University of Illinois Center for Advanced BioEnergy Research: energy

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
June 29, 2012

In Washington, the US Energy Information Administration released its Annual Energy Outlook for 2012. Among changes in this year’s Outlook, an updated Reference case was included as part of this complete report, to incorporate modeling changes and reflect new legislation or regulation that was not available when the Early Release Overview version of the Reference case was published. The California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) was removed from the final Reference case, given the Federal court ruling in December 2011 that found some aspects of it to be unconstitutional.

According to the Outlook, much of the projected decline in the net import share of energy supply is accounted for by liquids. Although U.S. consumption of liquid fuels continues to grow through 2035 in the Reference case, reliance on petroleum imports as a share of total liquids consumption decreases. Total U.S. consumption of liquid fuels, including both fossil fuels and biofuels, rises from about 18.8 million barrels per day in 2009 to 21.9 million barrels per day in 2035 in the Reference case. The import share, which reached 60 percent in 2005 and 2006 before falling to 51 percent in 2009, falls to 42 percent in 2035

Read story

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Senators file multiple anti-energy Farm Bill amendments

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Kris Bevill
June 15, 2012

The Senate began its floor debate of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s 2012 Farm Bill, formally titled the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, on June 12 and proceeded to flood the legislation with amendments that would modify various components of the bill. Approximately 10 of those amendments relate to the Energy Title or renewable energy in general and must be defeated, said Lloyd Ritter, co-director of the Agriculture Energy Coalition. Among them, a proposal to defund all energy programs under the Farm Bill, an amendment that would prevent Farm Bill funds from being used for blender pump installations, an amendment to eliminate loan guarantee programs, and multiple amendments that address the renewable fuel standard (RFS).

In the June 13 letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the coalition pointed out the economic contributions already made by the emerging renewable energy industries and said the positive impacts of that sector will continue to grow with Congress’ support. Therefore, the group urged senators to defeat energy program amendments. “Farm Bill energy programs support the emergence of new markets for agriculture, encourage putting underutilized land back into production, incentivize innovation in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and create employment opportunities in rural America,” Ritter said in a statement. “These effective programs are a vital part of the overall Farm Bill and provide a strong return for American taxpayers.”

Read more

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Fact Sheet: G-8 Action on Energy and Climate Change

Newsroom America
By Newsroom America Feeds at 19 May 18:59

At the Camp David Summit, G-8 Leaders recognized that the development of and universal access to environmentally safe, sustainable, secure, and affordable sources of energy is essential to global economic growth and to their overall efforts to address climate change. As such, they identified several actions for the G-8 to take together:

Pursue a Comprehensive Energy Strategy – Safely

Recognize the value of simultaneously pursuing a wide variety of energy sources in order to meet energy demands, acknowledging each nation’s different needs and different approaches. In pursuing an appropriate mix from all of the above, we recognize that different energy sources have different inherent risks and must be developed in a safe, efficient, and environmentally sustainable manner. Support the G-20 Global Marine Environment Protection initiative to develop a Best Practices Sharing Mechanism (GMEP Mechanism), available to all interested countries and stakeholders, for the exchange of best practices for offshore oil and gas exploration and development in an effort to help prevent future accidents. Welcome and agree to review the International Energy Agency’s work on potential best practices for natural gas development as an input into our effort to share information on strategies for its environmentally safe and sustainable production. Recognize the important work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), particularly full implementation of its Action Plan on Nuclear Safety, and strengthened cooperation between governments, the nuclear energy industry, and the IAEA. Encourage all Parties to make full use of the upcoming extraordinary meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety to enhance and strengthen the effectiveness of the international legal framework by the most efficient and practicable means available. Notes the importance of the upcoming December 2012 Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety.

Read more

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Unresolved clash over indirect land use change leaves EU biofuels policy adrift

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
May 7, 2012

In the EU, a clash between the Climate Commission and the Energy Department, over indirect land use change, has left policymakers were unable to agree on an emissions accounting scheme revision needed to finally establish which feedstocks will be considered acceptable in meeting the EU’s biofuel targets.

The EU industry, which has reached $16M in annual sales, depends currently on a mix primarily of palm, soybean and rapeseed, for biodiesel production, and all feedstocks would be in jeopardy under proposed indirect land use change provisions. The EU is facing difficulties in meeting targets without access to its major feedstocks, while at the same time emissions caps aimed at oil refiners are pushing refiners towards greater use of biofuels.

Read more

Monday, April 30, 2012

Senate Ag Committee OK’s $800M for Farm Bill energy programs; DOE OK’d to move $100M for advanced biofuels

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
April 27, 2012 4

In Washington, the Senate Agriculture Committee has approved $800 million in mandatory biofuels-related funding for the proposed energy title in the upcoming Farm Bill. Last week, the Committee had been moving forward with a Farm Bill draft that included an energy title but did not have mandatory funding, which would have required the USDA to seek funding of the provisions on an annual basis, and would have ensured policy uncertainty and annual funding battles throughout the five years of the proposed Farm Bill’s life.

Read more

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

AgEC applauds senators on bill to fund Farm Bill energy title

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Agriculture Energy Coalition March 30, 2012

The Agriculture Energy Coalition commends Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Kent Conrad, D-N.D., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Al Franken, D-Minn., for their leadership on newly introduced legislation to reauthorize and mandatorily fund the most vital energy programs found in the current Farm Bill. This legislation should serve as a bipartisan basis for the Energy Title as the Senate begins debate on a new Farm Bill, which is scheduled to expire in September.

“The Farm Bill’s energy title is a tremendous economic driver for communities throughout rural America, funding renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in every state of the Union,” said Ryan Stroschein, a coalition director. “These funds have leveraged billions of dollars in additional capital and created quality jobs.”

Read more

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

EIA releases early version of Annual Energy Outlook

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Anna Austin February 29, 2012

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has made public an early release version of its 2012 Annual Energy Outlook. The report predicts biomass and wind electricity to dominate projected increases in U.S. non-hydro renewable electricity generation.

For biomass specifically, the EIA predicts a four-fold increase by the year 2035, accounting for 30 percent of the growth in non-hydro renewables. The report states that the quadruple increase is driven by two main factors: federal requirements to use more biomass-based transportation fuels—which leads to increased electricity generation as a co-product from liquid fuel facilities such as cellulosic ethanol refineries—and the co-firing of biomass with coal increasing over the projection period. This will be induced partially by state-level renewable portfolio standards, as well as favorable economics in regions with significant forestry residues, according to the EIA. It expects traditional industrial combined-heat-and-power generation in sectors such as the pulp and paper industry to continue to contribute to overall biomass generation.

Read more

Monday, February 20, 2012

Energy storage: key to renewables

RenewableEnergyFocus.com
15 February 2012
Kari Williamson

Energy storage is well known in off-grid installations, but how can energy storage be used as a way of accessing the grid for connected renewable energy systems?

Energy storage is heralded as a solution to integrate more renewable energy into the grid. Andrew Jones, managing director, S&C Electric Europe Ltd., agrees.

Read more

Monday, January 30, 2012

Obama calls for clean energy standard

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Anna Austin January 25, 2012

While U.S. President Barack Obama placed plenty of emphasis on domestically sourced fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil in his Jan. 24 State of the Union Address, he called on Congress to get working on a national clean energy standard, and stressed the importance of new incentives for renewable energy innovation.

Pointing out that the U.S. contains only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, Obama stressed that oil isn’t enough. “This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy—a strategy that's cleaner, cheaper and full of new jobs,” he said.

Read more

Monday, March 17, 2014

Monday, June 17, 2013

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Friday, April 19, 2013

Monday, March 25, 2013

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Monday, January 7, 2013

Friday, January 4, 2013

Monday, December 17, 2012

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Monday, July 2, 2012