Nebraska Cattlemen Adopts Ethanol Policy

Nebraska Cattlemen Adopts Ethanol Policy > Nebraska Cattlemen > News Releases:
December 1, 2006
"Nebraska Cattlemen members heard from cattle, corn and ethanol industry experts and discussed the complex situation before adopting policy. The cattlemen believe ethanol production can be a big benefit to ranchers, feeders and corn farmers if ethanol production transitions to a free market industry. In addition, because dramatic corn price fluctuations are costly and disruptive to all parties, the Nebraska Cattlemen favors measures that would counter the effects of harmful trade actions that could be made by foreign oil producing countries."

Japanese brewer develops monster sugarcane for ethanol

Fueling Station | Tampabay.com - St. Petersburg Times: Brewers grow monster cane for ethanol.

Colorado bullish on cellulosic ethanol

This article is a good overview of where things stand with cellulosic ethanol. If an initial commercial refinery is successful, more will likely be built in a hurry. -- Jeffrey
Rocky Mountain News - Denver and Colorado's reliable source for breaking news, sports and entertainment: Energy & mining:
by Gargi Chakrabarty, Rocky Mountain News Dec. 26, 2006
"Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, recently told a congressional hearing that cellulosic ethanol is the only alternative fuel that could make a dent on the nation's oil consumption."

Gov. Jeb Bush supports hemispheric commission to promote ethanol

Gov. Bush throws support behind ethanol initiative: Gov. Jeb Bush tips his hat to renewable fuels with the launch of a hemispheric commission to promote ethanol:
"Dec 19, 2006 (The Miami Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Business News via COMTEX) -- Gov. Jeb Bush, in his last Miami appearance as governor, threw his weight behind a hemispheric project aimed at having drivers tank up on sugar or corn and not just petroleum."

You’ve Heard of Ethanol; Here Comes ‘Grassahol’

This article talks about research at Oklahoma State University on making ethanol from switchgrass through gasification. It's an alternative worth exploring. Gasification could also be used to make other end products depending on market pricing and what makes sense at the time. -- Jeffrey
MND: » You’ve Heard of Ethanol; Here Comes ‘Grassahol’: "The entire plant, diced into bits, is burned at high temperatures in a device called a “gasifier.”"

New York Plans $20 M Cellulosic Ethanol Demonstration Plant

New York Plans $20 M Cellulosic Ethanol Demonstration Plant:
Dec. 21, 2006
"Mascoma Corporation received a $14.8 million award "

My Big Biofuels Bet

Wired 14.10: My Big Biofuels Bet:
by Vinod Khosla -- Oct. 2006
"IT MAY SURPRISE YOU TO learn that the most promising solution to our nation’s energy crisis begins in the bowels of a waste trough, under the slotted concrete floor of a giant pen that holds 28,000 Angus, Hereford, and Charolais beef cattle."

Jeff Simmons Returns to Pilot Rahal Letterman Ethanol IndyCar Entry

driving ethanol: EPIC News Releases:
"HILLIARD, Ohio (November 9, 2006) - Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR) announced today that Jeff Simmons with primary sponsorship from ICM, Fagen Inc. and Broin Companies, would once again pilot the No. 17 Team Ethanol/Dallara in the IndyCar Series. The team also announced the signing of veteran IndyCar Series driver Scott Sharp with primary sponsorship from The Patrón Spirits Company, which completes the team’s two-car 2007 IndyCar Series line-up."

Xethanol Corp. Joins Renewable Spirits to Produce Ethanol From Citrus Peels, Plans Pilot Production Facility in Bartow, FL

Xethanol Corp. Joins Renewable Spirits to Produce Ethanol From Citrus Peels, Plans Pilot Production Facility in Bartow, FL (OrlandoBizJournal)
Dec. 13, 2006

Mixed Species Native Prairies better than Corn for Ethanol Production

The key to this Minnesota study is it shows that a diversity of native prairie grasses and forbes (broadleaf flowering natives) can produce a great amount of ethanol per acre. This mixed stand was invented by nature and it is what built the soil of the great plains into some of the reichest, deepest soil in the world. Expanding such plantings will improve wildlife habitats, soil quality, and water quality while producing much more ethanol per acre than is now possible with grain crops. If this is not a win-win idea, I don't know what is. Government policies should be changed to encourage planting these bio-diverse mixed plantings of native plants on CRP land and marginal lands for energy production. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Native Prairie Plant Bio-based Fuel alternative to Petroleum better than Corn based Ethanol | Best Syndication:
by Dusty Rhodes -- Dec. 11, 2006
"A study from the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences found that a mixture of native perennial grasses and other flowering plants are a better source of energy per acre compared to corn grain ethanol or soybean biodiesel."

Indy Test Offers Sneak Peek at New Ethanol Fuel, Honda Engine

Indianapolis 500
Oct. 2, 2006

Engineered yeast improves ethanol production

Engineered yeast improves ethanol production - MIT News Office:
by Anne Trafton -- Dec. 6, 2006
"The new strain produced 50 percent more ethanol during a 21-hour period than normal yeast."

Sen. Harkin wants new farm bill to aid cellulosic ethanol expansion

Cattle Network - Connecting The Beef Industry Worldwide:
Dec. 6, 2006
"WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. farm sector will have to go through transformations as cellulose becomes a viable feedstock for the country’s ethanol production and Congress will help that come about when it writes a new farm bill next year, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Wednesday."

Cellulosic ethanol legislation needs fixing

The Strange Legislative History of the Cellulosic Ethanol Mandate:
by David Morris, Institute for Local Self Reliance -- Dec. 4, 2006
"One of the first orders of business for the new Congress should be to eliminate a single sentence in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 added in the waning hours of the Conference Committee. If it does not, the commercialization of ethanol made from cellulose could be delayed."

Mascoma to build first cellulosic ethanol refinery in New York

Ethanol maker Mascoma heads for the forests | News.blog | CNET News.com:
Nov 29, 2006
"The company has decided to focus on wood chips as its feed stock for its first plants, which will be constructed next year and operational in 2008, South said."

Ethanol from Sweet Sorghum in Arid Tropics

Bioenergy pact between Europe and Africa:
Oct. 14, 2006
"the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has successfully helped in achieving commercial production of ethanol from juice of the sweet sorghum stalk."

OSU Researches On-Farm Ethanol from Sorghum

OSU is helping to perfect this process. Maybe it will have promise. -- Jeffrey
OSU-Stillwater || Welcome To Oklahoma State University - Stillwater:
By Mandy Gross -- March 20, 2006
"Initial experiments investigated the use of temperature-tolerant yeast strains with results indicating that fermentation is possible and that little or no pretreatment of the “juice” is necessary, Bellmer said."

On-Farm Ethanol Production from Sweet Sorghum

Sorghum produces far more fermentable sugar per acre than corn. It also requires fewer fertilizers and less water. The problem of transporting bulky stalks to refineries and storing them have prevented sweet sorghum from being used as an ethanol crop. Perhaps on-farm distillation could overcome these barriers. The yield of ethanol per acre would undoubtedly be higher than for corn. Fuel inputs for processing would be less as well because the juice is already a sugar, ready to be distilled. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Excellent For Ethanol:
by Peg Zenk -- Nov. 1, 2006
"A mobile distillation unit that could be moved from farm to farm is the centerpiece of McClune's on-farm sorganol production concept."

Japanese Company to produce cellulosic ethanol from palm waste

Bioenergy pact between Europe and Africa

Chevron Energy Solutions to Prepare Proposal to Develop High-Efficiency Ethanol Plants for Ethanex Energy

Ethanex plans to use fractionation of corn kernels and they will power these refineries with biogas from the gasification of a portion of the corn kernels not used for ethanol. They will also co-locate with a coal-fired power plant in at least one case to utilize waste heat. All these approaches should result in lower production cost and a better energy balance for the ethanol produced. The company web site says they expect a production cost of 90 cents per gallon. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Chevron Press Release - Chevron Energy Solutions to Prepare Proposal to Develop High-Efficiency Ethanol Plants for Ethanex Energy:
Oct. 10, 2006
"The plants, to be located in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas, will each produce about 132 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol annually. "

Imagine--Fuel Alcohol From Pea Starch!

Field peas for ethanol production are potentially attractive because it is a short season, cool weather crop that can be grown in regions too cold for corn. It may also be planted before or after a warm weather crop for more production in a year off a given poece of land. It's also a legume and thus requires no added nitrogen fertilizer, a large energy saving feature compared to corn. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Imagine--Fuel Alcohol From Pea Starch! / March 28, 2006 / News from the USDA Agricultural Research Service:
by Jan Suszkiw
"During studies, the fermented pea starch produced somewhat less ethanol than corn (1.7 gallons per bushel versus 2.8), because the legume had less starch to begin with. But the pea starch fermented just as easily as corn starch. Potentially, the high yield of enriched protein, together with the fermentation leftovers, could be sold as livestock feed. "

Brazilian Ethanol is Sustainable and has a Very Positive Energy Balance -- IEA Report

Bioenergy pact between Europe and Africa:
Biopact.com -- October 8, 2006
"The study also concludes that the energy balance of Brazilian ethanol ranges between 8.3 (average) and 10.2 (best case). "

Breeding Soybeans for Ethanol and Fiberboard

This news could be very significant for two reasons. First, soybeans do not require nitrogen fertilizer, commonly produced from natural gas. This means ethanol from soybean stalks would have a better energy balance. Secondly, these researchers say they may be able to breed soy cultivars with stalks that convert more easily to ethanol. This would decrease the cost of cellulosic ethanol production. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Breeding Soybeans for Ethanol and Fiberboard / November 22, 2006 / News from the USDA Agricultural Research Service:
"Soybeans have an advantage over corn and other crops because they don't need commercial nitrogen fertilizer. This helps ensure that producing ethanol or other products from soybeans uses less energy. "

Two Delaware Landfill Gas-to-Energy Plants Produce Methane

Two Delaware Landfill Gas-to-Energy Plants Produce Methane:
Nov. 23, 2006
"Thousands of tons of naturally occurring methane, a potent greenhouse gas, will be captured and converted into 'green' electricity."

Biomass Company Prepares Waste Rice Straw Harvest for Ethanol

Biomass Company Prepares Waste Rice Straw Harvest for Ethanol:
Nov. 24, 2006
"Colusa Biomass Energy Corporation (CBEC) announced the completion of its first-ever rice straw harvesting operation in Colusa County, California. "

MIT's pint-sized ethanol-boosted car engine promises high efficiency, low cost - MIT News Office

MIT's pint-sized car engine promises high efficiency, low cost - MIT News Office:
by Nancy Stauffer -- Oct. 25, 2006
"The impact on U.S. oil consumption could be substantial. For example, if all of today's cars had the new engine, current U.S. gasoline consumption of 140 billion gallons per year would drop by more than 30 billion gallons."

Driving the Future of Energy Security

Senator Dick Lugar - Driving the Future of Energy Security:
Sen. Richard Lugar -- Aug. 29, 2006
"We must move now to address our energy vulnerability because sufficient investment cannot happen overnight, and it will take years to build supporting infrastructure and to change behavior. In other words, by the time a sustained energy crisis fully motivates market forces, we are likely to be well past the point where we can save ourselves from extensive suffering. "

Tom Harkin: HARKIN CALLS FOR STUDY OF PIPELINE DISTRIBUTION OF ETHANOL

Tom Harkin: HARKIN CALLS FOR STUDY OF PIPELINE DISTRIBUTION OF ETHANOL:
harkin.senate.gov -- Sept. 29, 2006
"We continue to hear comments that it can�t but done efficiently, but it is happening right now in Brazil. The goal of this bill is to examine the issue and get all the facts on the table."

Tom Harkin: HARKIN APPLAUDS PLANS FOR NEW ETHANOL PRODUCTION FACILITY

Tom Harkin: HARKIN APPLAUDS PLANS FOR NEW ETHANOL PRODUCTION FACILITY:
harkin.senate.gov -- Nov. 20, 2006
"WASHINGTON D.C. --- Senator Tom Harkin, a leading proponent of increasing alternative energy production and use, today applauded Broin Companies and its plan to build a cellulose-to-ethanol production facility in Emmetsburg, Iowa. "

New hybrid car runs on methane from cow manure

New hybrid car runs on cow power:
by Cookson Beecher, Capitol Press -- Nov. 3, 2006
"FERNDALE, Wash. - The Viking 32, a hybrid car that runs on electricity and biomethane, is a 'sweet' car by anyone's standards."

Turning Kitchen Grease into Biogas

Another case of turning waste into power. We need more of this kind of innovation. -- Jeff Goettemoeller
Turning Kitchen Grease into Biogas:
Nov. 17, 2006
"One California city is using biogas made from restaurant grease to power 80 percent of its wastewater treatment plant. "

Xethanol Acquires Cellulosic Ethanol Plant in NC

Xethanol Acquires Fiberboard factory in NC:
RenewableEnergyAccess.com -- Nov. 20, 2006
"We plan to re-open the facility in 2007 as a pilot plant to demonstrate the technical feasibility and economic viability of using wood chips as a cellulosic feedstock."

Broin Companies to Expand Voyager Ethanol Plant in Emmetsburg, IA to Include Cellulose to Ethanol Commercial Production

Broin Companies to Expand Voyager Ethanol Plant in Emmetsburg, IA to Include Cellulose to Ethanol Commercial Production:
Biofuels Jornal -- Nov. 20, 2006
"Sioux Falls, SD and Des Moines, IA - Broin Companies, the nation's largest dry mill ethanol producer, announced Nov. 20 its plans to build a cellulose-to-ethanol production facility in the state of Iowa with a completion date expected in 2009. "

Peak Oil: Even If The Optimists Are Right, Time Is Getting Tight

Peak Oil: Even If The Optimists Are Right, Time Is Getting Tight:
by Mike Byfield -- Nov. 20, 2006
"Peak oil proponents and skeptics agree that world production will eventually crest. Also, both sides of this debate accept that the decline curve will be gradual rather than sudden (with a little luck). Their common ground, although limited and easily obscured by emotional intensity, is slowly growing."

CERA study challenges 'peak oil' theory

Oil & Gas Journal - CERA study challenges 'peak oil' theory:
by OGJ editors -- Nov. 16, 2006
"Instead of a peak, CERA says, production is more likely to trace an 'undulating plateau' that will last for a decade or more beyond 2030. "

Congressional peak oil caucus responds to CERA study

Congressional peak oil caucus responds to CERA study | EnergyBulletin.net | Peak Oil News Clearinghouse:
by Roscoe Bartlett and Tom Udall -- Nov. 14, 2006
"Congressman Udall said, 'CERA's report is one of the most optimistic predictions for the peak in global oil production to date, and it still underscores the need to address this problem immediately."

Iowa plant chosen for test of new cellulosic ethanol technology

Radio Iowa: Emmetsburg plant chosen for test of new ethanol technology:
by Darwin Danielson -- Nov. 20, 2006
"Broin says the results of the commercialization of the process will result in 11-percent more ethanol from a bushel of corn and 27-percent more ethanol from an acre of corn and 83-percent less energy needed to operate the plant. "

Investors Back Experimental Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

Investors Back Experimental Ethanol Plant - New York Times:
by Miguel Helft -- Nov. 13, 2006
"The Mascoma Corporation, which is trying to produce ethanol from nontraditional sources, plans to announce today that it has received $30 million in financing from a group of prominent venture capital investors."

Alberta's first large-scale biofuel refinery planned

Alberta's first large-scale biofuel refinery planned:
by Geoffrey Scotton, CanWest News Service -- Nov. 14, 2006
"A $400-million integrated biodiesel and ethanol refinery the first complex of its kind in North America will be built in central Alberta."

RAND Study Says Renewable Energy Could Play Larger Role in U.S. Energy Future

RAND Study Says Renewable Energy Could Play Larger Role in U.S. Energy Future:
Nov. 14, 2006
"Renewable resources could produce 25 percent of the electricity and motor vehicle fuels used in the United States by 2025 at little or no additional cost if fossil fuel prices remain high enough and the cost of producing renewable energy continues falling in accord with historical trends, according to a RAND Corporation study issued Nov. 13."

VeraSun Energy Plans to Use One Feedstock to Produce Ethanol and Biodiesel

BFJ.com EXCLUSIVE: VeraSun Energy Plans to Use One Feedstock to Produce Ethanol and Biodiesel:
by Susan reidy, Biofuels Journal Editor -- Nov 15, 2006
"The Brookings, SD-based company announced Nov. 3 plans to produce biodiesel using oil extracted from distillers grains, a coproduct of ethanol production."

Mascoma ready to scale up cellulosic ethanol production

Technology Review: Making Ethanol from Wood Chips:
by Kevin Bullis
"Experimental methods for converting wood chips and grass into ethanol will soon be tested at production scale. "

Florida Company to Make Ethanol from Citrus Waste

Fueling Station | Tampabay.com - St. Petersburg Times: Citrus ethanol. A cheap Florida fuel option.:
by David Adams -- Nov. 4, 2006
"Unlike other 'five-carbon' sugars being experimented with, the citrus waste can easily be fermented into ethanol using regular brewers yeast."

Partnership to Develop Ethanol from Cellulosic Biomass

Partnership to Develop Ethanol from Cellulosic Biomass:
Renewable Energy Access -- Nov. 6, 2006
"Broin and Novozymes will collaborate on the next steps needed to bring cost-effective ethanol derived from corn stover to market."

New Technology could turn straw into ethanol and high-value byproducts

Straw into gold:
by Crystal Reid, Bismark Tribune -- Nov. 5, 2006
"Truly, any sort of wheat straw or biomass refinery is at least a decade away, researchers say. But North Dakota researchers recently released an economic feasibility study on a new technology that could make such refineries rival the economic impact of oil and ethanol refineries."

New Research Paper Finds Water Availability Critical to Growth of Ethanol Industry

BFJ.com EXCLUSIVE: New Research Paper Finds Water Availability Critical to Growth of Ethanol Industry:
by Susan Reidy, Biofuels Journal Editor -- Nov. 7, 2006
"Without some careful planning, water availability could stand in the way of growing the ethanol industry, according to a new paper from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)."

Bioreactor will convert CO2 into biomass, Ethanol, Biodiesel

This is yet another technology on the verge of commercialization that promises to improve the energy balance of ethanol. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
GreenShift Corporation - Press Room - GS CleanTech Releases Process Demonstration of CO2 Bioreactor Technology: "A 50 million gallon per year dry mill ethanol production facility consumes about 500,000 tons of corn. About one third of this mass exits the dry mill ethanol production process at the fermentation stage in the form of exhaust carbon dioxide.
As applied at a standard dry mill ethanol production facility, GS CleanTech's bioreactor consumes exhaust carbon dioxide and has the potential to significantly enhance the net energy value of corn-derived ethanol processes by producing a number of valuable co-products that can increase plant output and gross margins."

E3 Biofuels to Launch First Closed-Loop Ethanol Plant in Mead, NE

E3 Biofuels to Launch First Closed-Loop Ethanol Plant in Mead, NE:
October 30, 2006
"Mead, NE -- Dennis Langley, Chairman and CEO of E3 BioFuels, announces the Genesis plant will begin production in December 2006 at Mead, NE as the first-ever closed-loop system for distilling commercial quantities of ethanol using methane gas recaptured from cow manure, instead of fossil fuels. "

Ford May Impliment Ethanol Injection in Vehicles

This is one of the more promising ethanol technologies. It would mean a substantial miles per gallon improvement using ethanol as opposed to the substantial loss using ethanol in current flex fuel vehicles. I can't help but think this would be a huge hit with motorists. -- Jeff Goettemoeller
MIT Ups MPG 30 Percent With Ethanol-Injected Engine | TechFreep Automotive: "Ethanol Boosting Systems is currently working alongside Ford to implement the ethanol-injection system in future models."

Leftovers from harvest are potential fuel source

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Leftovers from harvest are potential fuel source:
by Hal Bernton -- October 16, 2006
"Federal studies at the University of Nebraska's research center in Mead indicate that on some lands all the corn residues should be left.
On others, only a portion should be removed, and researchers here are scrambling to develop new guidelines they hope farmers will respect."

Chevron and NREL to Advance Cellulosic Biofuel

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Chevron and NREL to Advance Cellulosic Biofuels:
October 6, 2006
"Researchers from CTV and NREL will collaborate on projects to develop the next generation of process technologies that will convert cellulosic biomass, such as forestry and agricultural wastes, into biofuels such as ethanol and renewable diesel."

Glue made from ethanol leftovers might be worth more than fuel

This could be a great way to make cellulosic ethanol viable. Rather than trying to squeeze out more ethanol, making good use of coproducts might make the whole operation profitable with existing ethanol extraction technology. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Glue made from ethanol leftovers might be worth more than fuel | WTN:
by Margaret Broeren, Wisconsing Technology Network -- September 26, 2006
"Rather than dwelling on finding ways to squeeze extra ethanol out of biomass from crops such as switchgrass, Weimer is concentrating his research on the leftovers. He thinks that the large heap of fermentation residue from the ethanol-making process - what many people consider a byproduct - could be far more valuable than the ethanol itself."

Building the Cellulosic Ethanol Industry

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Building the Cellulosic Ethanol Industry:
September 27, 2006
"Minneapolis, Minnesota [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] A new report issued by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) urges the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to change its piecemeal approach to commercializing ethanol from cellulose by developing a comprehensive strategy, namely that farmer ownership should be the federal focus in building the cellulosic ethanol industry."

MIT Developing Floating Wind Turbines

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Floating Wind Turbines the Wave of the Future:
by Nancy Sauffer -- September 21, 2006
"Sclavounos estimates that building and installing his floating support system should cost a third as much as constructing the type of truss tower now planned for deep-water installations. Because of the strong offshore winds, the floating turbines should produce up to twice as much electricity per year (per installed megawatt) as wind turbines now in operation. And since the wind turbines are not permanently attached to the ocean floor, they are a movable asset."

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Virgin Group Pledges to Invest $400 M in Renewable Energy

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Virgin Group Pledges to Invest $400 M in Renewable Energy:
September 18, 2006
"Formed in June 2006, Cilion plans to build and operate ethanol plants that will be cheaper and greener than standard corn-to-ethanol plants, reducing the need for fossil fuels in ethanol production. "

New Technology Uses Cellulosic Biomass to Produce Ethanol

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | New Technology Uses Cellulosic Biomass to Produce Ethanol:
September 19, 2006
"The new technology uses RITE strain, a microorganism developed by RITE that converts sugar into alcohol, with Honda engineering to increase alcohol conversion efficiency, in comparison to current cellulosic bio-ethanol production processes."

Chevron to Fund Major Biofuel Research Projects at UC Davis

UC Davis News & Information :: Chevron to Fund Major Biofuel Research Projects at UC Davis:
September 19, 2006
"Chevron Corp. will fund up to $25 million in research at UC Davis in the next five years to develop affordable, renewable transportation fuels from farm and forest residues, urban wastes and crops grown specifically for energy."

New ethanol process offers cost, environmental benefits

This process produces high-value byproducts for human consumption and making environmentally friendly plastics. -- Jeff
New ethanol process offers cost, environmental benefits:
Newswire -- reliableplant.com
"A Purdue University team led by professor Li-fu Chen and research assistant Qin Xu, both from the Purdue food science department, discovered a new method to create ethanol from corn. The method also produces biodegradable byproducts that could be safely eaten."

St. Joseph facility developing cellulosic ethanol

ICM is partnering with Lifeline Foods of St. Joseph to develop an ethanol research facility at the St. Joseph Lifeline complex. -- Jeff G.
Ethanol Producer Magazine:
by Ron Kotrba -- September 18, 2006
"ICM CEO and President Dave Vander Griend tells EPM that one of the major R&D objectives on which the company will focus in the new center will be developing a �best methods� commercial approach to cellulosic ethanol either through a gas-to-liquid production or via effective pretreatment followed by fermentation�or perhaps an alternative method. More details are provided in the October 2006 issue of Ethanol Producer Magazine. "

NCGA Study: Farmer-owned Ethanol Refineries Contribute More to Local Economies

National Corn Growers Association - NCGA:
September 12, 2006
"The study, 'Economic Impacts on the Farm Community of Cooperative Ownership of Ethanol Production,' concludes that, 'Since a farmer-owned cooperative ethanol plant is literally a member of the community, the full contribution to the local economy is likely to be as much as 56 percent larger than the impact of an absentee-owned corporate plant.' John Urbanchuk of LECG, LLC, conducted the analysis."

Why Isn't Butanol More Prevalent?

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Why Isn't Butanol More Prevalent?:
by Scott Sklar -- September 12, 2006
"Butanol has a high energy content (110,000 Btu per gallon for butanol vs. 84,000 Btu per gallon for ethanol). Gasoline contains about 115,000 Btu's per gallon. Butanol is six times less 'evaporative' than ethanol and 13.5 times less evaporative than gasoline, making it safer to use as an oxygenate in Arizona, California and other states, thereby eliminating the need for very special blends during the summer and winter months."

Community Renewable Energy Is Just Around the Corner

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Community Renewable Energy Is Just Around the Corner:
by Ted Bernhard -- September 11, 2006
"For decades, the conventional wisdom about developing energy projects in the U.S. has been that 'big' always meant cheaper, and therefore better, projects. This produced what has become our modern centralized electric power system fueled primarily by coal, natural gas and nuclear power. "

Fast-Growing Poplars Could Be Ethanol Source

Purdue University researchers are attempting to change the lignin composition produced by Poplar trees to facilitate easier ethanol production. -- Jeffrey
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Fast-Growing Poplars Could Be Ethanol Source:
September 7, 2006
"Approximately 10 tons of poplar could be grown per acre annually, representing 700 gallons of ethanol. Changing the lignin composition could increase the annual yield to 1,000 gallons of ethanol per acre, according to experts. Planted on 110 million acres of unused farmland, this could replace 80 percent of the transportation fossil fuel consumed in the United States each year."

Direct Injection Ethanol Breakthrough Increases Efficiency Using Ethanol-Water Mix

Ecosense Solutions is producing this direct injection system for Irrigation pumps, but they say it could be used on E85 Automobiles in the future. With the use of a water-ethanol mix, fuel efficiency is increased considerably. The ethanol would be less expensive to make because less of the water would need to be removed from the "beer." Refineries would need to be retrofitted to produce this hydrated ethanol because they are designed to remove virtually all of the water. -- Jeffrey
Midwest Producer: Top Stories:
by Terry Anderson -- September 7, 2006
"LaVaute said production on the Ethanol Pumper Retrofit Kit, with patent pending, will begin soon. The return on a farmer's investment would be speedy, Gehrke said.
'The system pays for itself in the first week of use,' he said.
And it's not just a device for the thousands of irrigation motors across the countryside.
'With our ethanol system, we can also implement its use in E85 autos, reducing emissions 90 percent while increasing mpg up to 60 percent,' Gehrke said. 'The auto's own computer won't know we're even on board.'"

GS AgriFuels to Build Integrated Multi-Feedstock, Multi-Fuels Production Facility in Memphis, Tennessee

GS AgriFuels Corporation - Press Room - GS AgriFuels to Build Integrated Multi-Feedstock, Multi-Fuels Production Facility in Memphis, Tennessee:
September 6, 2006
"GS AgriFuels intends to use standard fuel production technologies and a number of proprietary technologies, including innovative pre-treatment, process intensification, gasification, catalytic, and carbon capture technologies, synergistically at small-scales to enable the refining of many forms of biomass into clean fuels, including biodiesel and ethanol."

Ethanol: Good for car fuel, mouthwash?

Ethanol: Good for car fuel, mouthwash? - Oil & Energy - MSNBC.com:
August 27, 2006
"AMES, Iowa - Now that ethanol has become common in gas tanks, two Iowa State University professors are working to get it into martini glasses."

Gov. Bush Puts Clout Behind Use of Ethanol

Investor Vinod Khosla puts an interesting twist on this idea. He recommneds eliminating the ethanol import tariff, but only for ethanol to be sold as E85. This would lower the price of e85 so much that the many flex-fuel vehicle owners would finally take notice and the result would be a thriving E85 market that could be exploited by future U.S. producers of inexpensive cellulosic ethanol. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Gov. Bush Puts Clout Behind Use of Biofuel | theledger.com:
by David Adams, ST. Petersburg Times -- The Ledger Online -- August 26, 2006
"In April, Bush wrote to his brother advocating lifting the 54 cents-per-gallon tariff on Brazilian ethanol. 'In light of the challenge we face in meeting the growing demand for fuel, I believe we should reconsider the U.S. policy that taxes ethanol imports from Brazil -- while allowing other tax-free oil energy imports from Venezuela,' he wrote."he

Professor optomistic about future of bio-based fuels

DesMoinesRegister.com:
by Jerry Perkins -- August 29, 2006
"Ames, Ia. � The future is now for farm crops and other potential substitutes for petroleum products, Dartmouth College engineering professor Lee Lynd said Monday at the Biobased Industry Outlook Conference at Iowa State University."

British Petroleum Investing $500 Million in a Bioenergy Institute

DesMoinesRegister.com:
by Anne Fitzgerald -- August 29, 2006
"Ames, Ia. � Iowa State University is being considered as a possible site for a $500 million bioenergy institute to be established by BP, one of the world's largest oil companies, company and ISU officials said Monday."

Panda announces third manure powered ethanol refinery

Panda Ethanol to Build 100 Million Gallon Ethanol Plant in Sherman County, TX:
Biofuels Journal -- August 29, 2006
"Once complete, it will be one of the most fuel efficient ethanol refineries in the nation and equal in size to Panda's Hereford facility which is the largest biomass-fueled ethanol plant in the United States.
The Sherman facility is the fourth 100 million gallon ethanol project announced by Panda, and the third to be powered by cattle manure."

Confronting Today's Oil Crisis in the U.S.

The author of this article published one of the first books on the production of ethanol fuel. -- Jeff G.
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Confronting Today's Oil Crisis in the U.S.:
by Paul Notari -- August 28, 2006
"With little doubt today the United States is being confronted with a crisis of major proportions. As world oil demand keeps growing and oil supplies are curtailed or threatened by political turmoil in the Mideast, world oil prices could well continue to escalate upwards at an alarming rate."

Wisconsin paper mill reborn as biorefinery

Oshkosh Northwestern - Paper mill reborn as biorefinery:
Associated Press -- August 5, 2006
"But, with the mill soon to reopen with all the jobs being restored and new plans to establish an experimental biorefinery to make ethanol from wood products, the mood was far different Friday, Mayor Tom Ratzlaff said. "

SW Kansas Electric/Biofuel Complex will Recycle all Byproducts

The Hutchinson News, Hutchinson, Kan., | Regional News:
by Tim Vandenack -- August 24, 2006
"As envisioned in a complex flow chart outlining the plans, waste from one facility would be used to help power another. For instance, flue gas, or combustion exhaust, from the coal-fired generators would be fed into the algae reactor, which would produce the algae oil that would power the biodiesel plant.
Manure, animal fat, paunch and wastewater from area feedlots, packing plants and dairies also would figure heavy in the mix. Fat, more properly known as tallow, would help run the biodiesel plant, while wastewater and manure would be fed into the anaerobic digester, which would generate the methane that would help run the ethanol plant."

Electric Utility to Develop Integrated Bioenergy Center in Western Kansas

This kind of project drastically improves the renewable energy balance of ethanol. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Sunflower to Develop Integrated Bioenergy Center:
August 22, 2006
"When completed, the center will involve several subsystems which may include: livestock facilities, an anaerobic digester, an algae reactor, an ethanol and a biodiesel plant which are integrated to utilize corresponding waste steams."

British company to make butanol fuel

New British biofuel plan beets ethanol | Science & nature | The Australian:
by Ben Webster, London -- August 24, 2006
"British Sugar, which is building Britain's first butanol plant in Norfolk, eastern England, plans to produce 70 million litres of the fuel a year. Butanol is expected to be introduced in all 1250 BP petrol stations by 2010."

BlueFire Ethanol Identifies Southern California Landfill as Initial Location in the U.S. for Commercialization of Cellulose Ethanol Technology

PRESS RELEASE BlueFire Ethanol Identifies Southern California Landfill as Initial Location in the U.S. for Commercialization of Cellulose Ethanol Technology:
Market Wire -- August 22, 2006
"BlueFire's Southern California Biorefinery will process 700 tons of green waste and other cellulosic waste material per day into 24 million gallons of fuel grade ethanol per year with projected revenues of about $55 million and operating income of approximately $25 million per year. "

KC Company Intends to Acquire Cellulosic Ethanol Developer Flex Fuels USA

Alternative Energy Sources Intends to Acquire Cellulosic Ethanol Developer Flex Fuels USA: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance:
August 11, 2006
"Alternative Energy and Flex Fuels USA estimate four to five months of design and engineering, with an anticipated construction beginning in the second quarter of 2007. Once processes are finalized, he said the company anticipates building the first cellulosic ethanol facility in the Eastern United States."

XETHANOL converting fiberboard plant to produce cellulosic ethanol

XETHANOL CORP.: "The company, presently known as Carolina Fiberboard, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of BlueRidge and change its name to Spring Hope BioFuels, LLC. It is believed that this plant may well become the first commercial-scale cellulose ethanol plant to come on line in the US... It is anticipated that, after retrofitting the plant to produce ethanol, production will reach 5 million gallons per year in approximately 6 months and then progress rapidly to capacity. The primary feedstock of local hardwood chips and wood waste has already been established. "

Pilot Cellulosic Refinery to be Located with PA Corn Refinery

BioEnergy International to Build Pennsylvania's First Ethanol Plant in Clearfield County:
Clearfield, PA -- Grainnet.com -- August 18, 2006
"The plant will employ conventional corn-based technology and will be among the largest east of the Mississippi River, and one of the nation�s top 10, based on output.
The smaller pilot-cellulose plant will use BioEnergy�s ground-breaking technology to produce fuels using locally available organic wastes, such as wood and agricultural residue."

Electric Power Company Considers Making Ethanol

Using steam that is normally wasted from coal fired power generation facilities is one way ethanol can be made more environmentally friendly, with a better energy balance. The needed steam would otherwise be made from dedicated boilers at the ethanol plant, usually fired by natural gas. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
NRG Energy Considers Making Ethanol:
by Matthew Dalton, Dow Jones Newswire -- August 18, 2006 (Associated Press)
"These plants have much lower fuel costs than other ethanol plants, as they run on steam produced by existing coal-fired power plants. By using excess steam from the power plant boiler, they eliminate the need to buy large amounts of coal just for the ethanol plant."

Polluted Sites Nationwide Could Become Biofuels Proving Grounds

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Polluted Sites Nationwide Could Become Biofuels Proving Grounds:
August 17, 2006
"East Lansing, Michigan [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Growing crops for biofuels summons images of fuel alternatives springing from the rural heartland. But a Michigan State University partnership with DaimlerChrysler is looking at turning industrial brownfields green. "

1-butanol better option than ethanol

The Enquirer - 1-butanol better option than ethanol:
by Milton Orchin -- August 13, 2006
"...there is an alternative that not only retains these merits but is far superior to bioethanol as a gasoline substitute. It is biobutanol, or more specifically, 1-butanol, one of the four different kinds (isomers) of butanol. 1-Butanol is a second cousin to ethanol."

Interest in the Scuderi Group's Air-Hybrid Engine is growing

The Fuel economy advantages of a hybrid electric engine at a fraction of the cost! Sounds like a winner, and of course it could be fueled by ethanol or biodiesel. -- Jeff Goettemoeller
Concern about Fuel Efficiency and Energy Independence Drive Interest in the Scuderi Group's Air-Hybrid Engine:
Theautochannel.com -- August 15, 2006
"By adding a small air storage tank with some simple controls costing only a few hundred dollars, the Scuderi engine can recapture energy normally lost during the braking of a vehicle. To accomplish this with electric hybrids requires a complex electrical system costing thousands of dollars, consisting of generators, motors, and large batteries."

Hydraulic Hybrid Delivery Truck gets 60 to 70% Better Fuel Economy

Environmental Protection Agency - EPA Press Release: Hybrid Technology Takes Giant Leap into Commercial Vehicles - EPA Unveils UPS Delivery Truck with 60 to 70% Higher Fuel Economy:
June 23, 2006
"Hydraulic motors and hydraulic tanks are used to store energy, in contrast to electric motors and batteries used in electric hybrid vehicles. Like other hybrid systems, energy saved when applying the brakes is reused to help accelerate the vehicle. Following a road tour of EPA Regional offices, the vehicle will be delivering UPS packages across Michigan this summer."

Governor announces testing of E85 conversion kits

Minnesota Commerce : Governor announces testing of E85 conversion kits:
News Release
"Testing at Minnesota State University, Mankato Center for Automotive Research to provide data to EPA "

State Tests E85 Conversion Kits

Their goal is to convince the EPA to do the testing required for EPA certification of E85 conversion kits. These conversions are technicaly feasible. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
wcco.com - State Tests E85 Conversion Kits:
August 4, 2006
"(AP) St. Paul -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Friday that the state would start testing conversion kits that allow E-85 fuel to be used in vehicles built to run solely on gasoline."

XcelPlus Eyes Lube Centers for E85 Conversions

LUBE REPORT: XcelPlus Eyes Lube Centers:
by Nancy DeMarco -- April 12, 2006 -- Vol. 6 Issue 15
"XcelPlus says it will start acquiring fast-lube centers in the Midwest this month, where it will adapt vehicles to use E85 ethanol fuel and promote a planned line of E85 motor oils."

MIT Researchers Fired Up over New Battery

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Researchers Fired Up over New Battery:
August 10, 2006
"Nanotube-enhanced ultracapacitors would combine the long life and high power characteristics of a commercial ultracapacitor with the higher energy storage density normally available only from a chemical battery"

Cellulosic Ethanol System to be installed in Louisiana

SunOpta Announces System Sale to Celunol | Nachrichten |:
August 8, 2006
"SunOpta Inc. (SunOpta or the Company) (Nasdaq:STKL)(TSX:SOY) today announced that the company has sold a continuousprocess system, including SunOpta's patented and proprietary biomassconversion technology, to Celunol (formerly BC International) forCelunol's cellulosic ethanol commercial demonstration facility inJennings, Louisiana."

Mascoma getting closer to cellulosic ethanol at competitive price

Local firm to revolutionize motor fuel industry:
by Kristen Senz -- 7/28/2006
"HANOVER - A company recently formed by Dartmouth College researchers has developed the technology to make ethanol available as an inexpensive motor fuel throughout most of the world. "

Having a Gas with Biomass

Ag Innovation News, Apr-Jun 2006: BURN POWER:
By E.M. Morison -- Vol 15, No. 2
"Now, high natural gas and oil prices are sparking renewed interest in small-scale gasification. This time around, though, the feedstock isn't coal but renewable biomass plant and animal materials such as crop residue, manure and wood waste. Processing companies that generate their own low-value biomass coproducts are especially interested in this emerging technology, says Michael Sparby, AURI project director."

Corn stover biogas could be viable for municipal electricity

Ag Innovation News, Apr-Jun 2006: "A biomass gasification system installed at the Morris industrial park would use 69,000 tons of corn stover, roughly 25 percent of Stevens County's stover production. The system could produce about 507,000 million metric Btu or decatherms at a cost of $10.44 per decatherm, compared to the $14.50 that industry pays for natural gas."

Liquid Gold: Syrup from ethanol production may nourish soils

Ag Innovation News, Apr-Jun 2006: AURI ENERGY CENTER NEWS:
Vol. 15, No. 2
"By Dan Lemke, Waseca, Minn. � Minnesota may be sitting on an abundant, low-cost, high-nutrient fertilizer that's easy to handle and available statewide. Better yet, it may reduce costs for farmers and one of state's fastest-growing industries. "

Panda Ethanol to Begin Construction on Manure Powered Refinery

This will be a 100 million gallon per year ethanol refinery -- the biggest yet of those refineries powered by methane from cattle manure instead of fossil fuels. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Panda Ethanol Completes $188 Million Financing for Hereford Facility:
Biofuels Journsl -- August 1, 2006
"The company will immediately begin facility construction on the 380-acre site and anticipates ethanol production to commence in the second half of 2007.
The first-of-its-kind facility will generate the steam used to manufacture ethanol by gasifying more than 1 billion pounds of cattle manure a year making it one of the most fuel efficient ethanol refineries in the nation."

Energy Dept. to establish two centers for cellulosic ethanol research

Waste News | Waste Management/Recycling/Landfill Headlines:
by Bruce Geiselman
"Aug. 2 -- The U.S. Energy Department will spend $250 million establishing and operating two new Bioenergy Research Centers to accelerate basic research on the development of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels."

Big Players Join Race to put Farm Waste Into Your Gas Tank

Iogen Corporation:
by John J. Fialka and Scott Kilman, The Wall Street Journal -- June 29, 2006
"WILMINGTON, Del. - One way to wean America from its addiction to foreign oil might well lie in the muddy solution swirling about a glass container on top of a DuPont Co. laboratory bench.
Inside the liter-size vessel, a desert-loving bacterium is making motor fuel. The organism, which normally lives on the agave plant of tequila fame, is munching on the chopped-up leaves and stalk of a plant, and excreting a dilute form of ethanol, the gasoline substitute normally made from corn kernels in the U.S."

A Conversation with Vinod Khosla

The Oil Drum | Discussions about Energy and Our Future:
by Robert Rapier -- July 31, 2006
"In my recent essay Vinod Khosla Debunked, I challenged Mr. Khosla to a written debate on his recent ethanol claims. Mr. Khosla e-mailed me shortly after that essay appeared, and offered to discuss the matter by phone."

Julia Roberts to promote ethanol, biodiesel

Eco Stock Edge � Blog Archive � Julia Roberts Joins Earth Biofuels, Inc. as Spokesperson and Advisory Board Member: "DALLAS, July 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ � Earth Biofuels, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: EBOF) today announced that actress Julia Roberts will become a spokesperson for the company and will chair the company�s newly formed Advisory Board. Ms. Roberts joins fellow Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman and country music legend Willie Nelson in promoting the use of renewable fuels such as Earth Biofuels� biodiesel and ethanol."

History of Farm Ethanol

This very good history of ethanol fuel includes some excellent old illustrations. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Renewable Fuels:
Renewable Energy History Project
"In the years before electricity was widely available, common appliances included alcohol irons, coffee roasters, hot water heaters and stoves -- along with alcohol fueled cars. "

Texas CO plans to mass-produce cellulosic ethanol refineries

The Austin Chronicle News: Ethanol Usage, Production Heat Up in Texas:
by Daniel Mottola -- June 9, 2006
"'It is our goal that the U.S. be fuel-independent in five to eight years from our efforts, along with that of others in the field,' said George Oerther, president of BioFuels Energy Corporation, located in the Rio Grande Valley town of Raymondville. His company is developing a 12-million-gallon-per-year plant and capabilities to mass-produce smaller cellulosic ethanol distilleries."

SunOpta in race to build cellulosic ethanol plant

TheStar.com - SunOpta in race to build ethanol plant:
by Tyler Hamilton -- July 27, 2006
"the company has an ambitious plan to become a major producer of 'cellulosic' ethanol made from wheat straw and wood waste, starting with a five-million litre a year commercial demonstration plant near Salamanca, Spain, that's expected to be up and running by the year's end."

Tell Ford you want Flexible Fueled, Plug-in Hybrids

This article is on a Ford Motor company web site where they explore possible directions for new vehicles. Posting a comment after this article is a good way to make your opinions known to Ford. My own reaction is that an plug-in ethanol-gasoline-electric "tribrid" would be awsome if the engine is optomized for better fuel economy on E85. This can be done with variable turbo boosting as with the Saab 9-5 biofuel on roads in Europe. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Bold Moves : Homepage:
by David Morris
"When Ford introduces its flexible fueled Escape hybrid, two-thirds of the technological foundation for an oil free future will be in place. The final piece? Enabling the grid system to recharge the hybrid's batteries. "

A Rooftop Windmill Of Your Very Own

The usual advice I've read is to keep wind generators away from buidings, but this is an entirely new type of wind generator designed for rooftop instalation. Noise and vibration are low enough for this application. They produce a fraction of the output of larger units, but there are many locations they could be installed. They could supply a great deal of our power needs. A 5 year payback is quite favorable compared to other renewable energy investments. We need to get this rolling in the United States. At a wind power conference I attended last year, this wasn't even on the radar of the experts or attendees. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
A Rooftop Windmill Of Your Very Own - Newsweek: International Editions - MSNBC.com:
by Benjamin Sutherland, Newsweek -- April 24, 2006 issue
"Most rooftop turbines are designed to pay for themselves after about five years of moderately favorable wind conditions common in temperate climates like those of Europe, the United States and Japan."

Biodiversity key to sustainable biofuel according to University of Minn. researcher's findings

This scientific evedence supports the wisdom of producing biofuels such as ethanol from prairie grasses, showing that such a system can be truly sustainable over the long run. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Biodiversity key to sustainable biofuel according to University of Minn. researcher's findings (press release):
July 17, 2006
"High diversity allows us to produce biofuels with low inputs, and this means that we can get more energy from an acre of land, year after year, with high certainty. Because they are perennials, you can plant prairie grass once and mow it for biomass every fall essentially forever"

Application Filed for First U.S. Commercial Wave Energy Project

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Application Filed for First U.S. Commercial Wave Energy Project:
july 25, 2006
"Pennington, New Jersey [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Ocean Power Technologies (OPT), known for its PowerBuoy wave energy device, filed an application for construction permission to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a 50-megawatt (MW) wave power generation project in Oregon, the first request in the U.S. for such a power project on a utility-scale level. "

Manure powered ethanol refinery planned in northern Kansas

This would be the second ethanol refinery/feedlot combination built be E3 Biofuels. The First was in Meade, Nebraska. More are planned. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
The Prairie Star: Local And Regional News:
by Tery Anderson -- June 7, 2006
"In the closed-loop system, the cattle facility supplies the manure needed to operate the solid waste management component. Biogas will be created from the cattle and bio-refinery waste through the anaerobic digesters. The process produces a virtually odorless and pathogen-free fertilizer, to be sold to farmers and consumers."

Some ethanol refineries could be converted to manure power

The Power Marketing Association OnLine:
by Nancy Gaarder -- October 27, 2005
"Hallberg said there are about a half-dozen livestock facilities in Nebraska that could be adapted to fuel an ethanol plant. "

Lotus to develop high efficiency ethanol engine

SocietyGuardian.co.uk | Society Guardian | Fast forward:
by Pete Warren -- July 12, 2006
"We are developing a demonstrator vehicle based on a super-charged Lotus Exige that is more powerful and more efficient than a petrol version"

Ethanol yields more power than petrol in high performance engines, say Lotus engineers - Hybridcarnews

Ethanol yields more power than petrol, say Lotus engineers - Hybridcarnews:
July 13, 2006
"We have found efficiency increases which, while not enormous, are still the sort of increases that people are spending billions of dollars trying to achieve in the automotive sector"

Nebraska cowpies power ethanol production

Daily Nebraskan:
by Mark Karpf -- June 19, 2006
"Dan Kenney, project and policy development manager of E3 BioFuels, said they hope their first ethanol plant - currently under construction near Mead - comes online in October of this year."

Cow manure to power ethanol plant | IndyStar.com

Cow manure to power ethanol plant | IndyStar.com:
Associated Press
"Under the plant's design, waste from every 1,000 dairy cows would be able to provide enough energy to produce 1 million gallons of ethanol.
The process would create ethanol at only three-quarters of the normal cost, while eliminating 20 percent of operating costs, said David Mager, Bion's vice president of public policy."

Fuels from biomass may feed energy cravings

Fuels from biomass may feed energy cravings:
by Hembree Brandon -- Farm Press -- July 19, 2006
"Three systems utilizing anerobic digesters are being constructed in the state to use dairy, poultry, and swine manure for energy. �We call it �poop to power,�� he laughs.
�We have the first system in the country that uses poultry waste to produce methane gas. It�s a highly computerized system, and is very efficient.� It will cost about $60,000, he said."

Farm based methane generators expected to pay off in seven years

Journal Gazette | 07/16/2006 | Don�t pooh-pooh dairy�s electricity business:
by David Gram, AP -- July 16, 2006
"In addition, the utility charges customers willing to pay it a 4-cents-per-kilowatt-hour premium for renewable energy and then turns the money over to the Audets. So far, more than 3,000 CVPS customers have signed up to pay the premium to support the renewable energy effort.
The bottom line is more than $120,000 a year from electricity sales. When they add in other energy savings enabled by the project, the Audets expect their $1.2 million investment in project equipment to pay for itself in about seven years."

Utility Plans on Using Cows' "Other" Product for Power

Utility Plans on Using Cows' "Other" Product for Power:
by C. Johnson, News10
"The logic is, there are about two million cows in the state and if the electricity and natural gas supplier taps into just a fraction of what the cows produce, it figures it can supply between 5 and 10 percent of its customers natural gas needs in the next 12 to 15 years."

Idaho ramping up energy from waste

Business - The Idaho Statesman - Always Idaho:
by Melissa McGrath -- July 19, 2006
"The Ada County landfill's new gas-to-energy system is the first of its kind in Idaho, but it might not be the only one for long."

Vermont program helps farmers make electricity from cow manure methane

Times Argus: Vermont News & Information:
by Louis Porter
"The state's nearly half-million dollars will help pay for the cost of extending high-power three-phase lines to the farms so they can sell their power into the grid.

The farms are part of the so-called 'Cow Power' project run by Central Vermont Public Service, in which customers can buy farm-produced power through the utility to help encourage the development of renewable methane electricity generation."

Biobutanol and Ethanol Could Work Well Together

The Dupont Web site has some promising things to say about biobutanol. It could be made from the same feedstock as ethanol and it can be mixed with ethanol and gasoline. Most importantly, a 10% ethanol blend generally needs additives to lower vapor pressure in some seasons. Apparently, mixing in biobutanol might be a way to do this while adding to the renewable biofuel component of the fuel. Biobutanol, they say, can also be shipped in gasoline pipelines, decreasing transportation costs. It also has a higher energy density than ethanol, so the cut in fuel economy should be less. Looks promising.-- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
BP DuPont BioFuels: Biobutanol Fact Sheet:
"Biobutanol is produced from the same agricultural feedstocks as ethanol (i.e. corn, wheat, sugar beet, sorghum, cassava and sugarcane).
Existing ethanol capacity can be cost-effectively retrofitted to biobutanol production (minor changes in fermentation and distillation).
There is a vapor pressure co-blend synergy with biobutanol and gasoline containing ethanol, which facilitates ethanol blending."

Toyota plans to offer a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid

The 100 mpg car is coming - MSN Money:
by Christopher Solomon
"Toyota said Tuesday said it would offer a gasoline-electric hybrid with bigger batteries that could be recharged at any outlet, further stretching the gasoline the car uses. Though production is years away, experimental models built by independent mechanics have already demonstrated 100 mpg results."

MN study finds positive energy balance for biofuels

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Biodiesel Edges Out Ethanol:
July 18, 2006
"And alternative crops such as switchgrass or mixed prairie grasses, which can grow on marginal land with minimal input of fossil fuel derived fertilizers and pesticides, offer the best hope for the future, according to the researchers."

SAAB Flex-Fuel Hybrid Electric Concept

GM - GMability Advanced Technology: Saab Hybrid:
"Stockholm (Mar. 30, 2006) The innovative Saab BioPower Hybrid Concept, making its world premiere at the Stockholm Motor Show (March 30 - April 9, 2006), delivers zero fossil CO2 emissions, enhanced performance and a range of energy-saving features by combining the use of pure bioethanol fuel and electric power generation for the first time."

DOE Publishes Research on Cellulosic Ethanol's Potential

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | DOE Publishes Research on Cellulosic Ethanol's Potential:
July 12, 2006
"The 200-page scientific roadmap cites recent advances in biotechnology that have made cost-effective production of ethanol from cellulose, or inedible plant fiber, an attainable goal."

Ethanol from Jerusalem Artichokes?

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Ethanol from Corn, Sure. But from Artichokes?:
July 12, 2006
"In the November 2004 paper, ' A Shortcut to the Production of High Ethanol Concentration from Jerusalem Artichoke Tubers' by Xiang-Yang Ge and Wei-Guo Zhang, of the The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, China, states the Jerusalem artichoke contains nearly 20 % of carbohydrates, and after fermentation yields can be up to 21 percent ethanol."

An Early Retirement For The Hydrogen Fuel Cell | EnergyBulletin.net | Peak Oil News Clearinghouse

An Early Retirement For The Hydrogen Fuel Cell | EnergyBulletin.net | Peak Oil News Clearinghouse:
by Ulf Bossel -- July 13, 2006
"At last weekends Lucerne Fuel Cell Conference, which is a highly respected technical conference, Ulf Bossel, the organizer, made a pretty signinficant announcement: the European PEMFC Forum series will not be continued because hydrogen fuel will never contribute to a sustainable world. Instead they will focus on phosphoric acid fuel cells, molten carbonate fuel cells and solid oxide fuel cells "

Pentagon and Peak Oil: A Military Literature Review

Pentagon and Peak Oil: A Military Literature Review | EnergyBulletin.net | Peak Oil News Clearinghouse:
by Sohbet Karbuz -- July 13, 2006
"Until the recent oil price hikes and world wide discussions on the future of oil, Peak Oil was nearly absent in military publications. Now, things have changed. This article attempts at providing a US military literature review on Peak Oil and related issues. "

Grid-Connected Cars and Renewables: Understanding the Potential

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Grid-Connected Cars and Renewables: Understanding the Potential:
by Steve Letendre -- July 9, 2006
"It is generally understood that PHEVs would charge during the evening and early morning hours when electricity demand is low and there is significant excess capacity available on the network. In some areas, wind resources are strongest at night, thus allowing wind power to serve as an energy source for vehicles."

DOE Publishes Roadmap for Developing Cleaner Fuels

Department of Energy - DOE Publishes Roadmap for Developing Cleaner Fuels:
DOE press release -- July 7, 2006
"Research Aimed at Making Cellulosic Ethanol a Practical Alternative to Gasoline "

DOE Publishes Roadmap for Developing Cleaner Fuels

Department of Energy - DOE Publishes Roadmap for Developing Cleaner Fuels:
DOE Press Release -- July 7, 2006
"WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released an ambitious new research agenda for the development of cellulosic ethanol as an alternative to gasoline. The 200-page scientific roadmap cites recent advances in biotechnology that have made cost-effective production of ethanol from cellulose, or inedible plant fiber, an attainable goal. The report outlines a detailed research plan for developing new technologies to transform cellulosic ethanol�a renewable, cleaner-burning, and carbon-neutral alternative to gasoline�into an economically viable transportation fuel.
�Cellulosic ethanol has the potential to be a major source for transportation fuel for America's energy future, Under Secretary for Science Raymond L. Orbach said. Low production cost and high efficiency require transformational changes in processing cellulose to ethanol. DOE's Genomics: GTL program is poised to help do just that.
The roadmap responds directly to the goal recently announced by Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman of displacing 30 percent of 2004 transportation fuel consumption with biofuels by 2030. This goal was set in response to the President's Advanced Energy Initiative. "

Algae BioFuels Forms to Develop Algae-Based fuels

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Algae BioFuels Forms to Develop Algae-Based Biodiesel:
June 30, 2006
"Extensive research is currently being conducted to determine the utilization of microalgae as an energy source, with applications being developed for biodiesel, ethanol, methanol, methane and even hydrogen."

Eight Corn-Ethanol Plants to be Identical, Modular and Green

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Eight Corn-Ethanol Plants to be Identical, Modular and Green:
July 5, 2006
"'Our technology and years of experience will allow our plants to have an energy balance advantage that is 2X that of gasoline. In addition we expect a greater than 90% reduction in petroleum use,' said Kevin Kruse, Western Milling president."

BP and DuPont Announce Partnership to Develop Advanced Biofuels

BP Global - Press - BP and DuPont Announce Partnership to Develop Advanced Biofuels:
June 2006
"The first product to market will be biobutanol, which will be introduced in the United Kingdom as a gasoline bio-component. Initial introduction is targeted in the UK in 2007 where BP and DuPont are working with British Sugar, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods plc, to convert the country's first ethanol fermentation facility to produce biobutanol. "

The Ethanol Investment Craze

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | The Ethanol Investment Craze:
by Russell Hasan -- June 26, 2006
"The investment interest in ethanol is borderline frenzy. This is dangerous, because investors seem to be pouring in money just on the basis of seeing the word 'ethanol,' without any detailed understanding of the corn ethanol industry and factors affecting the ethanol market. "

Southwest Daily Times, News from Liberal and Seward County, Kansas

Liberal Online - Southwest Daily Times, News from Liberal and Seward County, Kansas:
by Tina Bridenstine --
"Members of the community, especially in the Hayne area, have expressed some concern about the possibility of an ethanol plant being constructed locally.
However, Conestoga Energy Partners LLC President Nick Hatcher said the plant won't be the nuisance some people think it will be. On the contrary, Hatcher believes it will have a positive impact."

Boosting Biomass-to...Butanol?

Green Car Congress: Boosting Biomass-to...Butanol?: "20 July 2005 -- From Ohio to California and back on butanol.
An Ohio inventor has taken to the road to promote butanol as an alternative fuel to ethanol as well as his process for producing it from the anaerobic fermentation of biomass waste. The two-stage, dual-path process, which relies on two different Clostridia strains (earlier post), also yields hydrogen as a product. "

Bio-Butanol Production Process

R-Squared: Bio-Butanol:
May 1, 2006
"Bio-Butanol versus Bio-Ethanol"

Ethanol war brewing

Business 2.0: Ethanol war brewing - Jun. 23, 2006:
by Chris Taylor
"Grain alcohol is seen as the new gasoline. But which recipe is the one for investors to bet on?"

Ethanol Facility Powered by Renewable Energy from Dairy Waste

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Ethanol Facility Powered by Renewable Energy from Dairy Waste:
June 26, 2006
"'Based on Bion's ratio forecast between herd concentration and ethanol production, it appears that both heat energy and ethanol co-product can be in balance in an environmentally sustainable manner,' said John Ewen of Ardour Capital, an advisor to Bion."

Super ethanol is on its way (Cellulosic)

Truth About Trade & Technology - Super ethanol is on its way:
by Steven Hargreaves
"New York (CNNMoney.com) � Cellulosic ethanol, the biofuel that differs from corn-based ethanol in that it can be made from pretty much any organic matter, has made an impression among people who matter."

A Range of Estimates on Ethanol's Benefits

A Range of Estimates on Ethanol's Benefits - New York Times:
by Alexei Barrionuevo -- June 25, 2006
"The choice of what fuel to use to run an ethanol plant will also play a role in determining its ultimate energy efficiency. In Hereford, Tex., White Energy expects to use natural gas to power its ethanol plant, while another Dallas-based company, Panda Energy International, plans to use Hereford's ample supplies of cow manure as fuel. "

Dupont, BP to Prouce Biobutanol Fuel from sugar beets & more

JournalStar.com:
by Randall Chase, AP -- June 20, 2006
"DOVER, Del. � Chemical maker DuPont said Tuesday it will begin marketing biofuels for the transportation sector next year through a partnership with oil company BP PLC."

SunOptra Cellulosic Refineries to Produce Ethanol and Butanol

CNW Group: "The SunOpta Bioprocess Group has been designing, building and optimizing
biomass conversion plants for over thirty years. End products include
cellulosic ethanol, cellulosic butanol, xylitol and dietary fibre for human
consumption. Raw materials include wheat straw, corn stover, grasses, oat
hulls, wood chips and sugarcane bagasse."

BP Pledges $500 Million for Energy Biosciences Institute

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | BP Pledges $500 Million for Energy Biosciences Institute:
June 21, 2006
"The Institute would focus on developing biofuel components and improving the efficiency of current blends, devising technologies to accelerate conversion of organic matter to biofuel, and using plant science to develop species that produce a higher yield of energy molecules and can be grown on land not suitable for food production."

DuPont shares rally after butanol partnership with BP - MarketWatch

DuPont shares rally after butanol partnership with BP - MarketWatch:
by Shawn Langlois -- June 21, 2006
"SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- DuPont Co. shares gained as much as 5% Wednesday as Wall Street weighed long-term prospects of the chemical giant's partnership with BP to make biobutanol, an alternative to corn-based ethanol in the red-hot fuel additive market."

Chevron Commits $12 M to Research Cellulosic Biofuels and Hydrogen

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Chevron Commits $12 M to Research Cellulosic Biofuels and Hydrogen:
June 19, 2006
"San Ramon, California [RenewableEnergyAcccess.com] Chevron Corporation and the Georgia Institute of Technology will pursue advanced technology aimed at making cellulosic biofuels and hydrogen viable transportation fuels. "

Switchgrass Burn Test Proves Hopeful

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Switchgrass Burn Test Proves Hopeful:
June 19, 2006
"For all its hype, there are few actual examples of its use. This week, however, brought news of a successful and promising application of switchgrass crops co-fired with coal. "

Goldman, Gates Bet Ethanol Won't Repeat '80's Style Bust

Bloomberg.com: Latin America:
May 25, 2006
"May 25 (Bloomberg) -- A quarter-mile procession of trucks piled high with corn trundles concussively over the ruts on Distillery Road in the farm town of Pekin, Illinois, 163 miles south of Chicago. "

Malta Bend, Missouri: Biofuel boom town

Columbia Missourian - Biofuel boom town:
by Leslie Parker -- June 18, 2006
"Business is thriving in Malta Bend since the ethanol plant opened there two years ago. Farmers earn more per bushel of corn, and merchants are serving more customers."

Minnesota Becomes First State to Endorse an Electric-Alcohol Strategy

ILSR Columns: Kicking Our Oil Addiction:�Minnesota Becomes First State to Endorse an Electric-Alcohol Strategy:
ILSR -- June 8, 2006
"Minneapolis, MN -- Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed into law H.F. 3718, the nation's first law promoting plug-in hybrid, flexible-fueled vehicles.
The legislation, inspired by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's report A Better Way that proposed an electricity-alcohol transportation energy strategy, and several articles by ILSR staff published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune in late 2005, sailed through both houses by a unanimous vote."

It's the liquid fuel, stupid

It's the liquid fuel, stupid - The Boston Globe:
by Scott Lehigh -- June 13, 2006
"LAST YEAR, when Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa told me that ethanol was emerging as a cost-effective solution to our energy problems, I was dubious."

Fla. oil executive plans to reopen old Tarkio College in Missouri

Fla. oil executive plans to reopen old Tarkio College in Missouri:
PalmBeachPost.com
"TARKIO, Mo. -- A Florida oil executive plans to transform the old Tarkio College campus in northwest Missouri into a science-focused private college, school officials have announced.
Chad Meek currently runs Clarity Resource, an oil and gas exploration company in Orlando, Fla. Now, he said he's ready to assume a new role as chief executive officer of a new private school to be called the Midwestern Institute of Energy."

Vinod Khosla Presenting on Biofuels

This video of a speech by Sun Microsystems founder Vinod Khosla is well worth watching. It presents a plausible scenario for replacing much of our fossil fuel transportation fuels with cellulosic ethanol. It's a little over an hour long. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed: Vinod Khosla Presenting on Biofuels

Worldwatch institute Report Supports Biofuels

peopleandplanet.net; bright future for biofuels, says report:
June 12, 2006
"The report recommends policies to accelerate the development of biofuels, while maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks."

Louisiana Company to Break Ground on Cellulosic Ethanol Refinery

TheInd.com - News | Business | Culture - Weekly - Lafayette LA:
by Mary Tutwiler -- June 7, 2006
"Rudy Fogleman, general manager for BCI Louisiana, a subsidiary of private company Celunol, says BCI Louisiana has been researching and developing ways to convert biomass into ethanol. 'We actually have an operating pilot plant, and we're in the early stages of developing a commercial biomass plant on the scale of 1-2 million gallons of ethanol a year,' says Fogleman. The company plans to break ground at the end of the summer, and the plant should be completed in about eight months."

Company Plans to Mass-Produce Cellulosic Ethanol Distilleries

The Austin Chronicle: News: Ethanol Usage, Production Heat Up in Texas:
by Daniel Mottola -- June 9, 2006
"'It is our goal that the U.S. be fuel-independent in five to eight years from our efforts, along with that of others in the field,' said George Oerther, president of BioFuels Energy Corporation, located in the Rio Grande Valley town of Raymondville. His company is developing a 12-million-gallon-per-year plant and capabilities to mass-produce smaller cellulosic ethanol distilleries."

Digging into the Ethanol Energy Balance Debate

WSJ.com - The Numbers Guy:
by Carl Bialik -- June 9, 2006
"Broin Cos., based in Sioux Falls, S.D., has pioneered a method to convert corn to ethanol at 90 degrees, rather than the previous 230 to 250 degrees, improving energy efficiency by 10% to 12%, according to co-founder and Chief Executive Jeff Broin. And E3 Biofuels LLC is finding ways to get more out of all parts of the corn, by building plants near dairy farms and feeding cows the byproducts of ethanol processing, then using energy from the animal waste to help power the plants."

Greenspan Backs Cellulosic Ethanol

DesMoinesRegister.com:
June 8, 2006
"Ethanol made from crop waste, switchgrass and other biomass, known as cellulosic ethanol, 'would help to wean us of our petroleum dependence,' Greenspan said Wednesday in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee."

Ethanol Car Beats Fuel Cells to Win European Eco-marathon

More proof that cars can be designed to run quite efficiently on ethanol. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Ethanol Car Beats Fuel Cells to Win European Eco-marathon

Cargill, ADM differ on agriculture's priority

Pantagraph.com - Business - Cargill, ADM differ on agriculture's priority:
by Steve Karnowski, AP -- 5/30/2006
"MINNEAPOLIS -- One agribusiness giant is enthusiastic about using farmland to produce fuel. Another says growing food should be the top priority for those fields."

Chevron Pursues Opportunities in Emerging Biofuels Sector

Chevron Press Release - Chevron Pursues Opportunities in Emerging Biofuels Sector:
"SAN RAMON, Calif., May 31, 2006 -- Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) said it has formed a biofuels business unit to advance technology and pursue commercial opportunities related to the production and distribution of ethanol and biodiesel in the United States. "

Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Project Could Surpass 700 MW

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Project Could Surpass 700 MW:
by Jesse Broehl -- 6/5/2006
"Prince Edward County, Ontario [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] A new challenger has thrown its hat in the ring to be the first offshore wind project in North America. If the plan goes through, it could also be the largest single wind project on the continent."

Could miscanthus be a solution to U.S. dependence on foreign oil?

Could miscanthus be a solution to U.S. dependence on foreign oil?:
by Debra levey Larson -- agriculture.com -- 4/25/2006
"In the 2004 trials, miscanthus out-performed switchgrass by more than double and in the 2005 trials more than triple. Long says 'our results show that with Miscanthus the President's goal of replacing 30% of foreign oil with ethanol, derived from agricultural wastes and switchgrass by 2030, could be achieved sooner and with less land.'"

Synergistic bio-refinery complexes to produce ethanol and biodiesel

Waste heat from ethanol production will provide the heat necessary for the biodeisel production and the crop recidue from oilseed crops will be used as ethanol feedstock. These kind of facilities will be far more competitive than standard refineries in the near future as fossil fuel based process fuel prices continue to rise. It will no longer make sense to use as much natural gas. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
OilOnline - The Original Online Source for the Oil Industry:
OilOnline -- 5/15/2006
"Green Star Products, Inc. plans to construct total Bio-Refinery Complexes for production of both biodiesel and biomass ethanol at each facility."

Hybrid Electric Bus to Run on Ethanol, Diesel, or Gasoline

Scania at fuel conference in London: Ethanol the best alternative fuel for urban transport:
Scania.com -- 3/22/2006
"...This engine is coupled to a robust generator that supplies electricity to an electrical motor that doubles as a generator when braking. Energy is stored in industrial ultracapacitors with higher power density and higher efficiency than existing batteries.
The potential fuel saving with Scania's hybrid concept is 25% or more, with correspondingly lower emissions. Scania is building the first prototype right now. The technology could be ripe for the market in five years' time."

New York Farmers Applaud Biofuels Bill

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | New York Farmers Applaud Biofuels Bill: "Albany, New York [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] New York Farm Bureau said that the finalization of the Bio-Fuels Production Tax Credit and a recently announced $20 million state funding proposal for cellulosic ethanol will position New York as a national leader in biofuel production. "

Global Oil Production May Peak Soon

FOXNews.com - Experts: Global Oil Production May Peak Soon - Science News | Current Articles:
by Ker Than -- 4/28/2006
"...many scientists warn that there will come a day when rising oil prices will not be due to political or economic pressures, but because a natural peak in global oil production will have been reached."

Air Force to Test Crop-Derived Jet Fuel

FOXNews.com - Air Force to Test Crop-Derived Jet Fuel - Science News | Current Articles:
AP -- 2/28/2006
"GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- University of North Dakota researchers say a new jet fuel they have developed from crop oils is almost ready for testing by the Air Force."

S.F. hopes to harness power of dog poop with methane digester

FOXNews.com - San Francisco Hopes to Harness Power of Dog Poop - Science News | Current Articles:
AP -- 2/22/2006
"The droppings will be tossed into a contraption called a methane digester, which is basically a tank in which bacteria feed on feces for weeks to create methane gas.
The methane could then be piped directly to a gas stove, heater, turbine or anything else powered by natural gas. It can also be used to generate electricity."

Japanese Scientists Refine Gasoline From Cow Dung

FOXNews.com - Japanese Scientists Refine Gasoline From Cow Dung - Science News | Current Articles:
AP -- 3/6/2006
"TOKYO -- Scientists in energy-poor Japan said Friday they have found a new source of gasoline -- cattle dung."

New Way to Make Diesel From Coal

FOXNews.com - New Way to Make 'Green Diesel' From Coal - Science News | Current Articles:
By Bjorn Carey -- 4/14/2006
"Scientists have improved the technique for transforming coal into 'green diesel,' potentially making the process economically feasible to bring the fuel to a pump near you. "

Texas Plans Offshore Wind Farms

FOXNews.com - Texas Plans Offshore Wind Farms - Science News | Current Articles:
AP -- 11/7/2005
"DALLAS -- Wind turbines supplying energy to homes and businesses will one day line Texas' 376-mile coastline if the state's Land Office Commissioner has his way. "

Electric vehicles finally coming of age

Drive and EV and Never Buy Gas Again:
by Bill Moore -- Apr/May 2006
"Several independent studies have shown that even if all the electricity used to recharge an EV�s battery pack came from an entirely coal-fired power grid, the power plant�s emissions still would be significantly less per mile driven than those from the average gasoline-powered vehicle. For details on these studies, see �Electric Vehicles and Pollution.�"

Ethanol pipelines to be built in Brazil

Yes, it is possible to transport ethanol in pipelines. Many press reports and lists of ethanol drawbacks make it sound like ethanol simply cannot be transported by pipeline, which would lower costs. The story below shows this is false. The limitation is that ethanol and gasoline cannot be shipped in the same pipeline without special cleansing procedures in-between. These dedicated ethanol pipelines in Brazil are not affected by that issue. If cellulosic ethanol and ethanol derived from waste biomass comes online in a big way in the U.S., then sumilar pipelines might become viable in the U.S. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Platts:
4/13/2006
"Brazil's Petrobras plans to build a $500 million network of sugarcane
ethanol pipelines by 2008 in a move that could help the oil company become one
of the world's largest distributors of the popular fuel additive, a Petrobras
official told Platts Thursday. "

Holographic solar concentrator could cut PV cost

This looks promising. It reduces the amount of expensive silicon cells needed by concentrating sunlight on a small area. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Technology Review: Emerging Technologies and their Impact:
by Prachi Patel-Predd
"Now Prism Solar Technologies of Stone Ridge, NY, has developed a proof-of-concept solar module that uses holograms to concentrate light, possibly cutting the cost of solar modules by as much as 75 percent, making them competitive with electricity generated from fossil fuels."

Solar Power Rooftop Going Up in Kansas

This April 28 demonstration involves installation of standing seam roof panels with PV integrated into the roofing material itself. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Be Part of a Solar Power Rooftop Going Up in Kansas:
4/27/2006
"The demonstration is sponsored by Mother Earth News magazine, which is published in Topeka. While the event begins at 8 a.m., the media may attend after 3 p.m. To assist, observe or report on this free solar power demonstration in south Topeka, contact hhunt@motherearthnews.com for information and directions."

Schwarzenegger Directs State Agencies on Biofuel Use

These new goals for biofuel use are non-binding, but significant considering the the size of California and its government agencies. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Schwarzenegger Directs State Agencies on Biofuel Use:
4/27/2006
"Sacramento, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] This week, Governor Schwarzenegger directed several state agencies to take steps toward the wider use of biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel. "

China making fuel ethanol from Cassava

Editor's Choice News Article | Reuters.co.uk:
by Nao Nakanishi & Niu Shuping -- 4/28/2006
"Sen Yang, a professor from China Agricultural University, told a conference last week that cassava alone could supply as much as 4 million tonnes of fuel ethanol in China.
China could grow cassava also on 1 million hectares (2.471 million acres) of barren land, which would add 21 million tonnes to the crop, she said. There was also scope to achieve another 7 million tonnes by raising yields."

Turbocharged race car runs on E85

Pontiac Unveils Red Bull Solstice GXP for Drifting Competition - Auto Racing Daily:
4/28/2006
"The heart of the Solstice GXP Drift is the ECOtec 2.0-liter turbo engine, producing over 500 horsepower, roughly double the horsepower of the street-legal GXP available in dealerships this fall. This competition ECOtec turbo engine, running on E85 ethanol-based fuel, uses thick-wall iron cylinder liners, a race-ported cylinder head, tubular stainless steel exhaust headers, a performance camshaft, a unique engine control system and a water to air intercooled turbocharger."

Purdue students unveil BioTown study results

Purdue students unveil BioTown study results:
by Abby Lietz -- 4/27/2006
"The theme carrying through the Purdue study centers on symbiotic relationships between components in the renewable energy system of operation."

Bringing together plug-in and flex-fuel E85 for super efficiency

The plug-in hybrid flex-fuel car really is the best near term solution. All the technologies already exist. The flex-fuel engine, however, should not be of the type currently used in the U.S. Rather, it could be a downsized variable compression turbo boosted flex fuel engine such as that already used in the Saab 9-5 biopower available in Sweden. Such an engine gets better gas milege on E85. This would cut the amount of biomass needed for ethanol production even more, making American energy independence all the more achievable. Use in this application would be quite complimentary since it gets the best savings in mileage at high speeds. The electric motor, on the other hand, is better suited to low speeds and would be the primary propulsion system around town. The resulting overall fuel efficiency would be phenomenal. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Plug-In Car to the Rescue? :: thetyee.ca:
by David Morris -- 4/27/2006
"...instead of the gasoline engines used today, it could easily be a flexible-fuel engine of the type now powering more than 4 million vehicles on U.S. roads. These engines operate on any combination of ethanol and gasoline, and the additional cost to manufacture one has fallen to about $100."

Concentrated Solar Power Collectors Reach Energy Milestone Reached

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Solar Energy Milestone Reached in the Arizona Desert:
by Jesse Broehl -- 4/24/2006
"CSP power plants are gaining increasing attention and notoriety because they appear to offer the best chance of all solar technologies to achieve cost parity with traditional power plants such as natural gas plants. They're still more expensive, by a factor of around 2 to 1, but the fact they don't rely on an increasingly expensive input like natural gas has the renewable energy industry and the wider power industry paying close attention to their progress."

Chrysler to expand ethanol lineup

This is fine, but what we really nead are flex-fuel cars optomized for E85. These optomized cars are available in other countries. They would not suffer a loss in mileage on E85. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Chrysler to expand ethanol lineup:
by Justin Hyde -- 4/25/2006
"Chrysler officials confirmed Monday that LaSorda, in a speech following Bush, will announce the addition of flex-fuel engines for the Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee by 2007."

Where Will America's Energy Come From?

It seems politicians in every midwest state tout their state's potential to become the next energy powerhouse, the next Saudi Arabia. In my view, every state must develop local renewable energy resources in order to satisfy our energy appetite. No one area will be as dominant in the future. The midwest may have an edge because of our soil and biomass potential, but every state can tap into large mounts of biomass now being shipped to landfills. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
DesMoinesRegister.com:
04/23/2006
"Sometime this century, world oil production likely will reach its peak as developing economies gulp a finite supply at an ever-increasing rate. Some experts think that Iowa could be a leader in producing the world's next generation of fuels, transforming the state's abundant natural and agricultural resources into fossil-fuel replacements. "

Green Driving: Ethanol, Fueling Up With Ethanol

A good article on E85 and Flex-Fuel Vehicles, though their 10% reduction in mileage running on U.S. Flex-Fuel vehicles is a bit optomistic. The average reduction according to EPA data is closer to 25%. The SAAB 9-5 biofuel suffers no reduction in mileage on e85, but it is not yet available in th U.S. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Green Driving: Ethanol, E85 - AOL Autos
by Edmonds.com Editors

MN legislation would encourage combining flex-fuel, hybrid, plug-in technologies

The proliferation of plug in hybrid flex-fuel vehicles with engines optomized for ethanol would go a long way toward making the U.S. energy self sufficient. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
AlterNet: Driving Toward Energy Independence: "A bill that begins to put in place a plug-in, flexible-fuel strategy is on the floor of the Minnesota State Senate and is wending its way through the Minnesota House. In five committees there has not been a single negative vote in either the Republican-controlled House or the Democrat-controlled Senate. We hope such unanimity sends American car companies a message. "

GM Helps Michigan Develop 20 E85 Gas Stations

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | GM Helps Michigan Develop 20 E85 Gas Stations:
4/20/2006
"...collaboration between GM, the state of Michigan, Meijer and CleanFUEL USA."

Sweden goes for green as Nordics mull energy future

Sweden goes for green as Nordics mull energy future - Yahoo! News:
by Simaon Johnson -- 4/20/2006
"STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Twenty years after Sweden alerted the world to the meltdown at Chernobyl, it aims to phase out nuclear power and end dependency on fossil fuels, putting the country in the vanguard of green energy policy. "

Toyota plans on ethanol

Report: Toyota plans on ethanol:
by Muhammed El-Hasan -- Daily Breeze -- 4/20/2006
"Toyota Motor Corp. will announce in a few months its plans for vehicles powered by ethanol, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday."

Iowa Biodiesel refinery to be powered by pelletized trash

Similar technology has been heating the campus of Northwest Missouri State University for several years. They have their own pelletizing plant on campus and a network of tunnels forming a sort of district heating system. They can burn wood chips or paper pellets. The system paid for itself long ago and savings grow each year as the cost of fossil fuels rise. -- Jeffrey Goettmeoeller
DesMoinesRegister.com:
by Anne Fitzgerald -- 4/19/2006
"Soy Energy, the company, will use pelletized biomass from a local landfill as a primary source of steam and thermal energy, said Mark Buschkamp, executive director of Cherokee Area Economic Development."

Chron.com | Restaurants May Help Cut Oil Dependence

Chron.com | Restaurants May Help Cut Oil Dependence:
by William McCall -- AP -- 4/19/2006
"'The dog' is a small, stainless steel tank and pump combination on wheels that the Northwest restaurant chain has pioneered to channel used cooking oil to a biodiesel producer."

Improving Energy Balance of Ethanol

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | So is Ethanol a Net-Energy Producer or Not?:
by Scott Sklar -- 4/18/2006
"Most studies show the production of ethanol fuels from the 1990's and onward to have a positive energy balance, meaning more energy comes from using the ethanol as a vehicle fuel than making it."

Shell pioneers solar, wind powered natural gas

Independent Online Edition > Business News:
by Michael Harrison -- 4/19/2006
"The world's first gas platform powered solely by wind and solar energy has begun production, in a breakthrough for the offshore industry in low-cost exploitation of marginal fields. "

Study says national defense may be best rationale for ethanol subsidies

Illinois Farm Bureau:
4/18/2006
"Federal and state tax subsidies for ethanol production may not necessarily be bad but they do need a new rationale, conclude two University of Illinois agricultural economists."

CO State Geologist on Peak Oil

ColoradoBiz Magazine:
by Allen Best -- 4/1/2006
"Petroleum is too valuable to be burned in motor cars. We need to cut back on our use in transportation in order to have oil for use in other things for which there are not necessarily substitutes."

Oregon's Renewable Energy Action Plan

A proposed renewable energy action plan in Oregon would include a Renewable Fuels Standard for ethanol and biodiesel. -- Jeff Goettemoeller
Celebrate Earth Day: Oregon's Renewable Energy Action Plan - (Medford Article):
4/17/2006
"Salem, Oregon - At the request of the Governor a number of state agencies were asked to develop a Renewable Energy Action Plan with input from stakeholders."