| Biodiesel, ethanol in race to fill 'er up:
Proponents of both fuels compete for research money, tax credits by Eric Phillips Pacific Business News
(Honolulu) - September 1, 2006. A quiet race is under way in Hawaii
between two alternative fuel technologies -- biodiesel and ethanol. Hawaii Biofuels Summit Briefing Book (August 8, 2006) HECO's Proposed 2009 Biofuel Power Plant COMMENTARY: Taking on global warming, biofuels. By U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (Honolulu Advertiser, Sunday, April 15, 2007). Hawai'i is positioned to take the lead in the transition from fossil fuels to biofuels and other sources of renewable and alternative energy. I am working closely with Hawai'i's agricultural producers, economic and business leaders, and technology/science industry to work toward this goal. I am co-sponsoring comprehensive legislation that provides incentives and support that specifically addresses Hawai'i's unique economic and agricultural needs. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... |
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| Hawaii governor may renew ethanol tax
break. Ethanol Producer Magazine (March 2007) Developers of the Kauai Ethanol LLC, owned by Pacific West Energy LLC, applied for an air permit in March 2006, and approval was pending at press time, according to Pacific West Energy President William Maloney. He said other permit applications are in progress, as well. The 12 MMgy plant, which will use sugarcane juice and molasses as feedstock, is slated to break ground in April 2007 and start producing in June 2008. The project involves the acquisition of a sugar plantation and mill. Maloney said the complexity of the transaction has created overall project delays, although most issues are now resolved. Construction on Maui Ethanol, also owned by Pacific West Energy, is on hold, awaiting decisions from a third party regarding site location and feedstocks, Maloney said. The air permit application has been filed, but Maloney said the development timeline was unknown at press time. Aloha Ethanol Corporation changed its name to Pacific Biofuels and Energy Corporation in December after a company merger was conducted. The company's proposed ethanol plant was formerly called Hamakua Ethanol, as well as Global Power Generation Inc. The project is expected to be built on the island of Oahu, but project spokesman Sam Monet said ground wouldn’t be broken any time soon. He said the decision to break ground will be based on the national price of ethanol, federal and state support, and test results of new varieties of switchgrass. Monet added that legislative policies could greatly affect the ethanol industry in Hawaii. For example, sugar subsidies affect the industry's ability to acquire feedstock, he said. Monet suggested that the industry in Hawaii be considered separately from the mainland. "We're 100 percent dependent on imported petroleum products and ethanol," Monet said. "This is a matter of national security for Hawaii." Hawaii BioEnergy LLC will present the findings of a feasibility study in March, according to Senior Vice President Brian Orlopp. He said initial plans favor a 20 MMgy sugarcane-to-ethanol facility on Kauai. A timeline hadn't been announced at press time. The company, which was announced in July 2006, is a six-partner international consortium led by three of the state’s largest landowners: Grove Farm Company, Maui Land & Pineapple Company and Kamehameha Schools. Other partners include Brazil Renewable Energy Corporation, Khosla Ventures and an agriculture biotech venture capital company, whose name hadn't been declared at press time. ClearFuels Kauai Ethanol LLC, owned by Clearfuels Technology Inc., and Oahu Ethanol Corporation—Hawaii's other two proposed ethanol projects—also could not be reached at press time. March 07 http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=2782 |
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| Honolulu
Star-Bulletin December 14, 2006 OUR OPINION Change in electricity production a complex, costly endeavor THE ISSUE Hawaiian Electric Co. has agreed to use plant-based fuel to run its proposed new facility. HAWAIIAN Electric Co.'s agreement with the state to produce electricity without fossil fuels puts a greener tint on its controversial plant proposal and could dampen objections as it continues its conventional tack for power generation. The company's effort to trim dependence on oil and coal deserves a nod, but its commitment to use plant-based fuels hinges on whether those fuels will be available in good supply by the time HECO intends to fire up the complex. Meanwhile, rate increases HECO and its Maui affiliate are seeking add another concern for residents and businesses, amplified by the widespread power outages after the October earthquakes. Hawaii has huge potential for power generation through its natural resources -- solar, wind and wave -- and through growing plants to convert to fuels. The price of oil, both in dollars and in geopolitical costs, has heightened demands that the company move faster toward renewable energy. However, shifts in power generation and distributions are complex technically, physically and in mindset. In addition, the utility companies say, they are obliged to investors as well as ratepayers. HECO's plan to build an oil-fired plant at Campbell Industrial Park has been criticized as out of step with the state's and the public's desire to push renewable fuels to the forefront and to lessen environmental degradation. In an agreement with the state's consumer advocate, the company said it will use only ethanol and biodiesel to run the new plant. But ethanol production in Hawaii has lagged with just one processor on Kauai close to output. HECO plans to contract with a producer next year in hopes of having fuel available by July 2009, when it wants to start up the new plant. Still, as HECO official Robbie Alm asked, will the fuel be ''ready for us in 2009?'' The company's commitment should serve to blunt some criticism of its proposal, but as an environmental group pointed out, ethanol is not a panacea. Problems like water allocations needed to grow feed stock, agricultural chemicals, use of fossil fuels to make ethanol and the efficiency of the fuel could shrink ethanol's advantages. Moreover, there are questions about the practicality of continued public investment in systems that may not advance the state's energy goals and that distribute electricity in less reliable modes. HECO and its affiliates are attempting to change electricity production but those changes are complicated by a struggle to keep up with accelerated growth and the costs of shifting to cleaner technology while maintaining power and cash flow. Pacific Business News (November 3, 2006) HECO will consider biodiesel to fuel its newest power station By Eric PhillipsPacific Business News. ''Stahlkopf said he's favoring importing palm oil from Southeast Asia because it has one of the highest yields of any crop.'' http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2006/11/06/story6.html Honolulu Star-Bulletin (March 26, 2007): Company plans to mass-produce biodiesel in Kapolei By Diana Leone dleone@starbulletin.com ''BlueEarth hopes to start operating the first phase of its refinery in 2009 with imported oils -- probably palm oil, said its company spokesman Ray Sweeney.'' http://starbulletin.com/2007/03/26/news/story03.html |
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| Miscellaneous Ethanol and the Environment: Delivering on the Promise of a Sustainable Biofuel By Nathanael Greene, Senior Policy Analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Biofuels, especially ethanol derived from the cellulosic part of plants rather than just the starch, are the most promising alternative fuels for the transportation sector. Sustainable Bioenergy Trade: Developing Environmental and Socioeconomic Standards. Uwe R. Fritsche (Power Point) Growing Energy: How Biofuels Can Help End America's Oil Dependence. (December 2004) By Nathanael Greene, Senior Policy Analyst, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Worl Wildlife Fund Internation (WWF) & CEOFYS Sustainable Biomass Cover Letter Q&A |
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EDF: Invest in Renewable Energy with Environmental Benefits Pumping Palm Oil. By Ioannis Gatsiounis Forbes Magazine (June 18, 2007) Another silver bullet for Africa? Bill Gates to resurrect the Rockefeller Foundation's decaying Green Revolution. Against the Grain (September 22, 2006) www.grain.org/ |
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| Portland
Business Journal
(July
6, 2007) Sequential-Pacific breaks ground on biodiesel plant. When
complete in the spring of 2008, the facility will allow Salem-based
Sequential to produce 5 million gallons of biodiesel annually. ...
Dignitaries including country music legend Willie Nelson, Portland City
Commissioner Randy Leonard and Salem Mayor Janet Taylor hailed the new
plant as a way for Oregon to break its reliance on foreign oil while
strengthening the state's agricultural economy. Oregonians consumed
roughly 2.5 million gallons of biodiesel in 2006. Sequential-Pacific
predicts that will double this year. ... The company is a joint venture
between Portland-based Sequential Biofuels LLC and Hawaii-based Pacific Biodiesel Inc. |
