Once described as a “moon shot”, Beta Renewables’ commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol project hovers just over the lunar surface, weeks from completion. It’s transformative cost structure may well reignite the cellulosic rockets. The first thing you notice about the Beta Renewables cellulosic ethanol plant in Crescentino is the size and scope. Tucked away in the sprawling, […]
Joule continues to move out of stealth and into the light with its transformative Sunflow-E and Sunflow-D fuels, made biologically from waste CO2, sunlight and saline water with no intervening biomass step. Now, Audi joins the party. In its transition — from Joule Intriguing Yet Undisclosed, to Joule Available At-Scale — Joule critics and fans […]
Ah, grasshopper, not really. But a remarkable draft EU proposal for a new biofuels strategy offers threats and opportunities to first-gen and advanced feedstocks – with food crops really under the gun. Here’s what you need to know. “If you worry, will the future change?” – Kwai Chang Caine, “Kung Fu” As reported elsewhere in […]
Methanol and DME – intermediates of great interest – can they make it as finished fuels? Robert Rapier gives us the hard data and the bottom line. By: Robert Rapier, Energy Trends Insider In the past few issues of Energy Trends Insider, I looked at some of the companies and the technologies involved in producing […]
New downloadable reports from Environmental Entrepreneurs and PriceWaterhouseCoopers detail strong advances in advanced biofuels, chemicals, wood, plastic and rubber sectors. In California, Environmental Entrepreneurs has just released its annual survey of advanced biofuels, the Advanced Biofuels Market Report for 2012, and is projecting that, for the US and Canada, advanced biofuels production (qualifying for RFS2 […]
In California, the Council of Energy Resource Tribes (CERT) today announced the execution of the long-term Development Agreement enabling the 10-15 year major biofuel/bioenergy project between CERT, BioJet, and Tartoosh Environmental. The project, tagged “Thunderbird”, is a multi-feedstock, multi-technology set of projects anticipated to build out in excess of $3 billion. This initiative is seen […]
Biogas is on the comeback – just as the Toto launches a poop-powered motorbike and draws new attention to the question of what to do with all that sludge. Pike Research biofuels guru and noted Digesterati Mackinnon Lawrence marches us (gingerly) across the wastescape. Last month, Japanese toilet company Toto Ltd., debuted a first-of-kind poop-powered, three-wheeled […]
Launches subsidiary, Joule Fuels, led by oil and energy experts to advance global deployment of industry’s first direct solar-to-fuels platform. In Massachusetts, Joule announced the commissioning of its first SunSprings demonstration plant in Hobbs, New Mexico, where the company will prove its scalable platform for solar fuel production – the first of its kind – […]
Is “all of the above” going to be “enough of the above”? Is the world heading for a politically untenable period of energy scarcity? As we observe 9/11, let’s look at seawater-based technologies and platforms that could provide alternatives to a looming Big Shortfall. Back in early 2010, SynGest CEO Jack Oswald pointed out that […]
In Massachusetts, Agrivida announced that it has raised $15 million as part of a Series C financing to advance the development and commercialization of its proprietary technologies. Bright Capital Partners led the round. Other Series C investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, DAG Ventures, Prairie Gold, Presidio, Gentry Venture Partners, Northgate Capital, Alexandria Real […]
