January 13, 2010
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the investment of nearly $80 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for advanced biofuels research and fueling infrastructure that will help support the development of a clean sustainable transportation sector. The selections announced today—two biofuels consortia for up to $78 million to research algae-based and advanced biofuels—are part of the Department’s continued effort to spur the creation of the domestic bio-industry while creating jobs.
“Advanced biofuels are crucial to building a clean energy economy,” said Secretary Chu. “By harnessing the power of science and technology, we can bring new biofuels to the market and develop a cleaner and more sustainable transportation sector. This investment will help spur the creation of the domestic bio-industry, while creating jobs and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=286
(by Scott Minos of the EERE) – Want to know where you can buy E85? There’s an app for that now.
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has launched a new application for Garmin and TomTom GPS units that that maps out the location of E85 (85% ethanol/15% gasoline) for users with flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs).
FFV’s are vehicles that are able to use either gasoline (which has up to 10% ethanol by content) or E-85 ethanol, which is a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. There are over 7 to 8 million FFVs on the road today. This new feature will eliminate the frustration many FFV owners have of not knowing where they can fill up with higher level ethanol blends, like E85, by showing the exact location of the nearest E85 pumps.
Using the Garmin navigation system, FFV owners can download station locations and program their device to direct them to nearby E85 stations. The Garmin application is available for download on ChooseEthanol.com. There, consumers can download individual state data, a combination of states, or national data directly to their computer and then to their Garmin devices. Directions for installing this data are available on the site. TomTom users can search for E85 stations through a national database.
The data comes directly from the United States Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC), which has information on where to find all different types of transportation fuel across the country. The station location data will be updated quarterly to keep up with the expansion of E-85 pumps throughout the country.
While the program is currently only available for Garmin and TomTom GPS units, work is underway to bring this data to other navigation systems.
Consumers and fleets may also find alternative fueling locations by using mobile devices such as cell phones, iPhone’s, Blackberrys, or other personal handheld devices to access AFDC’s Alternative Fuel Station Locator mobile site at http://www.afdc.energy.gov/stations/m. This site will find the 5 closest alternative fueling stations to your location, will provide a map and directions to fueling stations, and will allow GIS-enabled Blackberrys to automatically find stations near you.
Scott Minos is a 22 year employee of the Department of Energy and works for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). He works on special education and outreach projects and manages both EERE’s Information Center and EERE’s Online Publication and Product Library.
GLOBE-Net - Waste from chicken farming could provide an unlikely source of biodiesel now that an environmentally friendly process to produce good-quality fuel from it has proved successful.
Chicken-feather meal is a by-product of large-scale poultry production. It often includes blood and offal, and contains about 11 percent fat.
Unlike conventional biofuel sources such as sugar cane or corn, it is not in demand for human food but it is used as animal feed because of its high protein content and fertilizer for its high nitrogen content.
http://www.globe-net.com/green_tech/listing.cfm?ID_Report=1778
Chances are that if you’ve seen a car commercial in the last few weeks then you’ve heard about the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) Program. I know those commercials caught my attention on several occasions. And since my husband and I are planning on buying a new car later this year, I thought I’d do some research into the program to see if we might benefit. It turns out that our potential trade-in vehicle is already pretty fuel efficient and doesn’t qualify for the program. However, if your family is considering upgrading to a new, more fuel efficient vehicle in the next few weeks, you may want to investigate whether your car might qualify.
The CARS Program, under the purview of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), offers eligible buyers between $3,500 and $4,500 off the cost of a new vehicle when they trade in an older, less fuel efficient vehicle. More information on the program, including more detailed eligibility information, can be found through the CARS Program Web site.
While there is some question over how long this program will last, as of today, the CARS Web site says it is still operating. The Web site itself is a treasure trove of information, with a dealer locator that can help you find dealers near you that are participating in the CARS program, a list of helpful FAQs, and an interactive vehicle eligibility guide that can help you determine if your vehicle qualifies. If you need further assistance, you can also contact the CARS hotline directly at (866) CAR-7891 or TTY at (800) 424-9153.
Even if, like my family, you are unable to take advantage of the CARS Program, you still may be able to benefit from federal or state tax incentives for the purchase of an eligible hybrid or alternative fueled vehicle. More information on federal incentives for hybrid purchases can be found at FuelEconomy.gov. For state-level incentives, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center maintains an extensive listing.
Article by Amy Foster Parish, whom is a staff member with the Washington State University Extension Energy Program and answers inquiries through the EERE Information Center.
On the Road with Alternative Fuels
July 24, 2009
Drivers now can take a popular tool on the road thanks to staff at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The Mobile Alternative Fueling Station Locator (MAFSL) helps on-the-go drivers find the five closest biodiesel, electricity, E85 (ethanol), hydrogen, natural gas, and propane fueling sites using any mobile device with Internet access. The rest of this article can be read here http://www.nrel.gov/features/20090724_locator.html
