Articles tagged with: Financing
by Fred Cannon (The Hill’s Congress Blog/KiOR) More than one-third of the world’s total energy usage relies on liquid fuels – primarily from fossil fuels. In the first quarter of 2013 consumption outpaced production, and …
by Dan Seif (Mother Earth News/Rocky Mountain Institute) Advanced, non-food biofuels are gaining momentum in 2013 as several new plants have gathered the capital and momentum for large-scale production.
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Despite sparse media coverage, significant volumes of …
by Andrew Herndon (Bloomberg) Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), which has invested more than $100 million to develop algae-derived biofuels, is refocusing its research with Synthetic Genomics Inc. after almost four years of work failed to …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Raises $80M at $10 per share; becomes first new industrial biotech company to complete IPO in more than a year. What went right and how? Is the IPO window re-opening?
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First …
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) With a fresh investment from Brazil’s GranBio, American Process Inc. is poised to develop its first commercial-scale cellulosic biorefineries in both the U.S. and Brazil. API CEO Theodora …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s behind the 8-ball, the algae optimists or pessimists? It all comes down to the pace of innovation in 8 cores.
… In a recent survey of its members, the Algae Biomass …
by Katy Stech (The Wall Street Journal) Struggling Fuel-Making Facilities Are in Danger of Falling to Liquidators Before Market Recovers
When the New Energy Corp. ethanol plant in South Bend, Ind., was idled by its bankruptcy …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Today, we excerpt from a white paper detailing Kapyon’s incubation model:
“New ventures will be less capital intensive and innovation will be driven more by inventiveness rather than infrastructure.”
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[Today], the importance of biomass …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Energy cane for California’s Imperial Valley? Canergy lines up Beta, CHS, Certis as partners for greenfield low-carbon fuel project slated for 2016 opening.
In California, Canergy announced that it has selected …
by Douglas L. Faulkner with contributions from Jacques Beaudry-Losique (Biofuels Digest) …We believe it is time for bioenergy industry leaders to take the initiative and chalk up a new comprehensive game plan, reflecting the new reality …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Heliae emerges from stealth with Volaris — its next-gen algae platform — “This technology will unlock the industry,” the company says.
…Volaris is the result of five years of targeted innovation, …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Pilot-scale biorefineries for drop-in military diesel, jet fuel the focus of the DOE’s latest grant round.
In Washington, the US Department of Energy announced up to $17.7 million in grants to …
(Cobalt/PRNewswire) Strategic Partnership Opens Pathway to $40 Billion Butadiene Market
Cobalt Technologies, a leading developer of next generation bio-based chemicals, today announced a strategic relationship with two prominent Asian chemical companies for the development of a …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) An explosive report from Bloomberg alleges that a pathway to $2.18 per gallon gasoline was developed at Chevron-Weyerhaeuser owned Catchlight Energy. Yet, the project was sidelined. Why? Was the project …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Perhaps nothing was more on the minds of delegates as the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard, and the impact of the Washington policy debate on investor confidence — and …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Despite the sluggish economic recovery and questions over policy stability — biofuels ventures have been busy raising lots of capital. In the past 6 months, $434 million. Who got what, …
by Louise Downing (Bloomberg) SG Biofuels Inc., the green fuel biotech company working with Airbus SAS, is seeking a partner in Southeast Asia or Africa and expects to complete a cooperation deal within 180 days to expand its …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Crop yield and oil content increases of up to 50% and 34% seen from ZeaKal’s HME technology. Though in early days — what’s going on?
… A successful Series A is …
by Carrie Napoleon (Post-Tribune/Chicago Sun-Times) The deal to transfer ownership of the long-delayed trash-to-ethanol plant in Schneider has been scrapped.
SMC LLC, the local construction consortium established to purchase the technology rights and contract for …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Today in part II, we look at a new set of technologies coming along that are redefining our ideas about scale and cost.
… A barrier to long term deployment? The …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The first wave of cellulosic biofuels projects are now reaching completion. But what does the next wave look like – from technology to financing? We explore the trends in our …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A sit-down with Dave Elsenbast, vice president of supply chain management for Renewable Energy Group Inc. For more than 25 years, Dave Elsenbast has been a leader in agricultural business …
by Katie Feherenbacher (Gigaom) Companies that are still looking to produce biofuels from plant waste (and not corn) are making slow, but steady progress on milestones in 2013.
On Monday, KiOR, which was largely funded by …
by Louise Downing (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Alternative forms of financing such as so-called green bonds may spur companies to build their first advanced-biofuels plants, the head of environmental finance atCitigroup Inc. (C) said.
Green bonds for carbon-reducing projects, …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A bourgeoning solution to illegal dumping of fats, oils and greases in Atlanta’s sewers
Mayor Kasim Reed has a vision for his city of Atlanta: green the sprawling metropolis and make …
by Stephan Nielsen (Bloomberg) Raizen Energia SA, a Brazilian joint venture of Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Cosan SA Industria & Commercio (CSAN3), will invest 200 million reais ($102 million) in a plant that …
by Olga Rosca (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) Next-generation biofuels produced from waste and agricultural residues can help save energy and improve the sustainability of companies operating in the agribusiness sector. The EBRD region offers …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At World Biofuels Markets, BP CEO Phil New delivered a keynote speech which attempted to turn the industry’s attention towards “the hard yards” of operational excellence, saying that “it is arguable …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Neste Oil confirmed that they are using 65% virgin oils, primarily palm oil, and 35% waste residues, but that they are seeking to increase that percent of waste supplied, Neste’s …
(Algae Industry Magazine) Greek biomass-from-algae producer Algae Energy is ready to invest 75 million euro ($98.4 million) over the next two and a half years in an algae farm in the southern Serbian town of …
By Josh Rathod (Advanced Biofuels USA) In a recent webinar hosted by the American Council of Renewable Energy (ACORE), biofuel experts from Dupont, POET, Novazymes, and China’s Tsinghua University convened to discuss the next five …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Louisiana — hot as cayenne pepper in biofuels capacity development, but some cautionary tales there in the sauce.
When it comes to the first generation of ethanol and biodiesel-based biofuels, Louisiana …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The military would like, affordable, domestically-produced, drop-in, renewable fuels. Drop-in fuel producers would like long-term, stable fuel sale and feedstock purchase contracts. Why not put those needs together?
According to …
by Terence Creamer (Polity.org.za) The South African government has confirmed that a carbon tax will be phased in from January 1, 2015, as part of South Africa’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Recommendations from the Milken Institute — and a group of industry heavyweights — to accelerate the bioeconomy revolution.
In California this week, the Milken Institute released a good read on the …
(BioTechNow) Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wrote a column talking about the unlimited opportunities for biofuels to grow the rural economy. He highlighted what the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has already done to support …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of the most interesting and compelling solutions to the problem of financing commercial-scale biofuels was unveiled this week at the Avalon Air Show by Westar CEO Cindy Thyfault.
Dubbed the …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In the world of biofuels there is no sector as active as military and aviation biofuels in terms of willing customers. At the Low Carbon Fuel Conference, held over …
by Jim Snyder (Bloomberg) People attending a Washington event this week may witness something almost unheard of in political circles: Republicans praising a clean-energy program supported by President Barack Obama.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency — Energy, …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As journalists, at the Digest our job is to ask the 7 Questions. Who, What, Where, When, How Much, How and Why. In aviation biofuels the task is made easier …
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) All you have to say is “natural gas” and a lot of people in the biobased world turn pale, tremble, and scamper into corners.
The cause for anxiety? It seems to …
This seminar provides an introduction to Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). The seminar will explore various aspects of MLPs, including tax issues, financial considerations, how governance of MLPs works, and the process by which MLPs obtain …
by Jeremy Martin and Jim Collins (Politico) The fuels of the future are here today, and we can thank Congress for enacting the Renewable Fuel Standard. This bedrock policy has brought us to the point where …
by Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) State-owned sugar and tobacco plantation firm PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) X is expanding into biofuel production and electricity this year in an effort to offset increasing sugar manufacturing costs.
The firm …
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) … With aviation demand at 60 billion gallons worldwide, and 50 percent biofuels blends now approved (for HEFA fuels) — there’s no reason to suppose that there’s not 30 billion gallons …
(PR NewsWire/Yahoo! News) Top 5 States For Advanced Biofuel Companies: Calif., Ill., Colo., Texas and Iowa; New Web Site at www.FuelingGrowth.org Documents Impact of Growing Industry
California is home to nearly 30 advanced biofuel companies, but dozens of …
by Douglas L. Faulkner (“The Cleantech Conservative”/BiofuelsDigest) … That is, the cost of renewed tax breaks for the biofuels industry came at a great cost relative to the benefits gained. Being lumped in with Hollywood filmmakers, rum …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Three dissident voices offer challenges to cherished orthodoxies.
…Though they offer tough love, they are written by friends of the movement. They don’t wish to cast you down to the devil, …
by Dan Haugen (Midwest Energy News) By organizing as a type of partnership instead of a corporation, companies that extract, process or transport “depletable” natural resources have been exempt from corporate income taxes.
That word — …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It is becoming increasingly evident that, in the near-term, acute demand for aviation biofuel is going, one way or another, to result in heavy demand for jatropha and jatropha oil-based …
(Algae Industry Magazine) The Swedish governmental agency for innovation systems, Vinnova, has decided to invest four million Swedish kronor ($623,000 USD) over three years in a project that uses micro-algae to produce bio-oil from the …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Ireland, former Ryanair CEO Declan Ryan has joined investors in backing Aer Sustainable Energy Ltd, better known as Aer Bio. He was a director of Ryanair Holdings from August …
The Agri Investment Forum is the only program of events in Canada dedicated to showcasing the highest potential emerging and growth stage agri-businesses. The Forum brings together active institutional and private investors with leading edge …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Earlier this week, a new study from researchers at UC Santa Barbara determined photovoltaics to be much more efficient than biomass at turning sunlight into energy to fuel a car.
“Even the most …
by Katie Fehrenbacher (Gigaom) … One of the companies that’s the farthest along is Solazyme, a South San Francisco-based company that went public in the spring of 2011. Solazyme was one of the first firms to focus …
(Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania)
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s (BFTP/NEP) Board of Directors has approved the investment of $354,876 in support of regional economic development. BFTP/NEP’s goal is to help …
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) The technologies out there are five in number. They are all in commercial deployment now, though some are at the capacity-construction stage. Some of them vary the feedstock, some vary …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of biofuels’ most-celebrated technologies falters; the struggle to raise capital claims a high-profile victim.
…The company had been known for its awesomely promising technology, leisurely pace towards commercialization compared to …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Though building capacity globally, Solazyme’s operations in Brazil are getting traction fast – and raised $235M last week. How much oil could be produced in Brazil via sugar-munching microalgae? …
by Carrie Napoleon (Chicago SunTimes/Post-Tribune) Until the first commercial trash-to-ethanol plant in Vero Beach, Fla., is up and running, plans by a local construction consortium to take over a similar project here are in a …
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) There is a little secret in the renewable energy sector that many don’t know about –New Markets Tax Credits. These tax credits provide incentives for private investors to help fund projects …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bio-Refinery Begins Operations Turning Co-Cropping into Fuels, Chemicals
Deep in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam a small bio-refinery is converting seaweed into protein, fuel-blendable alcohol, and a bacterial soil product. …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Strong biofuels flight results, advances in algae, new commitments in venture capital and revived interest from the Canadian Navy. Biofuels are off to a fast start in 2013 in …
(Algae.Tec/PR NewsWire) Algae.Tec today announced approval from the Australian Government for an AU$12.15 million cash refund on Australian and overseas development expenditure for the financial year 30 June 2012 to 30 June 2015.
The terms of …
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) … Blue Sun Biodiesel CEO Leigh Freeman said his company will immediately invest payments from credits earned in 2012 to advance its next-generation biofuel technologies.
…Specifically, Blue Sun is investing in a …
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) …What exactly are they? As the name suggests, they are products made from renewable sources that are not sold directly into the end-user market but are, instead, sold to other …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Now – it’s all about organizing sustainable, affordable feedstock and building capacity. And, airlines providing capital for the first commercial projects — to ensure that capacity building reaches levels in …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As cellulosic biofuels reach commercial-scale, is the tipping point for wide deployment near – and will it be based on breakthroughs in capex, opex or yield? Actually, it may be …
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest) It is not often I disagree or take issue withBiofuels Digest; however, the recent article and analysis on cellulosic tax credits left out some key points. There are a number …
by Mackinnon Lawrence (Biofuels Digest/Pike Research) …The Retreat of Oil Majors … Trend: Oil Majors double down on “Golden Age of Gas” while narrowing investments across the advanced biofuel space. …
Mind the Gap … Trend: Although installed …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Finding it hard to explain to taxpayers why the PTC is needed, for the jump to cellulosic biofuels lightspeed, or to ward off predatory fossil-fuel evildoers?
…So, although the “fiscal cliff” …
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.K. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills recently declared the U.K. Green Investment Bank plc open for business. The entity is the world’s first investment bank dedicated solely …
by Jim Lane (BioInvest Digest) An obscure EPA ruling may change the economics of ethanol production, forever — who wins, who loses, what’s the investor’s bottom line?
Just before Christmas, the EPA issued a final rule, …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …But Amyris is still there, and this week achieved what, for many, was the last-chance, must-hit milestone. The company’s purpose-built, 50 million liter industrial fermentation facility in Paraiso, Brazil has …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Technology, market, price, management, feedstock, and policy – these are always vital. But here in Digestville, we see capital as the overwhelming issue for 2013.
Capital-raising activity is increasing sharply, and will …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A long war of opinion has been waged for years between advanced biofuels’ detractors and supporters. Mirage or reality? Completion of 6 key projects 2012 decided much of the debate. …
by Yuval Azoulai (Globes) The Office of the Chief Scientist is planning a NIS 1.5 billion program to create a new alternative fuels industry.
The Office of the Chief Scientist has a new program of loans for …
by Roy Robertson (Southeast Farm Press) • Steve Kresovich is part of a team of USC researchers looking for crops that can be adapted to less productive and often under-utilized South Carolina soils.
• The end …
by Jim Kinney (The Republican/MassLive) Qteros and the “Q microbe” discovered byUMass researchers and valued for its ability to digest plant waste into ethanol fuel is making a comeback.
…But the money dried up early in 2012. …
by Zack Coleman (The Hill E2Wire) The Obama administration lent its support Wednesday to a congressional effort that would open a financing structure for renewable energy.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu called on Congress to approve legislation …
by Eric Ng (South China Morning Post) Projects to convert agricultural waste into ethanol are at an early stage on the mainland, but could provide new sources of this clean energy
Novozymes, the world’s largest industrial …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … But very few are working in solid phase – where essentially instead of working with a liquid vat, microbes are growing on a fabric or film — and the …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Why is making affordable renewable sugars potentially big business? Which intrepid investors have targeted biofuels’ biggest bottleneck?
News has been circulating that Proterro raised $3.5 million for a demonstration-scale of their …
by Jeff Ayres (Clarion Ledger) Mississippi alternative-energy development projects that have received more than $400 million in state backing through loans, grants and other incentives in recent years have seen widely varying degrees of success.
KiOR, a …
by Douglas Faulkner (Biofuels Digest) …Throughout his campaign President Obama proclaimed himself an oil and gas supporter even while talking about federal “investments” in green energy. And, while much ink has already been spilled in …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Next-gen renewable oils producer achieves first linear scale-up to 500,000 liter fermenters — clears path for large commercial production volumes.
…To date, no next-generation producer had successfully achieved linear scale-up in …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Policy, finance, technology, feedstocks, markets, prices, opposition. Here’s what’s on your mind, as the critical 2013 deployment year for biofuels looms.
So here are 15 burning questions as suggested by various …
by Randall Smith (The New York Times) …Since then, Mr. Khosla, the founder of Khosla Ventures, has watched much of those paper gains evaporate. As the clean energy industry broadly has taken a hit, shares …
by Sara Mojtehedzadeh (Edmonton Journal) Bedford Biofuels’ plantation is stalled, and along with it the company’s promise to provide jobs and cash for community development
…Though this is an arid and unforgiving area, the land surrounding Garsen …
(Biofuels International) A new Scottish biofuel programme officially launched this month after securing over a million pounds worth of investment.
The programme is a partnership between five Scottish universities and research institutions, with the £1.6 million …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Is the US government right in aiming to commercialize aviation biofuels production – or should it be aimed at ensuring affordable feedstock?
Pain at the pump. $5 gasoline in California. $8 …
by Peter Hemphill (Grain & Hay WeeklyTimes) An American biofuels company is looking to build a refinery in Australia to produce ethanol from wheat straw and other residues.
…Investors in the biorefineries include Australia’s Macquarie Bank and …
(Stabroek News) A plant to produce ethanol from sweet potatoes is in the pipeline, according to Dr Leroy McClean, chief executive officer of the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC).
Without providing details, he said, “I …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … BioGasol ApS, the renewable energy company announced today that it has raised $19.2M — €5 million in new equity financing — and received a confirmation of €10 million grant …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Dozens of deals – what are the hottest paths to $$$? Who’s forming capital in bioenergy this year, and when, where, why and how?
In the old days, the process seemed …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …What we keep running into is what Aemetis CEO Eric McAfee once described to me as the immutable “Natural Law of Alternative Commodity Markets”.
…NLACM states that “the value of any …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Canada’s $500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund, five years after formation, gets close to making its first investments just as Canada’s leaders consider pulling the plug
It was the most amazing sovereign …
by Marc Chase (Northwest Indiana Times) …The board voted at the beginning of the year to find Powers Energy in breach of contract for failing to deliver on its promise to secure land and financing …
by Kelley Price (Evening Gazette) A Scottish whisky distillery is about to become the first in the world to turn its waste into advanced biofuel – here on Teesside.
Tullibardine, an independent malt whisky producer, is …
by Bradley J. Fikes (North County Times) Famed genomics researcher J. Craig Venter, who is working to develop biofuels from photosynthetic algae, acknowledged this week that alternate fuels are “dead” unless the federal government mandates …
