(Energy Transition Outlook 2019/DNV-GL) ... It is important to find technically feasible and cost-effective solutions for the deep-sea segment, accounting for more than 80% of world fleet CO2 emissions. Currently, the only technically applicable alternatives for this are liquefied natural gas
batteries
Back TO HOMEFinland Makes Batteries from Trees. Can Maine?
(Biobased Maine) ... Stora Enso just announced an investment of $11.2 million to build a pilot facility to produce lignin-based battery materials at their Sunila Mill in Finland. The facility, anticipated for completion in early 2021, will process lignin (one of the
August 31, 2019 Read Full Article
DOE Announces $59 Million and 43 Projects to Accelerate Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research
(U.S. Department of Energy) U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes announced $59 million for 43 projects for new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies research. Funded through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, these projects
August 21, 2019 Read Full Article
SoCalGas and Electrochaea Announce Commissioning of New Biomethanation Reactor System Pilot Project
(Southern California Gas Co./PR Newswire) Innovative project with U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory converts renewable electricity into renewable methane for storage in existing natural gas pipelines -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Electrochaea today announced the commissioning of the nation's
August 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Batteries from Trees, 3D Printing Developments, Canola Straw Cling Wrap, Biochar, and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of August 2nd
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Can you really produce anode materials from trees? Stora Enso says absolutely yes! And they are investing a nice chunk of change to build a pilot plant for lignin-based battery materials. Ok, sounds great, but come
August 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Arizona Fire Highlights Challenges for Energy Storage
by Jonathan J. Cooper (Associated Press) Arizona’s largest electric company installed massive batteries near neighborhoods with a large number of solar panels, hoping to capture some of the energy from the afternoon sun to use after dark. Arizona Public Service has been
June 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Mining Lithium for Electric Cars Is Hurting This Desert’s Local Environment
(Bloomberg/Washington Post) The Atacama Desert in northern Chile allowed humans and animals to survive for thousands of years in the world’s driest climate. That was before the mining started. Atacama has become one of the busiest mining districts on the planet, after
June 14, 2019 Read Full Article
Solar Fuel Turns to Plants for Inspiration
(European Commission) An 'artificial leaf' being developed by EU-funded researchers to produce fuel from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, could tackle soaring global energy demands, the growing impact of climate change, and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels. -- Developing new sources of
April 30, 2019 Read Full Article
The Driven Podcast: Biofuels, Batteries, or Hydrogen
by Giles Parkinson (Renew Economy) Two years ago, Stephanie Moroz was named one of Australia’s most innovative engineers by Engineers Australia, and her experience working across lithium-ion batteries, internal combustion engines, fuel cells and hydrogen storage gives her a unique perspective of
April 17, 2019 Read Full Article
DOE Offers $59 Million for Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research DEADLINE: May 1, 2019
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy has opened a $59 million funding opportunity that aims to accelerate advanced vehicle technologies research. Clean Cities coalition-led alternative fuels projects are eligible to apply for a portion of that
April 09, 2019 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces Opening of Battery Recycling Center at Argonne National Lab
(U.S. Department of Energy) In celebration of National Battery Day on February 18th, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Daniel Simmons announced the opening of a Battery Recycling Center at Argonne National Laboratory. Aiming to reclaim and recycle
February 20, 2019 Read Full Article
With Rise of Electric Vehicles, a New Foreign Energy Dependence Looms
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) Forecasts say that electric vehicle sales are about to take off worldwide and increase demand for the raw materials that go into batteries. -- Energy Secretary Rick Perry earlier this month said he would put more federal
January 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Before the Electric Car Takes Over, Someone Needs to Reinvent the Battery
by David Stringer and Kevin Buckland (Bloomberg) Solid-state technology promises to be cheaper and charge faster than anything on the road today. But no one is close to figuring it out. -- ... Scientists in Japan, China and the U.S. are among
January 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Batteries Could Worsen CO2 Emissions — Study
by Christa Marshall (E&E News) Home batteries like the Tesla Powerwall could spike greenhouse gas emissions significantly unless current policies governing the electrical grid change around the country, according to a new study. The findings in the journal Environmental Science & Technology run counter
December 14, 2018 Read Full Article
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Big Oil Looks to Stop Utilities' Charging Investments
by Jeffrey Tomich (E&E News Energywire) State utility regulators across the Midwest are revving up their interest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. And the petroleum industry and its allies are urging them to hit the brakes. The American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel and
October 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Despite Cleanup Vows, Smartphones and Electric Cars Still Keep Miners Digging by Hand in Congo
by Scott Patterson and Alexandra Wexler (Wall Street Journal) Apple Inc., Volkswagen AG and about 20 other global manufacturers found themselves on the defense when Amnesty International reported two years ago that the cobalt in some of their batteries was dug up
September 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to BASF
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What are the strategic plans, progress and future milestones of BASF, a major stakeholder in the Advanced Bioeconomy? In this slide deck, BASF gets into technologies, results, horizons, timelines, direct investments, partnerships and alliances with companies both heralded and
June 11, 2018 Read Full Article
Metals Shortfall to Crimp Electric-Car Battery Supply, Moody’s Says
by Claudia Assis (Market Watch) A shortfall in supplies of metals such as cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel is likely to slow down the production of batteries for electric vehicles, Moody’s Investors Service said in a note. Demand for the metals used
May 03, 2018 Read Full Article
“Brexit Is the Impetus to Reinvigorate”: The Advanced Bioeconomy, Resilience, and a New Role for the Commonwealth?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) delegates will hear quite a bit about blockchain, gene editing and about proteins for the food chain and as an advanced material. There’s a mighty focus around the Commonwealth
April 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Compound Could Transform Energy Storage for Large Grids
(Phys.Org/University of Rochester) In order to power entire communities with clean energy, such as solar and wind power, a reliable backup storage system is needed to provide energy when the sun isn't shining and the wind doesn't blow. One possibility is
February 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Big Oil, Biodiesel Join Forces to Combat Electrification
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Even though the petroleum and biodiesel industries rarely see eye to eye on U.S. energy policy, the two factions find common ground in a new threat to all liquid fuels—electric vehicles. The opening general session of
January 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Why Gasoline and Diesel Will Be Around for a Long Time to Come
by Norris McDonald (MSN.com/Wheels.ca) ... So, I’ve been reading about how Big Oil will react when everybody starts running out to buy electric cars. And how the end of internal-combustion will be just like the end of film for cameras — it
August 22, 2017 Read Full Article
It’s Hard to Keep Up With All That Lithium Demand
by Laura Millan Lombrana and Jonathan Gilbert (Bloomberg) As established players expand, some newcomers seen struggling; New mine teething problems tightening credit for projects -- ... Producers everywhere have struggled to keep up with demand as electric cars went from almost
August 22, 2017 Read Full Article
Indian Scientists Turn Sugar Industry Waste Into Next-Gen Battery Material
(Sugar News) Indian scientists have demonstrated that waste water from some of the dirtiest industrial processes can be turned into a carbon source for preparation of energy storage materials. Researchers led by scientists from Bhavnagar-based Central Salt and Marine Research
August 10, 2017 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
In commenting to Biofuels International about the UK government's decision to ban new petroleum and diesel cars by 2040, Devin Walker, chief technical officer of Renovare Fuels based in London noted that in some circumstances the manufacture of electric cars
August 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Electric Cars Have Higher Lifecycle Emissions than Liquid Fuels, Says Renewables Expert
(Biofuels International) The UK government’s decision to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2040 risks “handcuffing” the country to an “unrealistic policy”, according to renewable energy expert Devin Walker. Significantly, Walker also notes that in some circumstances the manufacture of
August 03, 2017 Read Full Article
LA Transitioning to Fully Electric Bus Fleet – But Is It Really the Answer?
(Biofuels International) Los Angeles is to transition to a fully electric, zero-emissions bus fleet by 2030, according to recently announced plans. The Californian city has a reputation for extreme bouts of smog, something city authorities hope the electricity transition will
August 03, 2017 Read Full Article
Could Clean Energy Spark A Mineral Boom?
(Energy Today/Oilprice.com) A new World Bank report released today (July 18, 2017) highlights the potential impacts that the expected continuing boom in low-carbon energy technologies will have on demand for many minerals and metals. Using wind, solar, and energy storage batteries as
July 31, 2017 Read Full Article
BMW Sees Battery Costs Causing Years of 'Tears' on E-Cars
by Elisabeth Behrman (Bloomberg) With driving ranges limited by current technology, BMW expects it to take about seven years to double the amount of energy stored in a battery. -- BMW AG (IW 1000/27) sees no quick way to boost
December 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Turning Brewery Wastewater into Battery Power
(University of Colorado Boulder) CU Boulder engineers have developed an innovative bio-manufacturing process that uses a biological organism cultivated in brewery wastewater to create the carbon-based materials needed to make energy storage cells. This unique pairing of breweries and batteries could
October 12, 2016 Read Full Article
The Cobalt Pipeline: Tracing the Path from Deadly Hand-Dug Mines in Congo to Consumers’ Phones and Laptops
by Todd C. Frankel (The Washington Post) ... This remote landscape in southern Africa lies at the heart of the world’s mad scramble for cheap cobalt, a mineral essential to the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and electric
September 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Is It the perfect Energy Solution? Where Solar, Carbon Capture and Bio Collide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of these days your personal transportation system might look like this. A solar or wind energy facility generates renewable electricity, which is converted into a solar fuel using electrofuel technology that converts CO2 and
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Is The Electric Vehicle A Crude Oil Killer?
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) ... Petroleum is in an entirely different category. It is used primarily for transportation, and it has held more than 90% of the transportation market for over 60 years. ... Biofuels made a push in the 2nd half of
February 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Era of Super Batteries Will Bring New Problems
by David J. Unger (Christian Science Monitor) Batteries will hasten the transition to the post-fossil-fuel age, but cause economic ripples around the world. Will lithium cartels replace oil cartels? -- The battery revolution will spur fundamental changes in society –
September 02, 2015 Read Full Article
UH Researchers Discover N-Type Polymer for Fast Organic Battery
by Jeannie Kever (University of Houston) New Material Opens the Door to Low-Cost, Environmentally Friendly Energy Use -- Researchers at the University of Houston have reported developing an efficient conductive electron-transporting polymer, a long-missing puzzle piece that will allow ultrafast battery applications. The discovery
April 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Biobatteries: Taking Battery Technology to the Next Level
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s a good chance that the electric battery of the future will have biobased aspects to them — or may even be powered by a biofuel. How’s that again? The Digest investigates. ... A team led by Angela
February 06, 2015 Read Full Article
China Loses Appeal of WTO Ruling on Exports of Rare Earths
(Reuters) ... China produces more than 90 percent of the world's rare earths, which are key elements in defense industry components and modern technology from iPhones and disk drives to wind turbines. It imposed strict export quotas in 2010, saying it
August 08, 2014 Read Full Article
For Tesla, Graphite-Pollution Worries Ratchet up China Sales Challenge
(China Daily USA) Electric vehicles already were a hard sell in China. Now, battery-pollution concerns have made the task even tougher. Graphite used in US luxury electric-vehicle maker Tesla Motors Inc’s batteries has been tied to pollution problems in China.
May 09, 2014 Read Full Article
Unclean at Any Speed: Electric Cars Don’t Solve the Automobile’s Environmental Problems
by Ozzie Zehner (IEEE Spectrum) ...Some states offer additional tax incentives. California brings the total credit up to $10 000, and Colorado to $13 500—more than the base price of a brand new Ford Fiesta. West Virginia offers the sweetest