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May 26, 2009

Carmakers Spurn Flex-Fuel Bill, Say Every Buck Needed for Advanced Technologies

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

The Detroit 3 and eight other major automakers adamantly oppose a bill in Congress that would force them to produce more flex-fuel vehicles, and their opposition has merit.

At a time when lawmakers and the White House are pressuring America's carmakers to produce vehicles that are fuel efficient and competitively priced, Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California has introduced legislation that would create an "open fuel standard" requiring automakers to produce more cars and trucks capable of running on high blends of alternative fuels, assuming the fuels and infrastructure supporting them are available.

Democratic Representative Eliot Engel of New York says that's not enough. He's said that he might introduce legislation that would require half of new U.S. cars and trucks to be flex-fuel capable starting in 2012, with the mandate jumping to 80 percent by 2015 - regardless of fuel availability.

To count as flex-fuel capable, internal combustion engines would need to be able to run on blends of E85 (a fuel mixture containing 85 percent ethanol by volume) or M85 (a methanol fuel mixture), and diesel vehicles would need to be able to operate on biodiesel.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group representing the automakers, contends that adding flex-fuel technology will increase the price of each vehicle by at least $100 to $300.

A high-volume engine such as the one pictured here can be converted to flex-fuel capability for $300 or less, the alliance says. But Alliance President Dave McCurdy noted in a letter to members of Congress last week that a mandate would increase costs dramatically because the technology cannot be applied easily to some powerplants.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett May 26, 2009, 1:59 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy, Legislation, Methanol
Technorati Tags:: Alternative Fuels

April 28, 2009

San Diego Unveils Algae Coalition To Advance "Green Gold" Research

algae samples.jpg

Algae cultures that could lead to green oil products are being grown in a UC San Diego laboratory.

They call it "green gold," and its proponents are betting that the light, sweet crude oil that can be extracted from farm-cultivated algae will help the world to cut its dependence upon dirty and increasingly expensive gasoline and diesel fuels that are extracted from fossil fuels.

And, on Tuesday, San Diego -- which envisions itself as the green equivalent of the traditional oil industry's Houston -- unveiled a "broad-scale research effort" to turn that dream into a reality.

Though no dollar figures for financial support were discussed during Tuesday's press event on the UC San Diego campus, the research effort will build upon the creation earlier this year of the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology. The center was created to facilitate green fuels research being conducted by 272 scientists at UC San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute and other San Diego universities, research organizations and for-profit companies.

SD-CAB estimates that algal research in San Diego County already generates $16.5 million in payroll and $33 million in overall economic activity. Tuesday's announcement of an even broader research and development effort was made by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox.

"By sharing and facilitating the interactions of these multiple researchers through this center, we hope to make sustainable algae-based fuel production and carbon-dioxide abatement a reality within the next five to 10 years," Fox said. "This consortium will strengthen our ability to obtain grants and attract resources to the area. Algal biofuels will allow us to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and other economies, and will provide opportunities for a new economy and workforce."

It is a tall order, but San Diego claims to have the R&D nucleus needed to move toward that goal.

The Xconomy blog counts at least nine algal research efforts under way -- including work being done by defense contractors SAIC Corp. and General Atomics (which is better known as the creator of the unmanned Predator aircraft in service in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan).

We wrote about one of those companies (Sapphire Energy) last May, as well as a California Energy Commission grant to another company (albeit, not in San Diego) that is pursuing algal research.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson April 28, 2009, 2:08 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Energy Companies, Hydrogen, Methanol, Oil, Tax Incentives
Technorati Tags:: Algae Refining

March 19, 2009

Congressmen Want 80 Percent of New Vehicles Flex-Fuel Compatible by 2015

Although it contains less energy than gasoline and thus cuts into fuel economy for vehicles that use it, ethanol helps replace gas and that makes it a valuable tool in the national effort to wean ourselves from petroleum-based fuels.

We don't believe it is particularly green, either, but none of this has kept ethanol from being the favored alt fuel of a whole lot of people.

In the latest pro-ethanol move we're aware of, a bipartisan group of congress members has just introduced a bill that would require by 2015 that 80 percent of all new autos and light trucks sold or manufacturers in the U.S. be capable of running on either E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, or M85, a methanol-gasoline blend in the same proportions.

(Methanol, a close cousin of ethanol, is widely used as a racing fuel, primarily for safety reasons - it is less flammable than gasoline. But is has even less energy content than ethanol.)

The measure, H.R. 1476, would require half of the new cars and light trucks sold or built here in 2012 to be E85 or M85 flex-fuel capable, ratcheting up to 80 percent three years later.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); John O'Dell March 19, 2009, 12:07 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Ethanol, Legislation, Methanol
Technorati Tags:: E85

February 27, 2009

Lotus Developing 'Omnivore' Engine To Run on Gasoline and a Variety of Alcohols

Illustration of Lotus Engineering's omnivore engine doesn't disclose much about its inner workings.

It's not a particularly lovely beast, but Lotus Engineering says its prototype "omnivore" engine will thrive on all kinds of fuels and that's likely to make it a winner in the world to come -- when petroleum is fading away and biofuels from a variety of sources and in a variety of chemistries are developing to fill the void.

Lotus says the blocky internal combustion engine has the "potential to significantly increase fuel-efficiency" for sustainable alcohol-based fuels (ethanol, methanol. propanol and butanol ) and can also run on gasoline.

The prototype one-cylinder engine will be displayed at the Lotus Cars stand at the Geneva Motor Show next week (media days begin Tuesday and the show opens to the public Thursday for an 11-day run).

Lotus Engineering -- the research and consulting arm of Lotus Cars -- says the engine is a two-stroke, single-cylinder monoblock (the cylinder head and block are one piece) that uses a unique variable compression system and direct fuel injection.

The design can utilize high octane, alcohol-based biofuels better than the four-stroke (intake-combustion-power-exhaust) engines now used in cars and trucks, the company said.

We'll let our engineering gurus explain the precise working of the system in a later posting, but the short version is that Lotus claims the engine design and mechanics permit asymmetric exhaust timing, a continuously variable exhaust opening point and a compression ratio that changes to meet load demands.

Lotus has been deeply involved in alternative energy and powerplant technology for years.

It is collaborating on development of the Omnivore engine with Queen's University of Belfast, in Northern Ireland, and Orbital Corp. Ltd. of Australia, and said the program is being sponsored by Britain's Renewables Materials Link program, which helps fund collaborative industry and scientific segment research into uses of renewable materials for sustainable development.

The Omnivore program is one piece of Lotus' research into the processes involved in operating an engine on mixtures of alcohol-based biofuels and gasoline.

A previously displayed effort was the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel concept (gasoline, ethanol, methanol or any combination of the three) shown a last year's Geneva Motor Show.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell February 27, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Auto Shows, Biofuels, Butanol, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Lotus, Methanol
Technorati Tags:: Biofuels

February 23, 2009

Calif. Dairy Converts Diesel Big Rigs to Run on Biomethane Made From Cow Manure

Three days before Christmas, we joyously reported that Idaho was looking to convert mountains of manure into natural gas for vehicles and homes.

Today, we're delighted to report that Hilarides Dairy of Lindsay, California, has gone a step farther: It's converted two of its diesel 18-wheelers to run on clean-burning biomethane made from the dairy's formidable stockpiles of cow crap.

In addition to curbing the amount of greenhouse gases that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere as the manure decomposed, by producing biomethane from cow waste the dairy is reducing the nation's dependence on foreign fossil fuels.

And the production will "give us some protection from volatile energy prices," said owner Ron Hilarides (pictured). Who'd have thunk so much good could come from cow patties.

The bio-gas making process begins with flushing manure from stalls housing 10,000 cows into a covered lagoon, where bacteria breaks it down. The resulting methane gas is then pumped to a refinery that removes carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and other impurities.

The purified methane is pressurized - made into compressed natural gas - before being pumped into the 18-wheelers, which are fitted with Cummins engines that have been converted from compression-ignited diesels to spark-ignited methane-burners.

The dairy generates 226,000 cubic feet of bio-gas per day - enough to slash the dairy's diesel consumption by 650 gallons a day, Hilarides said, adding that he intends to convert five pick-up trucks to run on biomethane.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett February 23, 2009, 12:01 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Diesel, Emissions, Methanol, Natural Gas, Tax Incentives
Technorati Tags:: Biofuel

December 23, 2008

U.S. Energy Dept. Announces $200 Million Available for Advanced Biofuel Refineries

The U.S. Department of Energy said Monday that it was making available up to $200 million for advanced biofuel pilot refineries, expecting to award five to 12 projects over the next six years.

The department said that if deployed on a large scale, the commercial facilities could produce volumes that would contribute significantly to the new national renewable-fuels mandate.

"This funding opportunity will look for the most promising technologies that can advance the potential of renewable biomass as a resource for second generation transportation biofuels," John Mizroch, acting assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, said in a statement.

"The Department of Energy will select breakthrough integrated biorefinery projects that have technical and economic performance data at the bench or pilot scale to prove they are ready to move a step closer toward commercial readiness," he said.

The department intends the projects to come online within three to four years of each funding award. The biofuels produced from the projects are part of the effort to cut automotive emissions that contribute to global warming while increasing security of supply and weaning the country off energy import dependence.

Last week, the Energy Information Administration said it believed the country would fall short of being able to produce the 36 billion gallons of biofuels required by 2022 under the mandate. Of that, 21 billion gallons are required to come from advanced fuels such as cellulosic ethanol and biobutanol.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett December 23, 2008, 6:29 AM
Categories:: Biofuels, Butanol, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ethanol, Methanol
Technorati Tags:: Automotive Emissions

December 18, 2008

Agency Says U.S. Won't Meet Biofuels Mandate, Faults Cellulosic's Slow Growth

The U.S. will miss by a wide mark its self-imposed, year-old biofuels mandate, according to the government's top energy forecasting agency.

The country will only blend about 30 billion gallons of fuels such as corn-based ethanol into gasoline by 2022. That's about 17 percent short of the U.S. mandate of 36 billion gallons by that year, the Energy Information Administration said this week.

The U.S. enacted the mandate, known as the Renewable Fuels Standard, late last year in an effort to provide jobs and begin to wean the country off foreign oil.

The mandate calls for corn ethanol, but also an increasing amount cellulosic ethanol made from fast-growing grasses and trees, and biodiesel made from non-food sources. Cellulosic is not yet made commercially.

Howard Gruenspecht, the Energy Information Administration's acting director, said the "key risk factor is rate of development of cellulosic biofuels technology." The near-term growth of cellulosic "is certainly a question mark," he said.

This year's oil price collapse and the credit crunch have hurt many biofuel companies financially and cut the amount of fuel some of them are making.

Loopholes in the mandate that allow regulators to waive the requirements, if needed, could also result in lower blending, Gruenspecht, said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett December 18, 2008, 3:23 PM
Categories:: Biofuels, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ethanol, Legislation, Methanol
Technorati Tags:: Barack Obama

October 14, 2008

U.S. Army Awards Grant to QuantumSphere for Methanol Fuel Cell Research

QuantumSphere, a Santa Ana, Calif., company that develops technologies for portable power and clean-energy applications, has received a U.S. Army grant to come up with a methanol fuel cell that will help soldiers operate electronic devices on trucks without the noise and heat signatures produced by diesel generators.

In the first, nine-month phase of the project, QuantumSphere will receive $120,000 to study the synthesis and electrochemistry of bifunctional anodes, high temperature electrolyte membranes and low-cost cathode catalysts for a 5-watt methanol fuel cell.

If successful, the company will move to the second phase of the project, a two-year $750,000 effort to develop a 200-watt methanol reforming fuel cell in a smaller, lighter form to power portable electronic devices in the Army's Future Force Warrior program.

Future Force Warrior is the Army's flagship science and technology program, aimed at integrating best-in-class technologies to enhance the combat effectiveness of the soldier and small combat unit. The photo at right is one the Army has released depicting the modern high-tech U.S. soldier.

If QuantumSphere is successful, our hope is that one day we'll see methanol fuel cell technology in vehicles offered to the general public. It wouldn't represent the first time technology designed for military use made its way into and benefited the private sector.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett October 14, 2008, 6:51 AM
Categories:: Diesel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Methanol

August 7, 2008

EPA Denies Texas Request to Cut National Biofuels Mandate In Half for a Year

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

To be honest, we nearly decided not to report the following development, because as anyone who has paid the slightest attention to EPA Administer Stephen Johnson (right) the past year knows, he was as likely to approve Texas's request to halve the 2008 renewable fuel standard as he was to appear before the Washington press corps in a yellow polka-dot bikini.

In denying the state's request to cut the national biofuels mandate in half for a year, Johnson -- a Bush appointee -- said today that the renewable fuel standard "is strengthening the nation's energy security and supporting America's farming communities."

The mandate "will remain an important tool in our ongoing effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen our dependence on foreign oil in aggressive yet practical ways," he said.

Texas Governor Rick Perry asked EPA to lower the 2008 renewable fuel standard from 9 billion gallons to 4.5 billion gallons, saying the mandate was spurring skyrocketing food and feed costs and hurting his state's economy.

Politically, rubbing some Texans the wrong way given that the state can be counted on to vote Republican anyway is a small price to pay compared to losing campaign contributions from the agriculture industry and votes from swing states where agriculture is big business.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett August 7, 2008, 12:25 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy, Legislation, Methanol
Technorati Tags:: Environmental Protection Agency

July 31, 2008

Nation's First Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Plant on Fast Track

With almost daily announcements of initiatives aimed at chopping the price of fuel at America's pumps, West Virginia, one of the nation's most prolific coal-producing states, is making a serious move to leverage the lumpy black stuff for transportation fuel by fast-tracking construction of a commercial-scale plant utilizing a proven coal-to-gasoline process.

The coal-to-liquids plant, which will be the first in the U.S., could be up and running as quickly as three years from now, according to published reports, at a cost of some $800 million.

The planned facility is in Marshall County, located not far from the major cities of Pittsburgh and Cleveland in the state's Northern Panhandle. It will be operated in a joint venture between Pittsburgh-based Consol Energy Inc. and Houston's Synthesis Energy Systems Inc.

The plant will employ standard coal and waste coal from a nearby Consol mine and could draw on coal from two other nearby mines.

The joint venture, called Northern Appalachia Fuels LLC, will employ SES's U-Gas process to gasify coal to synthetic gas then convert it to methanol, the primary product of the process.

Synthetic Energy then uses its proprietary methanol-to-gasoline process to convert the methanol to gasoline. The company is negotiating with Exxon-Mobil Research and Engineering to license the process.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett July 31, 2008, 3:01 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Coal, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy, Legislation, Methanol
Technorati Tags:: coal-to-gasoline