Biofuels

Ethanol start-up Mascoma sheds staffers

Biofuel start-up Mascoma has laid off a handful of employees, including President Colin South and other executives.

The total number of eliminated positions was between 5 and 10, CEO Bruce Jamerson said Friday.

Mascoma is one of few well-funded companies that have developed technology to make cellulosic ethanol from nonfood feedstocks. General Motors and refiner Marathon Oil are investors.

Jamerson said Mascoma continues to hit its technology and business milestones. But he and the board felt that it was prudent to cut costs, including personnel.

Because of the upheaval in the capital markets, Mascoma cannot go public to raise additional … Read more

Amyris opens plant to make diesel from sugar cane

Amyris Biotechnologies on Wednesday announced the opening of a pilot facility in Emeryville, Calif., that turns sugar cane into diesel fuel through genetically designed microbes.

The company is at the forefront of a commercial movement to use biotechnology to convert plants into fuels that resemble petroleum-based hydrocarbons.

Amyris' technique is to genetically engineer a yeast that can metabolize sugar into the desired molecules. Its first effort was to develop a malaria vaccine, which it continues to do, and it has since developed a focus on renewable fuels.

"We're engineering the yeast, reprogramming it from making alcohols to making … Read more

Ethanol maker VeraSun files for bankruptcy

VeraSun Energy, an ethanol producer that failed to foresee a drop in corn prices earlier this year, filed for bankruptcy protection Friday.

The Sioux Falls, S.D.-based company said it will continue to operate during bankruptcy, including making feedstock purchases and paying employees.

VeraSun, which claims to be the biggest ethanol producer in the United States, has run out of cash because of a change in its hedging strategy for purchasing corn. The global credit crisis has also hampered its ability to raise operating funds.

"Today's filing allows VeraSun to address its short-term liquidity constraints as we … Read more

Green news harvest: Solar thermal returns to Calif., Seattle algae

Here's a sampling of green-tech news with quick commentary:

Solar Power Company Ausra Launches First Solar Thermal Plant in California in Nearly 20 Years - Press releaseCertainly a milestone for Ausra and the solar thermal industry, with many more projects planned. Energy versus Water: Solving Both Crises Together - Scientific AmericanA theme we're certain to hear more about: the close linkage between water and energy. Algae Biofuels Challenge - Carbon TrustOne way to fire up scientists and entrepreneurs: a multimillion-dollar competition - via Biofuels Digest Investors Talk Biofuels Winners, Latecomers to the Party, and $100 Billion Dollar Companies at Algae Biomass Summit - Xconomy… Read more

GreenFuel Tech opens algae-growing greenhouse

GreenFuel Technologies on Tuesday is expected to announce what few in the algae fuel business can claim--a paying customer.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based company detailed a multi-year deal worth $92 million to build greenhouses that grow algae, which can be harvested for vegetable oil to make biodiesel or to make animal feed.

In the greenhouses, the algae will be fed sunlight and carbon dioxide from the Holcim cement plant near Jerez, Spain.

The project developer is Spain's Aurantia, which specializes in renewable energy. GreenFuel executives have said they are pursuing other deals with large polluters, such as utilities and … Read more

Green news harvest: Hope for rebuilding power grid?

Here's a sampling of green-tech news with quick commentary:

National Grid: Dream or Reality? Greentech MediaA common topic at this week's solar power conference: the thorny problem of how to upgrade the U.S.' electricity distribution grid and whether the federal government should take a stronger role. SunPower net income almost triples as sales advance - San Jose Mercury NewsSign of strong demand from a company that does both residential and large-scale solar installs. Masdar to invest in London Array offshore wind farm as first step of a global renewable energy partnership with E.ON - Press release… Read more

BP scientist: To cut oil use, make carbon expensive

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Everyone from politicians, investors, and consumers tout the potential of solar and wind technologies.

But even BP, a company that changed its tagline to "Beyond Petroleum," sees renewable energy as a very small piece of the global energy picture--a situation that's not likely to change in the coming decades, according to BP's chief scientist, Steven Koonin.

Koonin spoke here on Monday to Massachusetts Institute of Technologies' energy student fellows, part of a campuswide initiative to promote technology innovation in energy.

BP is perhaps the most high-profile oil and gas company to take alternative energy … Read more

Inside Mascoma's ethanol-making bug lab

LEBANON, N.H.--Mascoma is a biotech firm engineering its way into the energy business.

At its core is a staff of brainy Phds with expertise in microbial technology and cellulosic ethanol. But rather than design pharmaceuticals or crop seeds, Mascoma scientists are researching ways to make a cheaper fuel.

Its part of an industry-wide race to make ethanol from non-food sources, such as wood chips and grasses, at commercial scale.

If done right, cellulosic ethanol promises to be far better than the current feedstock--corn--from a commercial and environmental standpoint.

There are many techniques for making cellulosic ethanol, including gasification … Read more

Mobile trade group pushes green initiative

The GSMA, a trade group representing more than 750 GSM mobile operators across 218 countries, has launched a plan to help mobile operators in developing markets go green.

The organization announced Thursday the Green Power for Mobile initiative, which will help the industry use renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and biofuels to power 118,000 new and existing mobile base stations in developing countries by 2012. The initiative is backed by 25 mobile operators and will provide expertise and guidelines for operators deploying low-energy base stations or base stations that use renewable energy.

The vast majority of mobile … Read more