appear in the U.S. market under the hood of the Forester and Imprezza in mid-2010.
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WSJ: Biodiesel sustainability & US tax credits targeted by EU
Sets standard for biofuels at 35% carbon reduction in swipe at Asian imports made from palm
By JOHN W. MILLER in Brussels and TOM WRIGHT in Jakarta, Indonesia
January 23, 2008; Page A11
The European Union will move today to protect its ailing transport-biofuels industry from foreign imports with measures that would force companies to show their fuels are helping the environment more than they are hurting it, according to documents seen by The Wall Street Journal.
The biggest losers are expected to be companies in Southeast Asia that make biofuels out of oil palms they have planted after cutting down forests. Trees soak up carbon dioxide; felling them blunts the benefit of cleaner-burning fuels made from oil palms.
Separately, the EU is preparing punitive tariffs on biofuel imports from the U.S. if Washington doesn't remove a tax credit for some American biofuels exporters, according to EU officials.
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Saturday, January 19, 2008
NYT: Food vs Fuel; Sustainability are issues affecting biofuels production
Posted by Jeff Pieterick, President, Wisconsin Biodiesel Association
"The growth of biodiesel, which can be mixed with regular diesel, has been controversial, not only because it competes with food uses of oil but also because of environmental concerns. European conservation groups have been warning that tropical forests are being leveled to make way for oil palm plantations, destroying habitat for orangutans and Sumatran rhinoceroses while also releasing greenhouse gases."
The concerns expressed about biofuels production fall within two categories:
- Food versus Fuel: Ethanol and biodiesel production presently rely primarily upon corn and edible oils (respectively) for their feedstock. Meanwhile, worldwide demand for these food commodities is growing at an incredible rate, particularly in developing economies such as in China and India. In competing with the food industry for these commodities, the biofuels industry is therefore contributing to higher food prices with potentially drastic consequences as explained in the NYT article.
- Sustainability: In developing countries such as Malaysia, the Phillipines, and many South American and African nations, rain forests are being cleared to establish palm and jatropha plantations in an effort to meet the rising demand for oils to be used both by the food industry and for biofuels production. The primary justification for the pursuit of biofuels is to achieve a carbon-neutral alternative to fossil fuels. Yet, the net carbon-benefit of these fuels is greatly compromised if rain forests - which serve as highly efficient carbon sinks - are sacrificed to create acreage for oil production.
The first proponents and most diligent advocates for biofuels were the farmers and other ag interests in the US and Europe who saw this as the means to create a market for their surplus products. Corn and edible oils, which are a co-product of soybean (US) and rapeseed (Europe) processing that creates meal for animal feed and for human consumption, were historically undervalued as surplus commodities looking for a market. As the biofuels industry began to gain traction, the projected demand for these oils and corn quickly outstripped supply. The commodity traders now price these oils at nearly triple the value at which they were traded as recently as 2006, and corn itself commands near-record high prices even as yields greatly increase.
Value added ag? You bet! But as the NYT article shows, the dramatic swing to the plus side in the value of these commodities is not without its downside for food consumers throughout the world. There is considerable pushback, therefore, to the supposed benefit of supporting any greater growth of the biofuels industry solely on the basis of providing increased "value-added" support for our ag producers.
The biofuels industry instead needs to continue research and development of alternative feedstocks that will not compete directly with our food supply. In addition, effort is required to assure that these feedstocks are produced in a way that does not in itself contribute to global climate change. The European Union is considering taking steps to limit the import of biofuels that are compromised in the carbon efficiency of their production. Such steps serve notice to the biofuels industry of the need to take all steps necessary in maximizing the benefit of harvesting renewable energy for a sustainable future for us all.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Feedstock research: pennycress in winter rotation for biodiesel
Pennycress is a weed that researchers think has the potential to quell the food versus fuel debate. If initial findings prove true, it could become a biodiesel feedstock that doesn’t compete with corn and soybeans for acres.
By Susanne Retka Schill
Researchers in Illinois believe they have the answer to the continuing food versus fuel debate and high commodity prices that challenge the biodiesel industry: pennycress. Their excitement stems from the ability of the plant to be transformed from a weed into a biodiesel feedstock. “It’s off season from corn and soybeans, has high seed yield and high oil,” says Terry Isbell, lead researcher in the new crops and processing technology group at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research at Peoria, Ill. “This plant wants somebody to pay attention to it.”
Field pennycress may be a new crop in development, but it’s an old weed. Thlaspi arvense is a winter annual weed known by farmers under several names—field pennycress, stinkweed, frenchweed—that grows widely across the Midwest. It isn’t considered a big weed problem because it completes its life cycle in late spring and doesn’t compete with newly planted corn or soybeans. Pennycress is a member of the mustard family. Its heart-shaped, flat seed packets carry the tiny oilseed that yields 36 percent oil when crushed. That kind of oil yield, plus seed yields in wild stands that approach 2,000 pounds per acre, make pennycress comparable with canola as an oilseed crop. Isbell almost didn’t notice those traits, however, when he initially tested pennycress oil six years ago.
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Safeway Upgrades to B20 Biodiesel
B20 for over 1000 trucks, including 420 trucks in Chicago's Dominick's fleet
from Food and Fuel America
The supermarket chain Safeway announced this week in Denver that it is converting its entire truck fleet to the cleaner burning fuel Biodiesel.
The company is switching over its entire nationwide fleet to B20, a biodiesel blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 petroleum diesel. The company had already converted some of its fleet in California and Arizona.
Safeway claims converting its entire fleet will do away with 75 million tons of carbon emissions. That's the about the same as removing 7,400 cars off the nation's highways.
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter applauded Safeway's conversion of its national trucking fleet to cleaner-burning biodiesel.
"The future of our country depends on the private sector and companies like Safeway demonstrating leadership around how we consume energy"
The governor went on to explain that Safeway's conversion of its truck fleet was a great example of private industry taking a sustainable approach that's good for our economic security, our environmental security and our energy security.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Biodiesel Magazine: Pieterick writes on "Growing Pains" in the Biodiesel Industry
You can access other essays by Pieterick on this and other industry topics in our web pages at the Wisconsin Biodiesel Report , the Wisconsin Biodiesel News, and our home website at www.wibiodiesel.org/.
Alberta Premier seeks help from US in extracting oil from tar sands
“Oil from the tar sands is about our energy past, not our future. Political and business leaders who want to fight global warming should be concerned about expanding U.S. imports of tar sands fuel.” - Liz Barratt-Brown, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
As reported in All American Patriots.com
Washington (January 16, 2008) -- Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach is on a trade mission to Washington, D.C., today where he is expected to seek American support for, and investment in, one of the dirtiest sources of unconventional fuels – the Canadian tar sands. Tar sands oil production generates almost three times the global warming emissions as conventional oil production, due to the massive amounts of energy needed to extract, upgrade and refine the oil.
“Oil from the tar sands is about our energy past, not our future. Political and business leaders who want to fight global warming should be concerned about expanding U.S. imports of tar sands fuel,” said Liz Barratt-Brown, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “The U.S. should not rely on a dirty fuel that results in the destruction of Canada's biologically rich boreal forest for tar sands mining and drilling.”
Concern about tar sands fuel is growing in the United States. Last summer, British Petroleum (BP) was forced to table expansion plans to take more tar sands oil at its Whiting, Indiana, refinery after concerns about added pollution in Lake Michigan were made known to the public. Opposition is growing around plans to build the first new refinery in 30 years in South Dakota, a new 1,800 mile trans-boundary pipeline from the tar sands to the Midwest, and proposed expansions of many of the refineries in that region. Last week, NRDC asked the airline industry to publicly oppose the use of fuel made from highly polluting sources,including tar sands, and called on the companies to join a campaign seeking increased investment in cleaner fuels throughout the airline industry.
“Canada risks becoming an international pariah for promoting the tar sands instead of joining the fight against climate change” said Tzeporah Berman of ForestEthics in Canada. “The bottom line is Stelmach should put the brakes on tar sands expansion and address the rising environmental and social concerns instead of running around Washington like an oil salesman.”
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Brazil implements B2 standard
As reported by Cleantech
January 2, 2008
Starting this month, all diesel in the country is required to contain 2 percent biodiesel.
Brazil has put a new renewable fuels standard into effect for 2008, requiring all diesel used in the country to contain 2 percent biodiesel.
The announcement was made by Mines and Energy minister Nelson Hubner, who said the regulation would reduce carbon gas emissions.
Hubner said there should be enough biodiesel to meet the demand, but said there could be initial delivery problems in remote parts of the country.
The minister said 800 million liters of biodiesel will be needed annually to meet the new requirement. He said Brazil already has the capacity to produce more than three times that amount.
Brazil primarily uses soybeans as a feedstock for its biodiesel, with castor seeds, sunflower seeds and palm fruits also being used.
The country, which is poised to edge out the U.S. as the world's No. 1 producer of ethanol, plans to increase the biodiesel regulations to require a 5 percent blend by 2013.
EU Ambassador registers complaint about US biodiesel subidies; splash-and-dash
from Official Export Guide
On January 14, Ambassador John Bruton, Head of the European Union (EU) Commission Delegation to the United States, said that he was disappointed at the failed efforts of the United States to end anti-competitive U.S. biodiesel blending subsidies, which threaten the European biodiesel industry and leave U.S. taxpayers subsidizing European motorists.
“The European biodiesel industry is being threatened by a flood of subsidized US biodiesel. It is estimated that around 1 million tons of biodiesel entered the EU from the US in 2007, roughly 15-20% of the EU biodiesel market and a tenfold increase over 2006, Ambassador Bruton said. “American tax credits allow US producers and others — who are eligible for European support as well — to unfairly undercut their competitors in the EU.”
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MO Gov. Blunt calls for B5 Standard
from Domestic Fuel 
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt wants a 5 percent biodiesel standard for his state.
In his State of the State address before the Missouri House of Representatives, Blunt called on lawmakers to approve the standard:
"To further grow alternative fuel production, I support a B5 standard for biodiesel sold in our state. Biodiesel from soybeans has proven much more environmentally-friendly and better for air quality than regular diesel. Research has shown that it cuts carbon dioxide and cancer-causing emissions by more than 75 percent. Adopting a B5 standard will reduce particulate matter emissions by 15.4 million pounds and carbon monoxide emissions by 168 million pounds. A B5 standard will improve our air quality and makes sense for Missouri."
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Stu Ellis: "$5 Corn, $15 Beans, But When Do You Sell?"
Pennsylvania company pioneers new crush/biodiesel technology
CO2 replaces Hexane; Claims 14% reduction in cost of producing biofuel
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
By Elwin Green, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A local technology company has received a federal grant of $1.9 million for the development of a biodiesel production process that promises to be cheaper, more efficient and more flexible than processes now used.
Harmarville-based Thar Technologies Inc. received the grant, from the National Institute of Science and Technology, to further its research in using highly pressurized carbon dioxide to extract biodiesel from feedstock.
Thar President and Chief Executive Officer Lalit Chorida said that to date, biodiesel production has been a two-stage process -- first, hexane is used to extract vegetable oil from oilseed, then the vegetable oil is converted to biodiesel.
In Thar's proposed single-stage process, carbon dioxide replaces hexane, a toxic solvent,
Mr. Chordia said that besides being non-polluting, the new process will use 25 percent less energy to produce the same amount of fuel, and will be 14 percent less expensive, a combination of higher efficiency and lower cost that would make biodiesel production economical even without government subsidies.
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House Ag Committee Chair says cellulosic ethanol a decade away
Feedstock sources; Distribution networks require development to make a successful transition to biofuels
By Tom Doggett
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It will be at least a decade before technological breakthroughs allow ethanol fuel to be produced commercially from farm and forest waste like wood chips, switchgrass and corn stalks, the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee said on Tuesday.
The Bush administration has a much quicker 2012 target date for moving U.S. ethanol production away from its current main feedstock -- corn -- to cheaper agricultural waste and other so-called cellulosic sources.
However, Rep. Collin Peterson said that goal probably won't be met.
"I think that is optimistic. I think we are 10 years away," said Peterson, speaking at the Reuters Global Agriculture and Biofuel Summit.
"I really think the more I look at this whole cellulosic issue, there is a lot bigger problem to overcome here than people realize in terms of the feedstocks. We have a lot of work to do in that regard," he said. "I'm not sure cellulosic ethanol will ever get off the ground."
A new energy law requires U.S. ethanol production to increase from 9 billion gallons this year to 36 billion gallons by 2022.
Peterson said with more ethanol plants coming online, the one thing he knows for sure is more pipelines will be needed to move the fuel supplies.
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Investor sees carbon law fueling greentech boom
Policies to control emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas associated with global warming, would "instantly make any green tech solution more cost-competitive with fossil-based competitors," said Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Partner John Denniston. "Overnight that will happen."
"If we legislatively put a price on carbon... that would be a watershed event in the energy world," Denniston told the Reuters Global Agriculture and Biofuels Summit at his firm's headquarters in Menlo Park.
Algae for Biodiesel: BusinessWeek calls it "Pond Scum Power"
NBB CEO Jobe forecasts slowdown in biodiesel plant construction
from Biofuels Digest
In Illinois, the CEO of the National Biodiesel Board told Reuters that there would be a “cooling off peiod” in biodiesel capacity development following a period of “irrational exhuberance”. Joe Jobe said in an interview that fast-rising feedstock prices are the problem, which have reduced biodiesel margins to an average of minus 30 cents a gallon.
Soybean oil has risen to 54 cents a pound this week, more than double the price in 2005. Meanwhile, Jobe said that 100 new plants have been built in the past two years, bringing the total industry production to 450 million gallons in 2007, up from 25 million in 2004.
Last month in Illinois (sic), construction was halted at the North Prairie Productions biodiesel plant owing to high soybean oil prices. The company is planning a strategic review before potentially resuming construction efforts.
The shutdown continues a trend which has affected at least ten biodiesel plants worldwide.
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Biodiesel on death bed in Germany because of taxes
from CNet.com
by Michael Kanellos
The biodiesel industry in Germany is nearing a state of collapse because of a tax increase that kicked in at the first of the year, according to a report on Reuters.
Biodiesel refiners in Germany are only producing at 10 percent capacity, according to the Reuters story from a European biodiesel conference. That's down from 20 percent the year before. Because of the downturn, some biodiesel manufacturers are taking apart their factories and selling the equipment to manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada.
The problem? Like solar energy, biofuels still largely depend upon government support and subsidies. Biodiesel costs more than regular diesel. You don't have to dig deep wells in the ground to get at it, but making it largely requires growing crops and harvesting plant oils.
Biodiesel can be made out of waste vegetable oil and animal fat, but there's not nearly as much of that around as you might think. (In the U.S., the deep fat fryers and slaughterhouses of this great land of ours could probably only provide a billion gallons of fuel each year, far below the 62 billion-plus gallons of diesel consumed here.)
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"Clean Diesel" gains traction at Detroit Auto Show
Revolution and Torque: New diesel technology drives auto industry to "Greener" destinations
a review of the Detroit Auto Show posted by Jeff Pieterick, President, Wisconsin Biodiesel Association
Every January, The North American International Auto Show provides a glimpse into the future of the auto industry. This annual "Detroit Auto Show" has always been the traditional showcase for new technologies and designs that ultimately gave us fins in the 50’s, muscle cars in the 60's, increased safety and quality features in the 70's, mini-vans for soccer moms in the 80's, and high-priced luxury automobiles - foreign and domestic - in the 90's and beyond.
An Associated Press recap of this year’s show was headlined “Overriding Theme of this year’s show? There isn’t one.” But it is the sub-heading to this article – “Variety of Alternative Fuel Vehicles featured, but still plenty of muscle” – that actually tells a far different story. The 2008 Detroit Auto Show in fact shows an automobile industry that is undergoing a fundamental transition from the glitz and glamour of horsepower and testosterone to a refreshing reliance upon science and innovation that responsibly addresses global climate change and our quest for energy independence.
Old habits and tired marketing themes were in attendance this year, to be sure. An opening day Cattle Drive (Dodge) and Toby Keith in cowboy hat (Ford) were called upon to introduce the latest models of high-horsepower (and low-mileage) pick-up trucks. Meanwhile, Chevy introduced the 2009 Corvette ZR1 iteration with a horsepower rating (620hp plus) perhaps more appropriately assigned to a train locomotive. At an estimated $100k per copy, the ZR1 is sure pretty. But will it pull stumps?
Yet, it’s difficult to see these new product introductions as anything but the last vestiges of a generation of auto design more concerned with muscle and sex appeal than with any judicious application of common sense. Indeed, there was a sense that the newly introduced gas-guzzling pickups and SUV’s were as anachronistic as the faux Western cattle drive vignette and other theatric inventions employed to promote them.
In defense of the ZR1, there will always be an excitement in pursuing technology that tests the very limits of just how fast and furious we can propel ourselves from behind the wheel of an automobile. We can expect future auto shows to continue a storyline that includes ever faster and more powerful concept cars and high-end production models that test the extremes in performance technology.
But there was a decided lack of enthusiasm expressed in the press in response to the roll-out of the more pedestrian “high performance” and luxury offerings directed to the general consumer market. Instead, the talk of the town in Detroit was consistently focused upon Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFV) and “green” technologies that will move us toward a more sustainable future in meeting our transportation requirements.
Clean diesel engines were featured as the most practical AFV technology available for immediate delivery to the consumer. Mercedes, BMW, and Honda were only some of the automakers to announce high mpg diesel offerings destined for the US market. In addition, Chrysler (Jeep) and Mercedes each showed a diesel/electric hybrid in concept.
Meanwhile, Audi put a new spin on the high-horsepower super sport competition with its introduction of the R8 V12 TDi (diesel) concept. This creative nod to the “high performance” expectations that historically attend Detroit Auto Show roll-outs included a promotion of the “clean diesel” technology, along with the estimated 34mpg efficiency it provides even in this extreme application.
It is therefore remarkable that the common muscular theme from past auto show discussions and press releases was augmented this year with an accompanying theme of improved fuel mileage and reduced emissions. There is a genuine “Green Revolution” occurring within the auto industry, and nowhere was this more apparent than in Detroit at the Auto Show.
The automakers at the Detroit Show are providing the engine that will drive this Green Revolution, and it’s a diesel. Look to the biodiesel industry to provide additional torque by providing the renewable biofuel that will help us gain traction on the technological advancements needed to ensure a more sustainable future for us all.
Audi R8 V12TDi Concept: 500hp High-Tech Super Sport Clean Diesel - at 34mpg!
Lest there be any doubt that the auto industry is getting serious about both performance AND fuel efficiency, view the video prepared by AutoBlog of the rollout in Detroit featuring Audi's R8 concept. This vehicle is powered with a V12TDi (turbo-diesel) that is rated at over 500 horsepower. Estimated fuel mileage is 34mpg.
Audi has pushed the envelope in diesel technology, beginning with the use of the TDi in the LeMans Racing Series - a series that they continue to dominate. Audi has also introduced the TDi for use in models destined for the US market as their response to meet the fuel mileage requirements Congress issued in the Energy Bill.
Beauty. Performance. Efficiency.
You can't help but admire the work Audi has accomplished. Look for diesel power to continue to drive the pursuit of commercially available Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
Click here to read more from AutoBlog about the rollout of the Audi R8 V12TDi at the Detroit Auto Show.
Detroit Auto Show displays a decidedly "Green" tinge
The North American International Auto Show opens to the general public in Detroit on Saturday, January 19th. The media and industry reps have already been offered a preview during this last week, at which time the auto industry has rolled out many of the new products and concepts.As seen in the following list of articles posted by AutoBlogGreen, there was a decidedly green tone to many of the announcements. The auto industry is responding well to the new mileage standards recently passed by Congress in the Energy Bill. There is also genuine concern being expressed about global climate change and the need to limit our reliance upon fossil fuels.
It's of particular interest to note how clean diesel technology has assumed a prominent place in this discussion as an Alternative Fuel Vehicle technology that is immediately available to the consumer. The social benefit to be gained from these offerings stand to be leveraged to maximum benefit with the increased reliance upon biodiesel in place of its "crude" alternative.
Click on any of the links below to access the informative postings from the Detroit Auto Show submitted by the AutoBlogGreen correspondents.
Detroit 2008: Dodge ZEO BEV sports car
Detroit 2008: GM and Coskata announce worldwide cellulosic ethanol partnership
Detroit 2008: Chrysler ecoVoyager fuel cell RE-EV concept
Detroit 2008: Saturn Flextreme E-Flex Concept
Detroit 2008: Jeep Renegade diesel RE-EV
Detroit 2008: Lincoln MKT w/ 3.5L EcoBoost V-6 and upcycled plastic body
Detroit 2008: Toyota uveils the new A-BAT hybrid pickup concept
Detroit 2008: Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe pops in at party with surprise announcements
Detroit 2008: Johnson Controls shows off its lithium-ion battery technology
Detroit 2008: Mercedes Vision GLK Freeside live reveal
Detroit 2008: Chrysler will introduce a Dodge Ram hybrid in 2010
Detroit 2008: Ferrari goes green, ethanol-fueled F430 to be announced!
Detroit 2008: Hummer HX Concept live reveal
Detroit 2008: GM press event with pictures, audio and video
Detroit 2008: 2009 Ford F-150, diesel and EcoBoost coming, mpg increased
Detroit 2008: Officially, Official Audi R8 V12 TDI concept
Detroit 2008: Seven X-Prize teams to be on hand at Cobo Hall
Detroit 2008: Ford VP Jim Farley on the new Verve sedan
Detroit 2008: Saab 9-4X BioPower live reveal
Detroit 2008: Bricklin and Electrovaya team on PHEV battery system
Detroit 2008: Ford Verve Sedan concept brings "Kinetic design" to the U.S. for the first time
Detroit 2008: Mazda CX-9 and Chevy Malibu win North American Car and Truck of the Year awards
Virgin Atlantic to test fly 747 using B20
Sir Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Air, has long been committed to the future of biofuels for the benefits they will provide. Virgin has now announced a test flight involving a 747 using B20 from London to Amsterdam that will occur in February.
Click here to get the details as published in Biofuels Digest
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
NYT: Europe May Ban Imports of Some Biofuels
Carbon efficiency of biofuels targeted in effort to assure "Green" benefits of biofuels.
PARIS — In a sign of growing concern about the impact of supposedly “green” policies, European Union officials will propose a ban on imports of certain biofuels, according to a draft law to be unveiled next week.This article shows that not all biofuels are created equal. As we look to create a Renewable Fuel Standard in Wisconsin and in Congress, it is sensible to craft ways to track the carbon efficiency of the fuels being promoted.
If approved by European governments, the law would prohibit the importation of fuels derived from crops grown on certain kinds of land — including forests, wetlands or grasslands — into the 27-nation bloc.
The draft law would also require that biofuels used in Europe deliver “a minimum level of greenhouse gas savings.” That level is still under discussion.
Considerable work has been committed to identifying and assigning preference to fuels that are carbon efficient in the production of the fuel itself and in the production of its feedstock. In this way, for example, biodiesel made from algae in a plant that is itself fuelled by biomass would
gain a greater level of public support, while biodiesel made from feedstock grown on deforested rainforest would be withdrawn from consideration.
In our effort to promote biodiesel as a sustainable alternative to petroleum, we must ensure that we preserve maximum carbon efficiency of the product being offered to the consumer. This pushback by the EU against fuels that fall short of this target is to be expected and serves as an incentive to ensure that the biodiesel we produce is truly an efficient harvest of renewable energy that supports a sustainable future for us all.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Farm Credit System seeks to extend leadership role in biofuels finance
The Farm Credit System (FCS) was instrumental in providing the debt financing that allowed for the early development of the ethanol industry. According to the Farm Credit Council:
Incredibly, FCS is constrained in its attempts to continue supporting the development of our renewable fuels industry and therefore contribute to the economic development that promises greatest benefit for the rural communities they serve. According to Ken Auer, President & CEO of The Farm Credit Council, "Limitations imposed decades ago on Farm Credit’s ability to serve farm-related businesses are preventing the Farm Credit System from directly financing many of the new agriculture-based projects that will be needed to meet U.S. renewable energy goals.""Farm Credit was there fifteen years ago, taking the risk to finance the early ethanol plants when others would not. Now that Congress is looking to agriculture and the renewable fuels industry to make a major contribution to our nation’s energy independence, it is important that this experienced, customer-owned lender be able to continue to support the biofuels industry going forward."
Commercial banks and lending institutions are lobbying against any changes in these limitations. Yet, their own study (released by the American Bankers Association and Independent Community Bankers of America) shows that during the past four years – the ethanol industry’s period of most rapid growth – commercial banks and other private institutions generated only about $2 billion of new debt per year for the industry.
The recent downturn in the economy has further limited the amount of available commercial financing for the biofuels industry. Yet, the availability of debt financing for biofuels projects is critically important if we are to meet the RFS objectives outlined in the Energy Bill. The arbitrary limitations that prevent further participation of FCS in the direct financing of biofuels projects is therefore counter-productive not only to its own mission, but to our pursuit of energy independence as well.
There is no constituency that better understands the benefits to be gained from investments in the biofuels industry than the farmer/investors served by FCS. It is for this reason that FCS was there in the early days to provide the support for the ethanol industry while the commercial banks and others stood on the sidelines. And it is why we now need Congress to remove the limitations that prevent FCS from continuing its leadership role in providing the financial support that is necessary to develop and produce alternative biofuels.
For more information on this topic and to learn how Congress can act to improve this circumstance, please visit the Farm Credit Council's (FCC) website here.
The very informative FCC press release is available here
posted by Jeff Pieterick, President, Wisconsin Biodiesel Association
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Integrated Crush/Biodiesel Plant Begins Production in Missouri
30MMGY facility will reach full production after completion of soybean crush component in March
Prairie Pride, Inc. has begun producing biodiesel at its biorefinery near Nevada, MO. This farmer cooperative based business is vertically integrated with a soybean crush plant that is expected to be operational in March. At that time, Prairie Pride expects to have capacity to process @21 million bushels of soybeans and produce 30 million gallons of biodiesel per year.
Click here for a full article about the plant opening published in the The Joplin Globe
Daimler, ADM, Bayer to test Jatropha for biodiesel
FRANKFURT, Jan 9 (Reuters) - German carmaker Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) has teamed up with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Bayer CropScience (BAYG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) to explore tropical plant Jatropha as a biodiesel fuel, Daimler said.
"Biodiesel derived from Jatropha nut kernels has properties similar to those of biofuels obtained from oilseed rapes. It is also characterised by a positive CO2 balance and can thus contribute to protecting the climate," the companies said in a statement.
The partners aim to develop production and quality standards for Jatropha-based biofuel. ADM runs several biodiesel refineries worldwide, while Bayer CropScience plans to develop herbicides, insecticides and fungicides for Jatropha plants.
Daimler has already completed a five-year project which demonstrated that Jatropha can be used to make biodiesel. It will continue to explore the interactions between the fuel and engines.
Jatropha, a wild plant, has never been professionally cultivated, the statement said, suggesting the plant could be grown on 30 million hectares of land, especially in South America, Africa and Asia.
"Since Jatropha can be cultivated on barren land, it does not compete for land that is being used for food production, and thus provides farmers with an additional source of income," it added.
(Reporting by Michael Shields; editing by Rory Channing)
N.J. Biodiesel Company Files for Bankruptcy
The company, based in Edison, New Jersey, filed for the protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Trenton, court records showed.
The company, which has production plants in Colorado, listed debts of $10 million to $50 million and assets of between $1 million and $10 million.
VeraSun to Extract Corn Oil for Biodiesel at SD Ethanol Biorefinery
“This is a great example of the innovation that will continue to develop as the (biofuels) industry matures.”
Pete Atkins, VeraSun vice president, corporate development
VeraSun Energy Corporation (NYSE: VSE) is one of the largest ethanol producers in the country. The company recently announced that it has begun work on an oil extraction facility at its 120 million-gallon-per-year (MMGY) ethanol biorefinery located near Aurora, S.D. The facility will utilize a technology designed to extract corn oil from distillers grains, a co-product of the ethanol production process.
The capital investment will allow this facility to capture an estimated 7-8 million gallons per year of corn oil from their distillers grains which will then be made available to the biodiesel market.
"The production of two biofuels from one kernel of corn makes economic and environmental sense,” said Pete Atkins, VeraSun vice president, corporate development. “This is a great example of the innovation that will continue to develop as the industry matures. We are pleased to contribute to the commercialization of this technology.”
Following installation at the Aurora facility, VeraSun plans to implement the technology at its Fort Dodge and Charles City, Iowa, biorefineries by the end of 2009. The company originally announced its oil extraction technology in November 2006.
Read the entire press release here
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Detroit 2008: MINI to bring diesel option to the US?
from AutoBlog
by John Neff
The car you see to the right is the MINI Cooper D Clubman. That's "D" as in "Diesel". (Click on the photo to access the AutoBlog Photo Gallery of the MINI)
The diminutive brand owned by BMW offers a diesel engine in Europe, but to date has not in the U.S. We believe that MINI may correct this at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week. Our guess is based on a press release issued by MINI today that, while saying very little about its plan for the Detroit show other than the Clubman and Clubman S would be present, included images of a left-hand-drive Cooper D Clubman. The press release also mentions that a talking point at MINI's press conference will be "More Driving Pleasure, Less Fuel Consumption: The new MINI in the 2008 Model Year". Couple that with parent company BMW's announcement of two new models for the U.S. market that will be powered by diesel engines, the X5 xDrive35d and the 335d, and it begins to look like MINI will follow suit with a diesel of its own. Of course, MINI has not confirmed this so it's pure speculation on our part, but we wouldn't be surprised to see a Cooper Clubman D burning oil in Detroit next week.
Read More>>
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Valcent Announces Success in Algae Production for Biofuels
from Wisconsin Biodiesel News service
Jeff Pieterick, President, Wisconsin Biodiesel Association
Valcent Products, Inc., is only one of many firms promoting the commercial production of algae to be used as a biofuel feedstock that contributes to carbon recycling and sequestration. In the video linked below, Valcent CEO Glen Kertz offers background on the benefits of algae along with a glimpse at their Vertigro algae bioreactor.
A press release issued by the company in December states that "Valcent's High Density Vegetable Vertical Growing System (VGS) has now been operating continuously for more than one hundred days. During this operational test, results indicate the system will produce approximately 20 times the amount of vegetables per acre grown in a field while only using 5% of the water used for field crops."
Look for more developments to come in this area as additional research and development efforts further refine the technology that shows great promise in reducing the carbon footprint of not only our transportation fuels, but of our other smokestack industries as well as algae technologies are developed that will "scrub" carbon emissions.
Meanwhile, we need to increase efforts to educate consumers and introduce biodiesel into the consumer supply network, preparing for the day when efficient production of carbon-neutral biodiesel can efficiently supplant our reliance upon fossil fuels.
As Thomas Friedman eloquently stated in his New York Times op/ed piece written subsequent to the Bali conference, it's "Too Late for Later" for this generation to seek a silver bullet in addressing climate change before taking action. Instead, we need to be aggressive in pursuing promising technologies while simultaneously developing the markets that will support rapid expansion of their use as they become viable.
Present biodiesel production moves us along the path, using vegetable and seed oils to reduce our carbon impact on the environment. Yet, the commodity markets for these edible oils have unfortunately limited expansion of this industry to date. Nevertheless, increased consumer demand for diesel power as a legitimate AFV option and this industry's introduction of biodiesel into the marketplace as an alternative fuel source recommend continued public support to ensure we continue moving forward in this development of alternative fuels.
Biodiesel presently exists as a "first generation biofuel" that shows terrific promise as an alternative source of transportation energy. Is it the "silver bullet" we seek as our alternative to fossil fuels? Not yet. But the promise of developments to come provide all the reason in the world to keep us on the path toward producing and distributing biodiesel as a "Home Grown Fuel for a Better Wisconsin."
Red Green Auto Tech: "Reduce; Reuse; Recycle"
"And now for something completely different..."
Click on the video link below to see how to create an "All-Wheel Drive, Four-Wheel Steer" recycled K-Car with sufficient parts left over to build a "dandy portable garden shed."
To all but the most handy among you, I suggest you not try this at home.
Israeli Firm Backs Off Biodiesel Production Venture
from Globes Online:
Merav Ankori 7 Jan 08 16:45
Ormat Industries Ltd. (TASE: ORMT) today announced that it was postponing plans to develop and build a commercial biodiesel facility at this time. The company added that it had invested $1.8 million to date in R&D in the project to date, which would be reported in the company's profit and loss statement.
Ormat announced 18 months ago that it would invest $35-50 million in a biodiesel production facility within two years. The company said at the time that it would invest $13.5 million in R&D in the venture over five years. Ormat is collaborating with an academic institution, whose identity it declines to disclose, and with Evogene Ltd. (TASE:EVGN) on the development of high-yield non-edible plants for biodiesel production. Ormat added that it would focus on the development of these plants.
Ormat is foregoing construction of the biodiesel plant because prices for commodities, including commodities for biofuel production, have soared rendering biodiesel much more expensive to the point of being economically unviable. For example, prices for soy beans, one of the crops used in biofuel production, has risen from $3-4 per bushel over the past year to $12.
Read More>>
Monday, January 7, 2008
$200 Oil in 2008? Some say "Bet on it!"
from Bloomberg.com:
Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- The fastest-growing bet in the oil market these days is that the price of crude will double to $200 a barrel by the end of the year.
Options to buy oil for $200 on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 10-fold in the past two months to 5,533 contracts, a record increase for any similar period. The contracts, the cheapest way to speculate in energy markets, appreciated 36 percent since early December as crude futures reached a record $100.09 on Jan. 3.
While analysts at Merrill Lynch & Co. and UBS AG say the slowing U.S. economy will lead to the biggest drop in prices since 2001, the options show some traders expect oil to rise for a seventh straight year. Demand will increase 2.5 percent in 2008, according to the International Energy Agency. U.S. inventories fell to a three-year low on Dec. 28. Production from Mexico is declining and Saudi Arabia is behind schedule in opening its newest field.
"One hundred dollars a barrel is actually 14.9 cents a cup, so we're still talking about oil being remarkably cheap,'' said Matthew R. Simmons, chairman of Simmons & Co. International, a Houston-based investment bank that focuses on energy. Inventories "are tight as a drum and I don't see how we get out of this box,'' he said in a Bloomberg television interview last week. "Demand clearly isn't starting to slow down.''
Read more>>
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Using Diesel Could Reduce Imports of Oil, Refiner Says
Jeff Morris' dream car is a Cadillac CTS with a diesel engine.Diesel vehicles typically use 20 percent less fuel than comparable gasoline vehicles. That means a diesel car emits less pollution and greenhouse gas than a gasoline car. And by using less fuel, diesels could cut U.S. dependence on oil.
Mr. Morris is making a $200 million bet that Americans will wake up to the benefits. He's refurbishing a California refinery to double its diesel production capacity.
Candidates Stake Positions on Global Warming
from the Hartford Courant:
The contrast could not be more striking: Every Democratic candidate for president has put forward an aggressive package of policies and statements addressing global warming and has made it a cornerstone of their campaign.
Of the Republicans, just one, John McCain, comes close to matching the Democrats' fervor for the issue. The GOP contenders focus instead on policies aimed at achieving energy independence — a goal that dates to the energy crisis of the 1970s.
The contrast in this primary season reflects an ongoing divide in the nation. Twice as many Democrats as Republicans say the environment will be a very important factor in their vote this year, according to a survey conducted in October for the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
That split also is apparent between liberals and conservatives in both parties.
While environmental issues in general rank lower than the more immediate concerns of most citizens — the war in Iraq, the economy, health care, jobs, terrorism — the subject is gaining attention.
Most Americans — three-quarters or four-fifths, depending on the survey — now say they believe global warming is happening. How much humans have to do about it and how urgently we should do something about it, though, are in dispute.
Click on the link below for summaries of where the candidates stand on environmental issues, primarily on global warming and what to do about it. For more detail, go to the candidates' own websites.
To get an idea of what is on the minds of the electorate, check out http://www.people-press.org/. Two good sites with reports on where the candidates stand are the League of Conservation Voters, http://www.lcv.org/; and Grist, an online environmental magazine, http://www.grist.org/.
Read more>>
Friday, January 4, 2008
Alaska Oil Exploration to Begin
By Warren Bull BBC News
The US government says it will offer exploration rights for oil and gas in a north-western region of Alaska.
The federal Minerals Management Service said it would take bids next month for concessions in the Chukchi Sea, which separates Alaska from Siberia.
But environmental groups fear the effects on wildlife in the region, including the polar bear population.
There have been no lease sales for over 15 years and the groups fear further exploration could damage marine life.
Imperium Renewables Withdraws IPO Plans
"Current market conditions" cited as reason for delay in biodiesel project expansion.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Imperium Renewables Inc, the largest biodiesel producer on the U.S. West Coast, filed to withdraw its plan for an initial public offering, citing unfavorable market conditions.
"Given the current market conditions, our board has determined that it is not the right time to pursue a public offering," John Plaza, Imperium's founder, president and interim CEO, said in a release.
Plaza did not elaborate on market conditions. Prices for soy, one of the main sources of biodiesel, have shot to more than 30-year highs recently on growing global demand for food and fuel from alternative sources.
Imperium had filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in May 2007 to raise as much as $345 million from its IPO.
Read more>>
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