-
Sugar beets are better for ethanol production than corn, report says
Filed under: Ethanol 
Sugar beets are a more efficient source for ethanol production than corn for a lot of reasons: they use less land, less water and, they can grown in many regions during the winter where it's too cold to grow corn.
Sugar beets, which are mostly water, use 40 percent less water for growth than corn does, and require about half as much land, according to oil-industry website OilPrice.com. Also, there's little waste involved in processing sugar beets to alcohol because much of the waste material can be converted to either fuel or fertilizer.
Finding new sources for ethanol is topical because of both rising federal quotas for renewable fuel and the push by many to cut corn-based ethanol production because of concerns over food shortages, waterway contamination and water and electricity requirements. Late last month, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency boosted its 2012 goals for production of non-corn-based biofuels by about 36 percent. This includes quota hikes for sugarcane and algae-based ethanol and cellulosic biofuels, or biofuels produced from grasses, wood and plants. Could sugar beets be the next reasonable large-scale ethanol crop?Sugar beets are better for ethanol production than corn, report says originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Oil companies pay $6.8 million in fines for not using cellulosic biofuels that don't exist
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy 
Oil companies will pay $6.8 million in fines for not meeting federal quotas for blending in cellulosic biofuels - those produced from grasses, wood and plants - even though there weren't enough of those biofuels available for use, the New York Times reported. Those fines are likely to rise in 2012 because the cellulosic biofuel quotas that refiners have to meet will rise more than 30 percent to 8.65 million gallons.
Charles Drevna, the president of the National Petrochemicals and Refiners Association, said the imposition of the fines "belies logic," while Dennis McGinn, a retired vice admiral who serves on the American Council on Renewable Energy, said that the quota "is the right thing to do" even if the imposition of the fines "doesn't seem to make a lot of sense," the Times reported. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokeswoman Cathy Milbourn said the 2012 quota was "reasonably attainable." Hence the fines.
The fines illustrate the emphasis the federal government is putting on production of biofuels in an effort to cut dependency on foreign oil. Last month, the EPA said it boosted its 2012 goals for production of non-corn-based biofuels by about 36 percent. Specifically, the EPA increased its production goal for advanced biofuels, whose feedstocks range from sugarcane ethanol to algae, by 48 percent, while increasing its goal for cellulosic biofuels by 34 percent. Production of biomass-based biodiesel is set to rise 25 percent this year, according to the EPA.
Annual increases in the EPA's renewable-fuel production guidelines are a response to the Renewable Fuel Standard 2 (RFS2) and 2007's Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), which, in part, set a U.S. production goal of 36 billion annual gallons of renewable fuel by 2022.Oil companies pay $6.8 million in fines for not using cellulosic biofuels that don't exist originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Ferrari FF converted to run on bio-ethanol packs 875 hp
Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ferrari 
There are drawbacks to every kind of alternative to burning fossil fuels in our cars. Electric cars don't have enough range. Hybrids are burdened with what essentially boils down to two parallel powertrains. Hydrogen is limited to where it is available. Bio-ethanol has its own drawbacks, but don't tell that to the performance enthusiast. That's because E85 - similar to what IndyCars run on but mixed with 15 percent pump gasoline - is not only a renewable and cleaner source of energy, it also provides more power.
Take the Koenigsegg Agera R, for example. With 927 horsepower on tap from ordinary 95-octane gasoline, the Koenigsegg is already one of the fastest, most powerful cars money can buy. But fill it with E85 and it offers up almost 1,100 hp. Now, a Norwegian firm is offering an aftermarket bio-ethanol conversion for the Ferrari FF that provides a similar transformation.
Whereas the stock FF (which could now just as easily stand for Flex Fuel) already drives a prodigious 650 horsepower to all four wheels, the converted version packs a whopping 875 hp for a sub-three-second sprint to sixty, all the while dropping the car's emissions figures by some 80 percent. The conversion costs just €1,500 ($1,930 U.S., at today's exchange rates) - rather insignificant considering the FF's $300k+ sticker price - and has reportedly been fitted by an authorized Ferrari dealer to at least one customer's car, though that doesn't mean it's covered by (and very well might invalidate) the FF's warranty.Ferrari FF converted to run on bio-ethanol packs 875 hp originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
U.S. ethanol subsidy expiration may be driving up gas prices
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA 
Last month's expiration of ethanol subsidies from the U.S. federal government may already be driving up gas prices.
Average gas prices as of Friday were $3.39 a gallon, up three cents from a week ago and up from $3.26 a month ago, according to AAA. Fuel prices for the three weeks ended January 6 rose 12 cents to $3.36 a gallon, marking the first three-week increase since late October, Bloomberg News reported earlier this week, citing Lundberg Survey Inc. Bloomberg said prices rose almost 28 cents from a year earlier.
The culprit may be the end of thirty years of subsidies for corn-based ethanol. By failing to vote in an extension, Congress allowed the $0.45 per gallon production subsidy to expire with the start of 2012. With an annual payout of $6 billion, the subsidy was a popular target for politicians looking to show their dedication to reducing the deficit, but its expiration may have triggered a 4.5-cent increase in cost for gasoline suppliers.
Such rising fuel prices may spell further bad news for consumers already battered by record refueling costs last year. Average gas prices jumped about 27 percent last year to $3.53 a gallon, and fuel prices surpassed the $4 threshold last May. As a result, vehicle-refueling costs totaled more than $4,100 for the typical U.S. household in 2011 and likely accounted for the largest percentage of a average U.S. family's annual income since 1981, the Associated Press reported late last month.
U.S. ethanol subsidy expiration may be driving up gas prices originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Can we credit the Tea Party for ending ethanol tax credit?
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA 
The Tea Party movement was a key factor in ending corn-based ethanol subsidies because it pushed Republican candidates to speak out against spending, in this case monies that would provide little benefit to the transportation industry while exacerbating the national debt and deficit situation, the Atlantic reported.
Tea Party members also highlighted the fact that high oil prices continued to make ethanol price-competitive without the subsidies, which cost United States taxpayers about $6 billion a year. Additionally, the EPA's Renewable Fuels Standard ensured a quota of ethanol production whether the subsidy was in place or not, the Atlantic reported.
Last month, the United States Congress decided against extending corn-based ethanol subsidies in a move that's drawn praise from environmental groups and taxpayer advocates. While ethanol supporters say more ethanol production lessens domestic dependency on foreign oil and creates more farming jobs, many environmentalists, academic researchers and economists have questioned using corn as a fuel feedstock, citing both spikes in corn prices that at times have exacerbated worldwide shortages of many grain-based foods, and environmental concerns related to potential waterway contamination from fertilizer and additional water and electricity requirements for corn production.
Meanwhile, the EPA recently boosted its 2012 goals for production of non-corn-based biofuels by about 36 percent, reflecting the federal government's efforts to both cut its dependency on foreign oil and find alternatives to corn- and alcohol-based fuels. The EPA boosted its production goal for advanced biofuels, whose feedstocks range from sugarcane to algae, by 48 percent, while increasing its goal for cellulosic biofuels, or biofuels produced from grasses, wood and plants, by 36 percent. Production of biomass-based biodiesel is set to rise 25 percent this year, according to the EPA. Can we credit the Tea Party for ending ethanol tax credit? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
When it comes to infrastructure, EVs are easier to charge than E85 is to pump
Filed under: Ethanol, EV/Plug-in, Legislation and Policy, USA
Quick, which is easier to find: a public charging station for an electric vehicle or a station that offers E85? Despite the much larger number of flex-fuel vehicles on the road, it turns out that when you bring the fight down to electricity vs. ethanol, EV drivers have nearly a 2-1 edge.
Based on data from the Department of Energy, the U.S. is studded with 4,448 public charging stations. That makes for about one charging slot for every four EVs on the road. On the other hand, despite there being over 7 million ethanol-capable vehicles on our highways, there only 2,468 stations offering E85, meaning that over 3,000 flex-fuel drivers are fighting over each available hose. Theoretically, of course.
Why are flex-fuel drivers going thirsty? Well, mostly it's because they're not. Since nearly all of those 7 million ethanol-capable vehicles can also run on plain vanilla E10 gasoline, there have to be specific incentives in place to make installing E-85 pumps worthwhile.
And why do EV drivers have it so relatively plush? As it turns out, the numbers are a bit deceiving. The ratio between electric vehicles and charging stations may seem rather low, but when you consider that an EV is likely to spend much longer attached to its charging cable than an internal combustion vehicle spends drinking from a fuel hose, the ratio seems far more equitable. Considering the limited range of many EVs and the number of new models coming on the market, the number of charging stations will likely continue to grow rapidly.
On the other hand, with the end of ethanol subsidies, the cost of E85 is likely to see a sharp bump. This may cause a decrease in the number of sites offering this fuel.When it comes to infrastructure, EVs are easier to charge than E85 is to pump originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Next Ford EcoSport now playing at New Delhi Auto Expo
Filed under: Ethanol, MPG, Ford, India 
While we've been consumed with the ramp-up to next week's Detroit Auto Show, there's a more pressing matter on the international car events calendar - this week's New Delhi Auto Expo. Ford Motor Company isn't overlooking the burgeoning biennial show, and it's taking the opportunity to reveal its first-ever world debut at the show, the next Ford EcoSport.
Debuting with a sliver of show-only frosting (check out those glitzy headlamps), the tiny crossover is about the same size as the Fiesta five-door, and it's built on the Blue Oval's new global B-Car architecture. Ford isn't revealing much in the way of powertrain specifics for this thinly disguised model, but our sources tell us the EcoSport will see the first application of the company's new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in India (yes, that means there will be an EcoSport EcoBoost), and presumably there will be an ethanol variant as well.
The upright CUV has been designed with emerging markets in mind, namely portions of Asia and South America, so we're unlikely to see it in North America (we'd be more likely to receive the B-Max MPV), though our sources tell us that an eventual European market appearance is not out of the question. Roughly 90 percent of cars in those markets are B-Segment or smaller, and the previous generation of the Brazilian-built EcoSport has sold some 750,000 units since hitting the market nine years ago.
While the original EcoSport sold almost exclusively in Brazil, the new model will spread its wings to take on a more global role as part of the company's One Ford agenda. To be assembled in both India and Brazil, the EcoSport represents the first time that Ford's team in Camacari, Brazil has taken the lead in conceiving a global product, another indication of the market's growing importance. The new EcoSport will be a lynchpin for the Blue Oval, who expect the Asia Pacific region to swallow up to one out of every three Ford vehicles sold by 2020 (it's just one in six today).
Want more proof of India's rise in importance? Officials tell us that Ford plans to treat the Delhi show as a first-tier show going forward, on par with Detroit, the Frankfurt Motor Show, and so on. Ostensibly, the show will replace a Tokyo Motor Show presence for the Dearborn automaker, as Ford was absent from last month's show in Japan.Next Ford EcoSport now playing at New Delhi Auto Expo originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Canceling ethanol subsidy likely to raise the price of gas at the pump
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA 
That falling ball in Times Square didn't just signal the end of 2011, it was also the death knell for thirty years of ethanol subsidies. That in turn could signal an abrupt rise in prices at the pump.
By failing to vote in an extension, Congress allowed the $0.45 per gallon production subsidy to expire with the start of 2012. With an annual payout of $6 billion, the subsidy was a popular target for politicians looking to show their dedication to reducing the deficit.
However, just because the subsidy is going away doesn't mean that ethanol is going away. Most gasoline sold in the United States contains at least 10 percent ethanol, and that's not changing. In fact, targets for both corn-based and next-generation biofuels have been increased. Still, removing the 45-cent subsidy could mean a 4.5-cent increase in cost for gasoline suppliers, and perhaps an even sharper rise for what consumers pay at the pump. Logically, price increases are expected to be even higher for fuels that contain larger percentages of ethanol, like E85.
In addition to allowing subsidies on U.S.-made ethanol to lapse, Congress has dropped barriers to imported ethanol. Previously, ethanol from Brazil faced a tariff of $0.54 per gallon. Eliminating this charge could mean that some corn-based ethanol used in U.S. gas ends up being replaced by sugarcane-based ethanol from Brazil. What this will ultimately mean to consumers is not yet clear.Canceling ethanol subsidy likely to raise the price of gas at the pump originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
30-year-old corn ethanol subsidy nixed by Washington
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA
Corn-based ethanol is a controversial fuel in its own right, and a long-standing government subsidy for blending the biofuel with gasoline has been an additional source of consternation over the last 30 years. The United States Congress wrapped up its work for 2011 without extending the incentive, a move that's drawn praise from environmental groups and taxpayer advocates.
Hand-in-hand with the discontinuation of the tax subsidy, an import tariff on ethanol imported from Brazil has also been cancelled, which opens the tap for a source of ethanol that doesn't have the reputation of being a dirty diversion of a food crop that corn-based ethanol carries. That means that while the blenders' tax credit is no more, the 2007 legislation calling for a significant increase in the use of renewable fuels is likely not going anywhere if the abundant ethanol produced from Brazil's sugarcane economy can be used instead.
The corn lobby is naturally not thrilled with the news, but has put on a brave face. Tom Buis of Growth Energy, a group that supports and fosters the cause of domestic ethanol production, told The Detroit News "without the tax credit, the ethanol industry will survive; it will continue to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs, and strengthen our economy." That statement isn't exactly at odds with the actions of Congress, since there's now about $6 billion per year that could be plowed into further renewable fuel research and development that would ensure corn ethanol is indeed a stepping-stone fuel, as it was supposed to be in the first place.30-year-old corn ethanol subsidy nixed by Washington originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Ethanol company Corn Plus fined $760,000 for lying to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy  Burning ethanol in your car is supposed to be better for the environment, but when the company producing the biofuel falsifies air pollution monitoring data, things may not be as clean as they seem.
That's what happened to Corn Plus, an ethanol producer in Minnesota that plead guilty in federal court last week to the falsifying charge and was hit with a fine of $760,000 ($310,000 of which was a civil penalty from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, according to the Minneapolis StarTribune). The company was caught because, for three months in 2009, the exact same data was reported to the MPCA. Corn Plus said in a statement (available after the jump) that this was likely due to "the isolated acts of a few employees in 2009 and early 2010, and without the consent, knowledge, or endorsement of Corn Plus's senior management."
What's most interesting is that the farmer-owned company had a water quality misdemeanor conviction two years ago that cost it over a million in fines and penalties but will still be allowed to keep operating. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim simply told the Corn Plus board of directors president, "If this happens again, there will be stiffer sanctions." At least there is no evidence that any any extra emissions were released into the air because of the falsifications.Continue reading Ethanol company Corn Plus fined $760,000 for lying to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Ethanol company Corn Plus fined $760,000 for lying to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
T. Boone Pickens has a federal subsidy beef with the Koch brothers over natural gas, ethanol
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, Natural Gas, USA 
Since the summer, natural gas supporter T. Boone Pickens (pictured) has been in an energy fight with the Koch brothers. Think of it as a battle of the conservative billionaires to see who can get more money from the federal government.
According to the Des Moines Register, Pickens has been working to encourage governmental support for natural gas vehicles. No surprise there, since Pickens believes it was given to us by God himself. The Koch brothers, on the other hand, have their hands out for a lot of ethanol subsidies even though they are often called Libertarian (or at the very least, deeply conservative). Pickens reportedly said recently that:
Koch Industries imports 61,000 barrels of OPEC oil a day to their Corpus Christi refinery. They're the third largest recipient of subsidies for ethanol, they're in the chemical business and the fertilizer business. So everything I do could affect them in some way. They're against me. I know Charles and David Koch. I asked them to talk to me about this subject; they would not do it. They would not return my phone calls. When I was one of their biggest customers in 2005, I heard from them and was entertained in their home in Wichita, but now (they) don't want to talk to me about it. They've gone and tried to peel off all the co-sponsors of the bill that they can. While they knocked out 14 I was getting 16. They spend a lot of money to do this. They're working for the Kochs, I'm working for America. I want an energy plan for America, they want an energy plan for the Koch's.
This past May, Charles Koch wrote an op-ed that claimed that Picken's call for natural gas to get subsidies "well-intentioned but misguided" even as it said that Kock didn't even want the ethanol subsidies he was collecting: "Because ethanol use is mandated, we were compelled to be in that business. We still oppose ethanol subsidies and mandates even though some of our businesses would benefit from them." A spokesman for the Koch brothers wrote to Congress in June that "We do not believe government should be picking 'winners and losers' in the marketplace." Well, of course you don't. Not once you're already winning.T. Boone Pickens has a federal subsidy beef with the Koch brothers over natural gas, ethanol originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Wait, you mean E85 isn't already an alternative fuel?
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA 
You would think something like defining a biofuel as an alternative to gasoline - something that seems so obvious a few years ago - would be a simple process. Turns out it's not. Did you know that E85, a blend of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol, is not technically an alternative fuel? At least, it's not according to the tax code as defined by the Internal Revenue Service, and that's something that the Coalition for E85 is working to change.
The reason the Coalition is getting together now and growing (The Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America is a new member) is that the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC, a per-gallon subsidy) is set to expire at the end of the year. Since ethanol producers were getting a tax benefit through VEETC, the IRS did not want producers "double-dipping" into the alternative fuel tax benefits. That makes an odd sort of sense. Once the VEETC expires, the ethanol industry wants to make sure it can still get some federal money - just for the next five years, apparently - to keep making corn ethanol.
Speaking with Domestic Fuel, a tax code specialist who is working with the Coalition, Jeff Trinca, said, "What we're basically saying is we would like E85 to be included in the definition of alternative fuels with propane, natural gas and others so there's a level playing field."
Read more about the coalition's efforts here.Wait, you mean E85 isn't already an alternative fuel? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Cellulosic ethanol "floodgates" will open in 2013
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA  Output of cellulosic ethanol will surge starting in 2013, according to the U.S.' largest corn-based biofuel production firm, Poet LLC.
Poet says 2013 marks the start of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production in the U.S. and predicts its lone facility will "open the floodgates" for the advanced biofuel.
Come 2013, Poet will start producing up to 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol a year at its site in Iowa. In addition, competitors British Petroleum and Abengoa plan to have their U.S.-based advanced biofuel facilities online by the end of 2013.
Cellulosic ethanol differs from conventional ethanol because it's made mainly from non-edible substances, including corn stover, switchgrass or woodchips. As Poet exec Greg Hartgraves points out, production of cellulosic ethanol is expensive and that means those floodgates need to be helped open with federal monies. Without an energy policy mandating its production, U.S. firms are likely to shy away from the cellulosic biofuel, he said.Cellulosic ethanol "floodgates" will open in 2013 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
Ethanol industry claims victory as McCain withdraws amendment against blender pump subsidies
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA  The ethanol industry is claiming victory with its stoppage of John McCain's (R-AZ) amendment to an agriculture appropriations bill that would've prevented the government from subsidizing E85 blender pumps.
Senator McCain proposed the amendment on October 17, but quickly withdrew it on October 19 due to "timing issues", according to Brian Rogers, a spokesman for McCain.
The ethanol industry calls that a win, with Brian Jennings, executive vice president of the American Coalition for Ethanol, stating:
Now we can continue to encourage Congress to focus on forward-thinking energy policy such as promoting more blender pumps, flexible fuel vehicles and consumer fuel choice.
Meanwhile, Tom Buis, chief executive officer of Growth Energy, called McCain's amendment "ill-conceived" and says the passage of any law that restricts federal funding of the U.S. ethanol infrastructure would strengthen the role of foreign oil.
This marks the second time McCain has proposed the elimination of ethanol blender pump subsidies. It seems quite likely that McCain, who's not a fan of ethanol subsidies in any form, will revisit this topic. A McCain spokesman said, "It's an issue that'll be addressed going forward."Ethanol industry claims victory as McCain withdraws amendment against blender pump subsidies originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
-
John McCain gives ethanol blender pump subsidies a big 'no'
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA Back in April, the Obama administration announced that it will offer incentives to gasoline stations that install E85 (a fuel consisting of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) blender pumps. This proposal, according to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, was put forth in an effort to get 10,000 additional E85 pumps installed nationwide.
However, Obama's scheme has met resistance in the form of Senator John McCain (R-AZ). On Tuesday, McCain pitched an amendment to an agriculture appropriations bill that would prevent the government from subsidizing blender pumps. Brian Rogers, a spokesman for McCain, stated:
In these tight economic times, when we are asking families to do more with less, we should not be subsidizing gas pumps at retail gas stations. The ethanol industry needs to prove it can prosper on its own and quit asking for taxpayer handouts.
Biofuel proponent Vinod Khosla most certainly agrees. And it's no surprise that McCain doesn't support subsidizing blender pumps. He did, after all, call ethanol a "joke."John McCain gives ethanol blender pump subsidies a big 'no' originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
Newsfeeds
Join now 10% discount