KCFC Awarded Funding for Internship Position

Argonne National Laboratories has awarded KCFC $8,500 to employ an intern during the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 seasons.  Both Lizzy Gardner, Administrative Assistant and Emily Carpenter, Project Manager were former interns under the program.

KCFC Addresses Kentucky Energy Committee

KCFC along with coalition members, presented “Transportation Technologies Across Kentucky”, an overview of programs and projects, to the Kentucky Legislative Joint Energy Committee.  The presentation took place August 21st, 10:00 am at the Capitol Annex Building.

Obama Signs Alternative Fuel Tax Fix into Law

President Barack Obama has signed into law a comprehensive highway funding bill, H.R.3236, whose many provisions include a measure meant to ensure that liquefied natural gas (LNG) and propane autogas are taxed fairly relative to diesel and gasoline, respectively. The law is especially considered a major victory for the natural gas vehicle industry, which has long pushed for a so-called “LNG fix.”

The alt-fuel measure was originally included in a highway bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives on July 15. However, following disputes between the House and U.S. Senate over several issues, the House passed H.R.3236 on Wednesday in order to provide a three-month extension of federal dollars for the national highway program – just days before a funding deadline. The Senate, which had sought longer-term highway legislation, passed its own six-year plan on Thursday but also approved H.R.3236 as a short-term fix. H.R.3236 extends highway and transportation funding through Oct. 29, setting the stage for lawmakers to renew their debate after returning from summer recess.

 

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UPS Agrees to Buy 46 Million Gallons of Renewable Diesel

For years, companies that rely heavily on fuel have experimented with substitutes for conventional gasoline and diesel, including natural gas, electricity and biofuels.

Now, one company is moving beyond the test phase. On Wednesday, UPS announced that it will buy as much as 46 million gallons of renewable diesel over the next three years, helping the company reach a goal of displacing 12 percent of the petroleum-based fuels in its ground fleet by 2017.

The renewable fuels, from three suppliers, are chemically so close to their petroleum-based counterparts that they can replace them in engines and pipelines. They are made from an array of bio-based sources, including palm and waste oils, and animal fats.

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LPG School Buses Coming to KY School Districts

For the first time in Kentucky history, school districts are able to purchase Propane (LPG) powered school buses for student transportation, and districts are jumping at the chance to do so. Leading the pack with 8 is Crittenden, Hardin with 5, Bath with 3, Allen with 2 and Bourbon, Grant and Trimble counties all with 1 propane powered bus.

Natural Gas-Powered Unit Goes Online at KY. Power Plant

member-lge-kuLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Kentucky’s largest electric power utility says a new natural gas-powered generating unit that has gone online is the first of its kind in the state.

Louisville Gas and Electric said Monday that the 640-megawatt unit at its Cane Run Generating Station in western Louisville is up and running. It replaces coal-burning units at the plant, which was built in the 1950s.

The unit generates electricity with gas turbines, and then recycles exhaust heat to generate steam and produce additional power. The Tennessee Valley Authority is installing a similar gas-powered turbine at its Paradise Fossil plant in Drakesboro, Kentucky.

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Honda Scraps the CNG Civic

Screen Shot 2015-06-22 at 1.17.43 PMHonda has announced that it will no longer offer its compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered Civic, leaving some to wonder what significance this decision might have regarding the overall U.S. natural gas vehicle (NGV) industry. The manufacturer also will discontinue its Civic Hybrid model.

John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co. Inc.’s automobile division, released a statement explaining the company’s decision.

He says that rather than offering alternative fuel versions of the Civic, the company is focusing on advancing the car’s fuel efficiency with conventional engine technology. Honda will launch an all-new Civic this fall featuring downsized gasoline engines, including a turbocharged, direct-injected model. According to Mendel, these new Civics are expected to have a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highway fuel economy rating of over 40 mpg.

Mendel says Honda will stop offering both the Civic Natural Gas and the Civic Hybrid with the end of the 2015 model year. Honda has already ceased production of the NGV at the company’s Indiana plant, but Mendel says the firm will “continue to provide a high level of service to our existing customers through CNG-certified Honda dealers.”

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USDA to Invest Up to $100 Million to Boost Infrastructure for Renewable Fuel Use, Seeking to Double Number of Higher Blend Renewable Fuel Pumps

USDA LogoWASHINGTON, May 29, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest up to $100 million in a Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership to support the infrastructure needed to make more renewable fuel options available to American consumers. Specifically, USDA will administer competitive grants to match funding for state-led efforts to test and evaluate innovative and comprehensive approaches to market higher blends of renewable fuel, such as E15 and E85. States that are able to provide greater than a one-to-one ratio in funding will receive higher consideration.”American-made, clean energy sources support the environment, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs and sustain the economy in rural communities across the country. We are fortunate that our farmers are producing record amounts of feedstock for these fuels,” Vilsack said. “However, a combination of factors, including lower commodity prices and reduced demand for feed as the poultry industry recovers from highly pathogenic avian influenza, are creating uncertainty for America’s corn and soybean producers. With this partnership, USDA is helping to ensure the infrastructure is in place for consumers to access more renewable fuels, expand marketing opportunities for farmers, and grow America’s rural economies.”Higher blends of renewable fuel offer significant potential for increasing the use of renewable fuels in the U.S. gasoline pool, but currently, the typical gas pump can deliver fuel containing a maximum of 10 percent ethanol, limiting the amount of renewable energy consumers can use to fuel their cars. This new USDA partnership will help support the installation of fuel pumps capable of supplying higher blends of renewable fuel by partnering with states to fund innovative, public-private partnerships to test more comprehensive approaches to marketing such blends. This new investment seeks to double the number of fuel pumps capable of supplying higher blends of renewable fuel to consumers, such as E15 and E85.The United States exported more than $2 billion dollars of ethanol last year, making the United States the world’s largest exporter of ethanol. Additionally, the United States has become a market leader in the export of high-quality distiller’s dried grains (DDG), a byproduct of ethanol production used as a high-protein feed for livestock and poultry. Other countries are investing in clean energy technologies because they realize the tremendous economic potential of these energy sources, and the United States must do the same to remain competitive. The projects funded by these competitive grants will expand markets for farmers and help them diversify their rural energy portfolios, support rural economic growth and the jobs that come with it, and ultimately give consumers more affordable options at the pump.Today’s announcement marks USDA’s latest effort to increase renewable fuel use in the United States. To formally launch this infrastructure partnership, USDA will post a Notice of Solicitation of Applications in June.

Secretary Vilsack has recognized the biobased economy as one of the four pillars of rural economic growth, in addition to production agriculture, local and regional food systems, and conservation and natural resources. Biofuels lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce dependence on foreign oil, give businesses and consumers more energy options and create well-paying American jobs.

USDA has also helped jumpstart efforts to provide a reliable supply of advanced plant materials for biofuels. Through its Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), for example, USDA is incentivizing more than 850 growers and landowners farming nearly 48,000 acres to establish and produce dedicated, non-food energy crops for delivery to energy conversion facilities.

To ensure those feedstocks are put to use, USDA has invested in the work needed to create advanced biofuels refineries. USDA has supported efforts to build six new biorefineries to produce advanced biofuels in Louisiana, Georgia, Oregon, Nevada, North Carolina, and Iowa, in addition to two existing facilities in New Mexico and Florida previously supported by the program.

USDA has also worked with agencies to strengthen markets for biobased products. Approximately 2,000 products now carry USDA’s BioPreferred label, and approximately 150 applications for the BioPreferred label are in process. Companies in over 40 countries on six continents are now participating in USDA’s BioPreferred program.

USDA has partnered with the U.S. Navy and Department of Energy to accelerate the development of domestic, competitively-priced “drop-in” diesel and jet fuel substitutes. Awards under the Defense Production Act were announced in 2014 for three companies (Fulcrum Sierra Biofuels, LLC; Emerald Biofuels, LLC; and Red Rock Biofuels, LLC) to scale up production capacity to supply the U.S. Navy with over 100 million gallons per year of advanced drop-in biofuel beginning in 2016 and 2017 at a price competitive with their petroleum counterparts.

USDA has invested $332 million over the past six years to accelerate research on renewable energy ranging from genomic research on bioenergy feedstock crops, to development of biofuel conversion processes and costs/benefit estimates of renewable energy production.

President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, investments in housing, community facilities, businesses, infrastructure and renewable energy have empowered rural America to continue leading the way—strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities. To create jobs in rural communities, drive economic growth, and help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, USDA will continue to aggressively pursue investments in renewable energy.

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U of L Tours Kentuckiana Cleanfuel Natural Gas Refueling Site

Alan Steiden and Aleksey Dubrovensky of Kentuckiana Cleanfuel gave a tour to folks from the University of Louisville of their recently opened Natural Gas refueling station in Louisville, KY.

Tennessee About to Offer Electric Vehicle Rebates

Tennessee Electric Vehicle RebatesAre you considering buying or leasing an electric car. If you live in Tennessee, you may want to wait until June 15th and get some money back!

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Office of Energy Programs will offer a rebate on qualifying electric vehicles that are purchased or leased, and registered, in Tennessee.

The state will rebate $2,500 on zero-emission battery electric vehicles and $1,500 on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles sold or leased (with a three-year minimum lease term) by a Tennessee dealership to Tennessee residents, after a claim is filed by the dealership.

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