Awake at the Wheel

Are you a CleanDrive member? If so, you are at the forefront of a movement towards tracking and monitoring you carbon footprint. A recent New York Times article discusses how visibility into our carbon output will become a part of our lives, and influence behavior for the better. From thermostat price monitors, to eco-mood jewelry – the article outlines several ways carbon savings, or lack thereof, will be worn on our sleeve. Have a read: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/science/25tier.html?ex=1207108800&en=30d6236cc4c256da&ei=5070&emc=eta1

So if you haven’t already, register for CleanDrive and be at the head of the carbon tracking revolution. Review you report with your family, or show your customers. It’s a powerful thing to see how your choice to use biodiesel is making a change for the better. Combined the Propel community has saved nearly 1 million pounds of CO2. Now that’s powerful.

Register for CleanDrive: http://propelbiofuels.com/content/cleandrive/

Check your CleanDrive account: https://www.propelbiofuels.com/site/clean/login.htm

Propel’s commitment to alternative fuel access and sustainability includes economic sustainability. As a retailer, Propel purchases biodiesel at wholesale prices, and sells to our customers at margins equal to or less than traditional petroleum retailers. As wholesale costs rise for biodiesel, Propel is committed to offering clean fuel access at a reasonable price point. And our fuels and vehicles team is aggressively looking at biodiesel supply options that meet our quality, cost and sustainability parameters.

There is one main factor driving the current pricing increase: the price of vegetable oil. In the past 12 months, March 2007 to March 2008, prices have jumped 90% for soy oil.

For biodiesel producers, between 80% - 90% of the input cost of biodiesel production is vegetable oil, like canola and soy oil. And vegetable oil is currently selling at a price equivalent of between $180-$190 per barrel. This is an increase is due to speculation, not market demand. Global demand for consumable veg oils has risen at a consistent 3% level for over two decades and continues at this level. There has not been a significant demand increase, or supply decrease, that explain the price run up in veg oils. Commodities across the board have risen at the same pace- petroleum, minerals, and all agricultural products. On the upside, current economics benefit USA farm communities.

Propel is dedicated to providing the most sustainable and renewable fuels that meet our cost and quality standards. We are working hard to open markets for new feedstocks and technologies that offer viable alternatives to petroleum. Together with you, we are pioneering new ground, creating economic opportunities, and building a sustainable future for our children. We will keep you informed as biodiesel prices change. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to write us. Thank you for your commitment to clean and renewable biodiesel.

We’d also like to credit Becky Lyle, a WA small farm owner, and NW Biodiesel Network, for the ongoing discussion of feedstock costs. Join the NW Biodiesel Network email list, visit http://www.nwbiodiesel.org/mail_list.htm.

Safeway has boldly chosen to become one of the nation’s first major retailers to convert its fleet to clean burning biodiesel. No doubt the benefits of biodiesel were hard for the Pleasonton, California-based company to ignore.

In addition to improved engine performance, less harmful emissions, and a fuel source that isn’t tied to the volatility of the Middle East, none of the company’s 1,000 fleet vehicles will require any major mechanical conversion as biodiesel performs exceptionally well in any diesel motor.

For more information click here.

NW Biodiesel Network Monthly Meeting:

Sustainability in the Biodiesel Industry, a moderated panel of local biodiesel businesses talking about what our biodiesel is made from and how it gets to us.  Moderated by Peter Moulton of Washington State Dept. of Community, Trade, and Economic Development, this panel will include Dr. Dan’s Alternative Fuelwerks, Imperium Renewables, Propel Biofuels, Standard Biodiesel, and Whole Energy.  This discussion will be a great opportunity to hear our local biodiesel industry address  Food vs. Fuel, Transportation Costs, Palm Oil, GMO Soy and other topics.  All we read is the negative.  Come get the real, inside scoop on sustainability in this exciting industry!  There will be plenty of time for Q&A.  7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Seattle Phinney Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle WA 98103. Cost is Free.  Information at http://nwbiodiesel.org/.

The meeting this month, Tuesday October 23rd, promises to be very interesting!
Please join us to hear about what is cooking in Washington & the NW in regards
to biodiesel!  Wondering about the new distribution sites?  Dr. Dan has a new
station!  Propel has a new station (or two?)!  How many stores is Safeway
selling B20 at???

How about WA state production?  What is going on with Standard Biodiesel- are
they making fuel from reclaimed restaurant grease?  Where are they selling it?
What about Imperium, and their 100MGY plant?  Will they still produce fuel in
Seattle?  What about the smaller producers- are they still going strong?  New
players???

What about the farmers?  How much Canola will be grown in the region in 2008?
Other feedstocks?  What is going on with algae???

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to some answers!!!  Thanks to
Network member & volunteer, Nikola Davidson (oh yeah- she is also with the NW
Biofuels Association!), we should learn a lot this month.  Check our website,
www.nwbiodiesel.org, for more details.
__________________________________________________________________________
We have changed the topic of our November meeting to “sustainability”.

There have been numerous local, national, and international articles and reports
focused on the potential negative aspects of biodiesel- usually focusing on
feedstocks.  We have decided to ask some local producers and retailers to give
us their perspective on what this means.  The consumers here in the NW are
fortunate to not only have a vibrant biodiesel market, but also a responsive
industry.

All of the following businesses were invited, & are going to have representation
at our November 27th moderated discussion: Standard Biodiesel, Dr. Dan’s,
Imperium Biofuels, Propel Biofuels, & Whole Energy.  SeQuential may come up
from Oregon as well.  We encourage all NW producers, distributors, & retailers
to join us- there will be opportunity for everyone to share your views as well!
Peter Moulton, from Climate Solutions (now the Bioenergy Coordinator for the
Washington Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development), will be our
moderator.

This is intended to be a fairly informal discussion, with plenty of opportunity
for members to ask questions.  As always, our meetings are open to the public
(our members ARE the public!)- so bring your friends, and forward this to
anyone you like.  We will expect all questions to be civil- please bring your
opinions, but also be ready to listen and learn.

The October meeting, this coming Tuesday, will be a great lead-in to the
November meeting- I encourage to attend both, and bring your friends!

Aaron Kahn
NW Biodiesel Network
206.227.9542

A comprehensive independent peer reviewed study of Canadian canola for biodiesel has determined the emission reductions to be even more compelling than previously known.

Link to PDF 

From Green Car Congress

Audi is launching its TDI diesel initiative to the North American market in 2008 by putting its 3.0-liter TDI diesel with ultra-low emission system into production almost in parallel to its launch in Europe. The 3.0 TDI, which is California LEV II, US EPA Tier 2 Bin 5 compliant, will initially be available for the Audi Q7, and later for the new Audi A4.

San Jose Mercury News

Mercedes-Benz started leasing diesel-powered sedans in California Monday, the first new diesel passenger cars available in the state in nearly a decade.

Mercedes “has developed a diesel emission control system that results in a car as clean as comparable gasoline vehicles being sold here,” Tom Cackette, head of the California’s Air Resources Board, said in a statement.

The company said the car gets 20 to 40 percent better fuel efficiency than a comparable car with a gasoline engine and has a 700-mile range. According to the federal government, the ‘08 E320 Bluetec gets 23 mpg in city driving and 32 mpg on the highway. The gasoline-powered E350 gets 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway.

Volkswagen has said it would put a diesel version of its Jetta compact that meets California emissions regulations on sale in early 2008. Other automakers are expected to start selling diesels here by the end of the decade.

Surfing the Perfect Storm: Opportunities and Challenges in the Emerging Biofuels Industry
Location : Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel
900 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA
Date & Time : October 17, 2007 - 5:00pm - 8:30pm

This Dinner Program Is Exclusively Sponsored by

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Surfing the Perfect Storm

Opportunities and Challenges in the Emerging Biofuels Industry

Join the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest as we take an inside look at the emerging biofuels industry.

The perfect storm in the trillion $ petrofuels energy world–with issues of energy security, peak oil and global warming all converging–has created remarkable opportunities for the emergence of a major new industry: biofuels.

Tremendous amounts of capital have already been invested in the biofuel industry in the last 18 months, in spite of uncertain economics and rapidly evolving regulation. Much of the activity is occurring in Seattle.

On Wednesday October 17, 2007, join Seattle-based moderator Ross Reynolds of KUOW to learn more about what is enticing local entrepreneurs into a sector that includes bio-feedstocks, processing plant technology, new distribution chains and more.

Panelists for the program will include:

§ Rob Elam, President of Propel Biofuels

§ Tomas Endicott, Chairman of Sequential Biofuels

§ Nancy Floyd, Founder, Nth Power Venture Capital

§ Dan Parker, CEO of Parker Messana

§ Michael Weaver, CEO of Bionavitas

Topics to be explored by Ross Reynolds and the panel include:

§ The current development status of the biofuels industry (an overview of terms and topics will be provided for those new to this industry)

§ Why companies around the world are investing in a space that is yet to be proved profitable, and what they see down the ‘2nd Generation’ road

§ Which companies and which strategies are likely to prosper

§ Why local entrepreneurs and professionals from other industries are jumping into biofuels

§ What will happen to our baby biofuels companies if the petrofuels ‘elephant’ rolls over on them

Mark your calendars for this provocative dinner event.

Chrysler is encouraging drivers to run biodiesel in their new vehicles.

“Modern clean diesel offers significant improvements in fuel economy, which also means a reduction in carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions,” said Deborah Morrissett, Vice President – Regulatory Affairs for Chrysler.

“When our diesel products are run on clean, renewable biodiesel, the environmental benefits are even greater – at the same time we are reducing our dependence on petroleum and supporting America’s farm economy.”

From Science Daily

“Our research found that the particulate matter from diesel exhaust stimulated a ‘death pathway’ response that the body uses to dispose of damaged cells. This response caused the airway cells to fuse together and die.

“We saw hardly any cell death after treatment with biodiesel particulates.”

Associate Professor Ackland said that the results of the study provide support for calls to move towards replacing petrol and diesel with cleaner biofuels.

“It is clear that breathing in diesel fumes is going to have a far more detrimental effect on our health than biodiesel. Given the level of cell death we have found, diesel exhaust could be the cause of respiratory disorders such as asthma and could even be implicated in cancer,” she said

New Report from Worldwatch Institute…

“Decades of declining agricultural prices have been reversed thanks to the growing use of biofuels,” says Christopher Flavin, president of the Institute. “Farmers in some of the poorest nations have been decimated by U.S. and European subsidies to crops such as corn, cotton, and sugar. Today’s higher prices may allow them to sell their crops at a decent price, but major agriculture reforms and infrastructure development will be needed to ensure that the increased benefits go to the world’s 800 million undernourished people, most of whom live in rural areas.”

Biofuels for Transport, undertaken with support from the German Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Consumer Protection, assesses the range of “sustainability” issues the biofuels industry will present in the years ahead, ranging from implications for the global climate and water resources to biological diversity and the world’s poor. The book finds that rising food prices are a hardship for some urban poor, who will need increased assistance from the World Food Programme and other relief efforts. However, it notes that the central cause of food scarcity is poverty, and seeking food security by driving agricultural prices ever lower will hurt more people than it helps.

Growth in biofuels production may have unexpected economic benefits, according to the experts who contributed to the report. Of the 47 poorest countries, 38 are net importers of oil and 25 import all of their oil; for these nations, the tripling in oil prices has been an economic disaster. But nations that develop domestic biofuels industries will be able to purchase fuel from their own farmers rather than spending scarce foreign exchange on imported oil.

 From Deep Green Crystals

Data provided by PSA, the collective Peugeot and Citroën brand, shows that the percentage of the European fleet [18 EU countries including France, Germany and the UK] of new car registrations has risen from 22.3% in 1997 to 50.8% in 2006.

It is the first time that more diesel powered cars were sold than gasoline powered cars.
The country with the highest percentage of diesel cars is France with 71.4% of new cars registered in 2006 diesel totaling 1,427,698 units.

At Solix