The Energy Department’s National Labs are leading the way in science and innovation by developing the next generation of clean energy technologies. To help drive this innovation, the scientists at the National Labs use some of the most cutting-edge facilities in the world — some of which are also available for use by other government agencies, private companies and… Keep reading →
A new plant being built in Glendale, Arizona, promises to be the nation’s first landfill facility to transform waste into energy when it opens in April. The facility, located just a few miles west of the University of Phoenix Stadium, will create electricity through a process called pyrolytic gasification, a technology purchased from The Hoskinson… Keep reading →
Editor’s Note: Below is an edited version of a Q&A with ARPA-E Program Director Dr. Ramon Gonzalez, who focuses on using microorganisms to convert natural gas into liquid fuel. For more on Dr. Gonzalez’s thoughts on how ARPA-E is working to transform the fuels we use to drive, check out the full transcript on ARPA-E’s site.… Keep reading →
Algae based biofuel production is growing as the market for alternative fuel continues to expand. This video, the latest in advertising campaigns from Algenol Biofuels, is certainly eye catching. The video captures the simplicity of algae biofuel that is integral to its feasibility. New research has drastically improved the efficiency of the process of making… Keep reading →
More problems with the Renewable Fuel Standard – an ethanol and biodiesel US transportation fuel supply blending requirement – have arisen with fraud allegations against an Indiana company that sold 33.5 million renewable-fuel credits for biofuel it never produced. This is not the first time fraudulent renewable-fuel credits have disrupted the RIN market and the EPA has been… Keep reading →
Life-cycle analysis has become all the rage within the environmental science community, particularly with regard to energy issues like the methane emissions footprint of natural gas development and the full range of environmental impacts associated with corn ethanol production. Leave it to the folks at Save on Energy to approach Christmas trees with the same… Keep reading →
Is the Renewable Fuel Standard broken beyond repair? It depends who you ask, but it’s certainly problematic. The RFS enforced by the EPA was originally envisioned as a way to get more biofuel into the US transportation fuel market, but changing technology and consumption patterns have required continual adjustments to the law. The EPA recently… Keep reading →
The last video in a 3-part series from the Advanced Biofuels Association features a San Francisco-based company that’s making renewable diesel fuel in Brazil and renewable jet fuel that is being tested by the US military and commercial airlines. Amyris is training yeast to produce hydrocarbons instead of alcohol. A common challenge cited by all… Keep reading →
This second video in a 3-part series from the Advanced Biofuels Association highlights successes and challenges facing a company that seeks to commercialize next-generation, renewable transportation fuels. Sapphire Energy is the “first company to produce renewable crude oil on a continuous basis from algae biomass,” according to the ABFA. Sapphire CEO CJ Warner says the… Keep reading →
Renewable transportation fuels like ethanol have been under the microscope lately, as fighting over the Renewable Fuel Standard ratcheted up in the days leading up to EPA’s proposed 2014 blending requirements. While corn-based ethanol received most of the attention – due to an investigative report highlighting some of the industry’s negative environmental impacts – the… Keep reading →
