Here is a great story from Ethanol Producer Magazine about how several ethanol plants in the Midwest, including Wisconsin’s very own Ace Ethanol, are planning upgrades. Check it out here. Ace received $595,000 in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money to upgrade its waste heat recovery system. These plants are all at the forefront of technological innovation as they upgrade.
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Posted on October 18, 2010 by Jason @ 1:41 pm
Posted on October 8, 2010 by Jason @ 11:57 am
Biogas webinar series continues
The second part of The Energy Center of Wisconsin’s three-part webinar series on the next generation of biogas, Biogas: Developing a Statewide Plan for Wisconsin’s Opportunity Fuel will premiere live on October 20 from 1 – 2 p.m. CDT.
The webinar will feature speakers from the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative. WBI Director Troy Runge and Director of Midwest Energy Policy Analysis Gary Radloff will discuss strategies and potential goals for statewide biogas development and public policy programs to capitalize on biogas opportunities.
The first webinar of the series, presented by Peter Taglia of Clean Wisconsin, was broadcast September 29, 2010.
To catch the newest part of this popular series, register online. If you can’t tune in to the live premiere, don’t worry – registration allows free on-demand access to the first and second presentation.
The final part of the series, Midwest Food Processors Anaerobic Digester Casebook featuring Joe Kramer of the Energy Center of Wisconsin will broadcast November 23, 2010. For more information on the Energy Center of Wisconsin, visit www.ecw.org or contact Annemarie Newman at anewman@ecw.org
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Posted on August 11, 2010 by Justin @ 4:56 pm
Madison’s Charter Street coal plant converting to biofuels
The WBIA is pleased with Madison’s Charter Street coal plant’s upcoming conversion. The plant, which powers the heating and cooling for the entire UW-Madison campus, plans to convert from coal to natural gas and biofuels.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported the details of the transition last Friday. After facing pressure from groups such as the Sierra Club, who sued UW-Madison for violating the Clean Air Act, the plant’s conversion is a step toward producing more environmentally friendly energy. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, John Harrod Jr., director of the plant, even expects the biofuel method to save money in the long run.
This appears to be a win-win situation because Wisconsin is gaining a clean-burning biofuel plant, while at the same time losing a heavy-polluting coal plant. The development of this new plant is an important step for the bio industry. It is a prime example of Wisconsin taking a lead role in renewable energy advancement. We absolutely support the decision in Madison to move away from our dependence on coal and other fossil fuels for power.
The longtime coal plant plans to be burning biofuels by December 2013. We are confident that these efforts in Madison will encourage more development of biopower throughout the state of Wisconsin and the rest of the country.
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Posted on July 6, 2010 by Megan @ 10:03 am
Find Alternative Fuel On the Go
Finding fuel for your alternative fuel vehicle while on the go just got much simpler. The U.S. Department of Energy has created a new mobile app with easy-to-use Google technology that allows users to find the five closest locations for filling up with alternative fuels such as biodiesel, electricity, E85 (ethanol), hydrogen, natural gas and propane. The app provides users with driving directions, business hours and contact information.
Until more alternative fuel stations are built, allowing these important industries to flourish, this app will serve as a great resource for consumers who are dedicated to using these fuels to ensure our nation’s energy security and economic growth.
Click here for more information and to download the app.
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Posted on June 22, 2010 by admin @ 2:32 pm
Following initial backlash, biomass plant supporters emerge
For the past several weeks, we have posted blogs and news stories about the opposition facing the proposed biomass plant in Rothschild, Wisc. The plant’s supporters are now taking their turn to speak up.
The Wausau Daily Herald ran Tom Tyskiewicz’s letter to the editor on June 17 in which he stated his support of the project. Tyskiewicz asked Rothschild residents to embrace change and progress for the sake of our future. He said he believes renewable energy is a big part of that future.
Tyskiewicz reminds us that Domtar and WE Energies are two companies “held in high standards by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, EPA and DNR.” He adds that “nothing will be built without their final stamp of approval.”
Tyskiewicz was not alone in his sentiments. Today the Wausau Daily Herald ran Kathleen M. Ruenger’s letter to the editor pledging her support of the plant and calling it “a win-win situation for all involved: Domtar, WE Energies, the Village of Rothschild and all other communities involved.”
Ruenger address concerns that the new biomass plant would reduce air quality in the area. She refers to the Rothschild Paper Mill’s storied past in which it was always environmentally and socially responsible. Ruenger believes the new plant will be no different.
We at the WBIA are glad to see Wisconsin communities rise up in support of a good cause. The support of Wisconsinites like Ruenger and Tyskiewicz is crucial if the WBIA hopes to achieve it’s goal of helping Wisconsin be the nation’s leader among states to improve the efficiency, conservation and profitability of bio fuel production.
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Posted on June 18, 2010 by Megan @ 11:23 am
Biofuels Workshop in Watertown
The Wisconsin Small-Scale Biofuels Producer Program, with the Office of Energy Independence, is holding a small-scale gas and liquid biofuels workshop and expo Friday, June 25. The workshop will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Watertown Senior Center in the morning and Prairie Dock in the afternoon.
It will include presentations and “hands on” sessions featuring biofuels experts, business and government leaders, educators and equipment manufacturers from Wisconsin. There will also be several small-scale systems demonstrated.
The workshop fee is $40. WSSBPP members receive a discounted rate of $25.
Click here to download a flyer with more information about the event. You may also click here to download the program.
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Posted on June 16, 2010 by admin @ 3:11 pm
Biofuels advancement taking place right here
Wisconsin continues to lead the way in bio industry advancement.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison research group at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center developed a strain of bacteria which could lead to more cost-effective cellulosic biofuels. The team’s findings were published online by the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology on June 11.
The breakthrough has made it possible to perform genetic analysis on the bacteria, which has long been known to convert biomass to sugars. The team developed a way to mutate any gene with the bacteria, which should bring greater success to the difficult process of breaking down plant cell walls to extract sugar molecules for producing biofuels.
Also advancing the bio industry is Milwaukee-based Lallemand Ethanol Technology, which just introduced Thermosacc® GOLD, a new fresh-cake yeast better able to withstand fermentation. Thermosacc GOLD was designed to use sugars more efficiently and increase yield.
The WBIA is proud to see Wisconsin leading the way in the biofuels industry, and we hope this is just the beginning of Wisconsin’s contribution to the global movement toward bio power.
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Posted on June 4, 2010 by Megan @ 2:00 pm
WI Wins Border Battle
Wisconsin and Minnesota Clean Air Choice teams battled it out this week to see who could pump more E85 in two hours at two locations on the WI and MN border. With Alice in Dairyland’s help pumping E85, Wisconsin won the battle! In total, over 1,000 gallons of E85 were pumped, preventing 4 tons of emissions from entering the air. This friendly competition made a significant impact on ensuring the we all have clean air to breathe – way to go everyone!
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Posted on by Megan @ 11:49 am
DOE Announces $5M Biomass Research Funding Opportunity
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a new $5 million funding opportunity for research focused on sustainable production of large quantities of non-food biomass for bioenergy. Biomass will play a significant role in our country’s renewable fuels portfolio, and can have a huge impact on Wisconsin’s economy. Wisconsin doesn’t have coal, oil or natural gas reserves. We do have biomass, however, in the form of paper waste and woodchips. Encouraging this industry in our state can create jobs and pump millions of dollars into Wisconsin’s economy.
For more information about the grant, visit the Grants.gov website.
To learn more about biomass, you can download fact sheets from our Bio Power page.
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Posted on May 6, 2010 by Megan @ 2:51 pm
« Newer Posts — Older Posts »Auto Industry Relying on Incomplete Research in Fight Against E15
In the debate over raising the ethanol blend wall, the auto industry has come out against E15 (a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline), citing research that claims higher blends will damage car engines. This study, however, is incomplete and cannot be regarded as fact.
The report, published by the Coordinating Research Council (CRC), was due to test 16 engines manufactured between 2001 and 2009, but has only conducted testing on half thus far. In fact, testing has only been completed for four engines.
It is troublesome that the auto industry is drawing conclusions from a study that is nowhere near finished when other third party research, and even the EPA, has suggested that E15 is safe for recent engine models.
CEO of Growth Energy, Tom Buis, said, “The EPA has told us in writing that they intend to complete their testing on E15 before making a decision, and we are confident they will.”
Why hasn’t the auto industry done the same?
Buis added, “We are also confident that the testing will show what we already know: that E15 can run just fine in today’s modern engines, all while creating good paying jobs here in America.”
For more details about the situation, check out this story at BrighterEnergy.org.
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