Description:
The Mapquest gas price locator also includes listings for "alternative fuel" stations such as hydrogen or electricity or biodiesel or E-85 or CNG or LPG ... Really cool. But, hampered by very slow download times.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
New method for making diesel fuel uses vegetable oils
This news.com article claims that Galp Energia is working on a project to produce biodiesel using algae. They are supposedly being funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, specifically through DARPA. The program is said to be producing 6,500 barrels a day and they are based in Portugal and they have a business partner based in Italy.
I wasn't able to find any news on the DARPA site, though it's interesting that DARPA does have a biofuels research program. That biofuels research is geared to producing jet fuel.
I find it curious that DARPA is funding a non-U.S. company to develop this. Why go outside the U.S.? Isn't that a strategic liability to fund development of businesses and technologies outside the U.S.?
In any case the CNET News article does rightly point out that 6,500 barrels a day is a drop in the bucket compared to global oil usage. However I think this sort of thing is an important step in the overall development of biofuels, and always when developing a new technology it's best to do a pilot plant first to make sure it works as expected.
Quote:
The method, developed by UOP, a subsidiary of Honeywell, and Eni, the Italian energy company, adds hydrogen to oils derived from food crops to create a substitute that the companies describe as superior to ordinary diesel fuel.The long-term goal is to modify the process to use oil from algae or from jatropha, a hardy shrub from Central America whose oil has long been burned in lamps and used to make soap.
Using algae, jatropha or oilseed crops like canola as a source of diesel would reduce carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere from diesel engines by 50 percent to 70 percent, according to Jennifer Holmgren, director for renewable energy and chemicals at UOP. The company argues that its method produces a fuel superior to the standard biodiesel already being made in places like the American Midwest.
Article Reference:
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
How $100 Oil Could Help
How $100 Oil Could Help "As speculative fervor continues to test the $100 mark, fears that expensive oil could spur inflation and cripple consumer spending is spreading. Pricey oil—coupled with the subprime crash, shaky credit markets, Wall Street turbulence, tensions with Iran and a feeble dollar—could be the catalyst that topples the U.S. economy into recession." Okay... and I do hear a lot of people complaining about high gasoline prices. So the title of this article might seem astonishing.
"But doom and gloom is not the only upshot of $100 oil. In fact, many analysts see pricey oil as the jolt the economy needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions and foster more energy efficiency. That's because as oil gets costlier, the incentives rise for new investments in energy efficiency and renewable options." If you remember from high school economics there is this 'law' about supply and demand. A product with high demand but low supply like, say, Diamonds, will fetch a high price. A product with high demand but high supply like, say, Oil, will fetch a low price. But the picture of Oil as having a high supply is rapidly becoming false.
Supposedly, however, The Market offers us self corrective processes. Automatically as prices for a given product rise the people will find alternatives to that product. Hence expensive oil will, as the article says, be its own incentive for customers and businesses to seek alternatives whether it's greater efficiency or alternative fuels.
But the Market does not take into account all aspects of the problem. That is the price of Oil does not reflect the issues of environmental degradation or global warming or the mutual poisoning we are all experiencing. The Market only takes into account the price required to explore for oil, pump oil out of the ground, refine oil, ship refined products around the world, deliver it to refueling stations, etc. The price for oil doesn't even include the cost of the War On Terror which itself is most obviously a War to Secure Oil Supplies.
While I applaud high oil prices - because I know it's incentivizing my neighbors to begin thinking along the lines I've been pondering for years - I recognize that addressing the issue of high oil price is not going to address the entire problem.
Article Reference:
Monday, November 26, 2007
PowerGenix
URL:
Description:
PowerGenix is developing and manufacturing patented, nickel-zinc (NiZn) rechargeable batteries that are substantially smaller, lighter and more powerful than other rechargeable batteries on the market today. Our rechargeable Ni-Zn batteries are green and completely safe. Ni-Zn batteries contain no toxic materials, are easily recyclable and are non-combustible.
NiZn batteries lend themselves to numerous applications requiring a light-weight, rechargeable, high-discharge rate battery. Applications for our batteries that we are pursuing include power tools, hybrid electric vehicles, personal mobility devices such as scooters and wheel chairs, military and medical device applications, as well as consumer AA/AAA batteries.
This isn't the first company to develop NiZN batteries. The NiZN chemistry tends to have similar power density to NiMH or NiCD but the chemistry is environmentally safe. As they say: "Relatively abundant and readily recyclable, both Nickel and Zinc offer appealing characteristics for a variety of industrial uses. Independently, both have been used in a number of battery technologies over the years."
The prior company, Evercel, died a horrible death. Hopefully this company will do better.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Nanosolar
URL:
Description:
Nanosolar is leading the “Third Wave” of solar power technology... The Third Wave of solar power consists of companies addressing the above shortcomings and opportunities. Most every of the new companies address one or the other of the above aspects. One company -- Nanosolar -- brings together the entire conjunction of all seven areas of innovation, each break-through in their own right, to deliver a dramatic improvement in the cost-efficiency, yield, and throughput of the production of much thinner solar cells.
They have brought together several processes which they claim will drastically reduce the cost of production, and drastically increase the rate of production. They are building a plant which should produce 430 megawatts of capacity per year.
Nanosolar Powersheet The New Dawn of Solar
"Cost has always been one of solar’s biggest problems. Traditional solar cells require silicon, and silicon is an expensive commodity ... Nanosolar’s cells use no silicon, and the company’s manufacturing process allows it to create cells that are as efficient as most commercial cells for as little as 30 cents a watt. In San Jose, Nanosolar has built what will soon be the world’s largest solar-panel manufacturing facility. CEO Martin Roscheisen claims that once full production starts early next year, it will create 430 megawatts’ worth of solar cells a year..."
Article Reference:
Cyclone Power Technologies
Description:
They are the makers of the Green Revolution Engine, an "external combustion engine" which can run on "any" fuel. It turns an external source of heat into mechanical energy.
The website has some suspicious claims and it's unclear whether this is a scam operation. Consider: "It is exceptionally environment-friendly because the combustion is continuous and more easily regulated for temperature, oxidizers and fuel amount. Lower combustion temperatures and pressures create less toxic and exotic exhaust gases.... It needs no catalytic converter … no radiator … no transmission … no oil pump (and no oil … the engine is water-lubricated)." Maybe I don't understand enough of the effect of carefully controlled combustion, but it seems obvious to me that burning a fuel causes a chemical reaction and that the constituents of the fuel that's burned will inevitably turn into waste products.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Why does First Solar stand alone?
"First Solar, which makes cadmium-telluride solar cells, is having one of those years that corporate managers and investors dream about." They're having great sales etc but the article asks why there aren't competitors coming into the market to make cadmium-telluride solar panels. They discuss several aspects but it appears there are two.
One is their process. "In a sense, the entire thin film solar industry is a competition around who can build a better machine. The CIGS solar cell companies will all have similar products. The difference between them lay in how they produce those cells..."
The second is that Cadmium can be toxic. Nickel-Cadmium batteries are generally banned for the same reason. This can scare people away.
Article Reference:
Car roundup: VW looks at electric cars in Mexico and more money for batteries
VW is getting ready to collaborate with Phoenix Motorcars to build EV's in Mexico. VW has operations in Mexico which among other things build the old-style VW Bug for sale in Latin America. The old-style Bug cannot be imported to the U.S. because of emissions standards. "The plant for the venture, called Pristine International, will be built in Puebla, Mexico. It is unclear what kind of vehicles these cars will be."
A few years ago I attended a ZAP shareholders meeting at which they discussed a plan for ZAP to work with VW of Mexico. They would import gliders (engineless cars) from Mexico (made by VW) and convert them to electric drive. The thinking was that with the "New Beetle" there would be a resurgence of nostalgia for the old Beetle, and an electric Beetle would add another level of saleability. Obviously Zap never consumated the agreement, however in Zap's used car sales division they've long had one or two Beetles which had NEV characteristics. (25 miles/hr max) Since the Beetle is a four-wheeler it has to meet DOT crash safety standards but by keeping it an NEV they could sell it without going through crash testing. ZAP since started selling the Xebra under the same business model.
It's unclear from the linked article just exactly what the agreement is. However Phoenix Motorcars has expertise with LI-ION batteries and therefore can bring to market a more appealing car. They also have to have been doing crash testing on the SUV they've designed.
Biodiesel venture combines refining, genetic engineering
"A genetics company and a biodiesel refiner have formed a joint venture to see if they can cut the cost of biodiesel." These two companies obviously hope to create more together than they might otherwise. "Targeted Growth has created a version of camelina, a distant relative of canola, with seeds that produce about 20 percent more oil than seeds from conventional plants."
This is an interesting take on genetic engineering and agribusiness. Genetic engineering of food crops is causing a lot of concern about what that can mean to our food. Essentially, is our food still safe and what are the unseen unexpected side effects that will no doubt arise from genetically engineering food? I say it that way because it seems always to be the case that new developments carry with them unforeseen side effects that are less than desirable.
Genetic engineering of non-food crops may be beneficial. It ought to improve efficiency of growing these crops just as it has improved efficiency of growing food crops. However it's been observed that genetic material from these engineered crops has a way of migrating from the intended plants to other nearby plants. The pollenation process happens regardless of laws or contracts because the plants don't know a thing about any legal the farmer has signed.
The article makes it clear that Targeted Growth is requiring participating farmers to sign a license agreement that they sell their crops to Green Earth Fuels. "These farmers, in turn, will sell their output to Green Earth. Green Earth has a 90 million-gallon-a-year plant in Houston and has plans to build similar plants in the Northeastern U.S. and California....By controlling the quality and supplies of its feedstocks, Sustainable Oil, ideally, will have a more predictable and lower cost of operation. Rising prices of soybean and other agricultural oils have been cutting into the profits of biodiesel refiners."
Targeted Growth
URL:
Description:
A producer of biodiesel derived from plants. They began with soy based feedstock but appear to be transitioning to non-food crops. "Targeted Growth has expanded its crop platform to include major dicot and monocot crops....Targeted Growth’s scientific program focuses on increasing yield in commercial crops through enhanced growth and cell cylce regulation. Additionally, the company has active programs for improving the suitability of select energy crops for use as fuels by improving sugar, starch and oil profiles as well as characteristics of cell wall formation. Initial tests in Arabidopsis were succesful both in the lab and in field trials. " They list Camelina, Canola, Corn, Sorghum and Soybean as feedstocks.
Green Earth Fuels
URL:
Description:
Green Earth Fuels abides by a vertically integrated business model representing end-to-end production of environmentally clean biodiesel.
We operate production and distribution sites that are independently located within petrochemical infrastructures in key U.S. coastal locations, allowing for more efficient integration of biofuels with existing diesel or petroleum blends, and avoiding the need for changes in petrochemical infrastructure and distribution systems.
Their production is crop-based but from non-food feedstocks grown on marginal lands. Camelina.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Biofuel roundup
'Real' alternative fuels must be pushed quickly: "ISSUE: Higher gasoline prices OUR VIEW: Americans ready for alternative to simply driving less With gas prices heading for $4 a gallon, will consumers make changes in their habits or bite the bullet and pay more and more? Opinion Research Corp. survey results suggest there are changes: Nearly six in 10 people claim their driving behavior has changed because of rising gas prices."
U.S. energy official: Sino-U.S. biofuel agreement in the works: "China and the United States are drafting a biofuel agreement that will likely be signed in December, a visiting U.S. senior energy official said here on Friday. It will focus on sharing knowledge and technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "We have not concluded a biofuel agreement yet ... we have a biofuel agreement draft circulating between the United States and China and we expect progress in the coming weeks," said Alexander Karsner, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "
Beijing promotes "clean energy" in heating season to improve air quality: "A total of 1,105 small coal-fired boilers had been converted to natural gas by Thursday, when Beijing started its annual heating season, marking the completion of a nine-year campaign in China's capital to have all 14mw boilers use clean energy. "Starting from 1998, we have earmarked 2.5 billion yuan (about 328.95 million U.S. dollars) and upgraded about 16,000 14mw boilers," said Du Shaozhong, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection. "
Geismar site for new Tyson biodiesel plant: "The new biodiesel plant in Louisiana backed by Tyson Foods will be built in Geismar, where a package of state and Ascension Parish-tax incentives were lowered to beat a competing offer in Texas for the $126 million project.... Dynamic Fuels, a joint-venture between Tyson and Oklahoma-based Syntroleum Corp., chose Lion Copolymer's Geismer plant for its access to rail and barge transportation. But the most important attraction was a hydrogen line connected to the property. "They have a unique method of processing (bio-diesel) that uses hydrogen," said Kelsey Short, director of agriculture, forestry and food industries for Louisiana Economic Development."
Tyson to build $126M biofuels plant: "Tyson Foods is expected to announce today that it will build a $126 million biodiesel plant in Louisiana, producing fuel from chicken fat. The meat processing company is expanding its presence in the state to include the biodiesel operation, said Don Pierson, assistant secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, but Tyson wouldn't allow him to announce the site for the plant yet. "It's a good news story," Pierson said. "I can confirm that it is a Louisiana project but Tyson asked me to hold off on the specific location. I can release it (Wednesday)." "
Biodiesel crisis deepens: "Australia's largest biodiesel plant says it can no longer afford to produce the alternative fuel. Natural Fuels Limited, which has a $90 million dollar facility in Darwin, says the price of the main ingredient, palm oil, has doubled in the past 18 months. "
No more German biodiesel plants likely to be built: "A new round of tax increases planned on German biofuels means no more biodiesel plants are likely to be built in the country, the chairman of German oilseeds industry association UFOP said on Tuesday. Many biodiesel producers are likely to find themselves in "severe financial trouble" if Germany's government goes ahead with plans to further increase biofuels taxes on January 1, UFOP chairman Klaus Kliem said. At a time when the European Union wants to increase biofuel use to stop global warming, Germany in late 2006 started taxing biodiesel as the government said it could not afford to lose the large tax revenue from fossil diesel. A second round of tax increases on biodiesel is on the statute book and scheduled to be imposed in January 2008. The government so far has refused calls to reconsider this."
Article Reference:
Ethanol roundup
Elbert: Corn ethanol goes from being a hero to a scapegoat: Ethanol was languishing since the 1970's Oil Embargo's, until 2005. "Congress had passed the Energy Act of 2005 and ethanol was gaining respectability as a patriotic fuel that could reduce pollution and help the nation achieve energy independence. The 2005 law set goals, like doubling the output of ethanol and biodiesel to 7.5 billion gallons a year by 2012. It created billions of dollars in tax incentives for service stations to install E85 pumps, for consumers to buy cars that could burn E85 fuel and for the creation of ethanol plants.... The number of new and proposed ethanol plants in Iowa and surrounding states mushroomed overnight, and the goal of producing 7.5 billion gallons is expected to be met in 2007, five years ahead of schedule....The average price for corn in Iowa when President Bush signed the energy law was $1.70 a bushel. It climbed to nearly $4 earlier this year, before sliding to the $3.50 range. Soybeans prices got a boost, climbing 30 percent to just under $10 a bushel today.... corn-based ethanol is not, and never has been, an efficient fuel. Corn alcohol was the original fuel for Henry Ford's first car 100 years ago. But as National Geographic reported last month, Ford "soon discovered that 'rock oil,' when slightly refined, held far more bang per gallon than plant fuel, and was cheap to boot.""
Ethanol industry battles a bottleneck: "Dennis McCoy can get part of his corn crop to the bellies of hogs without a hiccup. But he believes ethanol made from his other corn acres is hamstrung by truck and rail shipping. “I think the ethanol industry is overbuilt for time frame right now,” said McCoy, who has been growing corn for fuel for 25 years in eastern North Dakota. “Maybe the industry needs to step back and figure out the infrastructure to get it where it needs to go.”" The article goes on to suggest cross country pipelines for shipping Ethanol more efficiently. While that might improve efficiency I wonder how much it will offset the overall inefficiency of corn-based-ethanol as a fuel?
Ethanol's uncertain future grows risk for ADM: "Despite record first-quarter earnings reported Nov. 6 by Archer Daniels Midland Co., the company's good fortune could still turn on a dime. Some analysts see the Decatur-based company's increasing reliance on its bioproducts division, which makes fuel additive ethanol, as a risky position. Global weather conditions, long-term contracts and politics could all have an unfavorable impact on the company in the future. The analysts foresee lower earnings this fiscal year." Aaaaawwww, pooor little ADM....
Large European ethanol maker hit by cheap Brazilian imports: "German bioethanol producer Verbio says a combination of cheap imports from Brazil and high grain prices means commercial production of bioethanol in Germany is hardly possible. In a sense, this is good news, because it clearly demonstrates the need for and benefits of a 'Biopact' - a win-win strategy that allows developing countries to make use of their comparative advantages at producing efficient, sustainable and affordable biofuels, and European citizens to import them instead of making their own highly unsustainable and inefficient biofuels from grains, which drives up food prices. Under such a Biopact, poor countries with large land and labor resources and urgently in need of economic and agricultural opportunities can help lift millions of the rural poor out of misery. Objectively speaking, they have all the resources needed to produce a very large amount of biofuels, in an explicitly sustainable manner. With good policies and trade reform, such a mutually beneficial exchange relationship is possible. "
Gulf Ethanol Corporation: Grass Grows Under the Ethanol Industry: "Gulf Ethanol announced today the formalization of its cellulose based ethanol initiative. Cellulose ethanol is a renewable, advanced biofuel that can be used in today’s cars. The primary difference between the two types of ethanol products is that conventional fuel ethanol is derived from grains such as corn and wheat. Cellulose ethanol is made from the non-food portion of renewable feedstocks such as sorghum, switchgrass and corn stover. All automotive manufacturers warrant the use of 10% ethanol blends (E10). These same manufacturers warrant (E5), 5%, blends in Europe. Ethanol blends are sold at retail outlets across Canada, the United States and Europe. As well, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Mazda and many more vehicle manufacturers, sell cars, trucks and minivans that are flexible fuel vehicles designed to use ethanol in up to 85% (E85) blends. "
Wood pallets to help power ethanol plant: "Ethanol refineries typically run on natural gas, but the nation's top producer of the alternative fuel plans to use discarded wood pallets to help power one of its plants. Sioux Falls-based Poet is doubling the production capacity of its Chancellor plant to 100 million gallons a year, but a solid waste fuel boiler that will be 'essentially a giant furnace' will help reduce its use of fossil fuels... 'The solid waste fuel boiler will burn waste wood to generate steam and power our ethanol facility,' Moe said during a news conference Thursday."
Ethanol leaders urge U.N. to review biofuel report: "Leaders of the world's largest ethanol production and trade associations issued a joint statement on Monday condemning a United Nations' interim report that called biofuels production a "crime against humanity." They said the report has many "misperceptions" and ask for its revision, warning that it could threaten the development of the industry in places where biofuels directives are not fully implemented, like in the European Union. "The report was based on emotional arguments and we are trying to reestablish the truth about facts," Marcos Jank, president of the Brazilian Cane Sugar Industry Union (Unica), said in a news conference. "We urge the U.N. to review the report with a focus on sound science, credible data rather than exceptions or unsupported assumptions," Jank added."
BlueFire Ethanol CEO to Discuss Green Waste-to-Ethanol at Bank of America Energy Conference: "BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc. CEO Arnold R. Klann will discuss BlueFire's patented, proven technology to profitably convert urban green waste destined for landfills to ethanol...As one of six awardees in the U.S. Department of Energy's program to increase the use of renewable and alternative fuels, BlueFire will receive $40MM as part of the $385MM grant program. The agreement with the DOE equips BlueFire Ethanol with funding for a commercial ethanol production facility using materials diverted from landfills and designed to demonstrate the economic feasibility and environmental superiority of producing ethanol from cellulosic waste materials. BlueFire was also awarded a $1MM grant from the California Energy Commission. Most recently BlueFire was one of sixteen pre-applicants, out of a total of 143, to submit a formal application under the loan guarantee program which will provide federal loan guarantees for clean energy projects and is expected to spur further investment in these advanced energy technologies."
Latin American ethanol: threat or hope?: "Omar Bros' hope for his country lies in an oily seed and a dying sugarcane industry. Bros, an agronomist and civil engineer in the Dominican Republic, is betting on biofuels. And his country's effort is just part of a global awakening to renewable energy. The Caribbean, which includes the Dominican Republic and Central America, offers examples of the uncertainty many regions face in the global energy grid. If those regions have the resources, they have to ask whether biofuels are worth the investment. “The other question is, ‘Do I want to produce ethanol for the domestic market, or do I want to export it?'” said Sergio Trindade, director of science and technology for International Fuel Technology in St. Louis and former assistant secretary general for the United Nations Science and Technology Committee. “It is a question whose answer depends on time.”"
U.S. exploring fuels with higher ethanol content: "The U.S. Department of Energy and other regulatory agencies are exploring the feasibility of gasoline products with a higher ethanol blend, a senior U.S. Department of Energy official said on Monday. "We will be testing for E12, E15 and eventually E20 and working together with the Environment Protection Agency and others," said Alexander Karsner, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy. E10, a fuel with a 10 percent ethanol blend, is the fuel that most cars in the United States can run on. Some 'flex-fuel' vehicles can also handle both conventional gasoline and E85, a fuel that is 85 percent ethanol."
Breakthrough might solve food vs. fuel corn debate: "Corn ethanol as a clean, renewable fuel alternative to fossil fuels has always been seen as a stopgap. As much as agricultural giants and seed companies touted switching corn production from food to fuel, there always were limits. Using corn for ethanol production is not very efficient and inevitability will drive up the price of foodstuffs. People were already complaining about the rising costs of some foods as more corn crop was sued for fuel production. Now a new solution is on the horizon. Instead of using the ears of corn, the food portion, why not do what Brazil does with sugar cane, use the waste portion for fuel? A single crop yields a double pay for farmers and food supplies are not harmed."
Plant ethanol may help N.C.: "Technological advances have overtaken five ethanol plants proposed for Eastern North Carolina. One has been canceled and at least one other delayed. None will start production this year. The projects reflect a growing wariness among investors nationwide about pumping more money into ventures that make ethanol from corn. Now interest is rising in using cellulosic feedstocks, such as wood chips and corn stalks, to make ethanol. Scientists and engineers, who have been working on cellulosic ethanol production for more than 20 years, are fine-tuning the process so they can produce large quantities of fuel. The shift from corn to cellulose to make ethanol is unsettling a nascent industry."
Ethanol's Messy Fall: Ethanol companies are stumbling.
Ethanol clue under their feet: "Ten years ago, an assistant from a microbiology laboratory took a hike near the shore of the vast Quabbin Reservoir, which supplies water to Boston. At one point, he crouched alongside a brook in the shade of towering hemlock trees, dug up some moist dirt, put it in a jar and took it back to the lab. Today, some investors are betting that the jar of dirt could help change the biofuels industry. Inside the jar, microbiology professor Susan Leschine found curious lollipop-shaped microbes with an uncommon ability to break down leaves and plant fibers into ethanol. For 30 years, Leschine has been researching and writing about it for publications such as the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology."
Ethanol industry could run into wall: "The cure for the recent slowdown in South Dakota's booming ethanol industry could hinge on a proposal in Congress to require oil companies to add more ethanol to their gasoline. Ethanol producers and their investors are "getting real jittery" about putting more money into ethanol plants as long as the federal government's requirement for ethanol sales at gas stations nationwide tops out at 7.5 billion gallons" Uuuuhhh... I thought the republican (conservative) cause was free trade?
Backing away from ethanol makes sense: "Quebec's decision to back away from developing a corn-based ethanol industry in the province represents a rare victory of common sense over political expediency. Corn producers probably won't like it, but everyone else - including environmentalists - should be pleased. It was just over two years ago that Yvon Vallières, the agriculture minister of the day, announced with much fanfare the construction of Quebec's first ethanol-processing plant, in Varennes. From the way the politicians were talking back then, you would have thought that ethanol would be our salvation, rescuing us cleanly from an unhealthy addiction to polluting fossil fuels. The economic and environmental reasons for going into ethanol production, Vallières said at the time, were "obvious." Well, apparently not that obvious. Adapting thousands of additional acres of productive farmland to grow corn, it turns out, makes little sense, economically or environmentally."
Article Reference:
Ethanol roundup
Elbert: Corn ethanol goes from being a hero to a scapegoat: Ethanol was languishing since the 1970's Oil Embargo's, until 2005. "Congress had passed the Energy Act of 2005 and ethanol was gaining respectability as a patriotic fuel that could reduce pollution and help the nation achieve energy independence. The 2005 law set goals, like doubling the output of ethanol and biodiesel to 7.5 billion gallons a year by 2012. It created billions of dollars in tax incentives for service stations to install E85 pumps, for consumers to buy cars that could burn E85 fuel and for the creation of ethanol plants.... The number of new and proposed ethanol plants in Iowa and surrounding states mushroomed overnight, and the goal of producing 7.5 billion gallons is expected to be met in 2007, five years ahead of schedule....The average price for corn in Iowa when President Bush signed the energy law was $1.70 a bushel. It climbed to nearly $4 earlier this year, before sliding to the $3.50 range. Soybeans prices got a boost, climbing 30 percent to just under $10 a bushel today.... corn-based ethanol is not, and never has been, an efficient fuel. Corn alcohol was the original fuel for Henry Ford's first car 100 years ago. But as National Geographic reported last month, Ford "soon discovered that 'rock oil,' when slightly refined, held far more bang per gallon than plant fuel, and was cheap to boot.""
Ethanol industry battles a bottleneck: "Dennis McCoy can get part of his corn crop to the bellies of hogs without a hiccup. But he believes ethanol made from his other corn acres is hamstrung by truck and rail shipping. “I think the ethanol industry is overbuilt for time frame right now,” said McCoy, who has been growing corn for fuel for 25 years in eastern North Dakota. “Maybe the industry needs to step back and figure out the infrastructure to get it where it needs to go.”" The article goes on to suggest cross country pipelines for shipping Ethanol more efficiently. While that might improve efficiency I wonder how much it will offset the overall inefficiency of corn-based-ethanol as a fuel?
Ethanol's uncertain future grows risk for ADM: "Despite record first-quarter earnings reported Nov. 6 by Archer Daniels Midland Co., the company's good fortune could still turn on a dime. Some analysts see the Decatur-based company's increasing reliance on its bioproducts division, which makes fuel additive ethanol, as a risky position. Global weather conditions, long-term contracts and politics could all have an unfavorable impact on the company in the future. The analysts foresee lower earnings this fiscal year." Aaaaawwww, pooor little ADM....
Large European ethanol maker hit by cheap Brazilian imports: "German bioethanol producer Verbio says a combination of cheap imports from Brazil and high grain prices means commercial production of bioethanol in Germany is hardly possible. In a sense, this is good news, because it clearly demonstrates the need for and benefits of a 'Biopact' - a win-win strategy that allows developing countries to make use of their comparative advantages at producing efficient, sustainable and affordable biofuels, and European citizens to import them instead of making their own highly unsustainable and inefficient biofuels from grains, which drives up food prices. Under such a Biopact, poor countries with large land and labor resources and urgently in need of economic and agricultural opportunities can help lift millions of the rural poor out of misery. Objectively speaking, they have all the resources needed to produce a very large amount of biofuels, in an explicitly sustainable manner. With good policies and trade reform, such a mutually beneficial exchange relationship is possible. "
Gulf Ethanol Corporation: Grass Grows Under the Ethanol Industry: "Gulf Ethanol announced today the formalization of its cellulose based ethanol initiative. Cellulose ethanol is a renewable, advanced biofuel that can be used in today’s cars. The primary difference between the two types of ethanol products is that conventional fuel ethanol is derived from grains such as corn and wheat. Cellulose ethanol is made from the non-food portion of renewable feedstocks such as sorghum, switchgrass and corn stover. All automotive manufacturers warrant the use of 10% ethanol blends (E10). These same manufacturers warrant (E5), 5%, blends in Europe. Ethanol blends are sold at retail outlets across Canada, the United States and Europe. As well, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Mazda and many more vehicle manufacturers, sell cars, trucks and minivans that are flexible fuel vehicles designed to use ethanol in up to 85% (E85) blends. "
Wood pallets to help power ethanol plant: "Ethanol refineries typically run on natural gas, but the nation's top producer of the alternative fuel plans to use discarded wood pallets to help power one of its plants. Sioux Falls-based Poet is doubling the production capacity of its Chancellor plant to 100 million gallons a year, but a solid waste fuel boiler that will be 'essentially a giant furnace' will help reduce its use of fossil fuels... 'The solid waste fuel boiler will burn waste wood to generate steam and power our ethanol facility,' Moe said during a news conference Thursday."
Ethanol leaders urge U.N. to review biofuel report: "Leaders of the world's largest ethanol production and trade associations issued a joint statement on Monday condemning a United Nations' interim report that called biofuels production a "crime against humanity." They said the report has many "misperceptions" and ask for its revision, warning that it could threaten the development of the industry in places where biofuels directives are not fully implemented, like in the European Union. "The report was based on emotional arguments and we are trying to reestablish the truth about facts," Marcos Jank, president of the Brazilian Cane Sugar Industry Union (Unica), said in a news conference. "We urge the U.N. to review the report with a focus on sound science, credible data rather than exceptions or unsupported assumptions," Jank added."
BlueFire Ethanol CEO to Discuss Green Waste-to-Ethanol at Bank of America Energy Conference: "BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc. CEO Arnold R. Klann will discuss BlueFire's patented, proven technology to profitably convert urban green waste destined for landfills to ethanol...As one of six awardees in the U.S. Department of Energy's program to increase the use of renewable and alternative fuels, BlueFire will receive $40MM as part of the $385MM grant program. The agreement with the DOE equips BlueFire Ethanol with funding for a commercial ethanol production facility using materials diverted from landfills and designed to demonstrate the economic feasibility and environmental superiority of producing ethanol from cellulosic waste materials. BlueFire was also awarded a $1MM grant from the California Energy Commission. Most recently BlueFire was one of sixteen pre-applicants, out of a total of 143, to submit a formal application under the loan guarantee program which will provide federal loan guarantees for clean energy projects and is expected to spur further investment in these advanced energy technologies."
Latin American ethanol: threat or hope?: "Omar Bros' hope for his country lies in an oily seed and a dying sugarcane industry. Bros, an agronomist and civil engineer in the Dominican Republic, is betting on biofuels. And his country's effort is just part of a global awakening to renewable energy. The Caribbean, which includes the Dominican Republic and Central America, offers examples of the uncertainty many regions face in the global energy grid. If those regions have the resources, they have to ask whether biofuels are worth the investment. “The other question is, ‘Do I want to produce ethanol for the domestic market, or do I want to export it?'” said Sergio Trindade, director of science and technology for International Fuel Technology in St. Louis and former assistant secretary general for the United Nations Science and Technology Committee. “It is a question whose answer depends on time.”"
U.S. exploring fuels with higher ethanol content: "The U.S. Department of Energy and other regulatory agencies are exploring the feasibility of gasoline products with a higher ethanol blend, a senior U.S. Department of Energy official said on Monday. "We will be testing for E12, E15 and eventually E20 and working together with the Environment Protection Agency and others," said Alexander Karsner, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy. E10, a fuel with a 10 percent ethanol blend, is the fuel that most cars in the United States can run on. Some 'flex-fuel' vehicles can also handle both conventional gasoline and E85, a fuel that is 85 percent ethanol."
Breakthrough might solve food vs. fuel corn debate: "Corn ethanol as a clean, renewable fuel alternative to fossil fuels has always been seen as a stopgap. As much as agricultural giants and seed companies touted switching corn production from food to fuel, there always were limits. Using corn for ethanol production is not very efficient and inevitability will drive up the price of foodstuffs. People were already complaining about the rising costs of some foods as more corn crop was sued for fuel production. Now a new solution is on the horizon. Instead of using the ears of corn, the food portion, why not do what Brazil does with sugar cane, use the waste portion for fuel? A single crop yields a double pay for farmers and food supplies are not harmed."
Plant ethanol may help N.C.: "Technological advances have overtaken five ethanol plants proposed for Eastern North Carolina. One has been canceled and at least one other delayed. None will start production this year. The projects reflect a growing wariness among investors nationwide about pumping more money into ventures that make ethanol from corn. Now interest is rising in using cellulosic feedstocks, such as wood chips and corn stalks, to make ethanol. Scientists and engineers, who have been working on cellulosic ethanol production for more than 20 years, are fine-tuning the process so they can produce large quantities of fuel. The shift from corn to cellulose to make ethanol is unsettling a nascent industry."
Ethanol's Messy Fall: Ethanol companies are stumbling.
Ethanol clue under their feet: "Ten years ago, an assistant from a microbiology laboratory took a hike near the shore of the vast Quabbin Reservoir, which supplies water to Boston. At one point, he crouched alongside a brook in the shade of towering hemlock trees, dug up some moist dirt, put it in a jar and took it back to the lab. Today, some investors are betting that the jar of dirt could help change the biofuels industry. Inside the jar, microbiology professor Susan Leschine found curious lollipop-shaped microbes with an uncommon ability to break down leaves and plant fibers into ethanol. For 30 years, Leschine has been researching and writing about it for publications such as the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology."
Ethanol industry could run into wall: "The cure for the recent slowdown in South Dakota's booming ethanol industry could hinge on a proposal in Congress to require oil companies to add more ethanol to their gasoline. Ethanol producers and their investors are "getting real jittery" about putting more money into ethanol plants as long as the federal government's requirement for ethanol sales at gas stations nationwide tops out at 7.5 billion gallons" Uuuuhhh... I thought the republican (conservative) cause was free trade?
Backing away from ethanol makes sense: "Quebec's decision to back away from developing a corn-based ethanol industry in the province represents a rare victory of common sense over political expediency. Corn producers probably won't like it, but everyone else - including environmentalists - should be pleased. It was just over two years ago that Yvon Vallières, the agriculture minister of the day, announced with much fanfare the construction of Quebec's first ethanol-processing plant, in Varennes. From the way the politicians were talking back then, you would have thought that ethanol would be our salvation, rescuing us cleanly from an unhealthy addiction to polluting fossil fuels. The economic and environmental reasons for going into ethanol production, Vallières said at the time, were "obvious." Well, apparently not that obvious. Adapting thousands of additional acres of productive farmland to grow corn, it turns out, makes little sense, economically or environmentally."
Article Reference:
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Bankruptcy of biodiesel plants
Biodiesel and other biofuels offer us a possible route out of the mess with the global peak oil situation which in turn is causing the high oil prices. But for this to work the business operations making the biofuels must themselves be stable.
Financing, rising costs led Chelsea biodiesel plant to bankruptcy is about a production plant in Chelsea Oklahoma which has gone out of business. "Green Country Biodiesel LLC filed for liquidation in Tulsa bankruptcy court last week. It listed debts of almost $255,000 and assets of about $127,000." The story is told as a simple business matter, with the biggest creditor being Cargill.
Construction Halted at NPP Biodiesel Plant in Evansville "Higher commodity prices for their crops is one of the reasons why many farmers decide to get involved with the biofuels business. But ironically, that same scenario is starting to back-fire for investors of the North Prairie Productions biodiesel plant being constructed in Evansville. This week, investors were sent a letter from the NPP Board of Directors informing them that construction of the $42 million facility has been 'temporarily suspended' because of the cost of soybean byproducts." (same plant, different publication) Construction Halted On Large Biofuel Plant
Biodiesel Goes Bankrupt discusses Earth Biofuels (who produces the biodiesel for the BioWillie brand) going into bankruptcy. Bankruptcy filed against biofuel maker
'In it for the long haul' is the story of a Biodiesel production and (or) distribution company in "Barron County" which nearly went out of business, but was instead sold. The new owner is in it for the long haul and plans to run it on a more sound basis.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Run away the ray-gun is coming : We test US army's new secret weapon
What makes it OK, says Raytheon, is that the pain stops as soon as you are out of the beam or the machine is turned off.
...One thing is certain: not just the Silent Guardian, but weapons such as the Taser, the electric stun-gun, are being rolled out by Britain's police forces as the new way of controlling people by using pain.
And, as the Raytheon chaps all insist, you always have the option to get out of the way (just as you have the option to comply with the police officer's demands and not get Tasered).
...Raytheon's Mac Jeffery says it is being looked at only by the "North American military and its allies" and is not being sold to countries with questionable human rights records.
...In fact, it is easy to see the raygun being used not as an alternative to lethal force (when I can see that it is quite justified), but as an extra weapon in the battle against dissent.
Article Reference:
Creating power out of thin air
The Princeton, N.J.-based company is working on a material that, when combined with another substance, will generate electricity with ambient room heat, Andrew Surany, the company's president, told CNET News.com this week.
Conceivably, one could take that material and fashion it into a passive fuel cell that can create power by just sitting in an ordinary room heated to about 72 degrees Fahrenheit, leading to self-charging electronic devices.
...It's not just theoretical: Germany's EnOcean, another energy-harvesting specialist, has come up with sensors that get power from the temperature differentials between the interaction material that makes up a pipe filled with hot gases and a material heated to room temperature.
...Outlandish as it sounds, the CEA, the atomic energy agency of France, has already concocted a microgenerator that can produce electricity at ambient temperatures via the Seebeck effect.
Article Reference:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)