Micro-crops of algae grown in man-made open-air ponds.
(Credit: PetroAlgae)PetroAlgae has signed a memorandum of understanding to license its proprietary technology for producing and harvesting algae for fuel to Indian Oil, the company announced this week.
The Melbourne, Fla.-based company has developed bioreactors and harvesting methods for converting algae grown in open-pond freshwater farms into biodiesel.
The first phase of its partnership with Indian Oil will involve building a test facility to see whether PetroAlgae's production method is scalable. Once that has proven to be successful, Indian Oil plans to build a commercial production facility that could produce 200,000 tpa (tonnes per annum) of biodiesel. That facility would also produce a protein byproduct from the process that could be sold for use in making animal feedstock.
The Indian Oil-PetroAlgae deal lends further support to the notion that India's ambition is to rival Brazil as the world's largest exporter of biofuel in the coming years. Global biofuel use is expected to double by 2015, according to a recent report by Hart Energy Consulting, and many Big Oil players have been focusing efforts on getting a footing in that arena.
Until recently, most of the Big Oil interest in algae biofuel has been in the form of investments thrown at pilot projects, start-up companies, and research institutions. But the past few months have seen prominent partnerships with more clearly laid-out commercial ambitions.
In July it was announced that Exxon Mobil is investing over $600 million to produce biofuel made from photosynthetic algae in conjunction with the Calif.-based biotech firm Synthetic Genomics (SGI). Martek Bioscience, which initially was selling its fermented algae as a baby food additive, announced in August that it had signed a deal with BP on microbial biodiesel production from algae fermentation.
While algae start-ups seem to have weathered the economic investment drought, as PetroAlgae's own board head John Scott predicted in May, it remains to be seen which method for growing algae will win out.
There is an ongoing debate over whether it's more cost-effective to grow algae by fermentation or photosynthesis. The PetroAlgae deal with Indian Oil puts another mark in the photosynthesis column.
GET's 5W-30 G-Oil.
(Credit: Green Earth Technologies)Green Earth Technologies (GET) announced Wednesday that its environmentally friendly motor oil for cars will soon be available on shelves across the U.S.
The manufacturer of the biodegradable, carbon neutral motor oil made in part from the animal fat of beef slaughter byproducts has been waiting on certification from the American Petroleum Institute before selling its G-Oil to the public.
G-Oil has received API starburst certification, a symbol put on a product's packaging to signify it meets specific standards and is recommended for use by leading vehicle manufacturers. GET's car oil was additionally granted the API service symbol donut, a seal signifying an oil product has "energy-conserving properties in a standard test in comparison to a reference oil."
Until recently, GET has only been selling a 2-cycle G-Oil and a 4-cycle 10W-30 G-Oil for use in small-motor things like lawn mowers and tractors.
Now that the API approval has come, GET, which will be showcasing new products at the AAPEX show in Las Vegas next week, says consumers will begin to see its G-Oil motor oil for cars and trucks at leading national chains. It already began selling its product at National Auto Stores, a Pennsylvania-based chain, as of October 1.
The announcement is not just good news for a company. If the majority of the general public starts buying motor oil that biodegrades rather than taints groundwater, it could have a meaningful impact on the environment. Used motor oil from a single oil change that is dumped into the ground can contaminate about 1 million gallons of fresh water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
But, of course, the motor oil has to work well with your car.
While the International Motor Sports Association's American Le Mans Series has adopted G-Oil as its official motor oil of choice, the real test will be whether or not the American driving public and car enthusiasts like how it performs in their cars.
While no formal announcement has been made, it's likely a deal is in the works with the retailers already carrying G-Oil for small motors. This would include chains like Amazon.com, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and True Value, among others.
(Credit:
David Gardiner & Associates/NRDC)
The effects that fluctuating oil prices have had on the average American vary widely by state, according to a report released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"Fighting Oil Addiction: Ranking States' Oil Vulnerability and Solutions for Change," a report (PDF) prepared for the NRDC by David Gardiner & Associates, ranks U.S. states in two major ways. One list ranks U.S. states by their dependence on oil, taking in factors like gas prices. The other ranks states' efforts to reduce oil dependence, taking into account public transportation funding, state fleet efficiency, hybrid car purchasing incentives, emissions standards, and clean-energy projects.
In 2008, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, and Oklahoma residents were the hardest hit by oil prices with their drivers spending a larger percentage of their income on gasoline than other Americans. The NRDC's official ranking is by both percentage of income and actual dollar amount spent on gas. So while Mississippi ranked worst for drivers spending the largest percentage of their income on gas, Oklahoma drivers actually spent the most, spending on average $2,766.65 in 2008.
There were some surprises in the report.
A state that you might not normally associate with clean energy (or clean air) seems to have reinvented itself. New Jersey, who just recently announced a major solar effort for its leading power utility, was ranked seventh for states doing the most to promote clean-energy technology and reduce oil dependency in 2008. Not surprisingly, California, which has also been buying big into solar power for utilities amid a plethora of other green initiatives throughout the state, was ranked first.
The states doing the most to wean residents off oil, according to the NRDC report:
- California
- Massachusetts
- Washington
- New Mexico
- Connecticut
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Oregon
- Florida
Ten states were also singled out by the NRDC for exerting the least amount of effort to wean themselves off oil in the organization's eyes.
"The failure of the 10 worst states to take meaningful action to reduce oil dependence exacerbates the national security and environmental harms associated with our current transportation habits. These and other states need to be drivers of change," the NRDC said in its report.
The 10 states making the least amount of effort to reduce oil dependence, according to the NRDC report:
- West Virginia
- Idaho
- Wyoming
- Mississippi
- South Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- North Dakota
- Alaska
G-Oil's 5W-30 motor oil is biodegradable.
(Credit: Green Earth Technologies)G-Oil, made from in part from animal fats, is a now the official motor oil of the International Motor Sports Association's American Le Mans Series.
The two groups announced the change in a joint statement released Thursday.
The sanctioning by the International Motor Sports Association is an added bonus for Green Earth Technologies for attracting consumers. The company's G-Oil SAE 5W-30 received certification in early March from the American Petroleum Institute for meeting the performance specifications standards for gasoline engine oils. It then got the go-ahead to use the certification logo on its packaging.
Prior to that, the Connecticut-based company was only able to offer a 2-Cycle G-Oil and a 4-Cycle 10W-30 G-Oil for use in things like tractors and lawn mowers.
"Green Earth Technologies' G-Oil and their eco-friendly business model is a perfect match for our series," Scott Atherton, the American Le Mans Series president and CEO, said in a statement. "We anticipate additional environmentally focused companies to follow Green Earth Technologies' lead."
The change is part of a big push by the American Le Mans Series to distinguish itself as the environmentally friendly racing organization.
All cars in IMSA's American Le Mans Series can now run on one of four alternative fuels: cellulosic E85, E10, clean sulfur-free diesel, or gas-electric hybrid.
The push began a few years ago, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy approached IMSA to help them with an image problem. In IMSA's own words, it was told that there was a need for "something to demonstrate to the U.S. public and automakers alike that fuel efficiency could be cool and sexy."
Unlike other racing entities, the IMSA organization in both the United States and Europe focuses on engineering innovations in the cars, rather than driver skills exclusively, which allows more leeway from year to year on how cars can be made and run. This made the IMSA a candidate for introducing green technology into racing, according to the American Le Man Series.
In 2002, the 24 Hours at Le Mans, the legendary French endurance race run by IMSA, was won by Audi, with its diesel-powered Audi R10 TDI. That year, E10 was also introduced at American Le Mans as a fuel option.
In 2008, American Le Mans introduced E85, which used only cellulosic ethanol, not ethanol from cereal products. This year, the first E10 electric hybrid car is racing.
The move to G-Oil, while interesting, in terms of giving the product more legitimacy, is less significant in terms of how it might change IMSA.
While the G-Oil logo will take prominence at racing events, and be used by all IMSA service vehicles, it has not yet been made mandatory for the race cars themselves. Of course, the racing season has already started. The American Le Mans Series could decide to include it as a rule for next year.
A sampling of green-tech news with quick commentary.
- Goals for Ethanol Production Are in Peril - The New York Times
"The ethanol industry is on its back despite the billions of dollars they have gotten in taxpayer assistance, and a guaranteed market," according to one analyst. And the industry is unlikely to meet government production mandates. - Saudi Oil Min: Renewables Push Could Create Energy Havoc - Dow Jones
Saudi oil minister warns of a "nightmare scenario of diminishing energy supplies" if renewable energy is adopted too quickly. - How Better Place plans to revive the electric car - CNET Australia
Australia will be one of the first places to have Better Place's automated battery-swapping stations for electric cars. CNET Australia's Car Tech blog gets the lowdown. - Sequoia Backs Stealthy C12 To Capture Carbon - VentureWire
Boston-area start-up wants to make underground storage of carbon dioxide--of great interest to utilities--less expensive. Commercialization is years away, though. - Wind turbine 'broke due to mechanical failure not collision with flying object' - The Daily Telegraph
So much for the UFO theory. - Hybrids Powered by Air - Technology Review
Researchers look for a more efficient way to use stored compressed air to help power a (smaller) motor. - When Oil Rig Met Wind Turbine - Greentech Media
To do offshore wind, talk to people who know a bit about offshore oil. - Does a Big Economy Need Big Power Plants? - The New York Times
Guest post by energy maven Amory Lovins, who says that gigantic power plants no longer make sense and that distributed "micropower" is the way to grow. - Dell Announces Major Expansion of Free Computer Recycling Program - press release
You can recycle your Dell PC at 1,000 locations in the U.S. now.
G-Oil from Green Earth Technologies offers a 'green' alternative for your lawn mower's needs.
(Credit: Green Earth Technologies)Green Earth Technologies claims that it's come up with a motor oil that is friendlier toward the environment.
G-oil is a more sustainable option than regular motor oil brands because it's made in part from beef slaughter byproducts, namely animal fat, according to the Stamford, Conn.-based company.
Green Earth Technologies also claims that its G-Oil exceeds the "Ultimate Biodegradability" standard (60 percent biodegraded within 28 days) of the international standards organization ASTM.
The company says more than 90 percent of used G-Oil will biodegrade in just nine days. That's a considerable claim. Used motor oil from one oil change dumped into the ground contaminates about 1 million gallons of fresh water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which has been encouraging the recycling of used motor oil for years.
Green Earth Technologies launched its product at about 2,000 stores in the United States at the end of January. Popular retailers such as Home Depot, Amazon.com, and Ace Hardware are among its carriers.
Don't get too excited.
While the company says it's awaiting approval for a car and truck motor oil, and has tested a race car-worthy version, as of right now, Green Earth Technologies only a 2-Cycle G-Oil and a 4-Cycle 10W-30 G-Oil.
That's good only for use in small-engine machines such as tractors, generators, pressure washers, and lawn motors.
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 seriously.
But Koonin said that changing from BP's core oil and gas exploration business is a slow process, given that demand for liquid fuels continues to go up.
"We're trying (but) it's not easy to change things...You can't cut off the present," he said. "Deployment of energy innovations (in the oil and gas industry overall) is very hard because of entrenched interests."
He said that climate regulations that put a price on emitting carbon dioxide would incent energy companies to invest in low-carbon energy sources.
"The only way you're going to get a shift off of this is through a price on carbon," Koonin said. A carbon tax or cap-and-trade system would act the same way that a rise in gasoline prices has prompted many people to conserve, he said.
"The question is whether it will be high enough...It needs to be high enough to hurt to get people to do something different," Koonin said.
He noted that Europe already has climate regulations in place, and the U.S. is likely to adopt its own. At the same time, he said "it was hard to imagine" the fast-growing economies of China and India having costly limits on carbon emissions.
In his talk, Koonin listed a number of technologies that BP is exploring or funding research in, including biofuels, underground carbon storage, and various means of improved oil and gas exploration.
BP researchers are exploring under-ice drilling in the Arctic, building more robust drilling platforms, more environmentally benign methods to extract oil from tar sands, and hydrogen production.
"Technically, there are lots of opportunities in conventional fossil fuels," he said.
At the same time, BP is investing a billion dollars to establish a biofuels business and is pushing into wind power. It has also done a handful of tests in carbon capture and sequestration, where large amounts of carbon dioxide are stored underground.
Carbon storage is a technology that could be an important option for reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, but it also faces a number of technical challenges, such as safe storage, Koonin said.
BP is also researching energy storage for renewable energy and advanced photovoltaics, although Koonin predicted it would be decades before they would make a major impact on worldwide energy use.
One of the most promising research paths is the intersection of biology and energy. BP, for example, is looking at how enzymes in cows and other ruminants can sequester carbon, he said.
"Beyond Petroleum was once an advertising slogan when I came in (in 2004). We're trying to do something about it now," he said.
(Credit:
Greasecar)
Greasecar has a product it calls the Vegetable Oil Conversion System, which can convert your diesel car or truck to run on vegetable oil in any climate. It's a DIY kit, so this certainly isn't for people who don't know a spark plug from a fan belt.
Different vehicles have different types of kits, with prices varying from $995 for a 13-gallon cylinder tank to $2,350 for a 40-gallon tread plate tank. If you're game, you need to find out whether your vehicle model is available for this kind of modification. We'll also throw in a disclaimer here that you do this at your own risk and depending on the laws of your country.
(Source: Crave Asia)
Here's a sampling of recent green-tech news:
- Sony Unveils Ultrasmall Hybrid Fuel Cell -- Tech-On
Sony looks to put fuel cells in gadgets, following a prototype that Sharp demonstrated last week that uses methanol as a fuel. - Canon patents fuel cell-powered cameras -- Crave -- CNET Asia
Fuel cells are coming to consumer electronics, it seems. Quite a bit of activity on this front in the past week. - Oil Left in the Ground -- Technology Review
We have smart grids--why not have "smart oil fields?" Interest in existing oil fields, where as much as 75 percent of the total oil still remains, is growing for geopolitical and economic reasons. - Administration allies strike against ethanol critics -- MarketWatch
A "smear campaign" against ethanol? Secretary of the Agriculture Department says ethanol mandates are needed to diversify the U.S.'s fuel supply. Suspending mandates wouldn't lower food prices all that much, he says. - Reality Check: Consumers Unlikely to Pay Much More for Green -- WSJ.com
Climate change will hit our pocket books in the form of higher utility rates. What to do? Efficiency is best option, but after that, opinions seem to split. - Ecotricity CEO's Electric Car Is "Not Another Tesla" -- TreeHugger
A British wind mogul wants to build a "wind-powered sports car." Two top requirements are that it's not "crap" like today's electric cars, has a range of 150 miles, and goes fast: "naught to 60 in 4 seconds." Here's a short video clip: - New World Record For Efficiency For Solar Cells -- ScienceDaily
European researchers boost polysilicon solar cell efficiency from 21.9 to 23.2 percent by adding a layer of aluminum oxide. It's a significant boost done with an inexpensive material, they say. - Chevy Volt: Traveling Public Roads and Hitting Its Mark -- AutoObserver
Chevy Volt goes 40 miles on a battery in test drives in a mule chassis. The plug-in hybrid sports car is due out in 2010.
It's not uncommon on California roadways to spot diesel cars with bumper stickers that boast of biofuels in the engine, using slogans such as "Fuel for the revolution."
"This is the largest underground movement in the United States since the Civil War and the underground railroad," said Michael Wittman, an environmental activist and biodiesel user in Los Angeles.
But many drivers who began using biofuels to reduce their carbon emissions and save money fear that little-known government regulations are nipping the adoption of homegrown, "green" fuels in the bud.
In California, it's illegal to collect vegetable oil from a restaurant for fuel without paying a $300 license upfront as well as hefty road use taxes per gallon. And along with rising costs for commodities, rules regulating how to sell non-standard fuels are driving some biofuel suppliers out of business.
Fans of homegrown fuels are finding it more costly and time-consuming to keep filling up with biodiesel or vegetable oil.
(Credit: Sienna Wildwind/Green Means Go Cars)"There are so many people doing this underground, not putting stickers on their cars to advertise," Wittman said. "Restaurant owners are not aware it's illegal so when a customer asks for oil they say, 'Sure.' People don't know the rules."
Apparently the only way that people have been getting away with filling up their diesel tanks with home-filtered vegetable oil has been due to regulators looking the other way.
Biofuel users who want to collect vegetable oil have to apply for a license from the meat and poultry inspection branch of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The price in the last year or so has gone to $300 from $75, not counting mandatory insurance.
In April, an Illinois man was arrested in Santa Clara County for trying to take grease from a Burger King.
And many people running home-brewed fuel aren't aware that they owe road maintenance taxes, which are built into the price of gasoline or diesel at the pump.
Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was surprised to learn that he owed taxes of 18 cents for every gallon of straight cooking oil that was powering his converted Hummer, according to the Los Angeles Times.
After drivers including a state senator faced fines in North Carolina last year, it became one of five states to stop imposing road use taxes on biofuel users. Drivers are also exempt in Illinois as well as Rhode Island, Texas, and Indiana.
In a well-publicized 2007 Illinois case, state tax authorities accused a retired couple of breaking the law by running a converted 1986 Volkswagen Golf on waste vegetable oil at 46 miles per gallon.
The tax remains in California, in addition to an 18 cent per gallon federal tax.
Biofuel advocates wonder why they aren't getting the same breaks as hybrid cars, which aren't subject to motor fuel taxes for the time they cruise on roads under electrical power. Some feel they are being punished for their efforts to drive "greener," and blame Big Oil for influencing lawmakers.
And many worry that the food-versus-fuels concern has led the public to "blame the hippies" for the rising prices for staple crops.
Fans of "green" fuel note, however, that biodiesel can be made without using food crops and other commodities. On the West Coast, biodiesel cooperatives have switched from using virgin soy shipped from the Midwest to recycling feedstock from local sources. Potentially even more sustainable, algae remains on the horizon.
The general public often confuses the various types of biofuels. Biodiesel and veggie oil get lumped in with ethanol, made from corn largely grown by large corporations and backed by government subsidies. But biodiesel can be pumped into in any car that accepts petroleum-based diesel.
Cars that run on grease from french fries or other food, by contrast, must be converted first, which can cost several thousand dollars. Those vehicles can hum along on waste oil from restaurants or, say, on canola oil from Costco.
Colette Brooks, co-founder of the L.A. Biodiesel Co-op, sits inside a mobile fueling station.
(Credit: Colette Brooks)As with gasoline, prices are climbing for biofuels across the board. Biodiesel costs around $5 per gallon, still more than petroleum-based diesel at the pump. Pure vegetable oil from a store shelf that was less than $4 per gallon last year costs above $4.50.
Some veggie oil users who used to be paid by restaurants for offloading waste grease are finding that they now have to pay the restaurants as much as 10 cents per gallon.
VegRev, a small shop that converts old diesel Mercedes to accept a mix of diesel, biofuel and waste oil, scrapped its plans from last year to sell waste oil-based fuel for $1.50 per gallon in San Francisco. Co-founder William Hibbitts, who has since moved operations to Oakland,Calif., said legal red tape wasn't the issue.
But vegetable oil appears to be caught in a Catch-22. The EPA requires all fuel and additives to be tested, but while biodiesel can meet ASTM standards, vegetable oil isn't eligible.
"People who want to sell straight vegetable oil are complaining about the diesel tax," said Kent Bullard, co-founder and president of the L.A. Biodiesel Cooperative. "The bigger issue is it's not legal as a road fuel in California. It's a chicken and egg situation. You're not going to get the standard through."
Collective efforts to legitimize vegetable oil appear to be aborted, at least for now. The Web site of the National VegOil Board is no longer being maintained.
As opposed to vegetable oil, biodiesel can involve toxic chemicals to brew but is classified as a developmental fuel. Biodiesel sellers form co-operatives because by law, experimental fuel can only be sold to a controlled group of users. They must comply with the same laws governing gas stations, which deal with vast quantities and far greater toxic chemicals.
"Maybe for some of the real small guys it's a big problem, but it's kind of a serious business selling fuel," said Will Noel, general manager of Santa Cruz-based biodiesel station Pacific Biofuel, which pays up to $9,000 per year on permits. "If someone breaks down it can be very dangerous."
Byzantine lawsColette Brooks, a co-founder of the L.A. Biodiesel Cooperative, recently received a confusing visit from the California Department of Weights and Measures. Brooks said she doesn't oppose moves to ensure the safety of the fuel, but wishes the rules, similar to those regulating regular gas stations, weren't so byzantine.
"It still boggles my mind to have such a simple alternative out there yet to have regulators create obstacles and hurdles to that process when all we want to do is provide clean easy solutions to live sustainably," said Brooks, who also sells biodiesel-ready used Mercedes.
Wesley Caddell, co-owner of the People's Fuel Cooperative in San Francisco, finds it ridiculous that California is the only state to classify biodiesel as an experimental fuel. In San Francisco he has worked for five years to install biodiesel pumps. Adding air quality permits to the growing pile of regulations, he said he'd have to come up with $60,000 for a fueling station, which would take a decade to recover given the tiny profit margins.
"I haven't felt the love from above," he said. "We're busting our tail to make this happen, but you can't buy it at the pump. It's a joke because the fuel's been in use for many years all over Midwest. Truckers have been running biodiesel with no problem."
Biofuel activists want authorities to relax the web of fines, licenses, and taxes. Even if they could succeed, however, other barriers to widespread adoption of biofuels would remain.
Although more diesel vehicles with boosted fuel economy have come to the U.S. market, car makers don't advertise biofuel compatibility. Instead, running a new Volkswagen on alternative fuels would void a warranty.
Someone who modifies a car to run on an alternative fuel is supposed to get the car re-certified with the EPA or face a $3,500 fine, explained Bullard of the L.A. Biodiesel Coop, who also audits biodiesel manufacturing plants for the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission.
And car manufacturers would have to recall an entire line if tests by the Environmental Protection Agency found used vehicles that fail emissions standards and ran fuel that doesn't meet government standards.
