Author: Carrie Cox

Dropping Biofuel Prices

The U.S Navy’s recent trials of advanced biofuels during the RIMPAC exercises were attacked by critics for, among other things, the price the Navy was paying for the fuels used in a range of ships and aircraft.

Today at Wired’s Danger Room Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy Tom Hicks responds to those critics with one fact they don’t seem to account for: The price of advanced biofuels is certain to go down.

“We just don’t live in a world where oil prices never go up, technology doesn’t advance, and economies of scale don’t bring down cost; in fact, history tells us that the exact opposite is true. Today, the price of petroleum has more than doubled and the annual volatility is more than 30 percent. It is impossible to accurately predict where prices will be eight years from now, but with ever-increasing global demand and continued political unrest in oil-producing countries, nearly all experts agree that oil prices will increase, and we have seen the price of biofuel drop.”

As commercial quantities of advanced biofuels are produced those prices will drop even more, opening the door to competition with fossil fuels.

There should be no fear that the military will be over-spending on biofuels. Hicks affirms that when the Navy begins using biofuels on a large scale, beyond today’s test batches most critics are attacking, that they will indeed be purchased at competitive prices.

Hicks’ article is also worth reading for his breakdown of some of the resistance in Congress around advancing a domestic biofuels industry.

Read the entire response here.

Algae Biomass Summit to Feature Latest Breakthroughs in Algae Research

Biology Track Showcases Top Researchers & Scientists from Around the World

Denver, CO (July 25, 2012) The 6th Annual Algae Biomass Summit, taking place in Denver, Co. September 24-27 will showcase more than 30 presentations in its Biology track from researchers and scientists at leading companies, universities and national labs during the course of the three-day event. These sessions are designed for highly technical audiences and will do a “deep dive” into new research, breakthroughs and insights related to algae biology.

“We’ve attracted and recruited an incredible group of leaders whose work is key to unlocking the full potential of algae as a feedstock for fuel, food, feed and other co-products,” said Phil Pienkos, Principal Group Manager, Applied Sciences for the National Bioenergy Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and  Chair of the Algae Biomass Summit. “Anyone interested in or involved in the technical aspects of algal biology will not want to miss the presentations.”

Highlights among the nearly three dozen presentations include:

  • Jürgen Polle, Professor, Biology Department & Associate Director, Aquatic Research & Environmental Assessment Center, Brooklyn College of CUNY will present Isoprenoid Metabolism in the Diverse Lineages of Micoalgae.
  • Martin Spalding, Professor, Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University will present Increased CO2 Fixation Biomass and Lipid in Transgenic Chlamydomonas without Nitrogen Starvation.
  • George Oyler, Associate Professor, Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln will present Chlamy Chloroplast ExpressionVHH Antibodies and Protein Delivery Domains and VHH Antibodies for Oral Therapeutics.
  • Qiang Hu, Professor, CTI Applied Sciences & Math, Arizona State University will present Comparative Study of Predators in Mass Cultures of Chlorella, Scenedesmus and Nannochloropsis.
  • Jian Xu, Group Leader, Functional Genomics/Director, BioEnergy Genome Center, QIBEBT will present Structure and Regulation of Triacylglycerol Synthesis Network in Wild Oleaginous Algae Nannochlorops oceanic.

The Biology Track is one of four tracks, plus plenary sessions and posters, which comprise the agenda for the Algae Biomass Summit. In total, there are expected to be more than 90 live and 120 poster presentations during the Summit. The 2011 Algae Biomass Summit was attended by more than 800 stakeholders from more than 25 countries across the algae industry. Organizers are expecting an even larger turnout for this year’s event.

The Summit comes at a time when industry is increasingly looking for new sources of sustainable raw materials—feedstock—for a wide range of end uses. Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing the world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in vehicles, recycle CO2, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.

The Algae Biomass Summit is produced by the Algae Biomass Organization, the trade association for the US algae Industry. More information about the Summit can be found atwww.algaebiomasssummit.org.

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website:www.algaebiomass.org.

Contacts:
Nate Kommers, Scoville Public Relations for ABO
206-625-0075 x2, nate.kommers@scovillepr.com

Biofuel Partnerships in the FAA’s Energy and Environment Policy

Just as the U.S. Navy has conducted biofuel testing in military ships and aircraft off the coast of Hawaii, the Federal Aviation Administration published a Policy Statement on Environmental and Energy Policy for U.S. civil aviation. Yesterday’s policy statement lays out guiding principles which include the importance of advancing sustainable alternative energy aviation fuels. It also sets a goal of developing and deploying alternative jet fuels for commercial aviation.

As the policy statement says, achieving goals like development and deployment of “drop in” alternative aviation fuel can only happen through partnerships. ABO has worked with the FAA and commercial airline representatives in Washington to support their drop in alternative fuel goals, and we will continue to do so. The algae industry is poised to support these goals since algae-based fuel is has a chemical composition which is almost identical to fossil fuel.

You can read the entire FAA Policy Statement here.

The SECNAV observes flight operations.
Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus observes flight operations of aircraft operating on biofuel blends aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during the Great Green Fleet demonstration portion of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012. Photo: Official U.S. Navy Imagery

 

Algae Fuels Show Superior Performance

Advanced biofuels, including those derived from algae, have many benefits over fossil fuels. They are renewable, they can reduce our dependence on imported fuel, and developing a new industry will provide thousands of American jobs.

Now it is looking like engines running on biofuels tend to run longer, cleaner and more efficiently. Continue reading Algae Fuels Show Superior Performance

Navy Shows Off The Great Green Fleet

This is a terrific article by the U-T San Diego’s Jeanette Steele. It is a reminder of the great things this country used to do. . . like the space program. The Navy’s initiative on biofuels is something to take pride in!

From the article, Pilot Lt. Cmdr. Jason Fox talked to reporters before heading out to fly his “green flight.”

 Initially, he said, he had questions about biofuel’s safety and performance. But he’s been convinced by reported test results.

“I’ve been in the Navy 13 years, and I’ve never been involved in something this historic,” Fox said. “I’m hoping someday I’m going to look back and this will be the point where we turned away from dependency on fossil fuels. There’ve been many steps that Navy leads the way on, and I’m hoping this is one of those steps.”

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jul/18/navy-shows-off-great-green-fleet/