Biomass Week - April 11, 2014

Pellet industry must become 'common and ordinary; embrace oil' Though the biomass thermal industry is known for its progressive and forward-thinking nature, Les Otten, president of Maine Energy Systems, insists that in order to achieve its goals, the sector needs to embrace "disruptive thinking and technology." READ MORE SHARE
Northeast Biomass Heating Expo hosts biomass boiler bus tour The Northeast Biomass Heating Expo being held in Portland, Maine, April 9-11, kicked off by taking a bus full of tour goers on a biomass boiler bus tour. READ MORE SHARE
	New Hampshire PUC publishes proposed RPS amendments The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has published a document containing proposed amendments to the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS), including those for new Class I thermal requirements. READ MORE SHARE
SBP seeks comments on 5 biomass standards The Sustainable Biomass Partnership has opened a comment period on five draft biomass standards that make up its Biomass Assurance Framework. Public comments on the draft standards will be accepted through April 25. READ MORE SHARE
Court hears oral arguments in challenge to 2013 RFS standard On April 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. EPA's final rule for 2013 renewable fuel standard (RFS). The petitioners are asking the court to vacate the EPA's rulemaking. READ MORE SHARE
UK DECC officially launches domestic RHI A new and innovative U.K. government scheme launched April 9 will pay people for the green heat they generate for their homes. The domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is the world's first long-term financial support program for renewable heat. READ MORE SHARE
Vilsack talks about USDA efforts to further advanced biofuels Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack testified about the farm bill and the rural economy, during a U.S. House of Representatives Committee hearing. As part of that, he talked about the USDA's work to create markets for advanced biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers find potential to grow biofuel feedstock on PV farms Growing agave and other carefully chosen plants amid photovoltaic panels could allow solar farms not only to collect sunlight for electricity but also to produce crops for biofuels, according to new computer models by Stanford scientists. READ MORE SHARE
UK bioenergy production increased significantly in 2013 The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change recently released provisional annual energy data for 2013. The report shows renewable generation increased 28 percent and bioenergy sources generated 18.7 terawatt hours of electricity last year. READ MORE SHARE
Ceres announces fiscal and business updates Ceres Inc. released its second quarter financial results and an update on its efforts in Brazil during a webcast on April 10. The company said it has increased its planting of sorghum in Brazil, where it is pursuing ethanol and biomass power markets. READ MORE SHARE
EIA predicts increased energy generation from renewables The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published the April issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, which includes forecasts for bioenergy production and the use of wood in home heating applications. READ MORE SHARE
EPA lists efficiencies of qualified outdoor boilers On April 8, the EPA posted efficiencies for outdoor wood and pellet boilers, also known as hydronic heaters. Efficiencies ranged from 39 percent to 78 percent as measured using higher heating value. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass Power Association addresses inaccurate report Rather than a scientific study, the report issued by Partnership for Policy Integrity this week should be regarded as an 81-page editorial. It showcases a fundamental misunderstanding of the science surrounding forestry and biomass. READ MORE SHARE
Neol Biosolutions to scale up Microbioil-2.0 process at CB2G Neol Biosolutions, a 50/50 joint venture between Repsol and Neuron Bio, has reached an agreement with the Center for Second Generation Biofuels (CB2G) of CENER, the Spanish National Renewable Energy Centre. READ MORE SHARE
2G Cenergy to provide technology to Ohio waste-to-energy facility 2G Cenergy Power Systems Technologies Inc. announced it will supply $8 million worth of its technologies to Team Gemini LLC's Gemini Synergy Center in Grove City, Ohio. The project broke ground last year. READ MORE SHARE
Senate asks for industry input on RFS during biofuel hearing The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry recently held a hearing on advanced biofuels. The event featured testimony from representatives of DuPont, the Advanced Ethanol Council and Airlines for America. READ MORE SHARE
EIA: US added 549 MW of biomass capacity last year Recently published U.S. Energy Infrastructure Administration data shows that U.S. added 549 MW of biomass-fired power plant capacity last year. According to the EIA, 511 MW of that capacity was from wood-fire or wood waste-fired facilities. READ MORE SHARE
McCarthy addresses RFS, biogenic emissions during hearing The U.S. EPA's policies with regard to the renewable fuel standard and biogenic carbon emissions were among the topics discussed during a recent EPA budget hearing held by the House Committee on Appropriations. READ MORE SHARE
Rivertop Renewables raises $26 million from Cargill, others Rivertop Renewables, a Montana-based producer of novel chemicals derived from natural plant sugars, has announced that it has raised $26 million from Cargill, First Green Partners and existing investors. READ MORE SHARE
Enginuity moves to Mexico, Mo., to scale up eCARB process Enginuity Worldwide LLC has moved its research and development activities into the Missouri Plant Science Center in Mexico, Mo., in order to produce larger quantities of its biomass-based engineered pellets for large-scale testing. READ MORE SHARE
LanzaTech to move headquarters; Soperton retrofit ongoing LanzaTech will be moving its headquarters to Illinois as it continues to develop its projects in China and Soperton, Ga. The company's process turns industrial and biomass-based gases into ethanol and other chemicals. READ MORE SHARE
CRIBE announces investment in Ensyn Technologies' Ontario plant The Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) is providing an investment of up to $1.5 million to leverage a total project value of up to $4 million to enhance Ensyn Technologies Inc.'s Renfrew, Ontario, facility. READ MORE SHARE
Poplars designed for deconstruction: A major boon to biofuels What began 20 years ago as an innovation to improve paper industry processes and dairy forage digestibility may now open the door to a much more energy- and cost-efficient way to convert biomass into fuel. READ MORE SHARE