Category: Top Stories

The Algae Mill: Sapphire Energy, Linde Group to commercialize algae-to-crude upgrading technology

The Algae Mill: Sapphire Energy, Linde Group to commercialize algae-to-crude upgrading technology

July 16, 2013 |

Companies Partner to Commercialize Hydrothermal Treatment Technology Used to Upgrade Algae into Crude Oil If biofuels companies were golfers, Sapphire Energy would be Phil Mickelson, no doubt about it. Phil’s widely popular, closely followed, with a friendliness that belies a mind like a steel trap, drawing huge galleries whenever he’s in the hunt, a lefty, […]

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54.40 or fight: the cost of biofuels, emissions, energy security and economic development

54.40 or fight: the cost of biofuels, emissions, energy security and economic development

July 15, 2013 |

They’re known as the three E’s: emissions, energy security and economic development. But how do they contribute to the economics of biofuels? And how do those economics compare to the economics of crude? The financing of biofuels is founded, to put it as simply as possible, upon the economics of substitution. On the one hand, […]

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Gas Price Spikes Have Consumers Wondering, When Will We Be Energy Independent?

Gas Price Spikes Have Consumers Wondering, When Will We Be Energy Independent?

July 15, 2013 |

By Brent Erickson The United States is beginning a domestic energy boom and could become a net energy exporter within the next two decades. But U.S. consumers don’t expect to see a benefit – they still plan to cut back on driving and other spending as gas prices continue to spike. A recent poll by […]

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The Farm Bill: Your 2013 5-Minute Guide to $1B in US agri-energy investment

The Farm Bill: Your 2013 5-Minute Guide to $1B in US agri-energy investment

July 14, 2013 |

So, the Farm Bill passed the House and Senate, now — and heads to conference. When — and what will the Senate and House confer about, anyway? What’s in there for you? Here are the need-to-knows. In Washington, the House and Senate have now passed their respective versions of the proposed 2013 farm bill, which […]

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General solicitation ban lifted on biobased investment offerings

General solicitation ban lifted on biobased investment offerings

July 14, 2013 |

Renaissance in biobased capital raising expected. In Washington, SEC Commissioners have voted 4-1 to lift the ban on general solicitation, and to create a new 506( c) class of offering, which will allow advertising of the offer — while ensuring that non-accredited investors will not be able to participate. At the same time, the Commissioners […]

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Routes to the summit: 3 keys to first commercial advanced biofuels, and beyond

Routes to the summit: 3 keys to first commercial advanced biofuels, and beyond

July 11, 2013 |

Is your team ready for the summit run? Take our 3-question, 6 point quiz, and compare your route to the established routes that others have pioneered. It’s become an cliché of late that “financing is tough” and that “the US is slowing” while “China is speeding up” on advanced biofuels. It’s also become a cliché […]

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Europe’s $4.7 billion biobased industries Initiative: The 5-Minute Guide

Europe’s $4.7 billion biobased industries Initiative: The 5-Minute Guide

July 10, 2013 |

It’s the biggest, boldest and most sophisticated biobased initiative ever launched. Curious how European governments and industrial partners plan to invest $4.7 billion in a comprehensive biobased initiative between now and 2020 — but lack the stomach for hundreds of pages of details? Try our 5-Minute Guide, with the follow-up links and the “news you […]

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Momentum: 12 Biobased ventures raise $435M in Q2 2013; 32 projects being built off the balance sheet

Momentum: 12 Biobased ventures raise $435M in Q2 2013; 32 projects being built off the balance sheet

July 9, 2013 |

Despite negative press from Bloomberg, biobased investing is surging, both direct and via strategics. The Digest has the data and the scoop. After we profiled, last April, 17 biobased ventures who raised $434 million in new capital in Q4 2012 and Q1 2013, a report ran this week in Bloomberg, headlined “Biofuel Investments at Seven-Year […]

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Connecting deeply to biofuels companies, technologies, economics, policies and people

Connecting deeply to biofuels companies, technologies, economics, policies and people

July 8, 2013 |

Have questions yet unanswered on biofuels economics, process, feedstock, offtake, policy or finance? Have people to meet, things to accomplish with them? Hang on, help is on the way. It’s usually the case that, at biofuels conferences and with articles, you have an opportunity to share feedback afterwards, in follow-up surveys and comment forms. We […]

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Obama’s Race Against Time: The Climate Action Plan, and its impact on biofuels

Obama’s Race Against Time: The Climate Action Plan, and its impact on biofuels

July 7, 2013 |

A Need for A U.S. “Energiewende” that Works By Tim Sklar, special to Biofuels Digest The Obama Climate Action Plan On June 25th, three years after Congress killed a cap-and-trade bill, President Obama introduced a 21-page Climate Action Plan designed to crack down on greenhouse-gas (“GHG”) emissions. This plan calls for issuance of regulations through […]

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