Northwestern Wisconsin biodiesel producer expands into Minnesota
Contact: Joshua Morby - 414.344.1733
Milwaukee, Wis. – SunPower Biodiesel of Cumberland, Wis., recently opened its first biodiesel station in Minnesota, leading the way for other Wisconsin biofuel producers looking to enter into the retail market in both Wisconsin and other states.
“Retail development offers Wisconsin bio fuel producers another way to increase profitability and bring more of their product to the marketplace,” says Joshua Morby, executive director of the Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance. “We congratulate SunPower Biodiesel on the opening of its first biofuel refueling station in Minnesota.”
SunPower Biodiesel has maintained a prototype station at its Cumberland production facility, and the new Duluth station is modeled on that prototype. The Minnesota facility, based in a former conventional gas station, offers one blend of biodiesel, B99, which is a combination of 99 percent biodiesel and 1 percent petroleum diesel. It is the first biodiesel outlet in northern Minnesota to offer a B99 blend.
According to the National Biodiesel Board, an estimated 119 million gallons of biodiesel were sold in the United States in September 2011. Sales are expected to continue to grow as Americans demand for foreign oil declines.
“There is an opportunity now for Wisconsin biofuel producers to diversify their businesses through retail outlets as more Americans look for alternative energy sources to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” says Morby. “In contrast to petroleum-based fuels, biofuels are cleaner and are derived from renewable energy sources.”
SunPower Biodiesel uses canola oil seeds grown in the upper Midwest to produce biofuel at its Cumberland facility.
The Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance is a diverse group of businesses, environmental groups, and statewide and local organizations that have come together to build both public and legislative awareness of the Bio Industry in Wisconsin.
For more information about the Alliance, or to find out how to join, please visit our website: http://www.wisconsinbioindustry.com.
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