By Douglas L. Faulkner, “The Cleantech Conservative” The dictionary defines a Pyrrhic Victory as a victory achieved at too great a cost. Well, the ancient Greeks would indeed quickly identify the Pyrrhic implications of the recent midnight resolution of the fiscal cliff. That is, the cost of renewed tax breaks for the biofuels industry came […]
Is the government’s commitment to alternative fuels being stymied by the American Petroleum Institute, or is the Department of Energy stymying the commitment all by itself? Commentary from the National Algae Association The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia recently canceled a mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency that required refiners to […]
By Pamela Serino Director, Quality Tech Support Office Defense Logistics Agency Energy In this note, Ms,. Serino is responding to DNV: biofuels are key to meeting marine emissions targets. I agree that biofuels are the key and the easiest way forward at this time. A mandate in all countries to go to ULSD marine fuel would […]
Who’s right, in the fight of their lives over E15 ethanol blending? Whose data’s from Toontown, whose from the real-world? Yesterday the American Petroleum Institute held a press conference in DC to highlight a new report from the Coordinating Research Council on E15 ethanol blends. The report is here. The API: Blast your scuppers, now […]
It is becoming increasingly evident that, in the near-term, acute demand for aviation biofuel is going, one way or another, to result in heavy demand for jatropha and jatropha oil-based fuels. New deals for SGB in Brazil are confirming the trend. There, at the head of the pack, well down the track from everyone else […]
“Biofuels stands out as the best option, considering the overall environmental, safety and security impacts.” Volatile costs for fossil fuels and rising concerns over emissions. “A doubling of present CO2 emissions by 2050 if we do nothing.” A share of “for at least 10% of global emissions in 2050, as compared to 3% today, if […]
In Qatar last month, we reported that Norwegian company Yara had teamed with the Qatari government on the Sahara Forest project that will use solar power and sea water to produce food crops such as tomatoes, cucumber, melon, fodder crops, freshwater, clean energy, salt, algae and for biofuel. Let’s look at this project in more […]
“Electric power is cheap”, and “cellulosic biofuel costs less than $1.00 per gallon”. So why isn’t everyone buying a Chevy Volt? And why can you get lower interest rates on your Visa Card than next-gen biofuel developers face? It’s the old capex-opex fallacy. Earlier this week, a new study from researchers at UC Santa Barbara […]
Does energy production always require a choice between what’s good for nature and what’s good for the pocketbook? New ways of organizing feedstocks may offer opportunities to go green and make green. In Maryland, The Wildlife Society released a Technical Review, “Effects of Bioenergy Production on Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat,” to provide answers to questions […]
One of biofuels’ most-celebrated technologies makes a change at the top; the struggle to raise capital dogs a high-profile biofuels star. A new chapter is underway at LS9 with the appointment of Tjerk de Ruiter — the former CEO of Genencor — as president and CEO. It’s not wholly unexpected. Four weeks ago in Top 10 […]
