Welcome to the Arkansas Renewable Energy e-newsletter! This newsletter is a bi-monthly feature of the Arkansas Renewable Energy website. Visit the website at www.arkansasrenewableenergy.org for more information on solar, wind, biomass, and other renewable energy resources!
Arkansas Renewable Energy News
September/October 2006
Welcome to the Arkansas Renewable Energy e-newsletter! This newsletter is a bi-monthly feature of the Arkansas Renewable Energy website. Visit the website at www.arkansasrenewableenergy.org for more information on solar, wind, biomass, and other renewable energy resources!
"We owe our lives to the sun... How is it, then, that we feel no gratitude?" – Lewis Thomas
In This Issue...
News...
- Arkansas Will Be Home to New Biodiesel Plant
- Arkansas Among First States to Receive Hybrid School Buses
- Ethanol Industry Experiencing Rapid Growth
- New Speakers Added for National Renewable Energy Conference
- USDA Proposes 20 Biobased Product Categories for Federal Purchases
- Texas Moves into Top Spot for Wind Power Production
- States and Utilities Commit to Energy Efficiency Action Plan
- New Cellulosic Ethanol Plant to Locate in Georgia
- Toyota Considers Hybrid and Flex-fuel Vehicles
- Julia Roberts New Spokesperson for Renewable Fuels
Funding Oportunities
Website Spotlight
Mark Your Calendars!
Tip of the Month
News
Arkansas Will Be Home to New Biodiesel Plant
Plans are underway by Arkansas SoyEnergy Group, LLC, of DeWitt to construct a new biodiesel production plant that will produce biodiesel fuel made entirely from soybean oil, reports ArkansasBusiness.com. Construction is expected to commence in October. The plant will produce about 3 million gallons of the 100-perecent soy-based fuel each year, beginning in 2007.
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=95422.54928.107545&view=all&link=perm
Arkansas Among First States to Receive Hybrid School Buses 
Bus manufacturer IC Corporation unveiled its hybrid electric bus in July and announced that it will provide up to 19 hybrid buses to school districts in 11 states. The buses combine a V8 diesel engine with an 80-kilowatt Hybrid Drive System developed by Enova Systems, Inc. The system is based on a parallel architecture, allowing it to use both diesel and electric power in a highly efficient manner. IC Corporation claims that the buses will achieve up to a 40-percent increase in fuel efficiency.
http://www.ic-corp.com/site_layout/news/newsdetail.asp?id=772
Ethanol Industry Experiencing Rapid Growth
The ethanol fuel industry is growing so rapidly that a national Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), passed as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, is already moot, says EERE News . The RFS requires 4 billion gallons of biofuels production in 2006 and 4.7 billion gallons in 2007, increasing gradually to 7.5 billion gallons in 2012. But according to the latest press release from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), there are currently 101 ethanol facilities nationwide with the capacity to produce more than 4.8 billion gallons of ethanol per year, an amount that already exceeds the requirement for next year. With an additional 41 ethanol facilities under construction and 7 expansions underway, the industry is in the process of adding nearly 2.8 billion gallons of new capacity. That will provide enough capacity for the industry to produce 7.6 billion gallons of ethanol per year, which already exceeds the goal for 2012. Unless the industry experiences a downturn and some production capacity goes uncompleted or unused, the ethanol fuel industry should easily exceed the RFS requirements.
http://www.ethanolrfa.org/media/press/rfa/2006/view.php?id=835
New Speakers Added for National Renewable Energy Conference 
DOE and USDA have announced additional keynote speakers for the national renewable energy conference, "Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance," to be held October 10th through 12th in St. Louis , Missouri . The agencies also released the full program for the conference. Just added to the list of speakers are Red Cavaney of American Petroleum Institute (API), a trade association of the oil and natural gas industry; Charles Holliday of DuPont, a leader in biobased plastics that has teamed up with BP to make a new biofuel called biobutanol; Patrick Wood, chairman of the U.S. advisory board for wind developer Airtricity, Inc. and former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and Matthew Simmons of Simmons and Company International, a specialized energy investment banking firm, and author of "Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy," which argues that the world's oil production is quickly approaching its peak.
http://www.energy.gov/news/3967.htm
USDA Proposes 20 Bio-based Product Categories for Federal Purchases
A program to require the federal government to give preference to buying bio-based products is hitting its stride, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed 20 new categories of bio-based products for federal purchase. The USDA proposed rules, published in two separate rounds in the Federal Register last week, would include the following categories of bio-based products: adhesive and mastic removers, insulating foam for wall construction, hand cleaners and sanitizers, composite panels, fluid-filled transformers, biodegradable containers, fertilizers, metalworking fluids, sorbents, graffiti and grease removers, two-cycle engine oils, lip care products, biodegradable films, stationary equipment hydraulic fluids, biodegradable cutlery, glass cleaners, greases, dust suppressants, carpets, and carpet and upholstery cleaners. According to USDA, these 20 categories will open the door for federal procurement of 1,500 bio-based products. Comments on the proposed rules are due on October 16. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/08/0304.xml
Texas Moves into Top Spot for Wind Power Production
Texas is now the nation's largest producer of wind power, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). AWEA's Second Quarter Market Report, released last week, finds that the Lone Star State now hosts 2,370 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity, besting the nation's historic wind power leader, California, by 47 MW. According to AWEA, California has led the nation in wind power capacity since 1981, when the first commercial wind projects were built there. At one time, more than 80 percent of the world's wind power capacity was located in California , but the rest of the U.S has since caught up. http://awea.org/newsroom/releases/AWEA_Quarterly_Market_Report_072506.html
States and Utilities Commit to Energy Efficiency Action Plan
Some 50 organizations have joined forces to develop the new National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, which aims to help states and utilities overcome barriers that limit investment in energy efficiency. The action plan, was developed with assistance from DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and with the participation of electric and gas utilities, utility regulators, state agencies, large energy users, consumer advocates, energy service providers, and environmental and energy efficiency organizations. Seventy-two organizations in 33 states announced commitments to increase their investments in energy efficiency.
The plan builds upon best practices from successful energy efficiency programs already operating in many areas. It recommends recognizing energy efficiency as a high-priority energy resource; making a strong, long-term commitment to implementing cost-effective energy efficiency as a resource; broadly communicating the benefits of and opportunities for energy efficiency; promoting sufficient, timely, and stable program funding to deliver energy efficiency where cost-effective; and modifying policies and ratemaking practices to encourage utilities to invest in energy efficiency.
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/actionplan/leadership.htm
New Cellulosic Ethanol Plant to Locate in Georgia
Xethanol Corporation has announced that it will construct a full-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Augusta , Georgia , next year. The new plant will have a production capacity of 50 million gallons of ethanol per year. The company is currently working to secure enough feedstock from the forest products industry to allow the plant to operate at full capacity when it starts production in mid-2007.
http://www.b2i.us/profiles/investor/ResLibraryView.asp?BzID=1387&ResLibraryID=16333&Category=819
Toyota Considers Hybrid and Flex-fuel Vehicles
Toyota Motor Corporation is pursuing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that could travel greater distances without using its gasoline engine. In a recent speech, Toyota Motor North America president Jim Press announced the plug-in hybrid work and also noted that Toyota 's target is to offer hybrid options throughout its entire lineup of cars and trucks. In addition, the company is working to reduce the size of hybrid components by 75 percent. Toyota is also considering introducing a flex-fuel vehicle (one capable of running on ethanol-rich blends of gasoline) in the United States.
http://pressroom.toyota.com/Releases/View?id=TYT2006071892337
If Toyota does introduce a flex-fuel vehicle (FFV), it will be following the lead of the major U.S. automakers and one fellow Japanese automaker, Nissan. According to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC), Nissan began offering the Titan truck as an FFV in 2005 and plans to introduce an FFV version of the Armada sport utility vehicle as part of the 2007 model year. The NEVC says that Nissan plans on producing about 55,000 FFV Titans this year and plans to produce about 20,000 FFV Armadas in model year 2007.
http://www.e85fuel.com/news/071906_armada_release.htm
Julia Roberts New Spokesperson for Renewable Fuels
Actress Julia Roberts has been named the new spokesperson for Earth Biofuels, Inc. As a member of the company's Advisory Board, Roberts will help promote the use of biodiesel, ethanol, and other renewable fuels. "It's very important that we expand our use of clean energy and make a long-term commitment to it," Roberts said. "Biodiesel and ethanol are better for the environment and for the air we breathe. "One of Roberts' early tasks will be to encourage the use of biodiesel fuel in the more than 500,000 diesel school buses. "The use of biodiesel is a positive step toward minimizing pollutive emissions and greenhouse gases," Roberts added. "By focusing on school buses, we can affect the health and wellbeing of the people most susceptible to that pollution - our children - today."
http://ecostocks.wordpress.com/2006/07/18/julia-roberts/
Funding Opportunities
Bioenergy Research Center Funding
DOE has announced that it will award $250 million to establish and operate two new Bioenergy Research Centers. The centers will work to accelerate basic research in cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels, with a goal of meeting the requirements set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and private firms are eligible to apply. Proposals are due February 1, 2007 . The centers are expected to begin work in 2008 and be fully operational by 2009. http://genomicsgtl.energy.gov/centers/
Website Spotlight
Community Wind Energy Information Clearinghouse
Communities across the country are benefiting from wind energy systems. Use this resource to learn more about how wind projects can generate both revenue and electricity while keeping energy dollars in the local community and helping keep the air and water clean. The website includes e xamples of community wind enegy projects, a wind energy curriculum, information on wind energy, and more.
http://www.windustry.com/community/default.htm
Mark Your Calendars!
Here's a sample of the many upcoming events focusing on energy issues. For a more complete list, see our Events Calendar!
Biodiesel Fuel Workshop
October 2-6, 2006
Pittsboro, NC
Learn the fundamentals of this alternative fuel source that can be used in any diesel engine. Participants will make biodiesel fuel with locally available materials and learn how to make a biodiesel processor to make their own biodiesel. The workshop will also examine and discuss the emerging world biodiesel markets while giving models of successful biodiesel businesses.
http://www.solarenergy.org/workshops/workshop.php?id=18
Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance
October 10-12, 2006
St. Louis, MO
DOE and USDA will co-host this national renewable energy conference to help create partnerships and strategies necessary to accelerate commercialization of renewable energy industries and distribution systems, the crux of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI).
http://www.technologyforums.com/6EN/
Solar Power 2006
October 16-19, 2006
San Jose, CA
Find out what's new under the sun in the areas of solar technology, energy policy, and market opportunity.
http://www.solarpowerconference.com/
Tip of the Month:
Check Ductwork for Leaks
With cooler weather just around the corner, it's a good time to check your heating system's ductwork for leaks. Gaps or holes in the ductwork waste a large amount of energy and can result in poor indoor air quality. According to the ENERGY STAR website, "Ducts are an integral part of a forced-air heating or cooling system and their purpose is to circulate air to evenly heat and cool your home. Unfortunately, ducts are often leaky – wasting 7-12% of heating and cooling energy used by your home."
If ducts have any gaps, holes, or other sources of leakage, they should be cleaned, sealed, and insulated. Unless you are experienced in this type of work, you should consider hiring a contractor who specializes in duct repair.
For more information, see:
• Duct Sealing: ENERGY STAR
http://energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=ducts.pr_ducts
• "An Introduction to Residential Duct Systems," Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
http://ducts.lbl.gov/
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