Mascoma's demonstration facility is producing cellulosic ethanol

Mascoma Corp. is announcing that their demonstration facility in Rome is now producing ethanol from non-food cellulosic biomass. This makes Mascoma the first company to process wood into ethanol biologically at this scale.

As you can imagine, this news is significant on a number of fronts – both as an indicator of the progress the company has made towards commercialization, and because of the positive economic impact that that facility is having on the economy in Upstate New York – creating jobs and supporting local industries. As you know, many companies are striving to reach commercialization of their cellulosic ethanol technology, and the success that Mascoma is having at the demonstration scale is an important step in the process.

Also significant is the role that both NYSERDA and NYPA played in funding this project – both agencies contributed significant grants, and see great potential for Mascoma’s facility to be a leader in the green economy.

The press release is below.

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Mascoma Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
Begins Operations in Rome, NY

Facility Generating Biomass-based Ethanol
With Assistance from New York State Agencies

Boston, MA – February 25, 2009: Mascoma Corporation, a leader in the development of low carbon cellulosic ethanol, today announced that the company’s demonstration facility in Rome, New York, is now producing ethanol from non-food cellulosic biomass.

“This is an important milestone for the cellulosic ethanol industry and for Mascoma. We are grateful for the support NYSERDA and NYPA have provided for the past two years,” said Bruce A. Jamerson, CEO of Mascoma Corporation. “They have been outstanding partners and we couldn’t have built this plant without them.”

Completed in December 2008, the Rome, NY plant is one of the largest facilities converting non-food biomass into cellulosic ethanol in the United States. The facility currently has a production capacity of up to 200,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year. Construction began in early 2008.

“The early success of this project demonstrates that feedstocks for renewable fuels can be harvested right here in New York State,” said Francis J. Murray, Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA. “The commercialization of environmentally sustainable transportation fuels is part of Governor David Paterson’s comprehensive energy policy, which will help revitalize the upstate economy and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”

The plant was funded in part by grants from the State of New York which were approved in December 2006. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Power Authority (NYPA) provided the funding on the State’s behalf. Research partners at the facility include State University of New York – College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Cornell University and Clarkson University.

“The successful start up and operations at the Rome facility are an essential step towards our commercial goals and underscore the effectiveness of Mascoma’s unique technology,” said Jim Flatt, Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Operations at Mascoma. “The State of New York and our local business partners have together helped us move one step closer to our goal of producing cost competitive cellulosic ethanol at commercial scale.”

The demonstration facility has the flexibility to run on numerous biomass feedstocks including wood chips, tall grasses, corn stover (residual corn stalks) and sugar cane bagasse. The company has committed to partnering with local businesses for feedstock supply and is currently purchasing wood chips from a local sawmill.

“We’re pleased that Mascoma Corporation had the forethought to keep such an innovative facility here in the Rome area,” said State Senator Joseph A. Griffo. “This is an industry that’s at the cutting edge of helping us become more energy-efficient and I commend NYSERDA and NYPA for their partnership.”

“This innovative collaboration between the private and public sectors has led to more jobs for this community, and we can look forward to more economic development opportunities that may result from their success in the global marketplace,” said Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito (D/WF-Rome). “I am excited about Mascoma’s progress.”


About Mascoma
Mascoma Corporation is an innovative biofuels company committed to developing environmentally sustainable, low cost, low carbon biofuels from cellulosic biomass. The company’s Consolidated Bioprocessing method converts non-food biomass feedstocks into cellulosic ethanol through the use of a patented process that eliminates the need for costly enzymes and additives. Mascoma is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with research and development labs in Lebanon, New Hampshire and Woburn, Massachusetts. Mascoma is producing cellulosic ethanol on a demonstration scale at its facility in Rome, New York. Its affiliate, Frontier Renewable Resources, is developing a commercial scale production facility in Kinross, Michigan. For more information, visit www.mascoma.com.

Media Contact:

Kate Casolaro
617-443-9933 x338 (office)
617-312-4964 (mobile)
kcasolaro@rasky.com

Major Wind and Solar Thermal Deals Announced

In the past week and a half, there were two major developments in US renewable energy sector.

First, the Texas Public Utilities Commission announced that it has assigned $5 billion for Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) Transmission Projects to Texas transmission companies. The goal of the CREZ projects are to transfer wind power from rural parts of Texas, which have significant and abundant wind resources, to the more populated and metropolitan areas of Texas.

The CREZ Transmission Projects are a landmark breakthrough and are a result of intensive cooperation and coordination amongst a wide variety of stakeholders -- land owners, investor-owned utilities, private transmission companies, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, environmental organizations, river authorities, and more.

Scope of the project
POWERnews reports that the CREZ transmission projects "will eventually transmit 18,456 MW of wind power...the regulatory body expects that the new lines will be in service within four or five years."


Second, the LA Times announced today that BrightSource Energy has signed a deal with Southern California Edison to supply 1,300 megawatts of solar-thermal power. Solar-thermal "uses heat from the sun to create steam to spin electric turbines" (LA Times). This is the largest solar-thermal deal to date. Article.Link.

British wind developer says UFO not responsible for turbine explosion

Ahh fooey,

Kate Gailbraith from NY Times Green Inc blog reported today that the British wind farm Ecotricity, whose rural British wind farm was the site of many UFO sitings and the explosion of one of its turbine, has closed the case on who is responsible.

Ecotrocity has finished an interim report that concludes that bolts securing the blade of the hub of the turbine failed due to "material fatigue."

Hard to believe when you have proof of an ALIEN CROP CIRCLE SHAPED LIKE A TURBINE!

Offshore Wind in Texas: 300 MW to 900 MW of Wind Power Could be Easily Integrated

The Gulf Coast Alternative

According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), 100 to 300 MW of wind generation could be easily integrated near each:

- Galveston

- Corpus Christi

- South Padre Island

Based upon direct connects without significant additional upgrades. Generation levels offsetting local loads in the area. Ability to add additional generation levels if local high voltage transmission systems are upgraded.

Offshore Oil vs. Offshore Renewables

A significant victory was acheived yesterday for offshore renewables. The Bush Administration's midnight plan to open up approximately 300 million acres of America's coastline to oil and gas companies was delayed by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The Bush plan was signed four days before Obama took office and the public hearing period was scheduled to be completed in March 23. Salazar has extended the deadline until September 23

Salazar said the Bush proposal " opened up the possibility for oil and gas leasing along the entire eastern seaboard, portions of offshore California, and the far eastern Gulf of Mexico - with almost no consideration of state, industry, and community input and, in the case of the Atlantic coast, with very limited information about the nature of offshore resources." The Secretary said it "was a process rigged to force hurried decisions based on bad information. It was a process tilted toward the usual energy players while renewable energy companies and the interests of American consumers and taxpayers were overlooked."

Salazar's Four Steps

1. Extension of public comment period on Bush plan for offshore drilling to September

2. Offshore Resources Report. U.S. Department of Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the U.S. Geological Survey will assemble a report of all the information we have about our offshore resources to determine where gaps in information exist ( Environmental News Service). Report is due in 45 days.

3. Four regional meetings around the country to gather the best ideas for offshore energy uses. The meetings will take place within a 30-day timeframe post-submission of the offshore report by MMS and Geological Survey. Meetings will be held in Alaska, the Pacific Coast, the Atlantic Coast, and the Gulf Coast.

4.Final rulemaking for offshore renewables. Salazar will issue final rulemaking for offshore renewables as required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Timeframe is in the next several months.

Big Picture

Offshore renewable leases will replace the offshore oil and gas leases in a similar timeframe as the Bush Administration plan -- 2013 through 2017 -- and perhaps even sooner. Final rulemaking on offshore renewables will immediately increase investments in offshore renewable energy projects.Salazar's comments were a strong signal regarding future U.S. energy policy -- The Department of the Interior oversees 1.7 billion offshore acres (an area roughly three-fourths of the size of the entire terrestrial United States).

Surprisingly, oil industry executives were upset at the delay and noted that the International Energy Agencyhas projected the world will need 40 percent more energy in 2030 than it consumes today and of course oil will meet that demand (AP).

All of this occurred on the same day that the IEA cut its forecast for Global Oil Demand. The IEA beleives global demand for oil will decrease 1.2% this year, the biggest annual drop in 27 years (WSJ).

Jumpstarting our recessing economies through more oil exploration and drilling is not a real answer. On the other hand, creating new jobs, new industries through the development of new, renewable energy resources and a new energy infrastructure is a great way to kick-start an economic boom.

Potential source of jobs? Congress pushing for national renewable energy portfolio standards

Reuters reported today that there is enough congressional support to pass a federal renewable energy standard. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on a draft of legislation for the creation of a national renewable electricity standard. The goal of the legislation is to require a gradual increase in the amount of energy supplied from renewable energy sources to:

- 4 percent in 2011-12

- 8 percent in 2013-15,

- 12 percent in 2016-18,

- 16 percent in 2019-20

- 20 percent in 2021-39

"I think that the votes are present in the Senate to pass a renewable electricity standard. I think that they are present in the House," Sen. Jeff Bingaman, the energy committee's chairman, said. "I think that we need to get on with figuring out what we can pass and move forward."

Work is Needed

From Justin Fox via Greg Mankiw.

http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/

The Growth of Wind (from the Energy Watch Group)

Accurate Projections for Renewable Energy Development: Wind Power as a Case Study

There is a historic level of historical ignorance when it comes to forecasting renewable energy development. The traditional institution involved in projecting energy growth, the International Energy Agency (IEA), has been consistently and magnificently wrong in predicting levels of growth for the renewable energy sector. The story of the IEA's wind power projections versus actual installments is a disturbing revelation for those who consider the IEA to be a legitimate and reliable source of information for the energy industry. At the same time, the Wind Power example is vindication for those who believe that renewable energy sources are not "alternative" solutions for providing energy but rather "the mainstream" solution.

The Energy Watch Group, a network of international scientists and parliamentarians, recently released a report entitled, "Wind Power in Context – A Clean Revolution in the Energy Sector".

The report included the following findings:

- "Wind power net capacity additions over the last ten years (1998-2007) have showed a mean growth rate of 30.4 percent per year, corresponding to a doubling of net additions every 2½ years.

- "In 2007, net capacity additions reached 19553 Megawatts, a level that most energy pundits failed to anticipate. Net additions, in 2007, were 417 percent bigger than the mean estimate published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), in its World Energy Outlook 1995-2004 editions.

- In the IEA’s most recent World Energy Outlook (2008) scenario, it again predicts a low growth “reference scenario” for wind power with only a 2.2 percent increase of annual wind capacity additions over the 2010-2030 period.

- "The IEA acknowledges that the “risk of a supply crunch” for oil after 2010 could be
”driving up oil prices – possibly to new record highs”, but then fails to revise its forecasts for renewable energies".

TO RECAP:

Wind power net capacity has grown at 30.4% per year from 1998 - 2007, with total net additions being 417% percent bigger than the mean estimate published by the IEA during this time period. And yet, the IEA's most recent projection calls for a 2.2% increase of annual wind capacity in the next 20 years!?

Why doesn't the IEA believe in wind? How hard is it to see that wind has been one of the primary growth industries worldwide. The demand for wind turbines has been so huge that the wait for turbines from a manufacturer was taking up to two years. The point is simple; wind projects are "shovel-ready" and a great way to 'stimulate' economices. Putting money into established renewable energy sources like wind is a proven way to create jobs and earn returns on investment and the renewable sector deserves a large share of stimulus dollars.