Awake at the Wheel

General Motors will offer 18 flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) in model year 2009. The number of E85 compatible vehicle models available in 2009 is a sharp increase from the past following the group’s commitment to making their line at least half E85 compatible by 2012.

“We continue to believe that biofuels, specifically E85, is the most significant thing we can do in the near-term to offset future energy demands,” said Beth Lowery, GM vice president of Environment, Energy and Safety Policy. “We are on target to make 50 percent of our vehicles flex-fuel capable by 2012 providing the infrastructure is in place.”

Chevrolet: Avalanche, Express, HHR, HHR Panel, Impala, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe
GMC: Savana, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL
Cadillac:  Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT
Hummer: H2, H2 SUT
Buick: Lucerne

A new survey by Consumer Reports looks at how comsumers are responding to record fuel costs.  Consumers say the answer lies in the development of alternatives, conservation and reduced dependence on imports.

As a result, 90% of those surveyed support an increase in alternative energy development, and 81% want the U.S. government to allow more drilling on and off our nation’s shores. Americans also favored conservation measures, with 83% saying they supported tax incentives for alternate transportation.

And for those who haven’t adjusted their behaviors, the kinds of cars people drive are changing as well. In last year’s survey, only 47% said they were interested in alternative engine types like hybrids, flex-fuel vehicles, or diesel engines. But this year, 80% said they would consider buying a car with an alternate-style engine, and 54% said they would pay extra for a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

More at CNN Money

In a comprehensive overview of alternative energies, The Economist says the most promising energy future is in biofuels.

A study by America’s Departments of Energy and Agriculture suggests that even with only small changes to existing practice, 1.3 billion tonnes of plant matter could be collected from American soil without affecting food production. If this were converted into ethanol using the best technology available today, it would add up to the equivalent of 350 billion litres of petrol, or 65% of the country’s current petrol consumption. And that is before specially bred energy crops and other technological advances are taken into account. If America wants it, biofuel autarky looks more achievable than the oil-based sort.

Domestic Fuel covers the action:

Jack Reed from Washington County said the soybean is a perfect example of how farmers can produce both food and fuel, “When you take the oil out of the soybean you will have 80% of the soybean left which is meal.” From that meal, you can make livestock feed and a variety of human food needs. Reed said it is not an either or situation.

Indiana USB representative Jim Schriver said, unlike ethanol, very little of soybean production is going into fuel production, “Only about 2% of our soybean production goes into fuel production.” He said the real issue is the price of oil. Not only is the high price of oil causing energy prices to rise, but it has caused a dramatic increase in soybean oil demand.

CNN reports:

Nigeria is pumping oil at its lowest level in 25 years, following militant rebel attacks on facilities in recent days operated by Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) and Chevron Corp. (CVX), a senior Nigerian oil official said Sunday.

Nigeria, which has in recent months been overtaken by Angola as Africa’s biggest oil producer, is now estimated to be producing oil at between 1.2 million and 1.5 million barrels a day, the oil official told Dow Jones Newswires, the lowest level since around 1983.

“Things are very bad now in Nigeria,” he said on the sidelines of a major oil summit here between producers and consumers.

The country’s volume of marketable oil held back from such attacks is now between 900,000 and 1 million barrels a day, the official added.

U.S. oil company Chevron Saturday became the second oil major in as many days to confirm that it has been forced to shut in production at a Nigerian oil production facility, after militants attacked a pipeline late Thursday.

From WorldChanging:

Populist sentiment from the population that leads the US in innovation:

86 percent of voters polled say encouraging the development of technological innovation and renewable energies are very or extremely important.

83 percent say they are ready to make personal changes to reduce global warming.

90 percent of voters surveyed say that in developing policies to address global warming it is very or extremely important to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

87 percent of voters polled support requiring energy companies to produce one-third of their electricity from renewable sources.

75 percent say it is extremely or very important to save consumers money by helping them to decrease household energy use.

85 percent of voters say it is very or extremely important to reduce the long-term cost of energy.

79 percent say that global warming is a serious threat to California’s economy and quality of life.

81 percent say it is very or extremely important to reduce air pollution.

ASTM, the global leader in fuel specifications, has approved biodiesel standards for B5 and B20. B5 was approved under the current ULSD diesel fuel specification.The specifications were approved with support from vehicle OEMs and petroleum suppliers.

“It is quite remarkable that the big oil companies and engine makers on the committee have now joined forces with the biodiesel industry to help approve these standards,” said Steve Howell, chairman of the ASTM Biodiesel Task Force. Howell was presented with an award of appreciation from ASTM for his dedication in leading the effort.
More than five years of research and consultation with the ASTM fuel experts went into the new standards. “We addressed the issues and concerns with solid, scientific research,” said Joe Jobe, chief executive officer of the NBB. “Without the tremendous amount of scientific data provided by independent organizations like Southwest Research Institute, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Coordinating Research Council and others, and the cooperation of the petroleum and engine communities, this would not have been possible.”

Offering clean fuels to Washington state’s busiest economic center, Propel is launching downtown Seattle’s first renewable fuel station, scheduled to open June 28th. The 9,000-square-foot location conveniently resides on the I5 Mercer Exit corridor, one block north of Mercer Ave, on Westlake and Valley, in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood.  The site is easy access with turn lanes from all directions.

Uniquely Seattle, the site was conceived, developed and built with homegrown talent. Unlike similar sites in other states, Propel received no direct or indirect financial incentives from Seattle, King County or Washington State. For more information about Propel’s commitment to local economic growth, from farm to fuel tank, please visit our website: http://www.propelbiofuels.com.

Propel’s South Lake Union station is environmentally sensitive in design, construction and operation.

1. Canopy and Cistern

The station’s canopy is designed to conserve water and reduce storm runoff into Lake Union. Rainwater is collected in a cistern neatly integrated into the canopy’s western column. This cistern provides a water source for foliage, while irrigating the feedstock planters with excess water via an underground pipe. In addition, the station’s canopy was constructed utilizing aluminum composite derived from 95% recycled materials. The canopy is also equipped with energy conserving LED lights with photocells that provide illumination only as needed.

2. Landscape Green Roof Technology

The station’s garden landscape uses resource-conserving green roof technology to collect excess water from the canopy and cistern. Constructed with 100% recycled materials, the system actively stores water irrigating the landscape as needed and reducing dependence on the city’s water supply. Collecting and filtering water with green roof technology helps prevent the spread of pollution into Seattle’s groundwater and into Lake Union. The resulting runoff is clean filtered water.

3. Feedstock Planters

These unique feedstock planters grow plants used in the domestic production of biodiesel. The clean fuel is derived from renewable resources like camelina, sunflower, soy and canola, examples of which can be found in the planters. Biodiesel is also produced from waste products including recycled restaurant grease and animal fats. Biodiesel is refined to be used any diesel vehicle with no conversion necessary.

4. Clean Fuel

Two 5,000 gallon above ground tanks are constructed with industry leading safety and environmental standards. To guarantee a safe fueling environment the tanks are impact and ballistics proof, with advanced break away shut-off & emergency shut-off.

The Smear
While the facts continue to debunk the food vs. fuel confusion, ethanol is feeling the heat from an effective smear campaign orchestrated by The Glover Park Group and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (a wealthy lobby of 300 food and beverage makers like Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, Miller Brewing, Dean Foods and ConAgra).

The Farmers
Despite studies showing that fuel prices, and commodities speculation are driving forces behind higher food prices, the smear campaign continues. Now America’s farmers are uniting to get their voices heard. http://www.rrstar.com/communities/x902822601/Farm-Bureau-upset-over-ethanol-smear-campaign

The Facts
USDA has completed a thorough analysis on Ethanol’s impact on food prices. Their studies show:

·      According to the USDA the US is readily able to produce enough corn to meet food, feed, export and ethanol demands.
·      Many factors are driving higher food commodity prices: rising costs for oil and fertilizer, the impacts of drought and other adverse weather conditions, export restrictions and taxes imposed on rice and wheat, all have affected the supply side of the ledger.
·      Across the board commodities have increased 47%. Food based commodities have not increased any faster than other commodities at 46% Oil has increased most at 68%.
·      Raw agricultural product costs account for less than 20 percent of the price of food. Prices consumers pay at the store are impacted most by marketing, labor and energy costs. The increase commodity prices has caused retail food prices to increase by about 5% in 2008.
·      Council of Economic Advisors estimates that 3 percent of the increase we have seen in world food commodity prices this year is due to the increased demand on corn for ethanol.

Ethanol has significant economic benefits
·      Biofuels have been shown to help control the cost of petroleum. Merrill Lynch commodity strategist recently said gasoline prices would be 15 percent higher if biofuel production didn’t exist
·      According to the International Energy Agency, the biofuels production that has been available to the United States and European markets over the last three years has cut the consumption of crude oil by one million barrels a day.

USDA Study
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2008/05/0130.xml

With the Challenge X Competition, GM posed university students across the US with a challenge: How do you re-engineer a Chevrolet Equinox Crossover SUV to maximize fuel efficiency and minimize pollution? Their answer: direct-injection diesel engine fueled by B20 biodiesel. In fact, all three of the top placing teams in GMs Challenge X Competition employed B20 biodiesel. Read more at the daily green.

The team’s turbocharged direct-injection diesel engine fueled by B20 biodiesel was 38% more fuel-efficient than the original, produced 44% less pollution but managed to improve quarter-mile acceleration by 1.6 seconds.

New York Times outlines pros and cons of new diesels coming to the US market in 2008 - 2010. Article notes new arrivals from VW, Audi, Mercedes, Acura, Nissan, Jeep and others.

A snapshot below. Read more

Pros

• Mileage is 25 percent to 40 percent higher than gasoline.
• Carbon dioxide emissions are lower.
• Highway mileage and performance are better than hybrids’.
• High torque is well suited to large pickups and S.U.V.’s.
• Extended driving range means less frequent fill-ups.
• Engines are robust, often lasting 300,000 miles or more.

Cons

• Engines and emissions systems can be costly.
• Diesel fuel currently costs far more than gasoline.
• Like gasoline, diesel is a petroleum product from foreign suppliers.
• Though outdated, image as a dirty technology lingers.
• Only 42 percent of American filling stations have diesel pumps.
• Some companies’ latest emissions controls require refills of urea.

NW Biodiesel Network Monthly Meeting:  

Northwest Feedstocks.  What crops are being grown in the Northwest for biodiesel?  Jeff Canaan, BioEnergy Coordinator for Washington State Department of Agriculture will be on hand to give us an overview.  What about used cooking oil and trap grease?  Hear from Yale Wong, CEO of General Biodiesel, an up and coming biodiesel producer in Seattle.  Get your questions answered!  7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Seattle Phinney Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle WA 98103. Cost is Free.  Information at www.nwbiodiesel.org/.

A number of recent news stories have portrayed biofuels, primarily corn ethanol, as a leading cause of global food price increases. As builders and supporters of our renewable energy industry, this is a matter we take very seriously. It’s important to have good information so we can understand the impacts of our energy choices.

According to leading commodity experts and economists, biofuels are receiving undue blame. In fact, the food price increases are the result of many complex factors, mainly increased demand for agricultural products in emerging markets (especially China and India), a weak U.S. dollar relative to other currencies, and the rising costs of fuel for producing and transporting crops. In addition, weather-related production decreases worldwide have resulted in less overall supply.
Unfortunately the media is not effective at communicating complex economic drivers, and have erroneously pointed the finger at the renewable energy industry. However economists & global leaders are shedding light on this issue. Here’s what some of them have to say.

• Jim Duffield with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and John Urbanchuk with the global economic analysis firm LECG LLC discuss the true causes of rising food prices http://domesticfuel.com/2008/04/16/economists-discuss-food-and-fuel-prices/

 

• Business Week article discusses the expanding role of speculators in agricultural markets and their effect on price increases.  Greg Warner, analyst with AgResource, says what is happening now in the wheat market is unprecedented. “What we normally have is a predictable group of sellers and buyers—mainly farmers and silo operators,” he says. But the landscape has changed since the influx of large index funds. Fund managers seek to maximize their profits using futures contracts, and prices, says Warner, “keep climbing up and up.”
  http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2008/gb20080423_366709.htm

 

•  Merrill Lynch commodity strategist, Francisco Blanch, outlines that oil and gasoline prices would be about 15 percent higher if biofuel producers were not increasing their output. Increased output of biofuels reduces the cost of food production & transportation, and lowers prices.

 

• Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Environment Programme comments that current news coverage blaming biofuels for shortages of food crops are; “simplistic and perhaps short-sighted scapegoats.” He went on to say that the headlines were; “convenient distractions for what is so often in reality poor management at national and international levels. They do, however, point to the inescapable fact that food security is intimately linked to national and international security.”
  http://www.biofuelreview.com/content/view/1549/1/