Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - October 2007
10/1/2007
The October 2007 Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report is a quarterly report keeping you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between Oct. 2 and Oct 20, 2007, and then averaged in order to determine regional price trends by fuel and variability in fuel price within regions and among regions. The prices collected for this report represent retail, at-the-pump sales prices for each fuel, including Federal and state motor fuel taxes.
Table 1 illustrates that the nationwide average price for regular gasoline has dropped 27 cents to $2.76 per gallon; CNG has dropped 32 cents to $1.77; and ethanol (E85) has dropped 23 cents to $2.40 per gallon.
Authors: Laughlin, M.D.
E85 and Biodiesel Deployment
9/18/2007
Oil consumption is growing rapidly while oil production is declining. We cannot "conserve" our way out of this dilemma. The transportation sector currently consumes 68% of global oil every year. We must develop new sources of transportation fuel for the U.S. and the world -- and we need to start now. Presentation discusses federal incentives for E85 and biodiesel; the Clean Cities Program; and the National Renewable Energy Lab's role in deployment of alternative fuels.
Authors: Harrow, G.
Fuel Savings/Emissions Reducing Technologies and Incentives: Use and Preferences Among Diesel Truck Owners in the Baltimore Region
8/1/2007
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) prepared this report for the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) based on survey input from diesel truck owners operating in the Baltimore Metro area. The purpose of the survey was to identify fuel savings and emissions reducing technologies which may be of interest. Financial mechanisms which could assist with the purchase of these technologies were also identified. Descriptions of the incentive-based programs being investigated are provided as is an analysis of survey responses and recommendations for identifying potential program participants for establishing an incentive program targeting diesel truck owners in the Baltimore Metro area.
Clean Cities Annual Metrics Report 2006
7/1/2007
Clean Cities coordinators submit an annual report of their activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Coordinators submit a range of data that characterize the membership, funding, projects, and activities of their coalitions as well as data about sales of alternative fuel blends, deployment of alternative fuel vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, idle reduction initiatives, and fuel economy activities. NREL analyzes the data and translates them into gasoline reduction impacts.
Survey results indicate that about 375 million gallons of gasoline were displaced through Clean Citiew efforts in 2006, 50 percent more than in 2005. Alternative fuel vehicles accounted for 71 percent of the reduction. Biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) used in AFVs displaced 128 million gallons, 34 percent of the total 375 million.
Authors: Bergeron, P.; Putsche, V.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, July 2007
7/1/2007
The July 2007 Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report is a quarterly report keeping you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between July 3, 2007 and July 13, 2007, and then averaged in order to determine regional price trends by fuel and variability in fuel price within regions and among regions. The prices collected for this report represent retail, at-the-pump sales prices for each fuel, including Federal and state motor fuel taxes.
Table 1 illustrates that all fuel prices except propane and biodiesel have risen but the price increases are well below the increase in the price of regular gasoline. CNG is almost a dollar less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.
Authors: Laughlin, M.D.
Breaking the Chemical and Engineering Barriers to Lignocellulosic Biofuels: Next Generation Hydrocarbon Biorefineries
6/30/2007
To articulate the essential role of chemistry, chemical catalysis, thermal processing, and engineering in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into green gasoline, green diesel and green jet fuel, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy convened a workshop entitled "Breaking the Chemical and Engineering Barriers to Lignocellulosic Biofuels" on June 25-26, 2007, in Washington, D.C., ancillary to the 2007 ACS Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference. Over 70 participants from 24 academic institutions, 20 petroleum, chemical and biofuel companies, and 7 national laboratories contributed expertise in chemical catalysis, chemistry, petroleum refining, nanotechnology, quantum chemistry, and engineering. This document is the result of that workshop.This roadmap to "Next Generation Hydrocarbon Biorefineries" outlines a number of novel process pathways for biofuels production based on sound scientific and engineering proofs of concept demonstrated in laboratories around the world.
Authors: Huber, George W.
Coalition Cooperation Defines Roadmap for E85 and Biodiesel
6/1/2007
The Colorado Biofuels Coalition was formed in late 2005 and has a goal to expand the number of E85 stations in Colorado from 10 to 50 by the end of 2007. This coalition is an example of cooperation between the state executive office, the state office of health and environment, state and local fleets, fuel producers and distributors, Clean Cities Coalitions, and OEMs. The organization, members, and strategies for effecting this change are detailed as well as techniques for dealing with specific issues including funding.
Biofuels: DOE Lacks a Strategic Approach to Coordinate Increasing Production with Infrastructure Development and Vehicle Needs
6/1/2007
Combined ethanol and biodiesel production increased rapidly between 2004 and 2006 but composed only 3 percent of 2006 U.S. transportation fuel use. Existing biofuel distribution infrastructure has limited capacity to transport the fuels and deliver them to consumers. In 2006, an estimated 4.5 million flexible fuel vehicles capable of operating on E85 were in use--an estimated 1.8 percent of the nearly 244 million U.S. vehicles.
The Government Accounting Office (GAO) has found that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has not yet developed a comprehensive approach to coordinate its strategy for expanding biofuels production with the development of biofuel infrastructure and the production of vehicles. Such an approach could assist in determining which biofuel blend would most effectively and efficiently increase the use of the fuel and what infrastructure development or vehicle production is needed to support that blend level.
2006 B100 Quality Survey Results: Milestone Report
5/1/2007
In 2006 NREL conducted a nationwide quality survey of pure biodiesel (B100) intended to be used as a blendstock. The study collected random samples throughout the United States and analyzed them for quality against the current and proposed ASTM D6751 fuel quality specifications. The survey revealed the increasing prevalence of B99.9 in the marketplace. As a group, the samples had a failure rate of 59% compared to the specifications. The B100 samples as a subset had an identical failure rate. Most often, the samples failed by exceeding the allowable total glycerin or by not meeting the minimum flash point specification. Several samples failed to meet requirements for multiple properties. The individual failure rtes for total glycerin and flash point were 33% and 30% respectively. The results of this study were not production volume weighted, but do show a significant fuel quality concern for B100 produced and distributed during 2006.
Authors: Alleman, T.L.; McCormick, R.L.; Deutch, S.
Thermochemical Ethanol via Indirect Gasification and Mixed Alcohol Synthese of Lignocellulosic Biomass
4/30/2007
This work addresses a policy initiative by the Federal Administration to apply United States Department of Energy (DOE) research to broadening the country?s domestic production of economic, flexible, and secure sources of energy fuels. President Bush stated in his 2006 State of the Union Address: ?America is addicted to oil.? To reduce the Nation?s future demand for oil, the President has proposed the Advanced Energy Initiative which outlines significant newinvestments and policies to change the way we fuel our vehicles and change the way we power our homes and businesses. The specific goal for biomass in the Advanced Energy Initiative is to foster the breakthrough technologies needed to make cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive with corn-based ethanol by 2012.
Authors: Phillips, Steve;Aden, Andy;Jechura, John;Dayton, David (NREL);Eggeman, Tim (Neoterics, International, Inc.)
Permit Pending
4/1/2007
The process of obtaining the proper permits to build and operate a biodiesel plant can be complicated and confusing. This article provides a list of common permits and approvals required and suggests that some projects may need to rely on regulatory professionals who can offer experience in the process.
Authors: McElroy, A.K.
Fact Sheet: Sequestering Greenhouse Gases from Landfills, Animal Waste, Sewage, and Other Sources Via Biomethane Production
3/21/2007
Biogas, a mixture of methane and other gases produced from the decomposition of organic materials, is produced naturally in landfills and from processing of animal waste, sewage, crop waste, and cellulosic and non-cellulosic crops. If biomethane made from recovered biogas were used in vehicles, it is estimated that it would reduce greenhouse gases by 500 million metric tons of CO2 per year, or the emissions equivalent of removing 90 million light-duty gasoline vehicles from the roads.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, March 2007
3/1/2007
The March 2007 Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report is a quarterly report keeping you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between February 21, 2007 and March 2, 2007, and then averaged in order to determine regional price trends by fuel and variability in fuel price within regions and among regions. The prices collected for this report represent retail, at-the-pump sales prices for each fuel, including Federal and state motor fuel taxes.
Table 1 illustrates that alternative fuel prices relative to conventional fuels vary, with some (propane and biodiesel) higher and some (E85 and CNG) lower. CNG is about 36 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is about 20 cents less per gallon than gasoline.
Authors: Laughlin, M.D.
Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.: Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions from Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 2030
1/1/2007
Energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies have the potential to provide most, if not all, of the U.S. carbon emissions reductions that will be needed to help limit the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide to 450 to 500 ppm. The document includes a section on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This section focuses on plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology, which adds additional battery capacity and charging capability to current hybrid electric vehicle technology. Plug-in vehicles thereby make possible substantial vehicle operation on energy derived from the electrical grid rather than from gasoline.
Authors: Kutscher, C., Editor; Lilienthal,P.; Brown, H.