No major oil outlets have fully embraced biofuels, although British Petroleum has just announced that it may begin commercial production of ethanol starting in 2010.

BP has partnered with Verenium to bring a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility online next year to start bringing alternative fuels to a gas pump near you.

BP has big plans for biofuels and seems to be marching towards an alternative fuel future faster than many of its competitors. Verenium already has a demonstration plant in Louisiana capable of producing over a million gallons of cellulosic ethanol annually, and BP hopes to ramp production up. The Verenium process uses proprietary enzymes to break down grass feedstock and convert it to ethanol more efficiently.

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The OPEC Secretary General has said that oil is not responsible for climate change and that the developed nations should be held responsible for the global predicament we all face today.

Oil is not responsible. It is the industrialised countries which are making all this pollution in the world.

These were the words of Abdullah al-Badri at the International Oil Summit held at Paris. He went on to criticize ’some’ developed nations levying excessive taxes on oil companies and petroleum products while extending tax breaks to renewable energy firms. He also spoke against the subsidies that the renewable energy projects recieve in the developed countries.

It is highly unfortunate to see OPEC’s single-minded and illogical stance regarding climate change and renewable energy.

The developed nations have started to move their power generation systems from being fossil fuel based to renewable energy centred systems. However, hybrids and electric cars are still expensive and with the car industry going through catastrophic period of sales, it is unlikely that they would be able to mass-produce an affordable low emission vehicle. Thus gasoline burning cars and trucks remain a major source of world’s carbon emissions. 

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BP originally planned to celebrate its 100th year as a company on April 1st, but when the news went public and protests were planned, the company backed down and has rescheduled to an undetermined date.

“Whenever and wherever BP attempts to hold a party to celebrate its tarnished centenary, we will be there to say ‘Your party’s over!’” said Art Not Oil’s Sam Chase. “BP’s one hundred years have seen a world plundered
and a climate torn asunder.”

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As most of the first generation corn ethanol world has started to exit stage left in a loud and raucous way, the pioneers of second generation cellulosic ethanol — what I like to call “celluline” — have been quietly conducting dress rehearsals for their grand entrance.

And now the world of cellulosic ethanol has an honest-to-goodness demonstration plant to prove that it works. The plant will produce 1.4 million gallons of ethanol a year. Although it’s not at the commercial scale yet (60+ MGY), this represents a huge leap forward for second generation ethanol, which to this point has been full of promises but lacking on deliverables.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that, as a result of its enforcement actions, U.S. companies will spend a record-breaking $11.8 billion on pollution control and projects to clean up the environment this year.

The EPA calculates that the moves will result in a best ever reduction in pollution of 3.9 billion pounds per year, nearly four times the reduction achieved during 2007.

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In the October 2008 Atlantic magazine, as no doubt in many others, BP runs a full-page ad that says, “Investing in America’s most diverse energy portfolio.” It includes little clip art silhouettes for an oil drop, a gas flame, a wind turbine, the sun and a green plant, triggering our cutesy awwww factor. Then it says:

“Oil in the Gulf. Natural gas in the Rockies. Solar in Maryland. Wind in Texas. Biofuels research in California and Illinois. Diversity starts right here. BP is the largest investor in new U.S. energy development. In fact, over the last five years we’ve invested more than $28 billion in U.S. energy supplies.”

They are providing some concrete details for sure. Now is it true? (And, cynicism aside for a moment, if it is, will it do any good?)

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The money will be distributed to Verenium over the next 18 months, with a likelihood of further investment and cooperation beyond that point. Under the agreement, BP will have broad access to Verenium’s research, production facilities, and technology.

Although relatively late to the fray, BP thinks this investment gives them the “most advanced technology for transforming [cellulosic material] to biofuels,” as Sue Ellerbusch, president of BP Biofuels North America said.

Verenium claims to have the edge in cellulosic ethanol production through genetic engineering of the microbes required to turn the cellulosic material (switchgrass, wood chips, sugarcane bagasse, miscanthus) into ethanol.

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