Veridium Receives Order to Increase Ethanol Production Efficiencies

This technology allows production of biodiesel from corn oil left after ethanol production, inreasing the efficiency and lowering the cost of fuel production from corn. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Veridium Receives Order to Increase Ethanol Production Efficiencies:
3/30/2006
"David Winsness, chief executive officer of Veridium's industrial design division, stated that '3 million gallons per year of high grade corn oil converts to 3 million gallons per year of biodiesel. This equates to a 6% increase in fuel production out of a 50 million gallon per year ethanol facility, and a significant increase in plant productivity out of the plant's existing infrastructure.' "

Saab hybrid/ ethanol concept would run on electricity and up to 100% ethanol

The significance of this car is in combining hybrid electric with the very best ethanol technology. The Saab Biopower engine uses turbo boosting to achieve better mileage on ethanol. This one also allows up to 100% ethanol while still adjusting for ethanol free gasoline if ethanol is unavailable. These technologies need to be deployed in less expensive car lines as well. It would allow us to drive many more miles on the available biomass resources. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Saab debuts world's first dino-free hybrid/first hybrid convertible - Autoblog:
by Stuart Waterman -- 3/31/2006
"The car combines a 260 hp, 2-liter turbo BioPower engine capable of running on pure (E100) ethanol fuel and driving the front wheels with dual electric motors driving the front and rear wheels. Saab's new SIDI direct injection system allows the switch from blended ethanol/gasoline to pure ethanol, even in cold weather."

High ethanol, gasoline prices likely in near term

Some press reports imply that Ethanol is to blame for higher gasoline prices as MTBE use declines. The opposite is true. MTBE is not being phased out as a favor to ethanol. Rather, it has been found to contaminate drinking water supplies. It would be much more expensive to replace MTBE if we did not have ethanol. The report below gives a good overview of the near term situation. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Oil & Gas Journal - High ethanol, gasoline prices likely in near term:
by Paula Dittrick -- 3/28/2006
"Midwestern states prohibiting methyl tertiary butyl ether in gasoline can expect higher prices, Routt said. Some refiners are shutting down sales of gasoline containing ethanol in the Midwest. California already has replaced MTBE with ethanol in RFG. Now the New England states in particular are demanding more ethanol in order to avoid using MTBE in gasoline. "

Sebelius considering bill lowering ethanol fuel tax

Wichita Business Journal: Sebelius considering bill lowering ethanol fuel tax - 2006-03-29:
by Bill Wilson
"A bill that would lower the tax on E85 fuel from 24 to 17 cents remains on Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' desk awaiting a signature. "

Canadian Tar Sands: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

RIGZONE - Canadian Tar Sands: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly:
by Joe Duarte -- 3/28/2006
"The exploration and extraction for oil in Canada, and likely elsewhere, will have significant repercussions, which may not be known or at least acknowledged for several years or decades.
At some point an environmental disaster will unfortunately, but likely occur, which will raise red flags and bring political drama to the situation. "

E85 Fuel on the Rise

Cadillac News:
by Matt Whetstone -- 3/30/2006
"CADILLAC - By 2025, 75 percent of vehicles in the United State could be running on E85, a blend of gasoline and ethanol."

New Acetylene/ethanol clean burning fuel system demonstrated at Missouri renewable energy conference

AFuels Technologies, LLC, demonstrated a new dual fuel clean burning technology at the "Advancing Renewables in the Midwest" conference in Columbia, Missouri yesterday. Joseph Wulff, director of research for Afuels, described a simple retrofit for internal combustion engines that injects both Acetylene gas and ethanol into internal combustion engines, achieving 50% or better efficiency and emmissions clean enough for indoor applications. The system also extends engine life.
Present at the conference were an indoor floor cleaning machine, a golf cart, and a Saturn car, all running on the new technology. It would cost between $1000 and $1700 to retrofit an existing car to run on this system. Presently this involves installing acetylene tanks that occupy most of the trunk space. Future development, however, could result in compact on board fuel cells that produce acetylene gas as needed by applying water to calcium carbide rods.

The production of fuel for this system can use any biomass feedstock, including many waste streams not currently utilized. The system looks promising. Ongoing research will give a better idea of the costs and energy balance of such a system. Initial efforts are directed toward small scale electric power generation and indoor applications.
Mr. Wulff sees this system as a great opportunity for ethanol producers. They could locate one of these dual fuel electric generation facilities next to an ethanol refinery and make use of the ethanol without transportation costs.
Check back at Energy Answers as we follow developments in this new technology. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
New alternative fuel source for the combustion engine.:
"Fuels' patented dual-fuel process has exhibited a burning capability at least ten times cleaner than that of existing fossil fuels, well below the targeted emission standards outlined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency proposed regulations for the year 2007. Remarkably, this rate has been attained without the utilization of catalytic converters or other emission scrubbing systems. From an environmental standpoint, AFuels' acetylene-based dual-fuel process addresses established Clean Air Act 'criteria contaminants' by burning with little to no Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), Sulfur Oxide (SOx) or Non-Methane Hydrocarbon (NMHC) emissions."

Farmers plan first U.S. biomass ethanol plant

MPR: Farmers plan first U.S. biomass ethanol plant:
Minnesota Public Radio -- 3/24/2006
"You might remember President Bush's call in his State of the Union address for a new type of ethanol production. The President's words put a sense of urgency in the effort to make ethanol from plant material and wood. A Minnesota company hopes to build the first production plant of this kind in the nation. "

Northern Plains Partnership Seeking to Build Multi-Fuel Hydrogen Highway

These proposed energy stations would offer E85, biodiesel, and hydrogen derived from several sources including ethanol , methane, and waste sources. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Fuel Cell Today - Northern Plains Partnership Seeking to Build Multi-Fuel Hydrogen Highway:
3/22/2006
"The Upper Midwest Hydrogen Initiative (UMHI) - an industry-led, US-Canadian, public-private venture of the non-profit Great Plains Institute - is seeking partners and funding for the construction of a multi-fuel Clean Fuels Network to support the development of a renewable hydrogen infrastructure across the Northern Plains of the US and Canada. "

Some Ethanol Refineries Burning Coal Instead of Natural Gas

While it is true that burning coal produces more greenhouse emissions, it does reduce our dependence on foreign oil since coal is mostly mined here, while natural gas will increasingly need to be imported. Our best option is burning biomass or biogas from manure to power ethanol refineries, but coal will play a role as long as it lasts in sufficient quantities. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Carbon cloud over a green fuel | csmonitor.com:
by Mark Clayton -- 3/23/2006
"An Iowa corn refinery, open since December, uses 300 tons of coal a day to make ethanol."

Wisconsin manure-powered ethanol still on track

According to an interview aired on Agritalk radio yesterday, this Wisconsin project is still on track. It integrates an ethanol refinery, cattle feedlot, and greenhouse production into a highly efficient system using resources that used to be wasted. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
madison.com | archives: Cow Power Can Fuel Innovation

Using Manure To Power An Ethanol Plant Would Turn A Pollution Problem Into An Energy Solution.:
12/13/2005
"Lafayette County Bio-Ag, through a subsidiary called Belmont Bio-Ag, plans to develop an agribusiness near Belmont, 65 miles southwest of Madison, that would combine raising 20,000 beef cattle with operating an ethanol plant and a greenhouse."

Fill 'er up with gasohol, biodiesel, E85

A future Hydrogen economy is likely to be integrated with biofuels rather than replacing them. Hydrogen requires a feedstock, and biofuels like ethanol are a likely candidate. Ethanol is much easier to store and transport than hydrogen. The hydrogen could be extracted near the place and time of use. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Fill 'er up with gasohol, biodiesel, E85 ... | csmonitor.com:
by Clayton Collins -- 3/23/2006
"Hydrogen may power our cars in the far future, but short-term, a wide range of renewable and cleaner fuels are being developed."

The oil is going, the oil is going!

The oil is going, the oil is going! | Salon.com News:
by Katharine Mieszkowski -- 3/22/006
"Today's Paul Reveres of 'peak oil' aren't waiting for Washington to save us from apocalypse. They're already planting gardens and drafting city plans for the days when oil is gone."

Saab to showcase world's first ethanol hybrid at Stockholm car show - Forbes.com

This is great news, but I want to make clear that they mean E85-ethanol when they say ethanol hybrid. The high percentage of ethanol is the news. Motorists can already use e10 (10% ethanol) in the Prius or other gas powered hybrid electric vehicles. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Saab to showcase world's first ethanol hybrid at Stockholm car show - Forbes.com

Sweden Plans Ethanol, Wood-fueled Future

Oil Independence: Sweden Plans Wood-fueled Future - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News:
by Gerald Traufetter -- 3/22/2006
"That cars haven't been running on ethanol for a long time is, in fact, simply a historical accident. In the 1920s, car magnate Henry Ford was in favor of ethanol-powered engines. But the Rockefeller oil dynasty was able to push through the use of gasoline motors. "

Scientists Study Feasibility of Switchgrass for Energy Production

Scientists Study Feasibility of Switchgrass for Energy Production / March 10, 2006 / News from the USDA Agricultural Research Service:
by Don Comis
"The northern Plains region was chosen first because the economics seemed most favorable there. Farmers can expect switchgrass yields to be high enough there to produce 100 to 400 gallons of ethanol per acre with current varieties.
Results from the main part of the study--the economics of growing switchgrass for bioenergy--are promising. Those results will be issued in May."

Ethanol Industry Braces for Growing Pains

Ethanol Industry Braces for Growing Pains:
By Brad Foss, the Associated Press -- washingtonpost.com -- 3/20/2006
"WASHINGTON -- After a spurt of good fortune, the fledgling U.S. ethanol industry is anticipating some growing pains that could bring it unwanted attention this summer."

MTBE Contaminating Delaware's Water

www.newszap.com:
by Elizabeth Redden, Delaware State News -- 3/20/2006
"Ethanol and MTBE are both oxygenates, used to make gasoline burn more cleanly.
However, MTBE has leaked into groundwater in Delaware and across the nation, contaminating drinking water supplies.
In 2004, the Delaware State News reported that at least 21 private wells southeast of U.S. 13 in Dover were polluted with MTBE due to a gasoline leak at a nearby service station."

MPR: Brazil of the Midwest?

MPR: Brazil of the Midwest?:
by Jeff Horwich -- 3/20/2006
"State officials have urged Ford to use the plant to research and manufacture hybrid vehicles, cars powered by hydrogen fuel-cells, or -- especially appropriate for Minnesota -- vehicles that run on corn-based E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol that only certain cars can use."

Sugar may be a better investment than oil or stocks

Bloomberg.com: Latin America:
3/20/2006
"Prices are soaring as record gasoline costs prompt Brazil, the world's biggest sugar producer, to devote more than half of its crop to ethanol production to meet a goal of eliminating gas-fueled cars in four years. A drought in Thailand, the second-biggest exporter, and a 50 percent rise in Chinese sugar demand the past decade are compounding the supply squeeze."

U.S. Army Report: Oil Shortages will Threaten Military

USNews.com: Nation & World: Oil shortage threatens military:
by Marianne Lavelle -- 3/15/2006
"The researchers conclude that the military needs to take major steps to increase energy efficiency, make a 'massive expansion' in renewable energy purchases, and move toward a vast increase in renewable distributed generation, including photovoltaic, solar thermal, microturbines, and biomass energy sources. "

E85 optimization coming to more GM Vehicles?

The Saab 9-5 uses a turbo boost to get incredible mileage from E85 fuel. This Quote from one official seems to imply that similar technology might be deployed in more GM models.
Automotive News: "
3/20/2006
Demant also said it would be 'absolutely no problem' for GM to equip a range of GM products with an ethanol-gasoline powertrain like the one used on Saab's 9-5 Bio-Power E85 vehicle."

Ethanol Cooperative Installing Biomass Energy System For On-Site Energy Needs

This is the type of ethanol plant that will drastically improve the renewable energy balance of ethanol through the use of renewable process energy sources. All ethanol plants should consider using renewable energy sources such as methane from cattle manure, biomass, solar thermal, or waste heat from coal power plants. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
New Rules Project - Democratic Energy - Ethanol Cooperative Installing Biomass Energy System For On-Site Energy Needs:
3/13/2006
"The biomass gasification system will generate both thermal energy and electricity for the plant. The cooperative will cut its need for its current supply of natural gas and about 1/4 of its electricity needs."

FSEC Approves SunWize Grid-Tie Systems

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | FSEC Approves SunWize Grid-Tie Systems:
3/16/2006
"Kingston, NY, March 16, 2006 SunWize announces approval of their Grid-Tie Systems (GTS) by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC). Currently, GTS packages are the only complete systems on the FSEC approved grid-tie list."

Future Fuels, Inc. plans to make ethanol from waste using a plasma converter system

This deserves watching to see if it is a technology that reduces ethanol production cost and impoves the energy balance. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Future Fuels, Inc. and Startech Environmental Corp. form Global Strategic Alliance: "The heart of Startech's Plasma Converter System contains a plasma field that reaches temperatures up to 30,000 degrees Centigrade. The plasma breaks down feedstock materials-such as waste coal, used tires, wood wastes, raw sewage, municipal solid wastes, biomass, discarded roofing shingles, coal waste known as culm, discarded corn stalks, and other agricultural by-products-to their core elements in a clean and efficient manner. The resulting Plasma Converted Gas(tm), a rich mixture of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, is the input for FFI's catalytic ethanol synthesis process. FFI's approach, a modified Fischer-Tropsch process similar in nature to one Dow Chemical pioneered in the mid 1980s, applies heat, pressure and a catalyst to chemically transform the Plasma Converted Gas into ethanol. From start to finish, the conversion process from waste feedstocks to Plasma Converted Gas and finally to ethanol is safe and environmentally friendly. FFI's Toms River facility, employing Startech's Plasma Converter System technology, will become the flagship model for building and operating many waste-to-ethanol conversion facilities domestically and internationally."

New Technology enables biodiesel production from corn oil

This looks like a promising way to get more fuel out of every bushel of cor with a technology already in use on a commercial basis. I would like to see an analysis of how this process affects profitability and the energy balance. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Veridium Receives Fourth Order for Ethanol By-Product Recovery Technology; System to Bring Company to $5.6 Million in Annualized Revenues from New Clean Technology:
business wire -- press release -- 3/13/2006
"DDG contains the majority of the corn oil that was present in the kernel. Today, the 1 billion bushels of corn currently used in the dry mill ethanol process contain roughly 300 million gallons of corn oil that is currently sold for about $0.03 per pound as commercial feed. The new Veridium technology presents another option - cost effective conversion into Biodiesel "

Ethanol bill's death in Wisconsin ignores what's happening with our neighbors | WTN

Ethanol bill's death in Wisconsin ignores what's happening with our neighbors | WTN:
by Tom Still -- wistechnology.com -- 3/13/2006
"In the same week that state senators in Wisconsin killed a bill to require gasoline in the state to include ethanol, policymakers in another Midwestern state were celebrating their latest step toward a more bio-based economy."

Brazil leading effort to boost ethanol use

Brazil leading effort to boost ethanol use:
seattlepi.nwsource.com -- by Alan Clendenning, AP -- 3/10/2006
"The technology isn't even cutting edge, but the industry is making profits like never before and has a bright future thanks to a 1970s decision by Brazil's former military dictators to subsidize ethanol production and require distribution at every gas station."

Ethanol refinery is boon to rural areas

STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County:
by Jonathan Rivoli -- 3/9/2006
"LADDONIA, MO. Along a two-lane highway surrounded by miles of cornfields, construction of a giant ethanol plant has brought the promise of economic prosperity to this rural town of 620 in Audrain County."

Nebraska Beef Plant will Begin Producing Biogas from Waste Products

We must use as much of our "waste" products as possible in order to beat our fossil fuel addiction. This agreement shows it is possible.Every food processing plant and livestock feeding facility that produces manure and other wastes could be using that waste stream to produce biogas, fertilizer, or other valuable products. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Environmental Power Corporation: Investor Relations:
3/7/2006
"The Agreement provides that Microgy and Swift & Company intend to construct a biogas production facility at Swift's Grand Island, Nebraska beef processing plant that will utilize Microgy's anaerobic digestion technology to extract methane-rich biogas from animal wastes, meat processing wastes and certain wastewater plant residual streams that would otherwise be landfilled or land applied. "

Washington Legislature Adopts Biodiesel, Ethanol Mandate

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Washington Legislature Adopts Biodiesel, Ethanol Mandate:
3/9/2006
"Senate Bill 6508 mandates fuel dealers to sell 2 percent biodiesel out of their total diesel sales and 2 percent ethanol out of total gasoline sales."

Chemically squeezing every drop of ethanol from corn

Extracting another 10-25 percent ethanol could improve the energy balance for corn ethanol while improving the feed value of the distiller's grain co-product. This research shows that such a breakthrough could be close at hand. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Chemically squeezing every drop of ethanol from corn:
physorg.com -- 3/9/2006
"The idea is to create the chemical catalysts that create single, simple sugars from molecules made of several simple sugars linked together. The simple sugars are the ones that can be fermented to produce ethanol.
Such a process would allow ethanol producers to use all the sugars in corn. And Shanks said that could boost ethanol production by 10 to 15 percent."

Exxon Mobil CEO calls for an end to ethanol subsidies

If we decide to end ethanol subsidies, then it would only be fair to government financial support for fossil fuel suppliers as well, including the securing of oil trade routes and sources with our military. Of course, I don't really think we should do either one. We still need fossil fuels, but we also need to develop domestic fuels for the sake of our security and economic survival. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Exxon Mobil CEO calls for an end to ethanol subsidies:
Detroit Free Press -- by Jeff Wilson & Joe Carrol, Bloomberg -- 3/9/2006
"Exxon Mobil Corp., after posting a record $36.1 billion in profit last year from surging oil prices, said the United States should end 28 years of subsidies for a competing fuel made from corn because the subsidies benefit domestic growers."

Cheap Hydrogen Fuel

The Impact of Emerging Technologies: Cheap Hydrogen Fuel - Technology Review:
by David Talbot -- technologyreview.com -- 3/9/2006
"GE says its new machine could make the hydrogen economy affordable, by slashing the cost of water-splitting technology."

New Study: Fosssil Fuels Increasing Ocean Acidity

Oceans may soon be more corrosive than when the dinosaurs died | SpaceRef - Your Space Reference:
Press Release -- Source: Stanford University, Research by Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology -- 2/20/2006
"Increased carbon dioxide emissions are rapidly making the world's oceans more acidic and, if unabated, could cause a mass extinction of marine life similar to one that occurred 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs disappeared."

Battery power as good as gas?

TheStar.com - Battery power as good as gas?:
by Tyler Hamilton -- The Toronto Star -- 3/6/2006
"EEStor's technology, to be accurate, isn't really a battery at all. In techie speak it's a ceramic ultracapacitor with a barium titanate dielectric. A mouthful to be sure, but what's important is that it's designed to combine the superior storage abilities of a battery with the higher power and discharge characteristics of an ultracapacitor."

Organic Waste Could Help Power Washington State

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Organic Waste Could Help Power Washington State:
3/3/2006
"Spokane, Washington [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Nearly 50 percent of the energy that Washington state residents use now could come from their own backyards, according to a report released by the Department of Ecology in Spokane."

Plug-In Hybrids: The New Focus for the Future of Transportation

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Plug-In Hybrids: The New Focus for the Future of Transportation:
by Prof. Alfonso Frank, Univ. of Ca.-Davis -- 3/3/2006
"We expect that the public will begin to demand this type of vehicle now because they have finally realized that the Hydrogen Economy won't happen in less than 30 to 50 years -- if at all. The reason is that there is no infrastructure for the efficient creation of hydrogen and the transport of hydrogen will be a problem forever."

Next X Prizes target genes and gas mileage

Next X Prizes target genes and gas mileage - LiveScience - MSNBC.com:
by Leonard David -- 1/30/2006
"'Why do we still drive cars that use an internal combustion engine and only get 30 miles per gallon? I think that we'll see some amazing achievements in this area,' Diamandis predicted. Further details on this automotive prize are forthcoming, he added, when the prize is fully formulated."

Nationwide series of workshops will explore agriculture & renewable energy

American Corn Growers Association: News & Views:
"Farm Aid President Willie Nelson and Keith Bolin, president of the American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) have announced their organizations' sponsorship and facilitation of a series of renewable energy workshops."

Renewable Energy Powering Fossil Fuel Extraction

Oil and Natural Gas extraction operations are starting to use renewable energy for power needs such as pumps. This preserves valuable liquid hydrocarbon fuels. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
WorldOil.com - Online Magazine Article: Columns - Feb-2006:
"Thus, alternative fuels entered the oilfield - photovoltaic, hydrogen and wind. If oil and gas could be preserved, then more hydrocarbons could be sold for a profit in the continuing high-price environment. Conservation and enhanced recovery improve the lifetime productivity and ultimate return from producing assets. It makes good business sense."

Exxon, Chevron drilling risk for oil may depress share values

Bloomberg.com: U.S.:
"March 6 (Bloomberg) -- The world's largest oil companies are drilling deeper than ever to find fields as energy demand rises and countries such as Saudi Arabia limit access. That may be the bad news for shareholders. "

Kansas ethanol refinery to be powered by cattle manure

With the rising cost of natural gas, these closed loop biorefineries will be more competitive. Ethanol produced this way also has a better net renewable energy balance--more inputs come from renewable sources. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
Marysville Advocate - News:
by Dan Thalmann, Washington County News -- 3/2/2006
"The closed-loop system employed by E3 for this project is a patented system which uses three inter-connected projects to create marketable products like ethanol, cattle for market and a dry fertilizer, while using other byproducts like manure, wet distiller's grain and energy. "

Advancing Renewable Energy in the Midwest 2006 Conference

Advancing Renewable Energy in the Midwest 2006 Conference:
"Welcome to the Web home of the 'Advancing Renewables in the Midwest' one-day conference to be held March 29, 2006, in Columbia, Missouri, at the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building on the University of Missouri campus. "

Brazil's sugar crop fuels nation's cars

BBC NEWS | Brazil's sugar crop fuels nation's cars:
by Guto Harri -- 2/15/2006
"Oil would have to fall to $35 ...a barrel to compete with ethanol in Brazil.
That's roughly half the price that crude has been sold for over the last six months."

NY Times: The end of oil

NY Times: The end of oil | EnergyBulletin.net | Peak Oil News Clearinghouse:
by Robert B. Semple -- 3/1/2006
"The Age of Oil -- 100-plus years of astonishing economic growth made possible by cheap, abundant oil -- could be ending without our really being aware of it. Oil is a finite commodity. At some point even the vast reservoirs of Saudi Arabia will run dry. But before that happens there will come a day when oil production 'peaks,' when demand overtakes supply (and never looks back), resulting in large and possibly catastrophic price increases that could make today's $60-a-barrel oil look like chump change."

Ontario Home Equipped with Solar, Geoexchange Hybrid

We can add "geoexchange" to terms like annualized geothermal and passive annual heat storage. These are all ways to store the summer's heat in the ground for winter use and store winter's cold for summer use. Geoexchange hybrid is an active form of this technology, moving heat from solar collectors into the ground. These systems are the best way to cut down on fossil fuel use for heating and cooling buildings.-- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Ontario Home Equipped with Solar, Geoexchange Hybrid:
3/2/2006
"The systems gather heat using a loop extending through a central heat pump to solar panels on the home's roof (solar-thermal), and to a depth of 180 feet below ground level (geoexchange). During the winter months, the system transfers heat from the sun and the ground into the home and, during the summer months, heat in the home is transferred to the ground. "

DOE Funding Targets Cellulosic Ethanol Advancement

RenewableEnergyAccess.com | DOE Funding Targets Cellulosic Ethanol Advancement:
3/1/2006
"Decatur, Illinois [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] The U.S. Department of Energy announced $160 million in cost-shared funding over three years to construct up to three biorefineries in the United States."

Biojet Fuel being developed at the University of ND

University of North Dakota | University News:
UND News Release
"The biojet fuel, derived from crop oils, such as soybeans, is about ready for testing by the Air Force."

What a difference 20 years makes in crude oil prices

WorldOil.com - Online Magazine Article: Special Focus - Feb-2006:
by Matthew R. Simmons
"I began writing World Oil's annual Crude Oil Outlook article on New Years Day, 13 years ago, when prices had just fallen below $14/bbl for the first time since 1986. At the time, conventional wisdom was certain that the world market had entered a new paradigm of ample, diverse supply. "

Ethanol use rising, but corn acres falling

Ethanol use rising, but corn acres falling:
by Forrest Laws -- Delta Farm Press -- 3/2/2006
"The same factors that are pushing demand for ethanol--higher petroleum and natural gas prices--are also leading some growers to consider reducing their acreage of the crop this spring, according to Allen."

The Next Conservative Energy Policy

The point: We need both technological solutions and conservation efforts.
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | The Next Conservative Energy Policy
by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett 2/27/2006

Ethanol can help raise gas mileage

Perhaps ethanol does distract from raising gas mileage in the minds of some, but it could actually help with mileage. What the article below fails to mention is that cars can get much better mileage on 85% ethanol by taking advantage of the much higher octane levels in ethanol. The Saab 9-5 biofuel, already on the road in Sweden, uses variable turbo boost to get better mileage on E85 (85% ethanol). Ethanol's higher octane allows for a much greater boost and better mileage. -- Jeffrey Goettemoeller
AlterNet: Pumping Up Ethanol:
by Amanda Griscom Little, Grist magazine -- 2/24/2006
"Ethanol is suddenly all the rage in D.C. and Detroit. But does the biofuel distract from the more crucial need to raise the gas mileage of American cars?"