WesTech is partnering with Cleanergy to bring the Cleanergy GasBox biogas generator to the U.S. The GasBox generates electricity and heat from biogas using a Stirling engine. It can run on biogas with a methane concentration as low as 18 percent.
Rallying for a Rebound Year
By Anna Simet, photos by Lenn Long Photography
May 23, 2016
Low oil, dipping power prices and a warm winter have presented the biomass industry with a challenging year.
The USDA has announced the availability of $21 million in funding through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to support the development of regional systems in sustainable bioenergy and biobased products, as well as education and training.
On May 18, the U.S. EPA released a proposed rule to set 2017 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the renewable fuel standard (RFS), along with 2018 RVOs for biomass-based diesel.
The California Energy Commission is lending major financial support to Biodico's Zero-Net-Energy Farms concept, which would enable ag operations to generate all of their energy needs from on-site renewables such as solar, wind, and AD-based CHP.
A proposed bill in California may serve to greatly benefit the state's renewable natural gas (RNG) industry. It would modify current siloxane requirements and essentially break down the barrier for RNG producers to access the natural gas pipeline.
Skilled, professional, and motivated technicians and operators are in demand for first-generation, advanced biofuel and cogeneration plants, and other bioenergy facilities.
BioHiTech's Eco-Safe digester technology breaks down organic waste on-site, creating an easy-to-pump and -transport effluent that eliminates the need for costly preprocessing at the biogas plant.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Office of Energy Projects recently released its Energy Infrastructure Update for March 2016, reporting the U.S. added 33 MW of energy capacity during the first quarter of this year.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released the May edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting total renewables used in the electric power sector will increase by 11.3 percent in 2016 and 4.4 percent in 2017.
U.S. Energy Information Administration released its International Energy Outlook 2016, which continues to show rising levels of energy demand over the next three decades. Renewables are the fastest-growing energy source over the projection period.
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC celebrated the opening of its green energy facility in Freetown, Massachusetts, on April 15. The innovative facility will convert inedible food into energy using an anaerobic digestion process.
The European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to define a sustainable European Union bioenergy policy for the period post-2020, and to open up the debate through its public consultation.
Emerson will provide control systems and project services for a waste-to-energy power plant near Knaresborough Allerton, North Yorkshire, U.K. The plant, which incorporates biogas and recycling facilities, will produce 28 MWh of electricity per hour.
AMP Americas recently announced the launch of ampRENEW, its newly formed biogas division. In addition, Dillon Transport and Ruan Transportation Management Systems have signed fueling agreements with ampRENEW to fuel a portion of their fleets.
Potrero Hills Energy Producers, a partnership between DTE Biomass Energy Inc. and Pacolet Milliken Enterprises, recently started generating electricity from landfill gas at the Potrero Hills Landfill in Suisun City, California.
Recognizing the importance of biofuels to energy and climate security, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced up to $90 million in project funding focused on designing, constructing and operating integrated biorefinery facilities.
Queensland University of Technology researchers are leading the way in developing and testing new technologies as part of a $5.7 million three-year project with the potential to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in the sugar industry.
The USDA has updated its Farm Storage Facility Loan Program, which provides low-interest financing so agricultural producers can build or upgrade permanent facilities to store commodities. Renewable biomass is among the eligible commodities.
On May 4, Clean Water Services, Energy Trust of Oregon and the Oregon Department of Energy formally announced the implementation of a new cogeneration system that converts wastewater and grease into renewable energy.
Project Liberty in Emmetsburg, Iowa, has produced and shipped several tank cars of cellulosic ethanol even as the plant is ramping up to its full 20 million gallon-per-year capacity.
U.K.-based Velocys plc recently released 2015 financial results, reporting good progress on Envia Energy's gas-to-liquids (GTL) project in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which will convert landfill gas into fuels and chemicals.
The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change's consultation on the reform of the Renewable Heat Incentive closed April 27. The U.K. Renewable Energy Association weighed in on how the reforms could impact the biomass and biogas industries.
U.K. DECC published monthly statistics and summary of quarter one deployment data for RHI program. During the quarter, there was a large number of biogas applications for the nondomestic scheme and fewer biomass applications in the domestic scheme.
For the next several months, Biomass Magazine plans to run a project spotlight series in the biogas/landfill gas section of the print edition.
Two Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are studying the virtual tug-of-war that takes place when a pathogen attacks a plant. Better understanding those changes could unlock new ways to improve plants by making them more disease-resistant.
On May 5, Biomass Research and Development Board operations committee is expected to hold a listening session, titled “Building a Billion Ton Bioeconomy in the United States.� The two-hour webinar is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Pentair Haffmans has launched a compact enclosed skid CO2 recovery system that can be connected to any existing biogas upgrading plant. The system helps maximize yield and minimize environmental impact.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office hosted a roundtable discussion with a group of 4-H youth delegates from across the country on April 12. The roundtable was part of the larger National 4-H Conference.
The Renewable Fuels Association has released an analysis of recently published data on California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, noting grain ethanol provided nearly half of the greenhouse gas reductions achieved through 2015.
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