2009 - A Bad Year For Biofuel

This article says a lot about the viability of the natural gas & petroleum industries. Every time our government invests in alternative fuels (do you remember oil-shale during the Carter administration?) they fail to create an industry that can survive without subsidies. At least we're adding to our knowledge and should be able to produce commercial quantities of alternative fuels if they're ever needed.


I think government efforts produce better results when they concentrate on the demand side of energy consumption. Today's cars, home, and industries use less energy and produce less pollution than they did a generation ago. We don't celebrate these victories much, but they've dramatically improved life in the US and other developed countries.

Bad Year For Biofuel Ends On Dour Note - Money News Story - KPHO Phoenix
"An alternative fuel for diesel engines is off to a shaky start this year though it emits fewer pollutants and cuts down on petroleum use because it's made from environmentally friendly waste and vegetable oil.

A federal tax credit that provided makers of biodiesel $1 for every gallon expired Friday. As a result, some U.S. producers say they will shut down without the government subsidy.

Biodiesel's woes come on top of a year of problems for the fledgling biofuel industry -- an irony given the push to cut down on greenhouse gases and ease the nation's need for foreign oil. A key driver for the alternative fuel -- the high cost of oil -- disappeared as diesel prices dropped 18 percent since the beginning of the recession. Then in March the European Union placed import-killing tariffs on biodiesel and other biofuels.

It was a huge hit for U.S. biofuel makers, with Europe taking 95 percent of all global exports.

Biodiesel, which is usually blended with traditional fuel, had over the past few years been the fastest growing fuel among fleet vehicles like buses, snow plows and garbage trucks.

Those fleets, however, can shift to traditional fuel, as some have, when the prices of diesel drops.
. . .

"By the time you buy the feedstock and the chemicals to produce the fuel, you have more money in it than you get for the fuel without the tax credit," Francis said. "We won't be producing any without the tax credit."

Truck diesels clean up greatly in last 5 years

Obviously, this engineering work started some years ago - in an era of 45 minute news cycles, we tend to forget that progress comes incrementally over periods of years, but it does come.

Anyone considering an alternative fueled vehicle should include diesel in their calculations. If your regular gas a station has a diesel pump (many do), then it may be a better alternative than a hybrid. If you have a bio-diesel station near your regular route, then it is almost a no-brainer.

Truck diesels clean up even more than those in cars | Green Blog & Discussion at Automobile Magazine:
"Heavy trucks and buses could lose their image as stinky, soot-spewing monsters as the current fleet is replaced with today’s cleaner models. According to recently released data from the Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study, overseen by the Health Effect Institute, shows that the engines (from Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel, Volvo, and Cummins) had an overall average 90 percent reduction in exhaust pollutants from 2004 to 2007. Particulate matter—soot—was cut by 99 percent. Even smog-forming nitrous oxides, typically the most difficult to control of diesel exhaust emissions, were 70 percent lower."

UPS Low-Emission Hybrid Vehicles

One of these hybrid delivery vans just delivered a package - it looked and sounded pretty much like any other UPS truck (except for the UPS Low-Emission Hybrid Vehicle logo). This is a great way to evolve technology - get it in use daily and see what squeaks - then fix the problems, and do it again. UPS seems to do a good job of incorporating appropriate new technologies more quickly than other large companies - kudos to them!

UPS: Press Release:
"ATLANTA, May 22, 2007 - UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced its fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles - already the industry's largest - had expanded with the deployment of 50 next-generation hybrid electric delivery trucks.

The 50 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) will operate in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix. These new trucks join roughly 20,000 low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles already in use.
. . .
The new hybrid power system allows UPS to use a smaller diesel engine than would be required in a conventional delivery truck, thus saving on fuel and pollution-causing emissions. A battery pack, motor/generator and power control system are added, which allows electric power to be fed into the powertrain when conditions demand it, providing further savings.

The hybrid electric vehicles also use what is known as regenerative braking, meaning the energy generated when stopping the moving vehicle is captured and returned to the battery system as electrical energy. The efficient, computer-controlled combination of clean diesel power, electric power and regenerative braking allows dramatic improvements in fuel savings and emissions reductions."