by George Will (Washington Post) In governments’ pursuit of zero emissions, they learn hard lessons about unintended consequences. -- ... Economic stagnation has the European Union tiptoeing away from its mandate that new cars and vans be emission-free by 2035. “Self-destructive,”
rare earth metal/critical minerals
Back TO HOMERenewable Fuel and Agriculture Highlights from President Donald J. Trump's 2nd Inaugural Address
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Writing about newly inaugurated President Donald J. Trump's policies or concerns related to agriculture or, more specifically, to renewable fuels, including biofuels will not take long. Take a look at the text of his
January 20, 2025 Read Full Article
U.S. Department of Energy Announces Teaming Partner List for Upcoming Funding Opportunity
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support the development of new technologies to recover high energy-value materials from wastewater. These new technologies
November 26, 2024 Read Full Article
Special Issue: What to Expect during the Trump II Presidency
(American Energy Society/Energy Matters) From experience, we all know that when Donald Trump is president, nothing is certain. It is hard to predict how the energy sector will change, both domestically or around the world. This special issue of Energy Matters
November 12, 2024 Read Full Article
HPCL Commissions India’s First Highly Efficient ‘Solid Oxide Electrolyser’ for Green H2 Generation
(Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. has successfully commissioned India’s first Solid Oxide based Electrolyser (SOE) at its HP Green R&D Centre, Bengaluru for Green Hydrogen (GH2) generation. This highly efficient pilot-scale electrolyzer can generate Green Hydrogen with 99.99%
June 13, 2024 Read Full Article
Barrasso, Senate Republicans Introduce Bill to Remedy DOE’s Flawed Efficiency Calculations for Electric Cars
(U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources) U.S. Senator John Barrasso, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), and U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Lee (R-UT), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Bill
June 12, 2024 Read Full Article
Will Making Hydrogen ‘Green’ Depend on China?
by Christian Robles (E&E News) Machinery that makes hydrogen fuel from water could become another energy technology whose production is centered in Asia. ... China leads the world in producing the essential technology for green hydrogen made from renewables: electrolyzers. The machines use
May 07, 2024 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Nzyme2HC and Renewable H2 Production
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Renewable H2 production that requires ~40% less electricity than state-of-the-art electrolysis> That’s the promise of early-stager Nzyme2HC. As the company puts it, “The amount of electricity required to produce green H2 must be significantly reduced. We
April 10, 2024 Read Full Article
Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Strongest-Ever Pollution Standards for Cars that Position U.S. Companies and Workers to Lead the Clean Vehicle Future, Protect Public Health, Address the Climate Crisis, Save Drivers Money
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Final standards will expand consumer choice in clean vehicles and build on historic progress in U.S. auto manufacturing under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda -- Today, March 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced final national pollution
March 20, 2024 Read Full Article
Bears, Cars and Angry Farmers Fuel Green Backlash
by Karl Mathiesen, Nicolas Camut, Zia Weise, Charlie Cooper and Louise Guillot (Politico) A 28-country guide to how climate policies are splitting Europe. -- And Green parties are taking the hit — polling shows they will face deep electoral pain when EU citizens
March 09, 2024 Read Full Article
Don’t Believe the EV Hype—For Ethanol, Stay the Course
by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/South Dakota Farmers Union) Among the issues that have put a scare into the ethanol industry over the past few years, the threat of electric vehicles has received considerable attention. While threats to the RFS,
February 19, 2024 Read Full Article
Stopping Biden’s Radical Forced EV Transition
(U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee) Americans Should Choose the Car They Drive -- President Biden and Democrats are leading a radical rush-to-green agenda that takes away people’s vehicle choice and forces Americans to drive electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are
February 05, 2024 Read Full Article
CFDC Comments on DOE EV Proposal that Could Favor China
(Clean Fuels Development Coalition) : The Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC) submitted comments last week on the Department of Energy’s recent proposed guidance defining “foreign entity of concern” (FEOC), urging the agency to close loopholes that would allow electric vehicle batteries
January 18, 2024 Read Full Article
RFA Spotlights World’s First Plug -In Hybrid Electric Flex Fuel Vehicle at 2024 DC Auto Show
(Renewable Fuels Association) Vehicle has surpassed 27,000 miles, showcasing its technology platform as a viable alternative solution to reducing carbon output in passenger vehicles with tangible benefits to consumers, including lower costs and lower emissions. The Renewable Fuels Association is showcasing the
January 17, 2024 Read Full Article
India on the Move: The Subcontinent Is Buzzing with Mobility, and Poised to Assume Leadership of the Global Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Part 1 of a Digest series on India’s projects, progress and emerging bioeconomy leadership. ... India is vaulting into the leadership of the global bioeconomy. ... India has the first giant post-modern national economy. ... The Post-Modern Economy is different. It
December 19, 2023 Read Full Article
House Sets Vote on Bill to Block EPA Tailpipe Rules
by Mike Lee (E&E Daily) It's part of Republicans' efforts to block the Biden administration's plans to boost electric vehicles. -- The House will take up legislation this week to block the Biden administration’s clean car plan, which critics say would drive
December 04, 2023 Read Full Article
INSIGHT: 16 US States May Restrict Sale of Combustion-Based Autos
by Al Greenwood (Independent Commodity Interlligence Services) Several US states could adopt restrictions on the sale of light vehicles that rely primarily on internal combustion engines (ICE), which would lower demand for liquid fuels while increasing demand for plastics and chemicals
October 27, 2023 Read Full Article
ACE Urges NHTSA to Develop a More Technology-Neutral Approach to Meet Fuel Economy Standards
(American Coalition for Ethanol) American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings submitted feedback to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today on its proposed rulemaking for Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks for Model
October 17, 2023 Read Full Article
The Complex Path to Biofuel Sustainability
by Raamya Natarajan (The Hindu) Any strategy needs to be carefully examined in the context of the larger ecosystem to avoid negative consequences -- Until a few years ago, working on biofuels called for constant justification in the face of electric vehicles
September 15, 2023 Read Full Article
NewHydrogen Announces Disruptive Technology to Produce the World’s Cheapest Green Hydrogen
(NewHydrogen/Globe Newswire) Working with a team of world-class chemical and materials engineers at UC Santa Barbara, the Company is developing a better way to efficiently split water into cheap green hydrogen with a thermochemical approach, using heat instead of electricity NewHydrogen, Inc. (OTC:NEWH), the developer of a
August 28, 2023 Read Full Article
EPA Is Ignoring the Glaring Problem with Dirty Electric Vehicles
by Benjamin Zycher (American Enterprise Institute/The Hill) The Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) has launched a new regulatory effort to force a massive transportation shift to electric vehicles (EVs) with its proposed “multi-pollutant emissions standards” for light- and medium-duty vehicles beginning with model
August 08, 2023 Read Full Article
Ethanol Advocates: EPA Didn't Consider Other Fuels to Cut Tailpipe Emissions in Cars
by Rebecca Thiel (Indiana Public Media) Several industry groups and state attorneys general oppose the rule and said the EPA didn’t consider the role a number of other technologies could play — like hydrogen fuel cells, hybrids or cars that can
July 14, 2023 Read Full Article
Biofuel, Farm, Fuel Marketer Groups Urge Fairness in Tailpipe Emissions Standards
(Renewable Fuels Association) America’s farmers, fuel marketers and retailers, and renewable fuel producers today called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to adopt a market-oriented, technology-neutral approach to transportation decarbonization in its upcoming final tailpipe emissions standards for 2027-2032 light- and
July 11, 2023 Read Full Article
Ag Policy Blog: When It Comes to Fuel, EVs Have All the Answers for Biofuel Critics
by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) ... Every now and then I also get to read shots at "flyover country" about ethanol or biofuels in general. That leads to a guest essay published June 6 in the New York Times, "The Climate
July 08, 2023 Read Full Article
U.S., India Strike Deals on Climate Cooperation
by Sara Schonhardt (E&E News Politico Pro Climatewire) The two countries agreed to accelerate joint work on clean hydrogen, carbon capture technologies, and offshore and onshore wind power. -- India and the United States on Thursday injected new energy into
June 23, 2023 Read Full Article
New Issue Brief Challenges the EV Vision: Biofuels and a Technology Neutral Strategy the Better Approach
(Clean Fuels Development Coalition) The widespread introduction of electric vehicles as a means of reducing carbon emissions presents a far greater challenge than the public is being led to believe, according to new research by the Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC). This
June 12, 2023 Read Full Article
Mining Critical to Renewable Energy Tied to Hundreds of Alleged Human Rights Abuses
by Katie Surma (Inside Climate News) A report released Wednesday faults the U.S. and other nations for providing incentives for the mining of rare metals like lithium and cobalt without enacting adequate labor and environmental safeguards. Over the past dozen years, hundreds
June 07, 2023 Read Full Article
I Love Electric Vehicles – and Was an Early Adopter. But Increasingly I Feel Duped
by Rowan Atkinson (The Guardian) ... Electric vehicles may be a bit soulless, but they’re wonderful mechanisms: fast, quiet and, until recently, very cheap to run. But increasingly, I feel a little duped. When you start to drill into the
June 05, 2023 Read Full Article
Can We Replace All Crude Oil within 20 Years with Cellulosic Liquid Hydrocarbons?
by Charles Forsberg and Bruce Dale (Biofuels Digest) In the United States, crude oil products provide 48% of the total energy to the final customer: residential, commercial, industrial and transportation. Replacement of crude oil products (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, chemical feed
May 30, 2023 Read Full Article
Eni and Sonangol Expand Cooperation in Decarbonization and Sustainable Energy Transition Areas
(Eni) The CEO of Eni Claudio Descalzi and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sonangol Sebastião Pai Querido Gaspar Martins have signed today in Rome a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to further expand the scope of the cooperation between the
May 25, 2023 Read Full Article
Toyota’s Top Scientist Reiterates that the World Lacks the Resources to Go All in on Electric Cars
by Nicholas Takahashi and Craig Trudell (Bloomberg/South China Morning Post) Toyota Motor’s top scientist warned that transitioning to electric vehicles too quickly could lead drivers to hold on to old gas guzzlers and called for hybrids to be given a
May 19, 2023 Read Full Article
Australia to Invest $1.4 Bln to Scale up Renewable Hydrogen Industry
by Praveen Menon (NASDAQ/Reuters) Australia will invest A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to scale up development of its renewable hydrogen industry, the government announced in its annual budget on Tuesday, as it looks to accelerate clean energy projects in the country. Funds will
May 12, 2023 Read Full Article
What Is the Long-Term Demand for Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels and Feedstocks?
by Charles Forsberg (Applied Energy) Liquid hydrocarbons made from crude oil serve many functions: (1) a dense, easy-to-store, easy-to-transport energy source, (2) a method for daily-to-seasonal energy storage, (3) a chemical feedstock, (4) a chemical reducing agent and (5) a
May 03, 2023 Read Full Article
Biden-Harris Administration Proposes Strongest-Ever Pollution Standards for Cars and Trucks to Accelerate Transition to a Clean-Transportation Future Hearing May 2-3, 2023; Public Comment DEADLINE TBD
(Environmental Protection Agency) Building on rapid advancements and investments in clean vehicle manufacturing, including investments in domestic manufacturing in the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA’s proposed standards would deliver on President Biden’s agenda to tackle the climate crisis Today, the U.S. Environmental
April 12, 2023 Read Full Article
The Changing Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and the Future of the Clean Energy Transition --- March 9, 2023 --- Washington, DC and ONLINE
The relationship between China and the US is commonly portrayed in terms of geostrategic competition, often leading to pessimistic accounts of international cooperation. This, in turn, glosses over important institutional innovations and joint efforts around shared concerns on climate change
February 16, 2023 Read Full Article
Idemitsu Sees Cleaner Fuels Making Profit Contribution by 2030
by Yuka Obayashi and Miho Uranaka (Reuters) Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd (5019.T), Japan's No. 2 oil refiner, expects cleaner fuels such as ammonia, green pellets and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to contribute to its profits by 2030, its president said. Like global energy
December 22, 2022 Read Full Article
Electrifying Trucking Would Require a Major Chunk of the US Power Grid: ATRI
by Colin Campbell (Transport Dive) Shifting all vehicles to battery electric vehicles would demand more than 40% of the country’s electricity production, the American Transportation Research Institute said in a report. -- Electrifying long-haul truck runs alone on today’s roadways would
December 11, 2022 Read Full Article
Will Gov. Gavin Newsom's Electric Car Mandate Save the World or Stall on the Freeway?
by David H. Freedman (Newsweek) Shifting the world to zero-emissions all-electric vehicles would in theory eliminate about one-fifth of all carbon-dioxide emissions, the chief greenhouse gas behind climate change. But making the transition quickly is a tall order and creates
December 07, 2022 Read Full Article
Electric Cars – Iffy, Alcohol Cars – A Sure Thing
by Dave Stoltz (Biofuels Digest) Electric cars for our entire light duty vehicle fleet as Governor Newsom and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) want are iffy. The key word to not getting ourselves into the same predicament that we’re
November 24, 2022 Read Full Article
House Republicans Prepare Big Energy Package for 2023
by Jeremy Dillon (E&E News) House Republican leaders said Thursday the party is preparing an energy and environment package that could emerge in January as one of the first pieces of major legislation passed by the GOP-controlled chamber. Largely based on legislation
November 18, 2022 Read Full Article
Ethanol vs. Electrons: The Future of Fuel
by Matt Roberts (Terrain) Many worry that electrified vehicles, fuel economy standards, and improving battery technology will make the internal combustion engine (ICE) obsolete, illegal, or both, with wildly varying estimates of the timeline. Many of these forecasts overlook the
November 16, 2022 Read Full Article
Can Electric Vehicle Targets Be Met?
(Visual Capitalist/Transport Energy Strategies) ... Why Is It Unlikely We Will Meet Targets? Even as pledges vow to increase the forecast share of EV adoption, we still need to consider headwinds that will slow down the EV rollout. Roadblock 1: Resource Constraints Sourcing critical raw materials will be
November 03, 2022 Read Full Article
House GOP Plans Early 2023 Energy Bill, Search for ‘The Next Solyndra’
by Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico Pro) House Republicans are also planning to scrutinize how the Biden administration deploys the $370 billion in clean energy measures that Congress approved in Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act. -- Republicans are planning a legislative
October 31, 2022 Read Full Article
How Much Mining Is Needed to Save the Planet?
by Jael Holzman (E&E News/Greenwire) With climate change pushing the U.S. toward more rapid adoption of new technologies, many Republicans and Democrats are in rare agreement on one key point: This country needs a lot more mines. But exactly how much new
October 14, 2022 Read Full Article
Top 5: All EVs, All the Time in the EU??
by Tammy Klein (Transport Energy Strategies) ... • Plug-in Hybrids with E85: An IFPEN study has showed that they’re just as climate-friendly as EVs – but will the EU Commission, Parliament and Council listen as they enter the trilogue negotiations
September 22, 2022 Read Full Article
CO2 Standards for Cars and Vans: Automakers, Auto Parts Industry and Fuel Manufacturers Call for Trilogue Negotiations to Fully Implement the Outcome of Council General Approach to Enable, after 2035, ICE Vehicles Registered to Run Exclusively on CO2-Neutral Fuels
(Fuels Europe) We, automotive companies, fuels manufacturing companies and industry associations are planning our industrial future to be fully consistent with the 2050 climate neutrality goal for Europe. But our concerns are growing that the limited pathway provided by the Commission’s
September 20, 2022 Read Full Article
We Need More than Just Electric Vehicles: To Decarbonize Road Transport We Need to Complement EVs with Bikes, Rail, City Planning, and Alternative Energy
by Heather L. MacLean, Alexandre Milovanoffi, Daniel Posen (IEEE Spectrum) China has more EVs than any other country—but it also gets most of its electricity from coal. -- ... EVs come with important weaknesses, and so people shouldn’t count on
August 23, 2022 Read Full Article
After 25 Years of Futility, Democrats Finally Jettison Carbon Pricing in Favor of Incentives to Counter Climate Change
by Marianne Lavelle (Inside Climate News) The $370 billion Inflation Reduction Act is the nation’s first comprehensive climate plan to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and boost renewable energy and green technology. It relies on tax credits and other “carrots,” not
August 15, 2022 Read Full Article
Visualizing All the Metals for Renewable Tech
by Nicholas LePen (Elements Visual Capitalist) Visualizing the Metals for Renewable Tech -- The energy transition will be mineral intensive and create massive demand for all the metals in renewable tech. Electricity from renewable technology grew at the fastest rate in
July 22, 2022 Read Full Article
EU Plans Hydrogen Deal with Namibia as It Pulls away from Russian Energy
by Francesco Guarascio (Reuters) EU, Namibia in talks over deal on green hydrogen in November; Namibia aims to harness wind, solar to make green hydrogen; EU seeks also deal on minerals, aims to gain diplomatic clout -- ... Most EU consumption
July 08, 2022 Read Full Article
Diesel Powers the Global Economy, Renewable Biofuels Will Sustain Our Future
by Allen Schaeffer (Diesel Technology Forum/Biobased Diesel Daily) Policymakers pushing for electrification tomorrow must realize what modern clean-diesel technology and low-carbon biofuels can do for the planet today. -- ... Using sustainable biofuels like biodiesel and renewable diesel ensures that diesel
July 06, 2022 Read Full Article
Futurist: Battery-Electric Trucks Are a 'Fantasy'
by Josh Fisher (Fleet Owner) BEVs could have their day, but if the industry’s focus is on decarbonization, fuel cells are trucking’s future, according to a transportation futurist, who laid out the case for hydrogen. That's an argument also backed
June 09, 2022 Read Full Article
DOE Releases Notice of Intent for 2022 Advanced Vehicle Technologies Funding
(Green Car Congress) The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced a notice of intent to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Fiscal Year 2022 Vehicle Technologies Office Program Wide FOA.” (DE-FOA-0002718) The potential FOA
May 16, 2022 Read Full Article
Ottawa Unveils $2.6B Carbon Capture Tax Credit for Energy Sector
by Amanda Stephenson (The Canadian Press/Carbon Capture Magazine) Ottawa is urging oil and gas companies to move quickly to take advantage of a major new tax credit for carbon capture and storage — a pricey technology that proponents say could play
May 06, 2022 Read Full Article
Year-Round E15 Is a Good First Step, But More Is Needed to Confront the New Energy Crisis
by C. Boyden Gray (Real Clean Energy) ... I’s also one of the most cost-effective green energy solutions available. This is because ethanol is the world’s cheapest and cleanest source of octane. High octane fuels made with ethanol are not only
May 06, 2022 Read Full Article
Top 5: Transport Energy & the GHG Marginal Cost Abatement Curve
by Tammy Klein (Transport Energy Strategies) • Marginal Cost Abatement: EVs and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are no surprise, but how about pyrolysis with carbon capture? Biogas Moves Up the Priority List in the EU: The war in Ukraine
May 02, 2022 Read Full Article
The Environmental Price of Clean Energy Is Still Too High: Report
by Erin Marquis (Jalopnik) Calculating the cost of clean energy is a dirty job, but Ars Technica is here to do it -- ... This excellent deep dive published by Ars Technica Monday into what it really costs to go green is a stirring
May 02, 2022 Read Full Article
Rivian CEO Believes Battery Supply Chain Will Be the Next Disaster
by Jonathon Ramsey (AutoBlog) Will make the chip shortage look like 'a small appetizer' -- ... Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe has the worst news yet. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the EV honcho said "Semiconductors are a small appetizer to what
April 25, 2022 Read Full Article
Biden to Invoke Defense Production Act for Electric Vehicle Battery Materials
by Zack Budryk (The Hill) President Biden is set to invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) as early as this week to step up production of minerals used to manufacture electric vehicle batteries, a source familiar the plans confirmed to The Hill. Biden is set to
March 31, 2022 Read Full Article
A New, Sustainable Way to Make Hydrogen for Fuel Cells and Fertilizers
(RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science) A new sustainable and practical method for producing hydrogen from water has been discovered by a team of researchers at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan led by Ryuhei Nakamura. Unlike
March 30, 2022 Read Full Article
Grassley and Ernst Call on Biden to Unleash Iowa Biofuel Immediately as Gas Prices Hit Record High, U.S. Bans Russian Oil
(Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) Iowa senators introduce bipartisan legislation to open up the use of clean, American-made renewable fuels that are available right now to replace banned Russian oil -- As gas prices hit all-time record highs, Sens. Chuck Grassley
March 09, 2022 Read Full Article
Gov. Kim Reynolds Renews Effort to Require Higher Ethanol Blends at Iowa Pumps
by Stephen Gruber-Miller (Des Moines Register) ... Fuel retailers like gas stations would be required to offer gasoline with 15% ethanol, known as E15, beginning in 2026. That would greatly expand the availability of E15, which is currently available in
January 31, 2022 Read Full Article
The Race to Reduce GHGs, Dependence on Petroleum, and Provide True Environmental Justice: Where Will the Reductions Come From?
Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Biofuels Digest) ... With 270 million light duty vehicles registered in the U.S., less than 2% are electric. Without a doubt they are trending upwards and will begin to penetrate the market in greater numbers. But,
January 28, 2022 Read Full Article
Keep You Enemies Closer: Lawmakers Traditionally on Opposing Sides of the Renewable Fuels Standard Debated Joined Forces
by Matthew Choi (Politico's Morning Energy) Lawmakers traditionally on opposing sides of the Renewable Fuels Standard debate joined forces Monday in a letter to Biden. The letter, signed by 50 Republican lawmakers, opposes an executive order that Biden signed in December
January 25, 2022 Read Full Article
Hydro Production, Policies and Promise: The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to IRENA’s Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IRENA’s latest report considers whether and how hydrogen may disrupt future energy systems, offers insights into how countries and stakeholders can navigate and shape hydrogen markets, and outlines policy considerations to help mitigate the geopolitical
January 21, 2022 Read Full Article
The Electric-Vehicle Push Empowers China
by Robert Bryce (Wall Street Journal) Instead of using its own energy reserves, the U.S. is betting on its rival’s rare earths. -- The Biden administration wants to spend billions on electric-vehicle subsidies and charging stations because, as Vice President Kamala
January 04, 2022 Read Full Article
Do We Want All of These Electric Car Mines? If EVs Are Supposed to Be a Social Good, How Do We Deal with Them Needing Mines Nobody Wants?
by Raphael Orlove (Jalopnik) ... 1st Gear: Here’s Another Fun ‘Wait Do We Actually Want These Lithium Mines’ Article -- Every day I feel like there’s a new article about lithium mining coming home. Just the other day, Bloomberg was wringing its
December 22, 2021 Read Full Article
The Race to Secure Clean Energy Materials
by Ben Gelman (Axios) Minerals used in power generation technologies ... One persistent theme in analyses of the transition to cleaner energy is the scramble to obtain supplies needed for renewables projects, electric vehicle batteries and other low-carbon tech. The big picture: "A typical
December 06, 2021 Read Full Article
Growth of Electric Vehicles Endangering Rain Rorests
(NBC News) NBC News investigates how the growing efforts to mine nickel to help power electric vehicles are putting rainforests across the world at risk. It’s a reminder that even clean energy comes with an environmental cost. READ MORE' includes
December 06, 2021 Read Full Article
President Targets Raising Biodiesel Production to Save Forex
(Antara News) Domestic biodiesel production will reduce diesel imports in order to save up to Rp56 trillion (almost US$4 billion) of foreign exchange in 2021, according to President Joko Widodo. "If we can produce our own biodiesel here and use
October 22, 2021 Read Full Article
Taliban Metal: House Republicans Are Having a Forum on Afghanistan’s Critical Minerals
by Matthew Choi (Politico's Morning Energy) House Republicans are having a forum on Afghanistan’s critical minerals, casting the U.S. withdrawal from the country as handing the Taliban access to one of the world’s largest deposits of vital minerals and metals
October 22, 2021 Read Full Article
The Problem with Moisture Analysis in Biofuels – a New Solution?
by Stephany McClements (Lantha Sensors/Biofuels Digest) ... One in particular is that biofuels have a higher affinity towards moisture and they have a higher water capacity. As such, biodiesel can absorb up to 6.5 times more moisture from the air than fossil fuel-based
September 16, 2021 Read Full Article
Local View: Bright Future for Ethanol
by Scott McPheeters (Lincoln Journal Star) ... Ethanol infrastructure is already in place (unlike electric), and it doesn't cost the American taxpayer anything. In fact, when you choose ethanol at the pump, you’re going to save money. Multiple studies have
September 15, 2021 Read Full Article
The Oil Industry’s Bright Green Energy Future
by Mike Newman (Parhelion Underwriting) The Oil industry is under pressure on many fronts in the climate change era and faces an existential threat from alternative, renewable sources of energy – but the industry is also best-positioned to win the
September 01, 2021 Read Full Article
The Major Problems Blocking America’s Electric Car Future: The Electric Future Is Coming. But How Quickly Is Less Certain.
by Daniel Yergin (Politico) ... Targets may be motivating. But no matter how much money is spent, shifting such a vast industrial and consumer ecosystem that is so basic to the economy faces big challenges, with the result that the
August 31, 2021 Read Full Article
Pete Ricketts: Strengthening Energy Reliability and Independence
by Pete Ricketts (Star Herald) ... The People’s Republic of China produces the vast majority of the rare earth minerals needed to manufacture EVs. The President’s EV goal would not only make America reliant on our nation’s biggest global competitor,
August 25, 2021 Read Full Article
The Tough Calculus of Emissions and the Future of EVs
by Mark Mills (TechCrunch) From materials and batteries to manufacturing, calculating the real carbon cost of EVs is just getting started -- ... While an EV self-evidently emits nothing while driving, about 80% of its total lifetime emissions arise from
August 23, 2021 Read Full Article
Let's Prioritize American Renewable Fuels over Foreign Oil and Minerals
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Hill) ... But what’s not easy to see is why the White House recently chose to respond to higher pump prices by pushing OPEC+ countries to increase oil production. It was a baffling move that raised
August 23, 2021 Read Full Article
Taliban Grabs Mineral Riches Coveted by Energy Developers
by James Marshall (E&E News) With the its takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban took control of a vast trove of metals and minerals vital to clean energy development. The mountainous, war-torn Middle Eastern country sits atop rare earths and other strategic metals
August 20, 2021 Read Full Article
Felix Leach and Kelly Senecal on Racing Toward Zero: The Untold Story of Driving Green
by Tammy Klein (Transport Energy Strategies) For this video podcast, I spoke with Dr. Felix Leach, Associate Professor of Engineering Science at Oxford University and Dr. Peter Kelly Senecal, Co-Owner and Vice President, Convergent Science on their just-released book, Racing Toward Zero: The
August 09, 2021 Read Full Article
Could Nature’s Own Fuel Save Us from Greenhouse Effect and Electric Grid Failure?
by Ellen Brown (LA Progressive) While biofuels are a less high-tech, cheaper and in many ways more effective solution to our dependence on petroleum, the United States and other countries are discussing similar plans to the EU’s and California is
August 02, 2021 Read Full Article
ConservAmerica: Growing Supply Crisis for Critical Minerals --- July 1, 2021 --- ONLINE
Join ConservAmerica on Thursday, July 1 at 9 am ET for an online discussion of America's reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals with special guests: Rep. Pete Stauber, Ranking Member of the Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral
June 28, 2021 Read Full Article
Is the Electric Vehicle the Latest Manifestation of High-Modernism?
by Philippe Marchand (Transportation Energy Strategies) Cars contribute 25% of transport GHG emissions in the EU, car pools do not change overnight, 15-20 years are necessary for a full turnover. Action is necessary now if road transport is serious about
June 10, 2021 Read Full Article
Why Latin America is the Middle East of Biofuel
(Lat Am Investor) ... However, as mining experts reveal elsewhere in this report, copper supply will be unable to replace every existing internal combustion engine with an EV by 2050. ... That means biofuels will also play an important role. Latin
May 24, 2021 Read Full Article
Winning the Future: Analyzing the CLEAN Future Act and Its Implications for Biofuels
by Jenna Bloxom* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The May 5th, 2021 Congressional hearing of the CLEAN Future Act: Driving Decarbonization of the Transportation Sector was a veritable marathon of legislative discourse just shy of four hours long as both parties debated
May 18, 2021 Read Full Article
Ethanol Infrastructure Push: RFA Makes Case for Including Biofuels in Infrastructure Plans
by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) After renewable biofuels appeared to be effectively shut out of President Joe Biden's plan for infrastructure, leaders in the ethanol industry and their advocates on Capitol Hill are trying to make the case that biofuels
April 20, 2021 Read Full Article
Barasso: Innovation, Not Regulation, Is the Best Way to Improve Our Country's Mobility
(Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources) Today (March 16, 2021), U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), delivered the following remarks at a full committee hearing on transportation technologies. ... “Too
April 06, 2021 Read Full Article
How Green Are Electric Vehicles? In Short: Very Green. But Plug-in Cars Still Have Environmental Effects.
by Hiroko Tabuchi and Brad Plumer (New York Times) Here’s a guide to the main issues and how they might be addressed. -- ... But a lot depends on how much coal is being burned to charge up those plug-in
April 05, 2021 Read Full Article
Biden Releases $2 Trillion Jobs and Infrastructure Plan
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) President Biden on March 31 released a $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan, officially titled the American Jobs Plan. Biofuel/bioproducts and carbon capture and storage (CSS) are each briefly addressed in the plan. One provision of
April 01, 2021 Read Full Article
The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals Supply Chains
by Jane Nakano (Center for Strategic & International Studies) As clean energy technology becomes the latest frontier for geoeconomic rivalry, the security of supply chains for rare earths and critical minerals—essential materials for clean energy—has become a global strategic issue. The
March 17, 2021 Read Full Article
Power for the History Books: Electrification and Diesel
(Diesel Technology Forum) In 100 or maybe even 50 years from now, it is entirely possible that historians will look back and recount the path of how electrification of the transport sector revolutionized the world and saved the climate. If that
March 16, 2021 Read Full Article
Electric Cars Are Coming. How Long until They Rule the Road?
by Brad Plumer, Nadja Popovich and Blacki Migliozzi (New York Times) These vehicles represent the 250 million cars, S.U.V.s, vans and pickup trucks on America’s roads today. The vast majority run on gasoline. Fewer than 1 percent are electric. Automakers are now shifting
March 15, 2021 Read Full Article
New Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Has Advice for Texas — and for the Oil Industry
by Will Englund (Washington Post) ... Will Englund: This country is going to have more electric cars and trucks, and by 2035, it won’t be universal, but it is happening quickly. What is the oil sector in America going to look like when
March 01, 2021 Read Full Article
Auto Industry Peers into an Electric Future and Sees Bumps Ahead
by Steven Mufson (Washington Post) ... (T)he question is not, ‘Can we sell to the wealthy?’ It is, ‘Can we get the everyday household in mainstream America to buy an EV?’ and we’re still a long way away from that.” Meanwhile,
February 12, 2021 Read Full Article
Electric Cars Are Coming, and Fast. Is the Nation’s Grid Up to It?
by Brad Plumer (New York Times) GM’s decision this week to phase out gasoline vehicles is the latest in a major shift that will mean drastic new demands on electric utilities. Here are four things that will need to happen. ... Generate
February 01, 2021 Read Full Article
Where’s Your Lithium from? EU’s New Green Deal to Track Critical Materials
by Tammy Klein (Transport Energy Strategies) Renewable electricity generation and storage requires huge quantities of mined raw materials. In Europe, most of these elements are currently imported and unsustainably produced. So the European Commission has hatched a new plan for obtaining them
February 01, 2021 Read Full Article
Exclusive: U.S. Oil Industry Seeks Unusual Alliance with Farm Belt to Fight Biden Electric Vehicle Agenda
by Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly (Reuters/Yahoo! Finance) The U.S. oil industry is seeking to forge an alliance with the nation's corn growers and biofuel producers to lobby against the Biden administration's push for electric vehicles, but is so far meeting
January 28, 2021 Read Full Article
Biodegradable Computer, Cow Intestine Lamps, Soy-based Turf, Air-to-Meat: The Digest’s Top 8 Innovations for the Week of January 22nd
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) We all know the huge toll that electronics have on our planet, from the rare-earth metals like lanthanum, terbium, and dysprosium needed in the creation stage to what to do with quickly outdated electronics and
January 22, 2021 Read Full Article
Department of Energy Establishes ‘Division of Minerals Sustainability’
by Emily Holbrook (Environment + Energy Leader) ... US Department of Energy (DOE) announced the establishment of a Division of Minerals Sustainability. In a statement on its website, the DOE says the division was created to bring an increased focus to
January 19, 2021 Read Full Article
Beyond Electrification: Policy Options for Cutting Carbon Emissions in the Transportation Sector
by Hannah DelSordo* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Transportation represents the largest direct source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and policymakers are pushing to fully electrify the sector to help meet national climate goals. A webinar on January 6th 2021, hosted by
January 07, 2021 Read Full Article
Energy to Hitch Ride on Omnibus
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Congressional negotiators are expected to unveil the legislative text of a $1.4 trillion omnibus deal today that would boost federal agency budgets through next September and thwart a shutdown at week's end, POLITICO's Caitlin Emma
December 16, 2020 Read Full Article
How Can Ethanol Fit into Lofty 2050 Emissions Goals?
by Dustin Hoffmann (Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network) ... The incoming Biden Administration is committed to a plan to have us get to a net-zero carbon emission status by the year 2050. However, opponents and skeptics say that while the idea
November 19, 2020 Read Full Article
It's Electric
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) IT'S ELECTRIC: A coalition of utilities, electric vehicle makers and mineral producers have formed a new association to push for 100 percent electric vehicle sales by 2030, Pro's Anthony Adragna reports this morning. The group, dubbed the Zero
November 17, 2020 Read Full Article
EV Makers’ Course Hinges on U.S. Election and Fuel-Economy Rules
by Esha Dey (Bloomberg Green) Biden seen implementing policies that would speed adoption; Shares of Tesla, Nikola and their suppliers could get a boost -- ... Most transportation experts envision a future with road travel dominated by electric-powered autos. The
November 03, 2020 Read Full Article
Biden Win Could Be Net Positive for Metals and Mining, Observers Say
by Jacob Holzman and Gaurang Dholakia (S&P Global Platts) ... As a result, observers have predicted that producers of battery and base metals such as lithium and nickel could benefit from a Biden victory. ... The benefits to metals producers from a
October 20, 2020 Read Full Article
Where’s Your Lithium from? EU’s New Green Deal to Track Critical Materials
by David Thorpe (Future Fuel Stratgies/The Fifth Estate) Renewable electricity generation and storage requires huge quantities of mined raw materials. In Europe, most of these elements are currently imported and unsustainably produced. So the European Commission has hatched a new plan for
October 15, 2020 Read Full Article
NAWCWD, Amyris Collaborate to Develop, Test High-Energy Biosynthetic Fuel
(Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division/NAVAIR News) What do bread and liquid jet fuel have in common? Yeast. At least they can, if you’re talking about the biosynthetic research being done in China Lake, California, by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division and
October 07, 2020 Read Full Article
Moniz, Trumka Look at Job Growth in Energy Transition
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, identified several climate and labor policies that could spur new jobs in a low-carbon economy, including a national action plan for the
September 28, 2020 Read Full Article
The Quest for Renewable Energy Could Wreak Havock on Wildlife, Report Warns
(Mic.com) ... But these safer, smarter, and more efficient forms of energy can have significant negative environmental impacts of their own, depending on how they’ve developed. A new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications highlights the significant amount of mining for
September 05, 2020 Read Full Article
DOE Announces $139 Million in Funding for 55 Projects to Advance Innovative Vehicle Technologies
(U.S. Department of Energy) Today, in his remarks at General Motors in Detroit, U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette announced $139 million in federal funding for 55 projects across the country that will support new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies. Six
July 16, 2020 Read Full Article
What Is Needed for Green Liquid Fuels
by Jens Kehlet Nørskov (Technical University of Denmark) In 2019, the EU project Energy-X brought together around 150 leading catalysis and energy researchers to map out how to achieve fossil-free production of fuels and chemicals. Professor Jens Kehlet Nørskov from
July 16, 2020 Read Full Article
Biofuel for Ships: Diesel and Gasoline Sourced from Renewables
by Iris Kumpmann (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft/Tech Xplore) ... Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT in Oberhausen have been looking into alternative climate-friendly fuels. They are now able to produce a renewable biofuel that can be converted
May 05, 2020 Read Full Article
The United States Mineral Supply Insecurity and Dependence on Rare Earth Elements
by Jamil Hijazi (The Payne Institute for Public Policy) Despite the trade war with China and the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the United States of America (U.S) faces the continuous problem of resource dependence and resource insecurity of its processed Rare
April 14, 2020 Read Full Article
Democrats Debate Climate Change Issues in Las Vegas — Finally
(Our Daily Planet) At the Democratic Debate in Las Vegas last night, the moderators asked a series of questions on climate change and environmental issues, and the candidates had a chance to both explain their plans and to talk about their
February 20, 2020 Read Full Article
Why Electric Cars Still Don’t Live up to the Hype
by Charles Lane (Washington Post) ... For the past 10 years, I’ve waged a quixotic counteroffensive against electric-car boosterism, raining skepticism on the vehicles’ potential to cure climate change, much less to be the clean, green wave of the transportation future. ... Otherwise, electric cars will
December 31, 2019 Read Full Article
Australia, U.S., to Cooperate on Critical Minerals, Rare Earths
(U.S. News and World Report/Reuters) Australia and the United States will support projects to develop critical minerals and rare earths, an Australian government minister said on Wednesday (November 20, 2019), signaling deeper cooperation in a market dominated by Chinese supplies. Australian
December 09, 2019 Read Full Article
IJER Editorial: The Future of the Internal Combustion Engine
by R D Reitz, H Ogawa, R Payri, T Fansler, S Kokjohn, Y Moriyoshi, AK Agarwal, D Arcoumanis, D Assanis, C Bae, K Boulouchos, M Canakci, S Curran, I Denbratt, M Gavaises, M Guenthner, C Hasse, Z Huang, T Ishiyama,
November 01, 2019 Read Full Article
How Lithium Could Be Calif.'s Next 'Gold Rush'
by David Ferris and David Iaconangelo (E&E News) ... EnergySource, based in San Diego, is making an expensive gamble that it can be the first to tap a vast reserve of lithium here that has frustrated engineers for decades. Lithium
October 31, 2019 Read Full Article
Who Willed the Electric Car? China, and Here’s Why
by Lauren Silva Laughlin (Wall Street Journal) Electric vehicles that derive their power from dirty energy aren’t necessarily better for the environment, but they are better for Beijing -- Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods recently took a shot
October 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Full Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Hearing on Minerals and Clean Energy Technologies
(Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources) Opening Statement Hearing to Examine the Minerals Needed for Clean Energy Senator Lisa Murkowski -- ... Minerals are the fundamental building blocks for any modern technology, whether they are light bulbs or computers
September 17, 2019 Read Full Article
Marco Rubio Introduces Bill to Combat China's Rare Earth Monopoly
by Megan Henney (Fox Business) Sen. Marco Rubio introduced legislation on Thursday intended to boost American competitiveness in processing critical rare-earth minerals after China signaled it could weaponize its dominance in the sector in the midst of the year-long trade war. The Florida Republican’s plan, named the RE-Coop 21st
July 12, 2019 Read Full Article
New Study Underscores the Need to Make Rare Earth Metal Use More Sustainable
(Our Daily Planet) We don’t recycle these metals and their extraction is rife with human rights abuses. As Phys reported, a new study, commissioned and funded by the non-profit EarthWorks, “shows that as demand for minerals such as lithium and rare earths skyrockets, the already significant environmental
April 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Energy To Remodel World Dominance Patterns
by Jacek Fior (CleanTechnica) Attending the 9th session of IRENA’s General Assembly on Friday*, we were all looking forward to one item on the agenda – launch of a new report, A New World: The Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation. We all swarmed into
January 14, 2019 Read Full Article
How Renewable Energy Could Fuel Future Conflicts
by Madison Freeman and Morgan Bazilian (Georgetown Journal of International Affairs) Renewable energy technologies promise to help our world avert some of the worst impacts of climate change. However, some of the minerals and metals they require could contribute to conflict. In
October 12, 2018 Read Full Article
Ryan Zinke Moves to Protect Critical Minerals from Foreign Threats
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is listing 35 minerals used in aircraft, cellphones, and other important technologies as "vital" to national security in a move to wean the U.S. off foreign suppliers. The list includes such valuable metals
May 18, 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
A New Lithium War Is About To Begin
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) It’s the modern gold rush. Around the world, the most sought-after mineral isn’t a precious metal, nor is it oil and gas…it’s lithium. Lithium, or “white petroleum” as some call it, has become a crucial element in today’s high-tech economy. Demand
April 25, 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
Geothermal Could Profit from U.S. Executive Order to Support Lithium Mining
by Alexander Richter (Think GeoEnergy) An executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump to support mining activities for critical minerals, could present a boost to lithium mining activities in the U.S. and indirectly help some geothermal projects. As reported recently, U.S. President
March 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Boliden Grows Algae to Reduce Emissions
(Algae Industry Magazine) The “Microalgae cultivation for treatment of process emissions from the metals industry” project, which is being financed by the Swedish Energy Agency, started recently and will run for two years at Boliden Bergsöe, where, among other things,
March 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Trump Signs Executive Order to Expand Critical Minerals Production, Says It Will End America’s ‘Vulnerability’
by Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post) President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday instructing his deputies to devise “a strategy to reduce the Nation’s reliance on critical minerals” that are largely imported and used to produce everything from smartphones to weaponry. ... Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who has backed
December 21, 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
Cost of Elon Musk's Dream Much Higher Than He and Others Imagine
by Brian Rogers (America Rising Squared/Real Clear Energy) ... It’s what Greenpeace International co-founder Rex Weyler calls “The Tesla dream,” the false idea that Mr. Musk’s electric vehicles (EVs) are a true game-changing “clean energy” solution to global climate
June 09, 2017 Read Full Article
Tesla And Other Tech Giants Scramble For Lithium As Prices Double
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) Demand for lithium—the hottest commodity on the planet and the only commodity to show positive price movement in 2015—is poised to continue on its upward trajectory, becoming the world’s new gasoline and earning the moniker of
April 14, 2016 Read Full Article
In China’s Inner Mongolia, Mining Spells Misery for Traditional Herders
by Simon Denyer (The Washington Post) ... The vast, wind-swept grasslands of Inner Mongolia have been home to nomadic pastoralists for thousands of years, but the rich resources that lay under these rolling prairies have proved a curse to the people
April 07, 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
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
July 02, 2013 Read Full Article
The Truth about 2011
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) ...“If weather blesses the world with bountiful crops in 2011,” writes Economic Times commodities editor Nidhi Nath Srinivas, “and that’s a giant if, they will first replenish exhausted stocks in the trading pipelines. Globally,
February 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Don't Worry About Rare Earths
by Dana Blankenhorn (Renewable Energy World) ...There are 17 elements classified as Rare Earths. Rare Earths aren't really rare. It's just rare to find them in commercial-grade ore. China has lots of Rare Earths, and as part of its export-oriented economic
February 02, 2011 Read Full Article
DOE Federal Lab Says Life Cycle Analysis Does Not Factor in Rare Earth Metals or Mountain Top Removal
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January 31, 2011 Read Full Article
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