Cracker Barrel to Install ECOtality’s Blink EV Charging Stations at Select Tennessee Store Locations

ECOtality, Inc., a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, today announced that Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. has joined The EV Project, and will install ECOtality’s Blink electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at restaurant and store locations. Cracker Barrel will install EV chargers at 24 locations within The EV Project’s pilot markets.

As part of the agreement, Cracker Barrel will install ECOtality’s Blink EV charging stations, including both Level 2 and DC Fast Charge commercial electric vehicle charging stations, at 24 restaurant and store locations within EV Project markets beginning April 2011. Blink charging stations will be installed at 12 identified locations that support ECOtality’s previously announced EV blueprints in Tennessee and will connect the transportation corridors linking Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. The 12 Cracker Barrel store locations in Tennessee include: Athens, Cleveland, Cookeville, Crossville, East Ridge, Farragut, Harriman, Kimball, Lebanon, Manchester, Murfreesboro, and Nashville. The remaining 12 unidentified Cracker Barrel locations will be installed within other Tennessee locations that are within the boundaries of The EV Project.

“We are pleased to announce Cracker Barrel as a commercial collaborator for ECOtality and The EV Project,” said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality, Inc. “ECOtality’s goal for the Blink Network is to allow consumers to charge in locations that are attractive, convenient, and beneficial, making electric vehicles fit their lifestyle. Cracker Barrel is setting an excellent example in Tennessee by installing Blink EV Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers at restaurant and store locations along major transportation routes. Consumers will be able to quickly achieve a full charge, or top off their EVs, while spending time at one of their favorite restaurants. We look forward to announcing additional Cracker Barrel locations.”

The announced locations for the charging stations were based on the results of ECOtality’s EV Micro-Climate™ process. The procedure takes into consideration a number of factors including geographic location, distance to major interstates and transportation routes, distance to other EV Project charging facilities and population density. Using the same procedure, ECOtality will work with Cracker Barrel to determine the location of the additional 12 charging locations.

“Cracker Barrel was founded along the interstate highways with the traveler in mind and has always anticipated what our guests might want and need as they stop in for some good country cookin’ and to experience genuine Southern hospitality,” said Cracker Barrel Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael A. Woodhouse. “Becoming a leader in The EV Project continues our tradition of striving to anticipate and meet our guests’ expectations. We expect our guests will be quite interested in seeing these charging stations when they stop in with us. We like to think that our guests will be pleased to see Cracker Barrel taking an active role in exploring energy alternatives that are aimed at protecting the environment as well as strengthening the economy.”

The Blink DC Fast Charger is the highest-power charging station currently on the market and is capable of providing a full charge in less than 30 minutes. The Blink Level 2 and DC Fast Charging stations incorporate the Blink design and provide intelligent, user-friendly features to intuitively and safely charge electric vehicles, including fully interactive color touch screens and web-based information delivery via the Blink Network. A Blink Network smartphone application allows users to access charge station locations and GPS navigation, as well as charge status and notifications of completed or interrupted charging.

The Blink Network is an infrastructure of charging stations through which consumers can become members to receive various benefits for using commercial charging stations at locations across the country. Charging costs will vary based on local equipment operating costs and level of membership. While Blink Network membership does come with specific advantages, any EV driver will be able to charge at a Blink station through a variety of options including interoperable RFID cards or fobs, smartphone applications, mobile phone based payment options, and credit cards. The Blink Network will continue to employ secure and convenient methods of authentication and payment at Blink stations that leverage its network connected and over-the-air upgradeable 2-way touch screen interface to ensure ECOtality can service a wide array of the EV customer base long term.

“Our announcement with Cracker Barrel is an important step towards building the rich EV infrastructure needed to promote the consumer adoption of EVs,” said Don Karner, President of ECOtality North America. “Our plan for The EV Project was to create an interconnected network of EV infrastructure that would allow EV drivers to live their lives without limitations.”

ECOtality is project manager of The EV Project and will oversee the installation of 15,000 commercial and residential charging stations in 16 cities and major metropolitan areas in six states and the District of Columbia. The project will provide an EV infrastructure to support the deployment of 8,300 EVs. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through a federal stimulus grant of $114.8 million, made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The grants are matched by private investment, bringing the total value of the project to approximately $230 million.

Renewable Fuel Standard Rules Demonstrate Need for Continued Commitment to Growth of Domestic Advanced Biofuels

Rules for the 2011 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) maintain the overall market for advanced biofuels, even while lowering the cellulosic biofuel portion, revealing the ongoing need to increase investment in domestic production. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today thanked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for issuing final rules for the 2011 Renewable Fuel Standard that provides certainty for biofuel producers and obligated parties.

Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section, released the following statement:

“The EPA’s final rules for the Renewable Fuel Standard express optimism for the continued growth of the advanced biofuels industry, including cellulosic biofuels. Although their estimate of cellulosic biofuel production remains virtually unchanged from 2010, EPA recognizes that advanced biofuels will meet the overall required volumes. Setting the cost of the cellulosic biofuel waiver credit at $1.13 ensures that obligated parties can easily comply with the standard and begin to provide consumers with access to cellulosic biofuels at the lowest possible cost.

“Advanced biofuel producers have faced enormous difficulties in raising the capital needed to build the biorefineries, due to the economic recession and tightening of credit markets. National policies to encourage the flow of capital have not worked as intended, but some minor adjustments to these policies could jumpstart the process. Congress should extend the cellulosic biofuel production tax credit now to provide the long-term stability that investors look for, it should make available to biofuel producers an optional investment tax credit similar to that available for other renewable energy producers, and it should make emerging advanced biofuels such as algae eligible for these credits.

“Further, Congress should clarify the rules for the DOE Loan Guarantee Program to help build the first cellulosic and advanced biofuel biorefineries. Demonstrated success with these first-of-a-kind biorefineries should provide confidence to institutional investors to back additional projects.”

Source Press Release

Visit BIO's Blog : The Advanced Biofuels & Climate Change Information Center

NRG Solar and SunPower Agree to Build 250-Megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch

NRG Solar, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. and SunPower Corp. announced groundbreaking agreements to begin construction next year of the 250-megawatt (MW) California Valley Solar Ranch in San Luis Obispo County. The solar power plant is expected to create approximately 350 jobs during construction, will power about 100,000 homes and will be one of the largest photovoltaic solar power plants in the world, when complete. NRG Solar plans to invest up to $450 million of equity in the project over the next four years, subject to final total project cost and negotiation of the financing terms and conditions.

Under the agreement announced today, NRG will, subject to certain conditions, assume all ownership and financing responsibilities for the California Valley Solar Ranch. SunPower will continue to develop the project, and will design, build, operate and maintain the solar power plant. Construction is expected to start in the second half of 2011, with a portion of the project expected to begin operating by the end of 2011 and the balance coming on line in 2012 and 2013. When fully operational, the solar power plant will help California achieve its 33% renewable portfolio standard.

The project is currently seeking a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program Office, which supports accelerated commercial use of innovative energy technologies to help sustain economic growth, yield environmental benefits, and produce a more stable and secure energy supply. The DOE Loan Guarantee Program Office has provided a draft term sheet for the California Valley Solar Ranch project, which is a significant milestone in the process leading to a conditional loan guarantee commitment.

"California Valley Solar Ranch will be an important component of our multi-technology portfolio of clean, zero-emission solar power facilities," said Tom Doyle, president of NRG Solar. "We are pursuing large-scale photovoltaic projects across the Southwest and working with like-minded companies that can ensure our projects will be exceptionally successful. SunPower has the proven technology and experience building solar power plants around the world to deliver a well-designed solar project that will be a major contributor to helping California meet its ambitious renewable portfolio standard by the end of the decade."

"This partnership with NRG Solar and the DOE represents a major milestone in delivering 250 megawatts of clean, renewable solar power to California's electricity customers," said Howard Wenger, president of the utility and power plants business group at SunPower. "For two years, SunPower has been working to develop this project responsibly, with respect for the environment and the community. We are delighted to have found in NRG a partner that shares our vision to build a solar power plant in San Luis Obispo County that enhances the local economy, protects local habitat and generates emission-free solar power for California. The DOE is playing a critical leadership role in supporting renewable energy that provides economic and environmental benefits, as well as a secure, stable energy supply in the U.S."

California Valley Solar Ranch has executed 25-year power purchase agreements with Pacific Gas & Electric for delivery of 250 megawatts. The power purchase agreements have been approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. The closing of the NRG and SunPower agreements announced today is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and the completion of development, including obtaining required permitting and regulatory approvals.

By the end of 2010, SunPower will have installed more than 1,500 megawatts of solar power systems worldwide, including 400 megawatts of ground-mounted power plants.

EPA Sets 2011 Renewable Fuel Standards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the 2011 percentage standards for the four categories of fuel under the agency’s renewable fuel standard program, known as RFS2.

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) amended the Clean Air Act to greatly increase the total required volume of renewable fuels each year, reaching a level of 36 billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, EPA calculates percentage-based standards for the following year. Based on the standards, each producer and importer of gasoline and diesel determines the minimum volume of renewable fuel that it must ensure is used in its transportation fuel.

The final 2011 overall volume and standards are:

Cellulosic biofuel - 6.6 million gallons; 0.003 percent
Biomass-based diesel - 800 million gallons; 0.69 percent
Advanced biofuel - 1.35 billion gallons; 0.78 percent
Renewable fuel - 13.95 billion gallons; 8.01 percent

Based on an analysis of expected market availability, EPA is finalizing a lower 2011 cellulosic volume than the statutory target. Overall, EPA remains optimistic that the commercial availability of cellulosic biofuel will continue to grow in the years ahead.

Source : EPA

See Also :
EPA Proposes 2011 Renewable Fuel Standards

Duke Energy Completes Colorado Wind Farm

With Duke Energy's Kit Carson Windpower Project in eastern Colorado now on line and producing electricity, the company has nearly 1,000 megawatts of wind generation capacity in operation at nine U.S. wind farms.

All of the output from the Kit Carson site will serve customers of Tri-State Generation and Transmission's member electric cooperatives and public power districts through a 20-year power purchase agreement. Kit Carson consists of 34 General Electric wind turbines capable of producing 1.5 megawatts (MW) each, for a total of 51 MW. Construction at the 6,000-acre wind farm northwest of Burlington, Colo., began earlier this year and the facility achieved commercial operation on Nov. 19.

Kit Carson is the second commercial wind project Duke Energy brought on line in 2010. The company's 110-turbine, 200-MW Top of the World Windpower Project near Casper, Wyo., reached commercial operation in October.

Duke Energy has invested more than $1 billion to grow its commercial wind power business over the last three years.

Source : Press Release

See Also :
Duke Energy Completes Fourth Wyoming Wind Farm

GreenHunter Biofuels Biodiesel Plant Signed Over To Creditors

GreenHunter Energy, Inc announced yesterday that it had transferred ownership of GreenHunter Biofuels, Inc over to it's creditors. GreenHunter Biofuels owns a 105 million gallon per year biodiesel plant located in Houston, Tx.

To be honest, the press release is a little hard to read and understand. An article in the Dallas Morning News did a good job of explaining the situation.

GreenHunter Energy Inc. took a drastic step Friday to avoid being delisted next week by the New York Stock Exchange.

The Grapevine clean energy company gave a biodiesel refinery to debt holders. The move allows GreenHunter to shift into a more profitable business. It also reflects the peril the biodiesel industry faces.

GreenHunter said that it transferred all of the ownership shares of its GreenHunter Biofuels Inc. unit to a trust for holders of its 10 percent debentures due in 2012. GreenHunter had defaulted on the notes, and the company's Houston refinery was collateral for the loan.

The stock exchange had threatened to remove GreenHunter from its NYSE Amex Equities listing if the company didn't improve its financial condition, and the deadline is next week.

Denco II Ethanol Plant Explores Using Storm Water

According to the Morris Sun Tribune, Denco II and the City of Morris are looking into using storm water in place of ground water in the production of ethanol.

The City of Morris and the DENCO II ethanol plant will attempt to team up on a project to use city storm water in ethanol production.

The Morris City Council on Tuesday directed City Manager Blaine Hill to apply for a Minnesota Pollution Control demonstration grant to determine if storm water can be used efficiently for ethanol production.

Because of grant criteria, only ethanol plants in Morris, Benson and Winnebago are eligible to apply. The grant would be a 50-50 match with the city, with up to $75,000 used for predesign and design. Of the $15,000 portion for predesign, the city and DENCO II would split the costs if the grant is approved. The design portion would only come into play if the city and DENCO II decide to eventually move ahead with the project.

The article goes on to say that the 25 million gallon per year Denco II plant has had issues with the hardness of the ground water that it currently uses. By comparison, storm water is softer and would require less treatment to make it suitable for ethanol production.

See Also :
DENCO Ethanol Plant Set To Reopen

Al Gore : For Corn Ethanol Before He Was Against It

Former Vice President and 2000 Presidential Candidate Al Gore shifted positions on ethanol according to an article in Reuters.

"It is not a good policy to have these massive subsidies for (U.S.) first generation ethanol," said Gore, speaking at a green energy business conference in Athens sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank.

"First generation ethanol I think was a mistake. The energy conversion ratios are at best very small.

"It's hard once such a programme is put in place to deal with the lobbies that keep it going."

He explained his own support for the original programme on his presidential ambitions.

"One of the reasons I made that mistake is that I paid particular attention to the farmers in my home state of Tennessee, and I had a certain fondness for the farmers in the state of Iowa because I was about to run for president."

So why the change of heart? My guess would be because corn prices are on the rise and there has been a rekindling of the food versus fuel debate.

The last time corn prices were on the rise was in 2008. At that time a huge food versus fuel debate was going on and ethanol opponents at the time called on Gore to end his support for corn ethanol. This can be seen in this article from April 25, 2008.

Last year, Mr. Runge and a colleague, Benjamin Senauer, wrote an article in Foreign Affairs, "How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor."

...

Mr. Senauer said climate change advocates, such as Vice President Gore, need to distance themselves from ethanol to avoid tarnishing the effort against global warming.

Many studies at the time and since then have shown that ethanol had only a small part in the overall food price increase that happened at the time. Even Gore pointed out in the Reuters article that many factors contributed to the food price increases. And of course corn price spikes occurred in the past even though ethanol production at the time was minimal. Despite all that, ethanol opponents were pretty successful at the time at creating the perception that ethanol was the reason for increasing food prices.

So just as his earlier support had nothing to do with the merits, his reversal now most likely has nothing to do with merits either. Unfortunately perception is reality and at the moment ethanol is bad for his image.

Update 11/24.2010 : Steve Milloy has an interesting take on this issue on his blog Green Hell. He contends that Gore reserved course on corn ethanol to boost his investments in second generation ethanol.

If we turn to the investment portfolio of the venture capital firm of Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers (KPCB) where Al Gore is a partner, we find that KPCB has invested in Mascoma Corporation, whose business is cellulosic ethanol.

In 2008, Mascoma received $61 million in financing from a group that included KPCB. In 2006, KPCB was part of a $30 million financing package for Mascoma.

So while Al Gore appears to be lamenting bad policy that he supported, instead he is really just trashing corn ethanol in hopes of advancing cellulosic ethanol and his investment in Mascoma.

It is hard to say how true this is since it is impossible to truly know what his motivations are. But he is a partner of KPCB and KPCB has investments in Mascoma. And considering that he admits that his previous support was swayed by Presidential aspirations it isn't really that much of a stretch to assume that his current support could be swayed by profit aspirations.

See Also :
World Bank Concludes The Impact Of Biofuels On Food Prices Not As Large As Thought
Congressional Budget Office Studies Ethanol's Contribution To Last Years Food Price Increases
Report Concludes Specualtion A Major Contributor To Higher Food Prices
Recap Of Recent Food Price Studies

Clean Energy and Power, Inc. To Buy Assets of Pacific Oil Products

Clean Energy and Power, Inc. announced today that it has signed an Letter Of Intent (LOI) to acquire 100% of the assets of Pacific Oil Products which includes the proprietary technology needed to extract oil from the various oil producing feedstock and the management team that designed the equipment enabling the cost effective commercialization of oil extraction.

Pacific Oil Products is the worldwide distributor of J-model (Jatropha oil), A-model (algae oil) and P-model (palm oil) presses. Clients include the world's largest plant oil producer, the world's 3 largest Jatropha oil producers and the world's 2 largest algae oil producers.

"We have redesigned the extraction method of the base machine that is manufactured in Sweden and added our own proprietary technology to ensure quality and that maximum oil will be extracted properly and efficiently," stated David Gair, current president of Pacific Oil Products and now Chief Technology Officer for this new division of Clean Energy and Power. "We have sold many units worldwide and this has enabled us to become the leader in jatropha oil extraction. I am excited to be joining Clean Energy and Power and taking bio fuel extraction to the next level."

Mr. Gair continued, "Of renewable fuel oils, jatropha is the darling: it is non-edible, grows on wasteland, and produces both an excellent fuel and lubrication oil. It does not compete with food in any way and is not suitable to grow on land where food crops grow."

Jatropha is also one of the fastest-growing biomass plants on earth, biomass that is easily used for power generation and a nutrient source for algae.

Wind power saves Kodiak, Alaska 1 million gallons of diesel

Kodiak appears to be happy with its new wind farm. The Kodiak Electric Association estimates the new turbines on Pillar Mountain above the city have saved almost 1 million gallons of diesel fuel, reducing consumption by about half since the turbines began spinning in August 2009. Officials told the Alaska Journal of Commerce they aim to add turbines and eventually have 95 percent of power generation come from wind and hydro.

"These turbines took half of our diesel away," says Darron Scott, chief executive of Kodiak Electric Association. ... "It gets us that much closer to the 95 percent. It makes us less dependent on the oil being barged here. It also keeps the energy on island. It's a self-sufficiency Alaska is known for and gets us closer to controlling our own destiny. We won't be as susceptible to the ups and downs of the price volatility found with fossil fuels."

Continue Reading

The Kodiak Electric Association website has a page detailing the proportions of electricity that they get from wind, hydro, and diesel generation. It also has a more up to date estimate on the amount of diesel that has been saved from the existing wind turbines in service. The current estimate is that 1.1 million gallons of diesel have been saved.

EPA Delays E15 Waiver Decision For 2001-2006 Vehicles

According to The Hill, the EPA will delay it's decision allowing the use of E15 in 2001-2006 vehicles.

The Environmental Protection Agency is delaying a decision likely until early next year on whether a higher ethanol blend is appropriate for vehicles in model years 2001 through 2006 in order to conduct more federal testing.

The Energy Department "has informed EPA that lab testing of E15 in model year 2001-2006
 vehicles will now be completed by the end of December. EPA will make its 
decision shortly after receiving that data," according to an EPA statement to E2.

According to Growth Energy, the delay was being caused by one vehicle exhibiting problems on all fuels including straight gasoline.

“We’ve been informed by EPA that the decision is being delayed because of the need to retest one particular car that hadn’t been properly maintained and serviced. That particular car failed on all fuels, including E0. The problem was with the testing process, not the fuel. This also demonstrates just how committed EPA is to the integrity of the testing; they are doing this right. We are confident that ultimately all the tests will show what we’ve said all along, that E15 is a great fuel for American motorists.”

The oil industry on the other hand, welcomed the delay.

The American Petroleum Institute welcomed news today, reported in the media, that the Environmental Protection Agency would delay a decision on whether gasoline with up to 15 percent ethanol is safe for vehicles built during the 2001 to 2006 model years.

Chevrolet Volt Named 2011 Green Car of the Year

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt electric car with extended-range capability today was named Green Car Journal's Green Car of the Year®. The Volt is the first electric vehicle to win the award.

"This has been a long time coming," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. "The electric vehicles that were test marketed in the 1990s tantalized us, but were without a solid business case. What a difference a decade makes."

The Volt runs purely on electricity for 25 to 50 miles on a single charge before a 1.4-liter gasoline engine/generator seamlessly engages to create electricity to drive the wheels for an additional 300 miles on a full tank of gas. The Volt's extended-range capability addresses the range anxiety concerns associated with battery-only electric vehicles.

"The Green Car of the Year® award validates the Chevrolet team's promise to deliver a practical electric vehicle," said Joel Ewanick, General Motors vice president, U.S. Marketing, who drove a Volt 2,394 miles from Detroit to the Los Angeles International Auto Show, where he accepted the award Thursday. "The Volt's a transformational technology that will lead our industry into a new age of vehicle electrification."

Other finalists for Green Car honors were: the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, and Nissan LEAF. The Green Car of the Year® jury was comprised of six environmental and automotive experts along with Green Car Journal editors.

The Chevrolet Tahoe 2-Mode Hybrid is a previous winner of the Green Car award.

Lee County, Florida Named Primary Site for Algenol Biofuels’ Integrated Bio-Refinery

Algenol Biofuels Inc. announced plans to build its pilot-scale Integrated Bio-Refinery adjacent to its recently opened laboratories in Lee County, Florida. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Lee County Commission and Algenol’s strategic partners, the 36-acre facility will demonstrate Algenol’s Direct To Ethanol™ technology, which produces ethanol directly from carbon dioxide using blue-green algae. The Dow Chemical Company supports the decision to build one larger facility in Lee County, Florida. A Bio-Refinery located next to Algenol’s new state-of-the-art laboratories will have greater capabilities and be more effective and efficient.

The Lee Road Integrated Bio-Refinery facility in Fort Myers, Florida brings together Algenol’s capabilities in molecular biology, aquaculture, green chemistry, carbon capture and engineering for the development and commercialization of sustainable, low carbon-footprint technologies for biofuels and green chemical production. By building the Integrated Bio-Refinery next to these world-class laboratories, Algenol will reduce costs and accelerate commercialization of advanced, third-generation biofuels technology.

“We are quite excited to build and operate our Integrated Bio-Refinery in Lee County, and look forward to demonstrating technology that will enhance the energy security of Florida and the United States. Having our Integrated Bio-Refinery and research laboratories all on one site will facilitate collaboration among our scientists and engineers and those of our partners, The Dow Chemical Company, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Membrane Technology and Research (MTR),” said Paul Woods, Algenol’s Founder and CEO.

“The total commitment by Algenol represents at least 120 new jobs and millions of dollars of additional capital investment to Lee County. This also furthers our commitment to green energy and diversification in Southwest Florida,” said Jim Moore, Executive Director of the Fort Myers Regional Partnership, Lee County’s Economic Development Office.

See Also :
Algenol Biofuels Opens State-of-the-Art Labs in Lee County, Florida
Algenol Biofuels R&D Plant Set To Open
Algenol Partners With Valero Services, Inc.

Vestas Receives 90 MW Wind Turbine Order From John Deere Wind Energy

Vestas has received a 90 MW order for 50 V100-1.8 MW wind turbines from John Deere Wind Energy for the Michigan Wind II project near Minden City, Michigan, USA.

The contract includes delivery and commissioning along with a 10-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery is scheduled for mid-2011 and commissioning is expected by the end of 2011.

“Vestas is excited to help John Deere deliver additional clean energy to Michigan,” said Martha Wyrsch, President of Vestas Americas. “The V100-1.8 MW turbine is designed to produce large amounts of energy for areas with low- and medium-wind speeds.”

In 2007, Vestas supplied John Deere 32 V82-1.65 MW turbines to the Harvest Wind project near Bad Axe, Michigan, and an additional 33 V82-1.65 MW turbines for two projects in Oregon.

Source : Press Release

Cenergy Power Completes 1.1MW PV System for Primex Farms

Cenergy Power, one of California's leading commercial solar developers, has completed a 1.108 megawatt solar PV system for Primex Farms at their state-of-the-art Wasco processing facility. Primex is a leading grower/processor of pistachios and trader of dried fruits and nuts.

The 1.108 MW solar system, which spans across ground space, carports and two facility roofs, is a reliable source of clean energy that will serve to enhance Primex's reputation as a leader in sustainable green energy practices. The environmental attributes associated with the solar plant will offset more than 40 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) for the next 20 years and will produce an estimated 1.7 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy annually.

"The massive solar system at our Wasco facility will demonstrate Primex's ongoing dedication to sustainable business," said Dr. Ali Amin, CEO of Primex Farms. "Our primary goal is to provide our growers with outstanding value for their crop and the strong solar savings from Cenergy's turnkey solar solution will help advance this objective."

"Primex Farms is one of many conscientious businesses we're seeing throughout California turning to solar power to reduce their energy footprint," said Nader Yarpezeshkan, Director of Business Development for Cenergy Power. "We are honored to be part of Primex's effort to reduce its energy overhead with clean solar power."

As part of the solar arrangement, Cenergy Power will be providing 10 years of operations and maintenance services, including but not limited to touch-free panel cleanings, preventative maintenance, and unscheduled repairs.

Source : Press Release

See Also :
Cenergy Power Activates 354kW Solar PV System for Del Mar Farms

Fulcrum BioEnergy Project Selected to Advance to the Final Stage for a DOE Loan Guarantee

Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") has selected Fulcrum's Sierra BioFuels Plant to enter the final phase of DOE's Loan Guarantee Program. Fulcrum has received a detailed indicative term sheet from DOE and has begun the negotiation process to advance the loan towards closure and funding.

The Sierra BioFuels Plant will be located approximately 20 miles east of Reno, Nevada in Storey County. The plant will produce 10.5 million gallons of ethanol annually along with 16 megawatts of renewable electricity by processing post-sorted municipal solid waste – household garbage. When operational in 2012, the project will reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil, significantly lower carbon emissions and stimulate economic growth in Northern Nevada by creating 53 full-time and more than 450 temporary green jobs.

"We have worked hard to have developed a very strong technical and financial project. DOE has a very rigorous and extensive technical and financial review process and we are quite pleased to have passed such review and progressed into term sheet negotiations. I believe ours may be the first biofuels project to have achieved this milestone with DOE," stated E. James Macias, Fulcrum President and Chief Executive Officer.

"We began engineering work on the Sierra BioFuels Plant earlier this year and we are eager to proceed with procurement and construction before the end of the year. With equity capital in place, the DOE loan guarantee represents a vital financing tool to allow our $120 million project to move forward – opening the door to an exciting new industry," added Macias.

"We recognize that until the loan is closed, there is no assurance that a loan guarantee will actually be issued. However, as we move ahead and negotiate terms of the loan with DOE, and as DOE continues its technical, commercial and financial due diligence through the closing of the loan guarantee, we are optimistic that a conditional commitment and loan guarantee will be issued," stated Macias.

The Sierra BioFuels Plant is the first of several projects that Fulcrum is currently developing. To date, Fulcrum has projects in various stages of development throughout North America that will produce one billion gallons of ethanol per year. The modular design of Fulcrum's plants can be readily scaled to ensure the successful large-scale commercial development throughout the country.

See Also :
Fulcrum BioEnergy Begins Construction On Municipal Solid Waste To Ethanol Plant

September 2010 Crude Oil Imports Total $20.96 Billion

The latest numbers out from the Commerce Department show that the September trade deficit was $44 billion, down from $46.48 billion in August. Crude oil imports accounted for $20.96 billion, down from $22.55 billion in August.

The U.S. bill for crude oil imports in September fell to $20.96 billion from $ 22.55 billion the month before. The price of oil slid $1.11 to $72.36 a barrel, while U.S. consumption declined to 289.69 million barrels from 306.91 million.

Source : Nasdaq

Murphy Oil Contracts ICM To Retrofit Hereford Ethanol Plant

According to Ethanol Producer Magazine, Murphy Oil has contracted ICM to retrofit their newly acquired Hereford ethanol plant. Murphy Oil purchased the 100 million gallon per year plant in August after the former owner, Panda Ethanol filed for bankruptcy.

ICM will make modifications to various parts of the facility, including addition of new equipment which will enable the plant to consistently achieve nameplate capacity. Hereford Renewable Energy’s primary goal in retrofitting the plant prior to start-up is to capitalize on the improved operating efficiencies expected from the incorporation of ICM’s industry-leading process technology. ICM’s retrofit of the Hereford Renewable Energy, LLC ethanol plant is anticipated to be completed by the end of the first quarter 2011.

See Also :
Murphy Oil Signs Agreement To Purchase Panda Ethanol Hereford Plant
Panda Ethanol Hereford Subsidiary Files Bankruptcy

Prudential Installs Solar Panels On Three Office Buildings

Prudential Financial, Inc. announced that it has installed solar panels on its office building in Scottsdale, Arizona and in the two buildings of its Roseland, NJ office complex, producing an anticipated 2.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually and reducing the company’s greenhouse gas emissions by 3.2 million pounds a year.

“Building these solar arrays underscores our commitment to investing in and leveraging alternative sources of energy to reduce our environmental footprint,” said Prudential Vice Chairman Mark Grier. “They will pay for themselves within a relatively short time frame, which means they make sense financially as well as environmentally. These solar panels are important elements of the comprehensive approach Prudential has taken to reduce our carbon emissions by more than one third over the last ten years.”

Michael Perrette, vice president and head of Corporate Facilities at Prudential, said, “Over the next 10 years, we expect these solar panels to save us approximately $3 million in energy costs and help us further reduce our overall carbon footprint by around 14,300 metric tons. This project complements work we are doing across the company to reduce energy use and increase recycling.” He said the company plans to install solar panels in some of its other office buildings in the future.

The 2,678 panels installed in the Roseland buildings will generate approximately 3 percent of the power use in that office campus, with a peak power output of 500 kilowatt hours. The solar project in Scottsdale is the largest solar photovoltaic system on a commercial office building in Arizona. It involved installing 4,508 panels that generate approximately 30 percent of the building’s power use, with a peak output of 885 kilowatt hours.

Perrette said using the solar panels in the two cities equates to more than 300 cars off the road, more than 160,000 gallons of gasoline not consumed each year and a reduction of almost 1,430 metric tons of carbon emissions.

The solar panel installation project in Scottsdale also included construction of a covered employee parking facility and the addition of several car charging stations. “We hope these charging stations encourage the use of electric cars. In the coming years, we anticipate adding charging stations in other Prudential facilities as demand grows,” Perrette said.

National Sorghum Producers Teams Up with Sweet Sorghum Ethanol Association

National Sorghum Producers (NSP) and the Sweet Sorghum Ethanol Association (SSEA) are happy to announce a formal collaborative agreement between the two organizations.

While NSP and SSEA have worked together in the past, the new collaborative agreement will allow both organizations to expand their efforts to develop and expand the sweet sorghum industry.

With SSEA’s organizational support, NSP will hold a lead role for developing and implementing a legislative advocacy program. The two organizations will share communication among their memberships and will explore future opportunities and synergies for joint conferences and other membership events.

“Sweet sorghum has become an important segment of our industry,” said Gerald Simonsen, NSP chairman.

“We are excited about the opportunities our collaboration with SSEA will create for sorghum as we continue our push for the inclusion of sweet sorghum in the Renewable Fuels Standard 2.”

NSP is actively working with the EPA to certify sweet sorghum as an advanced biofuel feedstock in the petition process of the RFS 2.

"We are very pleased to work collaboratively with NSP and are firmly committed to contribute all that we can to the effort to gain advanced biofuel designation for sweet sorghum,” said Hal Debor, SSEA president.

"Elevating awareness of sweet sorghum's vast potential as a biofuel feedstock is a precondition to building a sweet sorghum ethanol industry," said Steve Vanechanos, chairman of EPEC Biofuels Holdings Inc., and chairman of SSEA's NSP Collaboration Committee. "By collaborating with NSP, we will be substantially increasing the decibel level of sweet sorghum advocacy".

enXco and Indianapolis Power & Light Company Break Ground On 205.5 Megawatt Lakefield Wind Project

enXco - an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company and Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) today celebrated the construction phase of the 205.5 megawatt Lakefield Wind Project with a groundbreaking ceremony. The renewable energy project is expected to be operational in the Fall of 2011 bringing additional carbon-free electricity into the IPL generation portfolio as part of their effort to power the nearly 470,000 customers served by the utility.

Developed and owned by enXco, the Lakefield Wind Project, spans an area of approximately 20,000 acres of farmland near Lakefield Minnesota in Jackson County. It consists of 137 GE 1.5 megawatt turbines with the capacity to generate clean renewable energy for more than 68,000 homes. IPL will purchase the power generated under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

“With the addition of the energy from the Lakefield project, IPL will now have about 7% of our generation portfolio for retail customers coming from wind resources. This makes IPL among the leading Indiana utilities related to wind-produced megawatts as a percentage of retail sales,” said Ann Murtlow, IPL’s president & CEO. “IPL is excited to offer this wind energy project for the benefit of our customers.”

“enXco is once again pleased to extend our experience to IPL to bring a second wind project to IPL’s renewable energy portfolio. The Lakefield project follows on the successful development and construction of the Hoosier Wind Project which came online in 2009,” said Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of enXco. “This project demonstrates the ability of an efficient energy market to deliver the environmental benefits of a strong wind resource to customers throughout the Midwest. We look forward to being a continued partner with IPL and the communities of Minnesota to further our efforts to supply clean energy to the nation’s grid.”

Lakefield Wind Project represents enXco’s ninth wind project developed in Minnesota and also the largest wind energy project in Minnesota since enXco’s Fenton Wind Project in 2007. enXco Service Corporation will provide operations and maintenance services.

The Power Purchase Agreement received approval by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) in January 2010. The Minnesota Public Utility Commission (MPUC) approved the project on September 29, 2010.

Source : Press Release

Pacific Ethanol And AE Biofuels Enter Into Ethanol Marketing Agreement

Pacific Ethanol, Inc. announced that its subsidiary, Kinergy Marketing LLC, has signed an exclusive marketing agreement with AE Biofuels, Inc. subsidiary, AE Advanced Fuels Keyes, Inc. (“AE Keyes”) to sell all ethanol produced by the 55 million gallon per year ethanol production facility located in Keyes, California. AE Keyes, operating the facility under lease with Cilion Inc, is in the process of retrofitting the facility and has announced that it expects the facility to be operational by the first quarter of 2011.

Neil Koehler, PEI’s president and CEO, stated, “We are pleased to have AE Keyes as a marketing partner. Kinergy has consolidated a supply portfolio of marketing agreements with the largest California ethanol facilities that are operating or plan to be operating in 2011 when the implementation of California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard begins. This brings significant value to Pacific Ethanol and its California marketing partners with the rapidly increasing demand expected for low-carbon ethanol produced in California. Our comprehensive system of supply, distribution and service handles a majority of the low-carbon ethanol produced in California, delivering premium value to our customers. The strength of our position in the market is further supported by recent voting results in California.”

Earlier this month, California voters defeated Proposition 23, which would have suspended California Assembly Bill 32, which requires a reduction in greenhouse gas emission levels in the state. The ethanol produced by each of the California ethanol production facilities within Kinergy’s supply portfolio has the lowest carbon intensity rating of commercially available transportation fuel in the United States, according to the California Air Resources Board. Beginning in January 2011, the California Low-Carbon Fuel Standard will require refineries to reduce the carbon intensity of their fuel by 10% over the next nine years.

See Also :
Pacific Ethanol To Restart Stockton, CA Ethanol Production Facility
AE Biofuels Secures Funding for Operation of 55 Million Gallon Ethanol Plant

SG Biofuels and Bunge Form Strategic Alliance to Process Jatropha Seeds Into Sustainable Crude Plant Oil

SG Biofuels announced it has established a strategic partnership with Bunge North America to research and develop a model to process Jatropha seeds into a biofuel feedstock.

Bunge, a global leader in oilseed processing, joins an industry-leading team of partners, including Flint Hills Resources, a leading refining and petrochemical company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, Life Technologies Corporation, a global biotechnology tools company, and others that are collaborating with SG Biofuels to develop Jatropha as a viable source for cost-effective, sustainable crude plant oil.

"This partnership and our ability to provide world-class processing to our customers are key components to ensuring success for large-scale deployment of Jatropha plantations globally," said Haney. "The development of a successful market for Jatropha requires that all aspects of the value chain are met, from crop science and proper agronomics all the way through processing and refining. Bunge, together with Life Technologies and Flint Hills Resources, provides a fully integrated platform from which our customers can develop, produce and profit from large volumes of crude Jatropha oil."

Jatropha curcas is a non-edible shrub native to Central America. Its seeds have high oil content, and can be processed to produce a high-quality energy feedstock. It can be effectively grown on marginal lands that are considered undesirable for food crops.

See Also :
SG Biofuels Develops Jatropha Hybrid Seed Production Technology
SG Biofuels Completes $9.4 Million Series A Financing

Gevo’s Isobutanol Secures EPA Registration As A Gasoline Additive

Gevo, Inc. announced today that it received notification that its isobutanol had successfully cleared registration with the U.S. EPA as a fuel additive. Gevo’s isobutanol is the first isobutanol to be listed in the EPA’s Fuel Registration Directory and is now approved for blending with gasoline.

“We’ve taken another important step in commercializing our product in the near term,” said Gevo CEO Dr. Patrick Gruber. “Along with the chemicals market, selling isobutanol as a low Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) biofuel blendstock is one of our most important opportunities.”

Gevo believes isobutanol is a very attractive alcohol fuel gasoline blendstock. It has higher energy density than ethanol and lower RVP. RVP is regulated by the EPA under the Clean Air Act. Low RVP gasoline blends are required in many urban areas in order to comply with state level ozone attainment plans. Under the Renewable Fuel Standard II, isobutanol qualifies for 30 percent more renewable fuel value or Renewable Identification Number (RIN) than ethanol for obligated parties. Isobutanol has characteristics that make it an attractive alternative to other gasoline components like alkylate and aromatics, which should enable refiners to modify their gasoline formulation in ways that increase their operating margins. These various attributes also provide refiners with valuable options in meeting their clean air and renewable fuel obligations.

Gevo’s isobutanol can be used directly as a specialty chemical, as a gasoline and jet fuel blendstock, and through conversion into plastics, fibers, rubber and other polymers. Gevo will soon begin the retrofit of its first 22 million gallons per year (MPGY) ethanol facility in Luverne, MN to produce 18 MGPY of isobutanol. The Company plans to expand its isobutanol production via the retrofit of additional ethanol facilities over the next few years. In the future, Gevo intends to produce cellulosic isobutanol once biomass conversion technology is commercially available.

See Also :
Gevo Announces Closing of Acquisition of Ethanol Production Facility to Produce Isobutanol
Gevo to Acquire Agri-Energy Ethanol Production Facility to Produce Isobutanol
E. coli license leads to advanced biofuel production

Ethanol Exports Rise For September 2010

U.S. ethanol producers exported 38.8 million gallons of ethanol (denatured and undenatured, non-beverage) in September, up 31% from August, according to government data released today. This is the third highest monthly export total of the year, trailing only March and April. Year-to-date ethanol exports now stand at 251.1 million gallons, meaning the industry is on pace to export some 330 million gallons in 2010.

Notably, denatured ethanol exports in September set a new monthly high for 2010. The 27.5 million gallons of denatured ethanol exported in September slightly eclipsed the previous monthly high of 26.4 million gallons in March. Canada continued to be the top destination for U.S. denatured ethanol, receiving 12.3 million gallons of product in September. After importing virtually no U.S. product during the summer months, India was the second-leading importer of denatured ethanol in September, with shipments totaling 5.3 million gallons. The Netherland, Finland and the United Kingdom rounded out the top five.

As for undenatured (non-beverage) ethanol exports, U.S. producers exported 11.3 million gallons in September. That was down very slightly from August. The Netherlands was the top destination for undenatured product, receiving 5.8 million gallons. In order, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, and Canada rounded out the top five importers of undenatured ethanol in September.

Source : Renewable Fuels Association

Natcore Demonstrates Solar Power Output Gain Using New Passivation Process

Scientists at Natcore Technology Inc. have been able to demonstrate the effectiveness of the company's method to passivate the surface of standard commercial silicon solar cells on which a silica film has been grown using Natcore's liquid phase deposition (LPD) process.

Passivation is the process of filling the dangling atomic bonds at the surface of the solar cell, as well as reducing the numbers of defects that always exist in the upper region of the cell body. It is critical to enabling production of long-term, high-performance silicon solar cells.

Following an advance announcement on September 15, Natcore's R&D team at the Ohio State University now report that measurements of the effect of the Natcore surface passivation process on an important parameter called surface recombination velocity, or SRV, show that the SRV has been improved a factor of more than 25 times compared to its value for an untreated cell. This result translates shows that Natcore's LPD passivation process achieves the same level of performance as the current industry standard technique. Importantly, it will be less costly to use in full-scale production compared to the hydrogenated silicon nitride passivation process now used in every silicon solar cell manufacturing line in the world.

In Natcore's refined LPD process, this necessary passivation is achieved using the same production steps normally applied to the solar cell to create its top and bottom metal contacts; no additional heating cycles are required. The synergistic nature of Natcore's technology with existing cell fabrication steps will greatly simplify the standard silicon solar cell manufacturing process.

Very importantly, recent developments in silicon solar cell manufacturing R&D have shown that significant gains in cell performance can be achieved with ever-thinner silicon wafers by passivating the rear surface of the cell with a layer of silica underneath the full-coverage aluminum back contact. This step has not yet been included in actual manufacturing because it presently requires the deposition of the silica film by thermal vacuum processes that are too cumbersome and costly to implement. Natcore's new technology eliminates the need for that vacuum furnace, however, thereby lowering cost and environmental harm.

Natcore's patent-pending process can be implemented in a cost-effective manner as a simple add-on to equipment that already exists on the production floor. In the near future, Natcore will pursue discussions with existing suppliers of such equipment both at home and abroad to develop beta test sites in selected cell manufacturing facilities prior to full scale introduction of the technology to the global market.

"This is a significant advance in the performance of standard solar cells, and we're thrilled by it," says Natcore President and CEO Chuck Provini. "Nevertheless, we continue to maintain our focus on our joint venture in China, our thin-film applications and, particularly, the development of our tandem solar cell. An all-silicon tandem solar cell would bring the greatest gains in solar cell efficiency to date. It remains our ultimate goal, and our scientists working at Rice University continue to make important progress toward achieving it."

Source : Press Release

Oil Subsidies Reached $312 Billion in 2009, IEA

The International Energy Agency World Energy Outlook today revealed that global fossil-fuel subsidies amounted to $312 billion in 2009. The $312 billion included subsidies to fossil fuels used in final consumption and to fossil fuel inputs to power generation but, did not include direct producer subsidies which topped $100 billion last year according to the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance.

According to the IEA these consumption subsidies were down from $558 billion in 2008 largely because oil prices declined in 2009. Conversely, these oil subsidies are set to climb in 2010 with increasing oil prices.

"As we strive to develop alternatives to oil we must recognize that we are not competing on a level playing field," said Bliss Baker, spokesperson for the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance. "Massive multi-billion dollar oil subsides are a serious obstacle to the development of cleaner greener alternatives. Oil has a huge competitive advantage financed by global taxpayers," added Mr. Baker.

Next week the G20 will meet in Korea and the issue of oil subsidies is on the agenda following a commitment made at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh in September 2009.

"Despite the IEA's optimism that there is momentum for reducing subsidies, not one country has eliminated an oil subsidy program since signing on to the pledge in 2009," said Mr. Baker.

In addition to the consumption subsidies, several countries continue to provide domestic producer subsidies to oil companies at alarming rates. According to a November 2010 study done by Earth Track, many countries continue to provide direct producer subsidies to oil companies including:

* Canada provides over $2 billion per year to oil companies
* U.S. producer subsidies reached $52 billion in 2009
* European Union provided $8 billion in subsidies to oil companies in 2009

"It is time for the G20 to show leadership and reverse this practice of never ending subsidies to big oil. It is time to move beyond oil to a world with sustainable alternatives to crude oil such as biofuels and other renewable forms of energy," concluded Mr. Baker.

Note: All dollar figures are quoted in U.S. dollars.

API Files Lawsuit Against EPA's E15 Waiver

The American Petroleum Institute (API) today filed a lawsuit with the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's E15 waiver decision. The partial wavier improperly authorizes an increase in ethanol content of gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent only for use in 2007 and newer model year cars and light duty trucks. The EPA decision lacks statutory authority and comes prior to the completion of thorough testing to ensure the safety, performance and environmental impacts of the new fuel for consumers. API's Director of Downstream Operations, Bob Greco, made the following statement after the lawsuit was filed:

"The EPA's partial waiver is premature, lacks statutory authority and puts consumers at risk. Ongoing testing by our industry, auto makers and the Department of Energy to determine whether E15 is safe has not been completed. Results so far have revealed potential safety and performance problems that could affect consumers and the investments they’ve made in their automobiles.

"The U.S. oil and natural gas industry is the biggest consumer of ethanol and other biofuels and remains committed to the use of renewable fuels in our energy mix. We support a realistic and workable Renewable Fuel Standard and the responsible introduction of increased biofuels in a manner that protects consumers. However, rushing to allow more ethanol before we know it is safe could be disastrous for consumers and could jeopardize the future of renewable fuels."

API represents more than 400 oil and natural gas companies, leaders of a technology-driven industry that supplies most of America's energy, supports more than 9.2 million U.S. jobs and 7.5 percent of the U.S. economy, and, since 2000, has invested nearly $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives, while reducing the industry's environmental footprint.

Source : Press Release

Johnson Controls to Install Photovoltaic Arrays at 73 Utah Schools

Johnson Controls announced it has completed a solar installation at Salt Lake City School District's Hillside Middle School, the first of many schools participating in Utah State Energy Program's new Solar for Schools program. Solar for Schools is a statewide energy education initiative created to help Utah students learn the value of renewable energy technology first hand. The energy education program is slated to be the first of its kind in the state of Utah.

The Utah State Energy Program selected Johnson Controls to oversee the design and installation of 73 solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays at schools throughout the state, with at least one array in each of the state's 41 districts. Johnson Controls will install 5kW PV systems as a part of the Solar for Schools program. The program is funded by a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

"Solar technology is one of the best sources of renewable energy in Utah and is at the forefront of the national energy mix. With Solar for Schools, the state will be able to produce clean energy while providing students with the opportunity to learn about these technologies," said Elise Brown, renewable energy coordinator, Utah State Energy Program. "The program is an investment in energy education, the community and in securing our energy independence."

Solar for Schools provides the scholastic resources for Utah students to learn about renewable energy technologies through interactive projects. Students will have the ability to track live data from the solar installations, compare the data across schools throughout the state, and measure the effects of temperature and location of the energy output. The program also includes a comprehensive K-12 curriculum and teacher training on the benefits of using energy generated by the sun.

"As energy efficiency continues to be a critical issue around the globe, it's vital to bridge the gap between renewable energy technology and student energy education," said Bruno Biasiotta, vice president and general manager, Energy Solutions Americas, Johnson Controls. "This program provides Utah students with the knowledge and benefits that clean energy can have both now and well into the future."

The total installation of the 73 arrays is expected to remove more than 8,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over 20 years, equivalent to the carbon offset that would be generated by planting 11,000 trees and letting them grow for ten years.

The National Energy Foundation (NEF) will provide the renewable energy curriculum training for 200 teachers in Utah. Training workshops will include hands-on demonstrations appropriate for teaching all grade levels. The curriculum highlights solar, wind and geothermal technologies and can be integrated with science, technology, social studies, math and language arts lessons for K-12 students.

Solution Recovery Services and Corn LP Enter Into a COSS (Corn Oil Separation System) Purchase Agreement

Solution Recovery Services (SRS) announced today that it has signed a purchase agreement with Corn LP to supply their COSS (Corn Oil Separation System) at Corn LP's 55 million gallon ethanol plant in Goldfield, Iowa.

Under the terms of the agreement, SRS will design, build and provide technical engineering support for the COSS system. Corn LP will provide and manage the recommended site improvements and the installation of the system.

Brad Davis, General Manager of Corn LP, said that "Corn LP continues to look for ways to enhance the return on investments of its investors, and this project is a natural fit for us. The proven module design of the SRS system, their expertise in high speed centrifuges, and their outstanding technical service program will allow us to complete the project by year end and make sure that it will produce revenues for years to come."

"All of us at SRS are excited about the project with Corn LP, and we are looking forward to working with Mr. Andy Miller, the Corn LP Plant Manager, and his team to make sure that the COSS system is fully operational by December 31, 2010," said Phil Schoof, Senior Vice President and General Manager of SRS.

He added "We are confident that Corn LP will enjoy the same industry leading performance benefits that our current customers have come to expect. When you couple the performance benefits of our high g-force, high speed centrifuges with the SRS technical service program, you get exceptional oil production yields and unparalleled uptime approaching 99%."

Source : Press Release

See Also :
Corn LP To License GreenShift Corn Oil Extraction Technology

OriginOil Achieves Hydrogen Production Comparable to Photovoltaics

OriginOil, Inc. today announced that it has succeeded in producing hydrogen from the power of the sun at a level comparable to solar photovoltaics. The research breakthrough points to a highly scalable and renewable source of hydrogen that can be deployed as an additional system output in algae production settings.

To achieve this breakthrough, OriginOil researchers built a pared-down version of the company’s Hydrogen Harvester™ and tested many process variables and materials. They achieved hydrogen energy corresponding to a solar energy conversion efficiency of about 12 percent continuously for several hours on a partially clouded day. The sole energy input was the Sun. By comparison, commercial solar cells achieve conversion efficiencies between six and 20 percent.

Brian Goodall, OriginOil’s CTO, said: “Our experiments clearly demonstrate that this technology can generate renewable hydrogen at rates that matter to the global economy. These early rates compare well with those of the more mature solar cell industry, with the added benefit that the fuel, hydrogen, is readily storable. This is the first renewable source for today’s $39 billion hydrogen market.”

According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), “Efficient photoelectrochemical hydrogen production is a holy grail of renewable hydrogen production.”

OriginOil intends the Hydrogen Harvester™ to be deployed as an additional system output in algae production settings. In the field, efficiency may be lower than the 12 percent OriginOil has achieved in the research system. However, there is a counterbalancing factor: algae stores up energy during the day and will continue to generate hydrogen throughout the night.

As an added benefit, an algae production facility operating a Hydrogen Harvester™ can become self-sufficient for refining, since it will not be dependent on petroleum industry sources for hydrogen. Conversely, an algae facility’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide in great quantities can make a Hydrogen Harvester very attractive for a CO2-emitting conventional refinery.

Hydrogen has often been called the perfect fuel. Its major reserve on earth (water) is inexhaustible, meaning that we will never run out of hydrogen. If produced cleanly, efficiently and affordably from renewable resources, hydrogen is the ultimate green energy solution: it produces no air pollutants or greenhouse gases when used in fuel cells and the only pollutants generated when burned in internal combustion engines are nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Sheetz Creating E-85 'Clean Fuel Corridor'

Pennsylvania motorists wishing to use E-85, a cleaner fuel consisting of 85 percent Ethanol, will soon have a more consistent source of fuel as they travel between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

Sheetz today unveiled its "East-West Clean Fuel Corridor" where E-85 fuel may be purchased. That includes three Pittsburgh area Sheetz locations and three locations in and near Harrisburg.

"We are taking this step to help our customers who want to use E-85," said Stan Sheetz, president and CEO of Sheetz, Inc. "They shouldn't have to search for E-85 locations as they travel. Our customers in Pittsburgh have had access to E-85 at three locations since 2007. Now, commuters traveling east and west between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg will know exactly where they can refuel. Our goal is to expand the use of E-85 into more locations to extend the corridor and help our customers."

The six Sheetz locations selling E-85 include:

* 5410 Campbells Run Road, Pittsburgh;
* 1000 Clairton Blvd, Pittsburgh;
* 3954 William Penn Hwy; Monroeville;
* 1098 Harrisburg Pike; Carlisle;
* 1796 West Trindle Road; Carlisle; and
* 6290 Allentown Blvd, Harrisburg


The six Sheetz locations will display special E-85 signage to show that the fuel is available. Informational brochures also will be available for motorists at each location.

"With gasoline prices constantly fluctuating, it's important that we provide our customers fuel options," added Sheetz. "Increasing the use of E-85 decreases our reliance on foreign oil while providing more opportunities for America's corn farmers. It also reduces emissions and helps with cleaner air."

The Health Benefits of Ethanol

Ethanol Across American has released a report by C. Boyden Gray entitles 'The Health Benefits of Ethanol'.

C. Boyden Gray was White House Counsel in the administration of President George H.W. Bush (1989-1993) and was one of the principal architects of the 1991 Clean Air Act Amendments.

The report lays out the rationale for the early regulatory changes that have lead to the success that the ethanol industry currently enjoys. Among that rationale is his belief that ethanol's health benefits are the most important reason for it's use.

The most important attribute of ethanol and the reason it is blended in nearly 10% of all gasoline—it saves tens of thousands of lives annually—has gone completely unnoticed.

It is critically important to set the record straight, for a whole host of reasons ranging from energy security to public health to defi cit spending and fi nally, to new jobs.

Full Report - The Health Benefits of Ethanol

Dynamic Fuels To Announce Beginning Production

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Dynamic Fuels plant in Geismar, La, will announce that it has begun operation. Dynamic Fuels is a 50/50 joint venture between Syntroleum Corporation and Tyson Foods.

Agricultural giant Tyson Foods Inc. and fuel developer Syntroleum Corp. will announce Monday that they have successfully opened a plant that makes diesel from chicken fat and leftover food grease.

The new facility is designed to convert fats, greases and oils supplied by Tyson Foods into as much as 75 million gallons of renewable diesel and jet fuel per year.

Construction on the plant began in January 2009 and was completed in July of this year.

UPDATE - Press Release Announcing Beginning Production

Snyder's of Hanover Begins Construction of Largest Ground-based Solar Farm in Pennsylvania

Simulated photo of a section of Snyder's of Hanover's ground-based solar farm.

Snyder's of Hanover will begin construction on a solar farm that will be the largest ground-based solar energy system in Pennsylvania with over 16,000 panels spanning twenty acres.

After gaining approval from the Penn Township Planning and Zoning Board to build the solar farm, Snyder's of Hanover plans to begin construction this month. The solar farm will be built on the field across route 116 from the plant and corporate headquarters.

The solar farm will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in excess of 230 million pounds of carbon dioxide over a 25 year period. As a comparison, the energy created from the solar field equals more than 111 million miles not driven by a medium sized car and more than 11 million trees would need to be planted to equal the same level of carbon dioxide reduction.

"We are always looking for ways to be a greener and environmentally friendly company and the solar farm is an important step. The solar field joins other Snyder's of Hanover sustainability initiatives including compostable packaging and takes the company one step closer to achieving our five year sustainability goals established last year. It demonstrates that we can still be passionate about pretzels and better-for-you snack foods while caring for our environment," said Carl E. Lee, Jr., president and CEO of Snyder's of Hanover.

The global leader in pretzels and the nation's second largest snack food company, Snyder's of Hanover was founded in 1909 and is a privately held company that employs over 2,250 associates and operates nearly 1,900 distribution routes nationwide.

Snyder's is headquartered in Hanover, PA, also the location of its flagship snack food manufacturing and distribution center where products are produced and distributed to the eastern half of North America, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Europe.

Source Press Release

Clean Energy Capital To Build California Sugarcane Ethanol Plant

The first major sugarcane ethanol refinery in the continental United States will be built in the Imperial Valley of California, one of the best locations for growing sugarcane in the world. The project will cost $575 million and produce 66 million gallons of ethanol, enough electricity to meet the needs of 35,000 homes, and enough biomethane to heat 10,000 homes per year. Sweet sorghum, which has similar characteristics to sugarcane, will also be used.

Clean Energy Capital LLC, the largest U.S. private equity firm specializing solely in investments in ethanol, has been engaged to fully develop the project.

Scott Brittenham, CEO of Clean Energy Capital, stated, “There will be strong demand for ethanol from the refinery because the ethanol produced will meet stringent low carbon fuel mandates imposed anywhere in the U.S.”

The project’s next-generation business model is unique because the prices are locked in with long-term contracts for the sale of the ethanol to a major international oil company and the purchase of the sugarcane from local farmers. This will provide greater stability in profit margins, which ethanol refineries desire.

States like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas, where sugarcane can be grown, are prime locations for building sugarcane ethanol refineries, which would create thousands of new jobs.

Source : Press Release

POET Develops Corn Oil Extraction Process

According to the latest edition of Vital magazine, POET has developed a process to extract corn oil from the distiller dried grains (DDG) that are left over after producing ethanol. They are calling the corn oil that is produced Viola!. Here is the description from their website.

POET Voilà! is a low-free-fatty-acid corn oil recovered from distillers co-products. Voilà! is used to produce biodiesel and can be processed further for use in oleochem products such as lubricants, motor oils and paint additives -- all of which displace petroleum-based products.

Separating the corn oil from the DDGs gives POET an additional revenue stream plus it can potentially increase the value of the DDGs.

Reducing the oil content of the DDGS also improves its flowability and concentrates its protein content. The de-fatted DDGS is potentially more marketable than DDGS containing corn oil, as this may be desirable for some animal species rations according to the EPA in its second Renewable Fuel Standards released in 2010.

Corn oil that remains in the DDGS sells for 4-5 cents per pound compared to if it is separated where it will sell for 25-30 cents per pound for industrial purposes.

The new corn oil extraction process went through an extensive pre-commercialization trial at POET Biorefining – Hudson, S. D., in 2009. According to the magazine article, POET is preparing to roll out the commercial version of the process to one of their existing ethanol plants.

See Also :
POET Acquires Indiana Ethanol Plant
POET Alexandria Ethanol Plant Cuts Water Usage
POET Chancellor Ethanol Plant Powered By Landfill Gas

Ethanol Is Reducing Gasoline Imports

Ethanol Producer Magazine had an interesting story yesterday about how ethanol production is leading to greatly reduced gasoline imports.

A newly released two-year outlook conducted for oil majors and refiners worldwide predicts that ethanol’s growing market share, combined with expanding U.S. refinery operations, will cut the need for gasoline imports by more than half of 2008 levels within the next two years. The report, issued by energy markets research and consulting firm Energy Security Analysis Inc., estimates that gasoline import requirements will dip to below 400,000 barrels per day by 2012, down from an average of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2008.

Sander Cohan, ESAI principal and the firm’s leading alternative fuels researcher, said the report, which focused on North American, South American and European markets, is a definitive example of a changing tide in the worldwide transportation fuels market. He attributes ethanol’s growing impact in the U.S. to renewable fuel standard (RFS) requirements and lagging gasoline demand. “You have a relatively large volume of ethanol coming into the gasoline market and the finished gasoline market only growing by a relatively small volume,” he said. “So what’s getting pushed out is petroleum fuel.”

Although I didn't look at imports, in April, when I posted the 2009 Gasoline Consumption the trend towards less petroleum gasoline being consumed was already apparent. Once the amount of ethanol consumed was subtracted from the amount of Finished Motor Gasoline consumed, the numbers showed that the amount of petroleum gasoline consumed has been in decline since 2004.

Pennycress Could Go From Nuisance Weed To Biodiesel Feedstock

Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense).

A common roadside plant could have the right stuff to become a new source of biofuel, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies.

Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency, have found that field pennycress yields impressive quantities of seeds whose oil could be used in biodiesel production.

Field pennycress belongs to the Brassicaceae family, along with canola, camelina and mustard—other prolific producers of oil-rich seeds. The ARS studies help support USDA's efforts to develop new sources of bioenergy.

At the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Ill., chemists Bryan Moser, Gerhard Knothe and Terry Isbell and plant physiologist Steven Vaughn formed a team to study field pennycress' potential.

The scientists obtained oil from wild field pennycress, pretreated it with acid, and used a type of alcohol called methanol to react with the field pennycress oil to produce both biodiesel and glycerol. After some additional refining, the finished biodiesel was tested to see if it met the biodiesel fuel standard established by the American Society for Testing and Materials. The results suggested that, with some work, the previously problematic pennycress could become a commercial commodity.

All diesel-based oils start to gel when it's cold enough. So the cloud point, which is the temperature at which crystals become visible in the fuel, is a crucial factor in both biodiesel and petrodiesel production. Another important property is the pour point, the temperature at which the fuel fails to pour as a result of excessive solidification.

The average cloud and pour points for field pennycress biodiesel were 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius) and minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius), respectively. These temperatures were well below the cloud and pour points of soybean oil-based biodiesel. This result suggests that field pennycress biodiesel is better suited for use in cold climates than many other biodiesel fuels, such as soybean oil-based biodiesel.

Another plus: Pennycress can be grown during the winter and harvested in late spring, so farmers who cultivate pennycress can also maintain their usual summer soybean production without reducing crop yields.

ARS Biodiesel Research

See Also :
Alion Science Evaluates Pennycress For Biofuels Production

Fire At The Bushmills Ethanol Plant

There was a fire at the Bushmills Ethanol plant in Atwater, MN on Wednesday evening. According to the reports the fire was in a grain conveyor belt and a grain storage bin. The fire was extinguished at around 7:30 PM.

Bushmills Ethanol Inc. is a Cooperative made up of 415 farmers. The 49 million gallon per year ethanol plant began operation on December 30, 2005.

Source : West Central Tribune

AE Biofuels Secures Funding for Operation of 55 Million Gallon Ethanol Plant

AE Biofuels, Inc. announced today its wholly-owned advanced ethanol subsidiary AE Advanced Fuels Keyes, Inc. (AE Keyes), closed a $4.5 million financing with Third Eye Capital Corporation. The funds will be used for the repair, restart and operation of an existing 55 million gallon per year ethanol plant located in Keyes, California.

“Securing this funding is an important milestone for AE Biofuels as we expand local biofuels production in one of the largest ethanol markets in the world,” said Eric McAfee, chairman and CEO of AE Biofuels, Inc.

AE Keyes plans to retrofit the Keyes plant and be fully operational by the first quarter of 2011. The original $130 million construction and commissioning of the plant was completed in November 2008 by Cilion, Inc. In early 2009 the plant was closed due to technical and market issues. AE Keyes took possession of the facility under a project agreement with Cilion in March 2010, and has signed a facility lease for up to three years.

In January 2010, the permissible per gallon ethanol blend in California increased from 5.7% to 10%, expanding the state’s ethanol market to approximately 1.5 billion gallons annually. As the State of California seeks to promote renewable, low-carbon intensity fuels, AE Keyes has been notified by the California Energy Commission (CEC) that the Keyes Plant’s application has been approved to participate in the California Ethanol Producer Incentive Program (CEPIP). The CEPIP is designed to provide price assurance for low-carbon intensity California ethanol producers.

The Keyes plant is a leader in environmentally responsible ethanol production with a 2.6:1 positive energy balance and near zero water discharge. In addition, the plant’s natural gas and steam powered turbine cogeneration unit generates nearly all of the operating electric needs of the plant (4.3 megawatts), thus eliminating dependence on the state’s electrical grid. AE Biofuels intends to introduce its patent-pending enzyme-based cellulosic ethanol technology at the Keyes facility and other California ethanol plants in 2011.

Cobalt Technologies and U.S. Navy to Jointly Develop Military Jet Fuel

Cobalt Technologies announced today the signature of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Navy to develop technology for the conversion of biobutanol into full performance jet and diesel fuels.

Under the CRADA, n-biobutanol produced by Cobalt will be converted to bio-jet and biodiesel fuels using technology developed at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) in China Lake, CA. The result will be a complete substitute for military and civilian jet fuel, meeting all applicable specifications. In addition, Cobalt will have an option to obtain an exclusive license to commercialize process improvements, made under the CRADA, for the production of all military and civilian transportation fuels.

"We are pleased to collaborate with the U.S. Navy to develop a renewable option for jet fuels," said Rick Wilson, CEO of Cobalt Technologies. "It's exciting to be part of this research, which will help relieve our reliance on foreign oil through the use of renewable fuels developed here in the United States. With our front end for producing renewable n-butanol and the NAWCWD's technology for converting n-butanol into jet fuel, we can offer a complete process that directly addresses the military's green fuels mandate."

"It is a privilege for NAWCWD chemists to work in partnership with Cobalt Technologies on this exciting technological venture," said Dr. Michael D. Seltzer, head of NAWCWD's Technology Transfer Program. "Anytime we can support the fleet and at the same time transfer important technology to the private sector, it is a win-win situation. As NAWCWD continues its leadership role within DoD in the research and development of alternative fuels, opportunities such as this are greatly valued."

The U.S. Navy has set a high priority on the development of cost-effective and sustainable domestic sources of fuels and has several initiatives in place to increase its use of biofuels, while decreasing its carbon-footprint and dependence on foreign petroleum. By collaborating with the Navy scientists who have expertise in converting biobutanol to bio-jet and biodiesel fuels, Cobalt Technologies is well positioned to demonstrate and implement a large-scale process for generating sustainable and renewable fuel for both military and commercial use.

See Also :
Fluor Corporation To Design Cobalt Technologies Biobutanol Plant