Presentations, workshops, and private consulting about biodiesel for students of all ages. My hope is that more and more people will empower themselves to make a choice to use biodiesel, solar, and other renewable energy sources. A registered dealer for the BioPro Automated Processors.
Unique hydrodynamic technology A cost-efficient turn-key solution www.biodieselmach.com renewable energy 2007 the year for your own biogas facility, our turnkey-construction www.luethe-heide.de "There is just no energy benefit to using plant biomass for liquid fuel," says David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell.... In terms of energy output compared with energy input for ethanol production, the study found that: * corn requires 29 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced; * switch grass requires 45 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced; and * wood biomass requires 57 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced. In terms of energy output compared with the energy input for biodiesel production, the study found that: * soybean plants requires 27 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced, and * sunflower plants requires 118 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced.
The popularity of biodiesel--made from vegetable matter intead of fossil fuels--"will tighten the supply of vegetable oils," William Camp, executive vice president of Archer Daniels Midland, said during a presentation at the ThinkEquity Partners Growth Conference in San Francisco.
...Vegetable oil prices have declined in the past three weeks because projected demand for biodiesel has come down from the speculative levels achieved a few weeks ago. Nonetheless, lowered levels of projected demand still seem destined to make supply difficult.
...Archer Daniels Midland has already installed capacity to produce 300 million gallons of biodiesel in Europe and 135 million gallons in the U.S. It plans to open a plant to turn soybeans into biodiesel in Missouri and one to turn canola oil into biodiesel in North Dakota.
Steven Henderson, a 15-year-old "hopeless" student who learned about climate change in school, decided to do some serious extracurricular activity: he built a large biodiesel processing system in his family's barn.
...What prompted a kid to get his dad to spend about £10,000 for all the equipment - six huge tanks, pumps, etc. - to make biodiesel using the tank settling method?
...Even though the waste oil is free, and the Henderson's don't sell the biofuel, they still have to pay 27.1 pence tax on each liter they make.
...The mostly right-wing crowd (check their signatures) over at the Free Republic sees Henderson as an example of why home schooling beats public education and a Brit who is not a "mind-numbed Socialist."
BioRoute was formed as a renewable transport fuels supplier to meet the needs of commercial vehicle operators in this increasingly challenging environment.
BioRoute's mission as Biodiesel Suppliers is to offer the best quality renewable fuels that are available at the most competitive price. Biodiesel sales are our speciality.
BioRoute will provide the confidence required by hauliers that when we supply Biodiesel, the transition to using this alternative fuel will occur without any disruption to normal operations.
They are based in the UK.
Usually derived from vegetable oils -- soy is very popular these days, but animal fats can also be used -- biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification which essentially splits the oil into two parts: alkyl esters and glycerine; the esters are the fuel, while the leftover glycerine is often used to make soap and other beauty products.
...Like its petrol equivalent, biodiesel tends to turn a little gelatinous at low temperatures, so it’s not always suitable for year-round use, depending on the climate where you live; this problem can be addressed by going with a mixture of biodiesel and petrodiesel (you’ll see it on the pumps: B50 is a 50/50 mix; B20 is 20% biodiesel, and so on).
...Biodiesel is still growing, and so it isn’t readily available all over the place, as gasoline and diesel fuel is, so you’ll have to pay attention to your gas gauge and a know a reliable source or two.
Nitrogen oxide emissions from biodiesel blends could possibly be reduced by blending with kerosene or Fischer-Tropsch diesel.16 Kerosene blended with 40 percent biodiesel has estimated emissions of nitrogen oxide no higher than those of petroleum diesel, as does Fischer-Tropsch diesel blended with as much as 54 percent biodiesel.17 These results imply that Fischer-Tropsch diesel or kerosene could be used to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from blends containing 20 percent biodiesel, although the researchers did not investigate those possibilities.
...2.47 EIA’s price projections for soybean oil are based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Energy Policy and New Uses.27 The USDA estimated the effect on agricultural markets of a renewable fuels requirement for gasoline and diesel fuel by constructing two agricultural market forecasts: a renewable fuels standard case with, and a reference case without, biodiesel production from soybean oil.
...The biodiesel production process uses, for each gallon, 0.083 kilowatthours of electricity30 and 38,300 British thermal units (Btu) of natural gas.31,32 EIA estimates energy costs (in 2002 cents) of 18 cents per gallon in 2004 and 16 cents per gallon in 2005 and 2006.33 A new biodiesel plant is estimated to cost $1.04 per annual gallon of capacity.
...Petroleum refiners, on the other hand, use more than 90 percent of their capacity, and additional capital investments are needed to keep up with increasing demand and tightening product specifications, such as the transition in 2006 from a highway diesel sulfur limit of 500 parts per million to 15 parts per million.... Because soybean biodiesel producers have overcapacity and a product that more than meets the upcoming highway diesel sulfur limit, they need make no additional capital investments to produce output up to 80 million gallons in 2006 and beyond.36 The cost comparison in Table 3 is therefore between the cost of biodiesel, excluding capital, and the cost of petroleum diesel, including capital.
...Biodiesel from yellow grease is closer to being cost-competitive with petroleum diesel than is biodiesel from soybean oil, but the available supply of yellow grease will probably limit its use for biodiesel production to 100 million gallons per year (6,523 barrels per day) or less.
There has been increasing interest in recent years in the use of biodiesel as a substitute for petroleum-based diesel fuel. Biodiesel is derived from plant or animal fat-based oils or their transesterified counterparts. Several studies have found HC and PM benefits from the use of biodiesel, and its lubricity characteristics and renewability are also motivators for its use. Several municipalities and States are considering mandating the use of low levels of biodiesel in diesel fuel. Using existing data, the EPA's biodiesel emissions analysis program sought to quantify the air pollution emission effects of biodiesel for diesel engines that have not been specifically modified to operate on biodiesel. The program examined the emission impacts of biodiesel and biodiesel/diesel blends for both regulated and unregulated pollutants, as well as fuel economy.
Greenleaf Biofuels provides renewable energy alternatives to Americans who value the preservation of our natural environment and the freedoms provided by our national security. Specifically, the mission of Greenleaf Biofuels is to rapidly develop the demand for, and supply of, biodiesel in the northeastern U.S. Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum middle distillate fuels and is made from vegetable oils such as soy bean, mustard seed, rapeseed (canola) and sunflower seed. Greenleaf Biofuels provides renewable energy alternatives to Americans who value the preservation of our natural environment and the freedoms provided by our national security. Specifically, the mission of Greenleaf Biofuels is to rapidly develop the demand for, and supply of, biodiesel in the northeastern U.S. Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum middle distillate fuels and is made from vegetable oils such as soy bean, mustard seed, rapeseed (canola) and sunflower seed.
The manufacturing of biodiesel from vegetable oils (e.g. soy, canola, jatropha or sunflower seed) or animal fats, involves the base-catalyzed transesterification of fatty acids with methanol or ethanol to give the corresponding methyl esters or ethyl esters.... In the conversion process triglyceride esters are turned into alkyl esters (= biodiesel) using a catalyst (lye) and an alcohol reagent, e.g. methanol, which yields methyl esters biodiesel.
...the vegetable oil or animal fat is being mixed with the methanol (which makes methyl esters) or ethanol (for ethyl esters) and sodium or potassium methoxide or hydroxide the mix is heated, e.g. to temperatures between 45 and 65degC the heated mix is being sonicated inline Flow Rate Required Power 200 to 750L/hr 1kW, e.g. UIP1000 800 to 3000L/hr 4kW, e.g. UIP4000 3 to 12m³/hr 16kW, e.g. UIP16000 20 to 70m³/hr 96kW, e.g. 6xUIP16000 200 to 700m³/hr 992kW, e.g. 62xUIP16000 glycerin is separated from the biodiesel the converted biodiesel is washed with water Most commonly, the sonication is performed at an elevated pressure (1 to 3bar, gauge pressure) using a feed pump and an adjustable back-pressure valve next to the flow cell.
Our mission: To develop the market for biodiesel through education, outreach, and advocacy while providing members with access to quality biodiesel fuel. They are a cooperative group based in Los Angeles dedicated to biodiesel.
The National Biodiesel Board, the industry clearinghouse for biodiesel information, welcomes you to the AllThingsBiodiesel.com website, the world's largest biodiesel marketplace. Assembled within are a variety of services including online biodiesel classifieds, the biodiesel store, and a biodiesel directory. The site offers classified ads, a store, a directory of resources, and an annoying advertisement, and it's all about biodiesel.
This year, the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), an Indian research group, launched a 10-year, $9.4 million project to research issues involved in taking jatropha from seed to filling station.
...He and other researchers at TERI spent five years testing different mycorrhiza microorganisms, symbiotic fungi that improve the ability of many plants to grow in poor soil.
...The TERI project is working in rural Andra Pradesh, a state in southeast India, collaborating with local financial institutions to develop loan guarantees to fund seed purchases; it's also collaborating with insurers to back the farmers against potential losses.
...The goal is to have 8,000 hectares under cultivation by March 2008, and Adholeya says that the success of the first crops has drawn interest from many more farmers.
The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel.
...Unless you already own or plan to buy a vehicle with a diesel engine (which is no small feat these days), ethanol-blended gasoline is likely your best option for biofuel use.
...If you're a do-it-yourselfer, though, biodiesel can be made at home -- a real DIYer can even make his/her own biodiesel reactor with open-source plans available on the Internet.
This appears to be a political activism website pushing for America to be energy-independent. The page in particular is about biodiesel, but the site covers the full range of energy independence.
Bienvenidos a la primera página dedicada al Biodiesel del Uruguay, el combustible alternativo del mañana. En este sitio Ud. podrá encontrar toda la información relavante acerca de esta nueva alternativa al diesel fósil de petroleo. I believe that says it is a site based in Uruguay and dedicated to biodiesel information.
According to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), "The use of biodiesel in existing diesel engines does not void parts and materials workmanship warranties of any major US engine manufacturer."
...FACT: The vast majority of literature out there shows a positive energy balance, meaning that more energy is produced in the fuel than is used to grow the crop, press the seeds, process the oil into biodiesel, and distribute the product.
...FACT: According to the University of Minnesota in 2006 (1), the production and use of soybean biodiesel decreases life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 41% over regular diesel, and also decreases other pollutants like Carbon monoxide, PM10, and SOx.
...All major pollutants are reduced dramatically in biodiesel exhaust (most of them at least 50% for B100), except one (NOx), and that's only for blends over B20 (see my post on the subject).
D1 Oils plc is a UK-based global producer of biodiesel. We are building a global supply chain and network that is sustainable and delivers value from 'earth-to-engine'. Our operations cover agronomy, refining and trading. We are pioneering the science, planting and production of inedible vegetable oils; we design, build, own, operate and market biodiesel refineries; and we source, transport and trade seeds and seedlings, seedcake, crude vegetable oils and biodiesel.
The renewable, vegetable oil-based fuel can be used in conventional diesel engines, which are found in about 2 percent of cars currently sold in the U.S. and in about 40 percent in Europe.
...Hydrogen-Fueled Race Car Showcases Future Technologies New Study Weighs Promise, Pitfalls of Hydrogen Cars Pig Manure Converted to Crude Oil The Future of Alternative Energy Cow Power: Battery Runs on Bovine Stomach Bacteria Students Take Veggie-Fueled "BioBus" On Eco Road Trip Any vegetable oil can become fuel, but not until its fatty acids are converted to chemical compounds known as esters.
..."We are anticipating 75 million gallons [284 million liters] of production in 2005, and that's triple last year's production," said Jenna Higgins, a spokesperson for the National Biodiesel Board, a biodiesel-industry trade group.
Boulder Biodiesel is a collective of individuals and business working to support the growing biofuels community in Boulder, Colorado and the surrounding area.
Biodiesel is a renewable, domestically produced fuel for diesel engines that is derived from vegetable oils. It can be used in any diesel engine with no modification to the vehicle itself.
Here you can learn out about and get connected to local producers, retailers, homebrewers, users, and general supporters of biodiesel in the Boulder area, as well as get updates on biodiesel-related events and workshops in Colorado.
The Northwest’s Harvesting Clean Energy Program is coordinated by Peter Moulton of Climate Solutions, a nonprofit organization based in Olympia, Washington. Our goal is to build awareness of the benefits of renewable energy technologies for rural landowners and communities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, and support implementation through technical and educational resources.
Topia Energy Production Ltd. is currently one of Canada's leaders in the BioDiesel Industry. Topia is involved in the retail and distribution of more than 15,000,000 litres of BioDiesel annually in Canada.
Started in 1999 by a group of individuals organized as AgroTech Communications, Inc. who were convinced that the bioeconomy would undergo a revolution and that information access would be key. Since that time the BIS has supplied information in a variety of web-based methods to thousands of individuals around the world. The BIS has served as a key component of projects including the Tennessee Biomass Information Network, education initiatives at Tennessee State University, and the Sun Grant Initiative. The BIS has received funding from U.S. Department of Energy and USDA.
Making Biodiesel and Using Straight Vegetable Oil in Diesel Engines.
A chain of gas stations in Washington and Oregon offering biodiesel and ethanol.
The First all BIODIESEL Environmentally friendly ECO Rental Cars in the world! Our mission is to be the "GREENEST", and "BEST", rental car company on the planet. They offer for rental in Los Angeles and in Maui cars that run on renewable fuel such as biodiesel.
SE-Energy specializes in offering a single-source solution for 40mm-320mm gal/yr biodiesel plants.
We fill the gap between supposedly commercial designs that look like backyard plumbing projects and over-industrialized designs, that easily double biofuel costs.
Using soild engineering culled from over 30 years in the petroleum industry, SE-Energy can sell you a plant, or design, permit, & build your project.
Kitchen Biodiesel is the best way to start learning how to HomeBrew without spending much. These instructions are for a one liter batch with virgin oil using an edited (Americanized) version, Tilly's "Dr. Pepper Method." Links to the various MSDS and items are included to help the beginner.
The best way to learn how to make your own backyard biodiesel is to start with a one-liter batch. It's easy to make a small batch that will work in any diesel engine. You won't need any special equipment--an old juice bottle will serve as the "reactor" vessel--and on such a small scale, you can quickly refine your technique and perform further experiments.
Providing Leadership as the peak industry group facilitating the building of a sustainable, credible and economically viable Australian biodiesel industry, in harmony with quality, community and environmental standards
Australia is a lucky country. It has many resources that make us independent from and competitive with the rest of the world. A paradox when you think that we are more than 50% reliant on international supply of fuels for all major industry - with a sharp decline in our self sufficiency over the next 10 years to less than 20%!
Biodiesel is a complete replacement for petroleum based Diesel. It has improved emissions and better lubricating properties than all other alternatives. In fact, France (the world's largest producer and user of biodiesel) mandates 5% of biodiesel in every litre of ultra low sulphur diesel sold.
Australia has come to the point where it is willing and economically viable to start producing and using renewable fuels. Biodiesel, which runs in diesel motors without conversion and can be distributed throughout the current fuel transport and delivery industry, has a huge potential.
David Wetzel, a 79 yr old retired chemist from Decatur IL had been using recycled vegetable oil in his 1985 Volkswagen Golf diesel car for 7 years. Illinois revenue agents are demanding tax payments. It has escalated to a state senator proposing legislation to allow individuals to use biofuels.
At Home Biodiesel Kits our goal is to offer the widest selection of biodiesel kits that can make the processing of used cooking oil into biodiesel much easier. The Freedom Fueler that we offer costs 30% less than other similar models and features a one-piece welded steel frame. They will soon offer an algae bioreactor. They offer a complete range of biodiesel processing systems, accessories, and training.
BioDiesel International provides solutions for the industrial utilisation of renewable resources. The core-competences are technologies for the production of high-quality BioDiesel.
"Our mission is to promote the use of biodiesel in the Northwest as an immediate and effective way to advance environmental health, economic strength, and social and political well-being in our communities, our nation, and the world."
Advocacy: Mobilize and organize consumers and other interested citizens to influence public officials in local, regional, state and federal government to adopt policies promoting biodiesel use in all public sectors, and to pass legislation that promotes biodiesel use in general.
Networking: Provide a bridge between consumer, public, and commercial sectors to facilitate cooperation in attaining our mission.
The Oregon Biofuels Network serves as a clearinghouse of information on biofuels-related topics as they pertain to our state. Interested members help raise public awareness of biodiesel and ethanol, identify opportunities to expand markets, and work to break down barriers to biofuels production in Oregon. Anyone can join the Oregon Biofuels Network simply by participating on the listserv and doing their part to promote biofuels.
North Carolina's 100% Biodiesel resource center. They distribute fuel, teach people to build their own equipment, offer vegetable oil conversion kits, etc.
A community website focused on the VW TDI, one of the very few Diesel vehicles available to Americans. The TDI is attractive to biodiesel advocates because, it is one of the few Diesel vehicles available in America.
BioFuel Oasis was founded in 2003 to provide greater access to biodiesel, a renewable fuel that reduces harmful tailpipe emissions. We are a women/worker-owned & operated cooperative that values sustainability, local production, and community.
We are resellers of ASTM quality biodiesel. We specialize in biodiesel made from waste oil purchased from California plants whenever possible.
Dedicated to technologies which enable the production of high quality fuels from a variety of non-food feedstock sources and waste streams. We believe that developed and emerging technologies to produce fuels from waste will provide an important alternative to biofuel feedstock sources which compete with uses for food. They produce the Fuel Meister.
A complete biodiesel producing system engineered for small scale production. It is sized to produce 2-40 gallons per day and contains everything required to produce biodiesel on your own.
The Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University seeks new solutions to one of the grand challenges of this century: supplying energy to meet the changing needs of a growing world population in a way that protects the environment.
Our mission is to conduct fundamental research on technologies that will permit the development of global energy systems with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions.
A unique collaboration of the world's energy experts from research institutions and private industry. The Project's sponsors will invest a total of $225 million over a decade or more as GCEP explores energy technologies that are efficient, environmentally benign, and cost-effective when deployed on a large scale.
A pioneer in the successful commercial community-scale production of Biodiesel. Explore our superior fuel quality, see our current plant locations, learn about our humble beginnings and you will go back to the future that Rudolf Diesel envisioned with his first fuel ― peanut oil!
BioKing is a in The Netherlands-based global manufacturer of biodiesel equipment. We are building a world-wide supply chain and network that is sustainable and delivers value from "earth-to-engine". Our operations cover agronomy, refining and trading. We are pioneering the science, we design, build, own, operate and market biodiesel refineries and Algae bioreactors, Algea oils and biodiesel.
Our vision is to be the world's leading biodiesel business.
A lesson plan meant for school students and teaching how to make biodiesel.
A study designed to help financiers, producers, developers, distributors, consultants and analysts with a fact-filled market guide detailing medium and long-term trends and developments in the Biodiesel sector. This study focuses on market fundamentals, emerging market trends, long-term forecasts and scenarios, and case studies of existing and up and coming biodiesel producers and distributors.
"The global market for biodiesel is poised for explosive growth in the next ten years. Although Europe currently represents 90% of global biodiesel consumption and production, the U.S. is now ramping up production at a faster rate than Europe, and Brazil is expected to surpass U.S. and European biodiesel production by the year 2015," says William Thurmond, Author of Biodiesel 2020 and Director of Management Consulting at Emerging Markets Online.
An individual who owns a Golf TDI and is conducting a long running road test of running the vehicle on biodiesel. Additionally the car gets 42-47 miles/gallon.
The goal of Grassolean Stations is to provide the nation a chain of truly green service stations. These Stations will be renewable energy powered businesses offering biofuels and a variety of eco-friendly goods and services. The Grassolean Station is a mature design concept, to which a great deal of time, thought and resources have been devoted. These stations can be built today and tailored to suit various communities and market parameters.
Information and resources in all aspects of harvesting oil and biodiesel directly from algae.
Case study in converting a diesel auto to run on vegetable oil. An overview of diesel, biodiesel and straight vegetable oil (SVO) for driving a car.
Their products deliver power where it would otherwise be unavailable such as rooftops, light poles and remote locations. They build stand-alone solar generators and outdoor uninterruptible power supplies are rugged and reliable enough to power your critical devices. Solis Energy’s unique monitoring solution is ideal for customers requiring real-time remote SNMP monitoring.
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is a network protocol for use over the Internet to manage devices on the Internet. Solar powered Wi-Fi? Solis Energy says 'why not?' discusses a hybrid application of Solis Energy's power system along with WiFi routers to build a city-wide network built on regular light poles.
Makers and sellers of a house cooling system that also heats a pool. The system involves an attic fan which pulls hot air from the attic, pipes the hot air to a heat exchanger, which adds heat to your pool. This system makes sense if you have an attic and have a pool. Attics are well known to be very hot and generally add heat to a house, and attic fans are able to change that equation with very little energy cost.
A tutorial going over construction of a simple solar powered hot water heater. The 'five dollar' price is under the assumption you have access to a pile of discarded parts, so I'd expect a higher cost. For example, a solar hot water heater is a simple device, you have a sheet of glass behind which is located some piping to pump water which is heated by sunlight. The tutorial suggests using discarded heat exchangers from old refrigerators with slight modifications.
When "peak oil" theory was first widely publicized in such path breaking books as Kenneth Deffeyes' Hubbert's Peak (2001), Richard Heinberg's The Party's Over (2002), David Goodstein's Out of Gas (2004), and Paul Robert's The End of Oil (2004), energy industry officials and their government associates largely ridiculed the notion.
...Although reporting staggering second-quarter profits for oil giants Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell -- $10.3 billion for the former, $8.7 billion for the latter -- the Journal sadly noted that investors are bracing for disappointing results in future quarters as the cost of new production rises and output at older fields declines.
...King Hubbert in the 1950s, the concept holds that worldwide oil production will rise until approximately half of the world's original petroleum inheritance has been exhausted; once this point is reached, daily output will hit a peak and begin an irreversible decline.
A pioneer in the development of algae bioreactor technology to convert the CO2 in your smokestack gases into clean, renewable biofuels. GreenFuel's patented Emissions-to-Biofuels™ (E2B™) process harnesses photosynthesis to grow algae, capture CO2 and produce high-energy biomass. The process serves as a flexible platform for retrofitting fossil-fired power plants and other anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide. Using commercially available technology, the algae can be economically converted to solid fuel, methane, or liquid transportation fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol.
One, global warming and the higher price of gas is prompting consumers and car makers to embrace alternative fuels such as ethanol and butanol.
Second, many believe we can harness microbes to do the dirty work of chemical transformation and fermentation for us. Dyadic International has found a prolific fungus that they believe can transform waste products from farms into fuel, while Microgy has a digester that turns a mix of cow manure and microbes into natural gas.
...What makes LiveFuels different than some of these is that it will make petroleum, which can be used in most cars. Most of these others are specializing in ethanol, an alcohol that can be added to petroleum and then burned in many, but not all, cars.
...You just can't fill a moat full of dirty water and wake up to find petroleum in thirty days.
An acre of algae can produce 50 times more oil than an acre of soy, estimates John Sheehan, now vice president of strategy and sustainable development at LiveFuels.
...And to top it off, algae's not a massive food crop at the moment, so you aren't using a valuable food crop to gas cars.
...An NREL paper on algae--along with research from some of the national labs--forms the basis of a lot of the thinking around algae.
...Companies such as LiveFuels, GreenFuel Technologies and Solazyme hope to start seeing algae oil get into the fuel markets in a substantial way over the next few years, but it's still mostly experimental.
The article discusses two businesses, Conergy and Standard Renewable Energy who are offering expertise to help businesses and homeowners through the confusing terrain of alternative or renewable energy technologies. Rather than a business or homeowner becoming an expert in the technology, they would rely on a company who's developed that expertise to do the work. I suppose this is like calling the plumber when you have a leaking pipe or want to replace the hot water heater, but in this case you call the solar power system technologist.
e.g: Standard Renewable, through a division called NewPoint Energy Solutions, sends a representative into a commercial building or home, conducts an audit, and then compiles a list of recommendations--put in new insulation; install a new water heater; and so on--for cutting energy bills. The audit is free, but the company then bids on the contract. Some of the products to be installed are made by third parties and resold by Standard, but other products come from Standard itself.
Conergy is a supplier of solar water pumps and photovoltaic as well as solar thermal components. We help our distribution partners to implement PV systems from 1 KWp domestic PV installations to the world´s largest PV Power station with 10 MWp.
We have gained hands-on experience for decades and now supply hundreds of energy system dealers, water well suppliers, contractors and more all over the world.
As manufacturer and supplier, Conergy sells only via distribution partners. We help our partners to achieve the highest level of service for their customers, providing them with training, professional sales material and engineering support.
Conergy sells exclusively to professional wholesalers specializing in renewable energy. Conergy is dedicated to consistently developing new products and services that support our Dealer’s growing businesses. Our initiatives are generated by listening to our customers about the challenges they face, then we harness our global resources to create meaningful solutions. We work hard to be your trusted partner and first choice for all your renewable energy needs.
A fully integrated renewable energy company serving commercial and residential customers with clean renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions. Through its brands, Standard Renewable Energy delivers a single source for solar, wind, biofuel, hydrogen fuel cell and energy conservation technologies on a global scale. They operate two corporate divisions: NewPoint Energy Solutions which helps businesses and home owners install energy efficiency into the structures they own. BioSelect works on converting biomass into liquid fuels.
They see themselves as the world’s first integrated renewable energy company. The business helps solve end users’ energy problems using renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and solutions.
Imperium Renewables is launching a biodiesel plant claimed to be capable of making 100 million gallons of fuel per year. It's the first in a series of large plants coming from Imperium and others over the next few years. The cost of materials is very high in producing biodiesel. It takes 7.35 pounds of degummed soybean oil to make 1 gallon of biodiesel. Calculating this out, the price for the raw materials is $2.50 per gallon making it a higher price than regular diesel from fossil fuel sources. Government subsidies help alleviate the cost.
This means the companies investing in building biodiesel production plants are having to be ingenious in order to make ends meet.
The U.S. Department of Energy has a paper, Biodiesel Performance, Costs, and Use giving some interesting raw data to mull over.
Tyson, ConocoPhillips link up for biodiesel discusses a plan by Tyson to use animal waste from their processing plants to make biodiesel. Of course, being Tyson, they have lots of left over animal parts, right? The estimate above of $2.50 per gallon for the raw materials is assuming it's derived from soybeans. There are other ways to get suitable raw materials such as animal parts in food processing plants.
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from vegetable oils, waste oils or fats that is compatible with existing fueling infrastructure and diesel vehicles. At Imperium Renewables through significant investments in technology innovation we are fundamentally changing the economics of making this fuel. We are making Biodiesel an alternative for today and for the future. Every gallon of Biodiesel consumed reduces our dependence on foreign oil, reduces emissions and supports local economies.
Imperium Renewables, Inc. was founded as Seattle Biodiesel, LLC in 2004 by John Plaza to commercialize his new design for Biodiesel refining. Saybr Contractors, the leading petroleum facility contractor in the Northwest, entered into a joint venture to construct the first commercial implementation of this biodiesel refinery technology in 2004. By early 2005, the refinery opened for business. Imperium Renewables, Inc. operates the Seattle refinery as a wholly owned subsidiary under the name Seattle Biodiesel, LLC with a yearly capacity of 5 million gallons per year. Seattle Biodiesel sells directly to leading fuel distributors including Pacific Northwest Energy Company (SC Oils), Associated Petroleum Products, Pettit Oil and SeaPort Petroleum among others.
Range Fuels has announced that it has received a permit to build an ethanol production plant in rural Georgia that uses wood chips as its feedstock. It plans to break ground on the plant this summer. The plant will gather wood scraps from the logging industry and process it to make ethanol.
Cellulosic ethanol processes are supposed to be more efficient than making it from corn. It has less intensive farming needs, and can be derived from a wide range of biomass sources.
Their website describes a simple two-step technology of converting biomass (all plant and plant-derived material) into a gas using heat, pressure and steam. The synthetic gas is converted, in the second step, into a liquid ethanol using a catalyst.
In Michigan Macsoma is working on a similar project.
Making ethanol from the cellulose in agricultural and forestry waste rather than corn produces less greenhouse gases, according to environmental groups. An NRDC study found that, on average, corn-based ethanol reduces greenhouse gas pollution by 18 percent for every gallon of gasoline displaced.
Mascoma envisions a world with broad access to sustainable, renewable, and affordable energy. We will provide a significant portion of this energy through the low-cost, efficient and environmentally beneficial use of cellulosic biomass technologies.
Building on recent transformative research advances in enzymes, organisms and production technologies/ processes, Mascoma is playing a pivotal role in the eventual replacement of gasoline with cleaner, low-cost, renewable ethanol. Mascoma is at the forefront of establishing cellulosic ethanol production facilities with technology derived from both in-house research and partnering.
A privately held company funded by Khosla Ventures, LLC, arguably the top venture firm in the U.S. focusing on alternative, clean (green) energy systems. Our leadership team melds experience from the fast-paced, high-tech world, and the technologically intense coal, coal gasification, and gas-to-liquids industries. They convert biomass into fuel-grade ethanol using emerging clean energy technologies. Biomass includes all plant and plant-derived material, such as wood, switch grass, corn stover, and miscanthus grass – making it a renewable energy resource that produces no net greenhouse gases.
Who says a hybrid vehicle has to burn gasoline? It's probably the oil companies pushing that idea. A hybrid vehicle is one driven with multiple power sources, such as electricity and gasoline. But that's only one model for hybrid vehicles, and today I have another model to discuss.
Segway Inventor Focusing on Green Cars
Have you driven a Fjord lately?
In the 1990's a Norwegian company, Pivco, designed and built a small electric vehicle, the Think Citi. It was attuned to being used in a city and its limited range and speed made it unsuited to America where we've installed superhighways with speeds above 70 miles/hr. But at the same time California had enacted a requirement that some percentage of all vehicles sold in the state must be zero emissions, which sent the car companies scrambling to find an electrically driven alternative. Ford's solution was to buy Pivco and import the Citi's, and within a couple years they drove it into bankruptcy. Fortunately some investors in Norway saw an opportunity and bought the remains from Ford, resurrecting it into a new company.
The reborn company is now ready to unveil their new car, and is it a doozy.
The design is simple enough they make parts from around the world, and can have simple assembly plants that are built near to where the vehicles will be sold. Rather than build a large centralized factory from which vehicles are shipped worldwide, it appears they plan to have a distributed production stream.
The base vehicle should cost $15,000 (or so) but that's without the battery pack. Part of their plan is to radically change how vehicles are made and sold. The battery pack they are using, derived from the Lithium-ION pack designed by Tesla Motors, will be very expensive. The cost for the battery pack would make this simple little car out of reach for all but the most well heeled of buyers, and the well heeled buyers wouldn't be interested in a simple vehicle like this. To enable a mass market for the Think vehicles, they are leasing the battery pack and bundling into the lease maintenance and replacement services.
The hybrid portion of the car is a Stirling Engine designed by Dean Kamen. Dean Kamen is a super rich inventor who made a splash with the Segway, and has his sights set on redesigning how vehicles are powered. Stirling engines take heat and create rotary motion, and is a design dating back to the 1800's. Stirling engines, however, have never been harnessed in a commercially viable way to produce useful work. But according to these articles Dean Kamen has worked out a way to harness a simple Stirling engine that can take any fuel and produce electricity. The vision is for a Stirling engine to be mounted in these Think vehicles, and used to charge the onboard battery pack.
The CNNMoney article discusses how they intend to market the car through carsharing programs. First, the car would fit well with a carsharing program because of its leased nature. If you encounter their car through a carsharing program, and like the car, you can then order your own if you wish. Hmm, interesting possibility except I don't think there's many people using carsharing programs. This may be a questionable part of their plan, one I think most Americans will have difficulty overcoming.
In any case the overall vision is that the car company will be offering a range of services related to the vehicle, and charging a monthly fee. This includes car insurance, maintenance, wireless internet access, and more. The CEO of Sun Microsystems, Jonathan Schwartz, has described a meeting he once had with car company executives. The exchange started with the question, what's the monthly lease or car loan payment for the typical car. Then he asked how much in monthly fees would be required for a car company to give the car away for free. His point was that if a gadget maker could offer enough services bundled with the gadget, the gadget could be given away for free, and the customer is obligated to continue paying for the services.
The Think is coming close to this model. They're offering to sell the base vehicle inexpensively, and bundle with that vehicle a range of services.
A thought in my mind is, who owns the vehicle itself. There have been instances of computer companies selling a cheap or zero-cost computer, expecting to make a mint by in monthly service fees. But instead the geek crowd bought the cheap computer, didn't buy the service package, and installed Linux on the cheap computer, driving the computer maker out of business because they lost their shirt giving away hardware.
If the customer owns the Think vehicle who says they have to buy battery service from Think?
In any case this all looks to be very exciting.
