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USDA global conference on biofuels begins in Minneapolis

22 08 07 - 14:40

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USDA global conference on biofuels begins in Minneapolis

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Washington - Scientists, economists and policy experts representing
government and public institutions from more than 40 countries are
meeting at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Global
Conference on Agricultural Biofuels: Research and Economics in
Minneapolis, Minn., August 20-21, to exchange the latest information
on economic and technological opportunities in bioenergy.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/meetings/Biofuel2007/

Several USDA agencies, the Agricultural Research Service, the
Foreign Agricultural Service, and Rural Development and the
University of Minnesota are sponsoring the conference. Washington - Scientists, economists and policy experts representing
government and public institutions from more than 40 countries are
meeting at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Global
Conference on Agricultural Biofuels: Research and Economics in
Minneapolis, Minn., August 20-21, to exchange the latest information
on economic and technological opportunities in bioenergy.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/meetings/Biofuel2007/

Several USDA agencies, the Agricultural Research Service, the
Foreign Agricultural Service, and Rural Development and the
University of Minnesota are sponsoring the conference.
"Our goal in this conference, where we have brought together
key experts and decision-makers from biofuel producing and
consuming countries, is to gain perspective on the next steps
in biofuel development and to improve opportunities for future
collaboration, especially in the area of research," said USDA
Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Gale
Buchanan, who opened the conference.

"Expanding America's renewable energy sources will have far-reaching
economic opportunities for rural and agricultural communities,"
said USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas C. Dorr,
who is also chairman of the USDA Energy Council. "USDA is
committed to the development and financing of new energy
sources and energy efficiencies that support President Bush's
goal of greater energy independence."

"As global markets for biofuels continue to grow in importance,
our goal is to bring together key international technical experts
from government and public institutions to raise issues, exchange
information, share best practices and provide a global platform
to highlight and promote agricultural biofuels," said Foreign
Agricultural Service Administrator Michael Yost.

Countries from a diverse range of developed and developing economies
are participating in the conference, including Japan, India, Kenya,
Russia, Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom, the People's
Republic of China, Norway and Brazil.

Other speakers at the conference include Steve E. Koonin, chief
scientist, British Petroleum; Richard Flavell, chief scientific
officer, Ceres, Inc., United States; Kepler Euclides Filho,
executive director of the Bioenergy Program of Empresa Brasileira
de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Brazil; and Yue Guojun, assistant
president of COFCO, Ltd., in the People's Republic of China.

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Used tags: alternate_fuel, alternative_fuel, alternative_fuels, biodiesel, biofuel_conference, biofuels

Toward a greener economy

Friday 17 October 2008 at 2:55 pm Toward a greener economy




By Moises Velasquez-Manoff





New York - Market bubbles occur when goods are traded at prices that greatly exceed real value. They burst when they grow so bloated that they become unstable. The current economic turmoil, widely viewed as the worst since 1929, is one example of what can happen when the difference between market value and actual value becomes too great.

Environmentally minded economists have long warned that equally burstable ecological bubbles can occur if humanity lives beyond earth's capacity to regenerate. The problem, they say, is that we're addicted to economic growth. Mainstream economics assumes that the economy, the engine of modern civilization, can grow perpetually. more

Renewable Electricity Surges by 32 percent-Provides 11 percent of U.S. Net Generation

Sunday 12 October 2008 at 06:23 am Renewable Electricity Surges by 32 percent-Provides 11 percent of U.S. Net Generation




Washington - According to the latest "Monthly Electricity Review" issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (October 3, 2008), net U.S. generation of electricity from renewable energy sources surged by 32 percent in June 2008 compared to June 2007.

Renewable energy (biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) totaled 41,160,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) in June 2008 up from 31,242,000 MWh in June 2007. Renewables accounted for 11.0 percent of net U.S. electricity generation in June 2008 compared to 8.6 percent in June 2007. more

City Trash Plus Farm Leftovers May Yield Clean Energy

Sunday 12 October 2008 at 06:15 am City Trash Plus Farm Leftovers May Yield Clean Energy




Washington - Tomorrow's household garbage might be blended with after-harvest leftovers from fields, orchards, and vineyards to make ethanol and other kinds of bioenergy. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are investigating this straightforward, eco-friendly strategy in their laboratories at the agency's Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif. more

Big Help in Biofuels Research

Monday 29 September 2008 at 02:52 am Big Help in Biofuels Research


Washington - A short little grass known as purple false brome may speed discoveries about switchgrass, its famous cousin and energy-crop hopeful.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists like John Vogel and Yong Gu at the agency's Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., are probing the genetic makeup of purple false brome, or Brachypodium distachyon, as a faster way to learn more about the genes inside switchgrass. more

Precedent-setting carbon auction Thursday

Monday 29 September 2008 at 02:43 am By Mark Clayton


For almost as long as people have worried about global warming, economists have called for taxing carbon emissions. As long as sending CO2 skyward was cost-free, they argued, the practice would continue.

Starting Sept. 25, for the first time in US history, a price tag will begin to be placed on millions of tons of carbon dioxide spewing from every major power plant from Maine to Maryland.

Just what that price will be won't be known until after Thursday's computerized auction of about 12.5 million tons of "carbon allowances," essentially permission slips to pollute.

Utility companies will bid on the allowances. They may be used, saved, or traded so that any company with a need to send more CO2 up the stack can buy more - at the market price. The amount of CO2 to be cut over the next decade is modest - about 18 million tons annually (US power plants collectively emit about 2.8 billion tons of CO2 yearly). But the auction and process of setting a price for carbon are critical first steps, many say. more

Dispelling The “Twisted Truths” Of Energy-Saving Light Bulbs

Saturday 13 September 2008 at 5:18 pm Dispelling The “Twisted Truths” Of Energy-Saving Light Bulbs







For more than 129 years, people have used the incandescent light bulb as the primary light source for the home. With more consumers searching for products that are good for the environment, a new light bulb is revolutionizing lighting around the world. Energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have become the symbol of the “green” movement. They use 75 percent less energy and last as much as 10 times longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs. Plus, they help reduce carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming. more

Campaign Plants Trees At Schools Across The U.S.

Saturday 13 September 2008 at 5:08 pm Campaign Plants Trees At Schools Across The U.S.






Schools are generally seen as the place to plant the seeds of knowledge. Yet thanks to a one-day environmental campaign, schools and parks across the country became places to plant something a little greener.

Sixteen schools across the country, from Long Island to Hawaii, participated in the initial “Trees for Success” campaign, with more than 800 trees planted in schools and neighboring parks in a single day. The schools were selected by the Arbor Day Foundation out of more than 200 applications based on need, civic and local support, student involvement, a plan for upkeep, and location. more

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Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:50 pm Wind Power Is Poised To Support U.S. Jobs

The U.S. Department of Energy contends that wind power can provide 20 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2030.

Experts say there is a renewable source of energy that is capable of becoming a major contributor to America’s electricity supply over the next three decades--wind power.

In 2007, wind was already one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity in U.S. households, and the U.S. Department of Energy contends that wind power can provide 20 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2030 and be a critical part of the solution to global warming. more

Weathering Rising Costs With Free Program

Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:41 pm Weathering Rising Costs With Free Program





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Spiking energy costs are prompting many Americans to find ways to conserve energy.

Escalating energy costs have affected low-income Americans the most, says a recent study by the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, forcing them to cut staples such as food and medicine. more

Algae-To-Energy Tests Planned

Saturday 13 September 2008 at 4:23 pm Algae-To-Energy Tests Planned



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For decades, scientists and energy executives have sought to unlock the energy potential of algae. Best known as the green pond scum that befouls rivers, lakes and streams, the single-celled plants are also a potentially prolific source of renewable fuels that could be used to power engines in cars, trucks, generators and many other machines.

Because algae use carbon dioxide to grow and reproduce, releasing oxygen in the process, systems that use them to produce renewable biofuel supplies are also being eyed for their promise in reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and other sources generally believed to promote global warming.

Despite the promise of this approach in a world searching for renewable alternatives to limited fossil fuel supplies, attempts to develop algae-derived biofuels in commercially viable volumes have not been successful.

Now, that could be changing. more