biofuels

Methane digesters make dairy good sense

When Shawn Saylor was in high school, he built a science-fair-sized solar-powered home, complete with tiny solar cells and working lights. (He got an A.) These days, Saylor is a fourth-generation dairy farmer working on an entirely different renewable energy project. The Hillcrest Saylor Dairy Farm in Rockwood, Pennsylvania, produces some 6,000 gallons of milk […]

Bad news for climate change

In August alone, loggers and farm interests leveled 300 square miles of Amazon rainforest, the Brazilian government reports (via AP). That’s a land mass larger than greater Chicago — taken out in the span of a single month. It also represents a leap of 228 percent over August 2007’s destruction. Two observations: 1) Higher soy […]

Duke Energy announces investment in wood biomass on first day of the Clinton Global Initiative

The fourth annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative kicked off today, bringing together heads of state, business leaders, and representatives from non-governmental organizations in New York City to discuss major initiatives to address the world’s challenges. “Energy & Climate Change” are among the four commitment areas the conference is focused on this year, and […]

New research shows that ethanol will continue to increase the cost of wheat

I, like most Americans, love bread. Crusty, warm, and fresh-baked bread is a carb overload I am willing to indulge in even if it means a few extra minutes of running. But the American love affair with all things baked might be at jeopardy. We all know that oil and water don’t mix, but it’s […]

National Biodiesel Board opens green building in Jefferson City, Mo.

The National Biodiesel Board built a new green building for its new headquarters, according to an NBB news release. Excerpt below the fold: The carpet comes from recycled materials. The paint is nontoxic. The parking lot lights are powered by the sun. But what really makes the new headquarters of the National Biodiesel Board so […]

Energy politics take a weird turn

Kate Sheppard mentioned it in her tireless coverage of the Republican convention, but it bears highlighting again: The official GOP presidential platform calls for an end to the biofuel mandate. Now, politics makes strange bedfellows, and sudden Republican opposition to biofuels stems largely from meat-industry shrieks about high grain prices. For example, Texas Gov. Rick […]

Biofuels: not cost-effective or lucrative for climate change or business

According to this article in Mongabay, a study from a British think tank is calling for an end to subsidies for biofuels based on — not biodiversity loss and high food prices — cost effectiveness. The economics is startling — if developed countries spent the same amount of money on preventing deforestation and the destruction […]

Bearded freak hippie discusses biofuels with Bill Scher

Hi, remember me? I used to blog here. I hope to resume blogging here some day. Soon even! In the meantime, OurFuture.org, in the person of tireless blogger and activist Bill Scher, recently recorded a debate of sorts over biofuels. Here are Josh Boger of the Biotechnology Industrial Organization and Joe Trippi, political consultant, talking […]

A choice of primary energies: renewable electrons win the gold

As you might expect from an analyst who has written a series about the (renewable) electron economy, I believe that the mainstay of our future energy system will be electric generators powered by renewable energy. However, I hope to show here that this choice has a basis largely in economic, scientific, and technological reality rather […]