Ethanol. Right. Now.

L.A. Times op-ed gets it right: California low carbon fuel standard favors petroleum over biofuels

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-luft16-2009apr16,0,2388173.story

This op-ed in the Los Angeles Times is worth a read.  Written by Gal Luft, executive director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, the piece gets it exactly right on the proposed Low Carbon Fuel Standard in California - the plan puts biofuels at a competitive disadvantage over petroleum.

The California Air Resources Board could be in a position to deliver a crippling blow to America's effort to gain energy independence, Luft says.  CARB's plan counts both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions toward biofuels, while counting only the direct emission of petroleum. 

Luft's op-ed says that CARB explains no other significant indirect GHG effects have been identified for petroleum.  What about pumping seawater into the oil wells in Saudi Arabia to increase reservoir pressure?  What about transporting the crude to processing facilities and shipping it across two oceans?  What about the massive military operations to protect oil supplies?

"Ignoring those factors while speculating about the role of deforestation (much of the deforestation around the world has nothing to do with biofuels but with the logging industry) is intellectually dishonest," Luft writes.

Petition drive underway to gather signatures in favor of E15

The American Coalition for Ethanol launched an online petition this week to gather signatures in favor of the move to E15.  ACE contacted its membership on Wednesday morning encouraging people to sign, and in less than 48 hours, more than 2,800 names have been added.

ACE hopes to gather as many signatures as possible to demonstrate ethanol's widespread grassroots support.  The U.S. EPA is currently considering a waiver that would allow up to 15 percent ethanol per gallon of gasoline, moving beyond the current limit of 10 percent per gallon set in the 1970s.

The petition is found at www.ethanol.org/petition or by visiting the E15 Action Center on www.ethanol.org.

Minnesota releases fuel pump tests, more evidence supporting higher blends

The State of Minnesota has released results of tests on vehicle fuel pumps using E20, the fourth in a series of tests on the impact of the 20 percent blend on standard auto components.  The Minnesota Center for Automotive Research at Minnesota State University in Mankato conducted the testing on the endurance, wear, and performance of automotive fuel pumps and sending units.

The results -- the fuel pumps showed significantly less wear when tested with E20 than when tested with gasoline.  Overall, E20 did not have any greater negative effects than gasoline or E10 on the pumps tested.  There were no substantial differences in performance.  The study examined eight models of fuel pumps, running three identical versions for 4,000 hours on one of the three fuels tested - gasoline, E10, and E20.

The research study can be viewed here: http://www.mda.state.mn.us/news/publications/renewable/ethanol/e20endurance.pdf

Posted by KB, 4/6/09

New report shows positive GHG emissions profile for ethanol, and quick rate of efficiency improvement

A new, extensive report has been prepared for the International Energy Agency's Bioenergy Task Force on the greenhouse gas emissions profile of today's grain-based ethanol.  The research finds that many analyses on ethanol's lifecycle emissions do not accurately factor in the improvements in both growing the feedstock and processing the feedstock in to ethanol. 

The report analyzed GHG reductions from grain-based ethanol since 1995 and projected them out to 2015, concluding that ethanol's GHG reductions over that time period will grow by 100%.

The report stated:  "The GHG emissions savings from ethanol production and use have more than doubled between 1995 and the projected level in 2015.  This indicates the danger of making policy decisions based on historical data without taking into account learning experiences and the potential gains that can be expected as industries develop."

The research also found that ethanol's energy balance continues to improve as well.

For 2005, grain ethanol’s energy balance ratio was estimated at 1:1.42, meaning every unit of energy used to produce ethanol returned 1.42 units of usable energy to the consumer. By 2015, the energy balance ratio is expected to be 1:1.93, a 55% increase in energy efficiency in just 10 years. Both the GHG performance and energy balance of ethanol will continue to improve, standing in stark contrast to the profile of gasoline and petroleum which will get worse.

The entire report can be downloaded here: http://www.ethanol.org/pdf/contentmgmt/An_Examination_of_the_Potential_for_Improving_Carbon_Energy_Balance_of_Bioethanol.pdf