How will clean energy fare in the State of the Union?

As President Obama prepares for his third State of the Union address tonight, there’s no longer any question that clean energy will once again play a role in the speech. In recent days, the White House has been openly telegraphing its intent to make clean energy a focus of this year’s address. But what remained unclear yesterday was how high of a billing the issue will get. [ read more … ]

Ethanol maker won’t need U.S. loan guarantee

Ethanol maker Poet said Monday it will spurn a $105 million federal loan guarantee for its new cellulosic ethanol plant at Emmetsburg after it secured a joint venture agreement with Royal DSM of the Netherlands [ read more … ]

Poet adds Dutch partner to cellulosic ethanol venture

Poet, the largest U.S. ethanol producer, has formed a joint venture with a Dutch enzyme producer to build an ethanol plant fed by cornstalks and cobs rather than kernels. The 50-50 venture with Royal DSM that the companies announced Monday will privately finance a $250 million cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Poet said it will turn down a U.S. Energy Department $105 million loan guarantee approved for the plant last year but not finalized. [ read more … ]

Unlocking Seaweed’s Next-Gen Crude: Sugar

Seaweed often brings to mind thoughts of surf and sushi, not fuel. But that could change if a biotechnology startup called Bio Architecture Lab succeeds in building a new kind of energy company from designer bacteria and a low-cost process for harvesting seaweed. The key is a genetically modified strain of Escherichia coli bacterium, which can break down the sugars in brown seaweed, or macro-algae, to produce ethanol, according to new research published in the peer-reviewed journal Science. As one of the 14 study authors, BAL’s co-founder and chief science officer, Yasuo Yoshikuni, explained in a telephone interview, “Sugar is the next-generation crude oil — it can go to fuels and chemicals.” BAL’s breakthrough, he says, is about finding a way to “unlock the sugars in seaweed.” [ read more … ]