Alternative Energy Growth/Jobs, Toilet to Tank, Gutter Oil In China

Posted on 08/20/13 No Comments

The most recent EIA report indicates strong growth in the renewable energy sector.    This, coupled with the projected 56% increase in demand over the next 25 years, makes the energy sector a fertile industry to find employment.

Non-hydropower renewables used for electricity and heat will grow by an average of 8.1% in 2013.  Power from wind is projected to increase 19% in 2013 and solar generation is expected to increase by 80% in 2013!

Biofuels are also seeing record production levels and continue to grow as increasing Renewable Fuel Standards are set by the government.  The RINs program allows producers of biofuels to trade away credits for dollars for each gallon of fuel produced and blended into the fossil fuels.

“U.S. ethanol production has been increasing since April, and is projected to average 870,000 barrels per day this year and 920,000 barrels per day in 2014. Biodiesel production has also been rising this year and reached 85,000 barrels per day in May. Biodiesel output is expected to average 82,000 barrels per day this year.”

graph of monthly U.S. biodiesel production, as explained in the article text

 

Since  the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the EPA(Environmental Protection Agency) has made annual requirements for the minimum amount of renewable fuel sold as a % of all fuel sold.   The 2013 volume requirements are 16.55 billion gallons of renewable fuel(mostly from Ethanol), which works out to about 10% of all fuel sold!  Cellulosic biofuel  at 0.004%, or 662,000 gallons; Biomass-based diesel at 1.13% or 187 million gallons; and Advanced Biofuel at at  1.62% or 268 million gallons

graph of rfs target volumes, as explained in the article text

 

Biodiesel production and commercial acceptance is not only flourishing here in N. America.  Biodiesel from WVO growth is a worldwide phenom.  Here are a few of the countries re-using waste as fuel and offsetting their CO2.

United Arab Emirates – While fossil fuels continue to line this country’s streets with gold, Biofuels are making inroads.     The Post & Parcel reports in Dubai that local companies, like Lootah Biofuels and Neutral Fuels, are taking waste feedstock from the likes of McDonalds and fueling local fleets with B5.    TNT Express and Del Monte are two of the forward thinking companies which are consuming biodiesel in the “land of oil”.

 Bryan Moulds, managing director for the Middle East and sub continent associates for TNT, said: “We are incredibly proud of this initiative, it joins other regional initiatives such as our recent CNG vehicle fleet in Pakistan in our continued efforts to reduce company carbon emissions.”

China  – Locally known as “gutter oil”, Waste Vegetable Oil is being made into biodiesel for industrial boilers, but has yet to make its  its way into vehicle or fleet use.  This is changing as Shanghai plans to run some 1000 city buses with WVO based Biodiesel.  According to a Global Times Interview with one of the city’s two Biodiesel companies, Shanghai Zhongqi Environment Technology Co:

…biodiesel can be used in motor vehicles”, said Yang Jianbin, the company’s chief technology officer. “We have been using blended biodiesel fuel in company vehicles since last year…there have barely been any problems. All of our biodiesel products exceed national standards for vehicles.”

The other Biodiesel company’s operations have been suspended for selling gutter oil outside of Shanghai.

And finally, Thailand making a push to increase their Biodiesel output from 5.9 to 7.3 million liters/day for 2021.  Most of their feedstock is palm oil.

 

Toilet to Tank –  A Spanish sewage-to-algae-to-biofuel endeavor, called the All-Gas Project,  is ramping up.  Spain’s Buses are now being powered with the successful pilot project where algae grown on sewage, is harvested and pressed for oil.  That “green crude” is then refined into biodiesel for municipal vehicles.  The project is scaling up, and proves that there can be “green gold” in waste.

All-gas Algae Biofuel image

 by Jason Jelonek

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