Awake at the Wheel

Offering clean fuels to Washington state’s busiest economic center, Propel is launching downtown Seattle’s first renewable fuel station, scheduled to open June 28th. The 9,000-square-foot location conveniently resides on the I5 Mercer Exit corridor, one block north of Mercer Ave, on Westlake and Valley, in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood.  The site is easy access with turn lanes from all directions.

Uniquely Seattle, the site was conceived, developed and built with homegrown talent. Unlike similar sites in other states, Propel received no direct or indirect financial incentives from Seattle, King County or Washington State. For more information about Propel’s commitment to local economic growth, from farm to fuel tank, please visit our website: http://www.propelbiofuels.com.

Propel’s South Lake Union station is environmentally sensitive in design, construction and operation.

1. Canopy and Cistern

The station’s canopy is designed to conserve water and reduce storm runoff into Lake Union. Rainwater is collected in a cistern neatly integrated into the canopy’s western column. This cistern provides a water source for foliage, while irrigating the feedstock planters with excess water via an underground pipe. In addition, the station’s canopy was constructed utilizing aluminum composite derived from 95% recycled materials. The canopy is also equipped with energy conserving LED lights with photocells that provide illumination only as needed.

2. Landscape Green Roof Technology

The station’s garden landscape uses resource-conserving green roof technology to collect excess water from the canopy and cistern. Constructed with 100% recycled materials, the system actively stores water irrigating the landscape as needed and reducing dependence on the city’s water supply. Collecting and filtering water with green roof technology helps prevent the spread of pollution into Seattle’s groundwater and into Lake Union. The resulting runoff is clean filtered water.

3. Feedstock Planters

These unique feedstock planters grow plants used in the domestic production of biodiesel. The clean fuel is derived from renewable resources like camelina, sunflower, soy and canola, examples of which can be found in the planters. Biodiesel is also produced from waste products including recycled restaurant grease and animal fats. Biodiesel is refined to be used any diesel vehicle with no conversion necessary.

4. Clean Fuel

Two 5,000 gallon above ground tanks are constructed with industry leading safety and environmental standards. To guarantee a safe fueling environment the tanks are impact and ballistics proof, with advanced break away shut-off & emergency shut-off.

The Smear
While the facts continue to debunk the food vs. fuel confusion, ethanol is feeling the heat from an effective smear campaign orchestrated by The Glover Park Group and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (a wealthy lobby of 300 food and beverage makers like Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, Miller Brewing, Dean Foods and ConAgra).

The Farmers
Despite studies showing that fuel prices, and commodities speculation are driving forces behind higher food prices, the smear campaign continues. Now America’s farmers are uniting to get their voices heard. http://www.rrstar.com/communities/x902822601/Farm-Bureau-upset-over-ethanol-smear-campaign

The Facts
USDA has completed a thorough analysis on Ethanol’s impact on food prices. Their studies show:

·      According to the USDA the US is readily able to produce enough corn to meet food, feed, export and ethanol demands.
·      Many factors are driving higher food commodity prices: rising costs for oil and fertilizer, the impacts of drought and other adverse weather conditions, export restrictions and taxes imposed on rice and wheat, all have affected the supply side of the ledger.
·      Across the board commodities have increased 47%. Food based commodities have not increased any faster than other commodities at 46% Oil has increased most at 68%.
·      Raw agricultural product costs account for less than 20 percent of the price of food. Prices consumers pay at the store are impacted most by marketing, labor and energy costs. The increase commodity prices has caused retail food prices to increase by about 5% in 2008.
·      Council of Economic Advisors estimates that 3 percent of the increase we have seen in world food commodity prices this year is due to the increased demand on corn for ethanol.

Ethanol has significant economic benefits
·      Biofuels have been shown to help control the cost of petroleum. Merrill Lynch commodity strategist recently said gasoline prices would be 15 percent higher if biofuel production didn’t exist
·      According to the International Energy Agency, the biofuels production that has been available to the United States and European markets over the last three years has cut the consumption of crude oil by one million barrels a day.

USDA Study
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2008/05/0130.xml

NW Biodiesel Network Monthly Meeting:  

Northwest Feedstocks.  What crops are being grown in the Northwest for biodiesel?  Jeff Canaan, BioEnergy Coordinator for Washington State Department of Agriculture will be on hand to give us an overview.  What about used cooking oil and trap grease?  Hear from Yale Wong, CEO of General Biodiesel, an up and coming biodiesel producer in Seattle.  Get your questions answered!  7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Seattle Phinney Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle WA 98103. Cost is Free.  Information at www.nwbiodiesel.org/.

A number of recent news stories have portrayed biofuels, primarily corn ethanol, as a leading cause of global food price increases. As builders and supporters of our renewable energy industry, this is a matter we take very seriously. It’s important to have good information so we can understand the impacts of our energy choices.

According to leading commodity experts and economists, biofuels are receiving undue blame. In fact, the food price increases are the result of many complex factors, mainly increased demand for agricultural products in emerging markets (especially China and India), a weak U.S. dollar relative to other currencies, and the rising costs of fuel for producing and transporting crops. In addition, weather-related production decreases worldwide have resulted in less overall supply.
Unfortunately the media is not effective at communicating complex economic drivers, and have erroneously pointed the finger at the renewable energy industry. However economists & global leaders are shedding light on this issue. Here’s what some of them have to say.

• Jim Duffield with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and John Urbanchuk with the global economic analysis firm LECG LLC discuss the true causes of rising food prices http://domesticfuel.com/2008/04/16/economists-discuss-food-and-fuel-prices/

 

• Business Week article discusses the expanding role of speculators in agricultural markets and their effect on price increases.  Greg Warner, analyst with AgResource, says what is happening now in the wheat market is unprecedented. “What we normally have is a predictable group of sellers and buyers—mainly farmers and silo operators,” he says. But the landscape has changed since the influx of large index funds. Fund managers seek to maximize their profits using futures contracts, and prices, says Warner, “keep climbing up and up.”
  http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2008/gb20080423_366709.htm

 

•  Merrill Lynch commodity strategist, Francisco Blanch, outlines that oil and gasoline prices would be about 15 percent higher if biofuel producers were not increasing their output. Increased output of biofuels reduces the cost of food production & transportation, and lowers prices.

 

• Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Environment Programme comments that current news coverage blaming biofuels for shortages of food crops are; “simplistic and perhaps short-sighted scapegoats.” He went on to say that the headlines were; “convenient distractions for what is so often in reality poor management at national and international levels. They do, however, point to the inescapable fact that food security is intimately linked to national and international security.”
  http://www.biofuelreview.com/content/view/1549/1/

If you’re not yet a fan of the Jetta TDI, maybe this will convert you. VW just released news of its latest version of the famous diesel, named the BlueTDI. Its specially designed for the finicky US market (including CA) and is even cleaner than the pretty-darn-clean ones some of us drive.  Beyond being neat and tidy, VW is claiming the BlueTDI gets 60 miles per gallon. With biodiesel prices in the $5 range, we’re all ready for that.

VW press release and article at Autobloggreen.com

In addition to cleaner fuels, it’s nice to see advancements in engine technology that will help make driving green easier. Mercedes new-gen four cylinder diesel provides a level of fuel efficiency that reduces carbon footprint, compared to earlier models. Now, just add biodiesel.

“When fitted in the C-Class, the new 150 kW unit consumes 5.4 liters per 100 kilometers (NEDC) (43.6 mpg US), 0.5 liters less than previously. When powered by a new 125 kW (170 hp) variant, the C-Class consumes 5.1 L/100 km (46.1 mpg US).

As a consequence, CO₂ emissions are reduced by 8% and 13% respectively to 143 g/km and 136 g/km.” Read More at Green Car Congress

NYT Article

 Is it real? The M-Class is one of three diesel-driven Mercedes utility vehicles – along with the GL- and R-Class Bluetecs – that go on sale in October, the first diesels in the United States to meet emissions rules in all 50 states.

Diesel Vehicles – Availability & Compatibility.  Learn the latest about biodiesel compatible vehicles – what’s coming and when.  Find out the latest about car manufacturers’ acceptance of biodiesel.  After years of waiting, new diesel cars and trucks are beginning to enter the market.  Learn what it means to you and your business.  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/.

BMW 520d with a 2.0L, 177 hp four cylinder diesel

> zero to 60 mph in 8.3 seconds
>  41.9 mpg real world driving conditions

Toyota Prius

> zero to 60 mph in 11 seconds
> 40 mpg in real world driving conditions

Read more…
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/03/17/toyota-prius-is-a-gas-guzzler-compared-to-the-bmw-520d/