By Govind Singh •
August 20, 2008
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Worried and uncertain about meeting its energy requirements in the near future, the Indian agricultural state of Uttar Pradesh is now taking to bio-fueling itself! The state government has just released a plan to turn wastelands throughout the state into bio-diesel farms by cultivating Jatropha on over 40 per cent of the total wasteland. Also, and contrary to the state policies so far, the wasteland will not be taken over by the government and instead farmers will be allotted land and will be provided with necessary technical assistance to facilitate a good crop.
By 2012, a large portion of India’s Uttar Pradesh region will be converted into Jatropha, a non-edible oil-seed crop that can be grown on marginal land.
40% of recently set aside “wasteland” in India’s populous norther region will be put into Jatropha production in the next few years, according to sources within the country. That makes for an estimated 26,721 hectares (about 66,000 acres) of land that will be converted into biodiesel crop production.
By Levi Novey •
August 17, 2008
As South American nations rush to achieve energy independence and become the next Venezuela, oil exploration and treasure hunts for profitable and reliable energy sources have increased in countries like Uruguay, Ecuador, Brazil, and Chile.
This past Friday, the U.S. company Pure Biofuels opened up a new biodiesel plant in Lima, Peru. It plans to produce 52 million gallons of biodiesel next year, about 35% of which will meet Peru’s internal demands for the alternative fuel. The rest will be exported. The plant has the capacity to increase its production threefold, and hopes to eventually produce 156 million gallons of biodiesel per year. Production has yet to start at the new plant, but will later this year.
The new plant is only the second to open its doors in Peru. The other biodiesel plant opened in January and will produce about 48 million gallons each year. So with biodiesel on the rise, could this be the start of a new energy boom coming out of Peru? It is difficult to know.
By Nick Chambers •
August 7, 2008
Sheesh. It seems that everybody and their brothers are ethanol experts these days. But what drives me nuts is that when people are talking about ethanol, they don’t seem to know what type of ethanol they’re talking about.
It’s sad because the widespread misinformation and misunderstanding is killing popular opinion for biofuels in general right now and, in particular, mercilessly destroying the good name of the second generation of ethanol — cellulosic ethanol.
The truth of the matter is that cellulosic ethanol will be made from non-food sources (miscanthus, switchgrass, wood waste, and even garbage) that can be grown on marginal land or is already a waste byproduct of society.
The production of cellulosic ethanol could have huge benefits beyond energy independence:
Recognizing the potential for algae as an energy crop, a Hawaiian conglomerate has come together to pursue the joint development of a commercial-scale microalgae facility on Maui to produce lipid oil for conversion to biodiesel and other products, such as animal feed.
While a number of factors still need to be put in place before the first phase of the program can begin, the anticipated start date [...]
By Michael dEstries •
February 10, 2007
When China wants something, they go after it with gusto. In an effort to reduce dependence on foreign natural resources, the world's third-largest producer of ethanol has decided to grow a forest encompassing nearly 33 million acres; or roughly the size of England. Such a move will allow them to harvest more than 6 million tons of biodiesel every year. China's plant of choice?
