Finland Ministry of the Environment
Date: 2022-05-09
In Helsinki, the Finland Ministry of the Environment reports it has granted over €744,000 in funding for 12 projects accelerating climate action related to the built environment. The projects will develop ways to calculate the carbon footprint of construction, study the use of natural materials as construction material, produce information on low-carbon construction products and further develop the energy efficiency of construction. The projects will also create operating models for reducing emissions in the municipal construction sector, for low-carbon regional planning and for adapting to climate change.

Under the program, approximately €1,890 million in grants will be available to companies, municipalities and various other organisations.

The program's second application round will run until 10 June 2022 and will include research, development and innovation projects aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of low-carbon solutions in the built environment are again eligible for funding.

Download program and projects details HERE . (Source: Finland Ministry of the Environment, 5 May, 2022) Contact: Finland Ministry of the Environment Maija Stenvall, Project Coordinator, +358 295 16001, www.ym.fi/en/front-page

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emission,  Climate Change,  Carbon Footprint,  

Ben & Jerry's
Date: 2022-05-09
Burlington, Vermont-headquartered ice cream industry icon Ben & Jerry's is touting "Project Mootopia" and a commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions on 15 dairy farms to half the industry average by the end of 2024. Once proven, pilot project initiatives will be expanded to farms across Ben & Jerry's global dairy supply chain.

Dairy ingredients account for more than half of Ben & Jerry's total greenhouse gas emissions, so the company is focusing on dairy farms as the best opportunity to reduce its carbon footprint. The Project Mootopia pilot will use regenerative agricultural practices and new technology to address:

Enteric emissions -- managing methane-producing cow burps through a high-quality forage diet and innovative rumen modifiers that act as a digestive aid.

Manure -- managed through methane reduction technology such as digesters and separators, which reduce the need for commercial fertilizer.

Feed crops -- using regenerative practices to grow more grass and other feed crops to maintain healthy soils, increase carbon sequestration, improve the use of grassland, lower synthetic inputs, promote biodiversity, and raise the percentage of homegrown feed.

Ben & Jerry's is committed to using renewable energy is taking a more meaningful and direct approach: attacking the systemic causes of climate change in its own supply chain to achieve measurable, Science Based Targets. The ice cream maker received $9.3 million to prove and scale regenerative practices on dairy farms from the Climate and Nature Fund of its parent corporation, Unilever. (Source: Ben & Jerry's, PR, 9 May, 2022) Contact: Ben & Jerry's, Jenna Evans, Global Sustainability Manager, www.corporateofficehq.com/ben-jerrys-corporate-office

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  

Strategic Biofuels,Koch Engineered Solutions
Date: 2022-04-25
Columbia, Louisiana-based Strategic Biofuels reports it has finalized its partnership with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm Koch Project Solutions, a subsidiary of Koch Engineered Solutions, for their Louisiana Green Fuels (LGF) Project in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana. KPS will be responsible for constructing, commissioning and startup of this facility on a "turn-key" basis.

When fully operational, the project will convert forestry woody biomass waste feedstock into roughly 34 million gpy of renewable diesel and achieve a negative carbon footprint through carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). The LGF plant's emissions represents a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 400 pct relative fossil diesel fuel -- equivalent of removing 250,000 cars from the road -- according to the release. (Source: Strategic Biofuels, Website, PR, 21 April, 2022) Contact: Strategic Biofuels, Paul Schubert, CEO, info@strategicbiofuels.com, www.strategicbiofuels.com; Koch Project Solutions, Antoine Schellinger, Snr. VP Development, www.kochprojectsolutions.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Renewable Diesel,  Strategic Biofuels,  Biofuel,  Biodiesel,  Woody Biomass,  

GE Renewable Energy,Forestalia
Date: 2022-04-22
GE Renewable Energy is reporting its first European Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Madrid-based partner Forestalia for power from Forestalia's new 21 MW wind farm in El Coto, Zaragoza, Spain. The wind farm is expected to come online in June 2023.

Through the PPA, GE Renewable Energy will source clean energy that corresponds to more than 60 pct of its facilities' electricity consumption in Europe.

The 12-year fixed price PPA is a key component of GE's plan to achieve carbon neutral operations by 2030. GE Renewable Energy has 240 sites in Europe. This PPA addresses 9 pct of GE Renewable Energy's global MWh consumption. This is the sixth green PPA signed by GE Renewable Energy to power its own operations from new renewable energy. The company has also facilitated several PPAs to major off-take's purchasing wind power generated by GE Cypress turbines, according to the release. (Source: GE Renewable Energy, Website PR, 20 April, 2022) Contact: GE Renewable Energy, www.ge.com/renewableenergy; Forestalia, +34 976 30 84 49, www.forestalia.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News GE Renewable Energy,  Wind,  Carbon Footprint,  Forestalia,  

Pure Storage
Date: 2022-03-30
Mountain View, California-based data storage technology and services provider Pure Storage® reports release of its inaugural ESG report outlining the company's progress toward reducing carbon emissions.

The report found that customers using its portfolio of data systems products achieved as much as a 80 pct reduction in direct carbon usage by compared to competitive products. The report also noted the company is committed to reduce its carbon footprint, including: a 50 pct intensity reduction in market-based Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per employee from FY20 to FY30; achieve net zero market-based Scope 1 and 2 emissions by FY40; 66 pct intensity reduction in use of sold products from Scope 3 emissions per effective petabyte shipped from FY20 to FY30 (Source: Pure Storage, PR, 29 Mar., 2022) Contact: Pure Storage, Charles Giancarlo, CEO, www.purestorage.com.

More Low-Carbon Energy News Pure Storage news,  Carbon Emissions news,  GHGs news,  

US Securities and Exchange Commission
Date: 2022-03-23
On Monday, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC) introduced new Corporate Climate Risks Disclosure Legislation that if passed into law would require companies to report their carbon footprint, contributions to greenhouse gas emissions as well as how increasing carbon emissions and climate change might affect their businesses. The Corporate Climate Risks Disclosure Legislation addresses:

SEC's goal -- Some companies, including Apple, already disclose their greenhouse gas emissions as well as those from their suppliers. But the U.S. lacks clear standards on what exactly companies have to report to their investors when it comes to climate impact and risks. The SEC wants to change that.

Reasons for adopting enhanced climate disclosure rules -- The push is largely coming from investors who are increasingly keen to know how climate change might impact the businesses they fund. The White House also wants to address climate-related financial risk. President Biden issued an executive order last year pushing the federal government to help identify the risks posed by climate change.

Corporate support for enhanced climate disclosures -- Although most companies acknowledge the impact of climate change and many have already pledged to move toward net-zero emissions, the new SEC mandates could be a headache and leave some companies potentially liable to lawsuits given how difficult it is to measure emissions and climate change risks.

Possible opposition to SEC rules -- Businesses are concerned the SEC could require companies disclose Scope 3 emissions -- emissions generated by a company's suppliers and customers. Scope 1 is the emissions generated by the company themselves, while Scope 2 measures the emissions from the energy consumed.

The SEC will review comments from the public during the next 60 days, and may revise its proposal before holding a vote to finalize the rule.

Download the SEC's proposed rules HERE . (Source: U.S. SEC, 20 Mar, NPR, 2022) Contact: SEC, www.sec.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  Carbon Footprint,  

NatWest Group
Date: 2022-03-21
In the UK, Edinburgh-based majority state-owned banking and insurance holding company NatWest Group LLC is reporting the launch of a carbon tracking app for SMEs . The app, developed in partnership with fintech Cogo, will be piloted with eligible SMEs in the manufacturing and transport sectors, before being more widely rolled out.

With the app, SMEs will be able to review their transactions and estimated carbon footprint on a month-on-month basis. The app also suggests ways that SMEs could reduce carbon emissions and access available "green" support . According to NatWest, with the right support the UK's six million SMEs can contribute to up to 50 pct of the county's Net Zero decarbonisation goals by 2030 worth an estimated £160 billion in revenue. (Source: NatWest Group, PR, 21 Mar., 2022) Contact: NatWest Group, Andrew Harrison, Business Banking Head, www.natwestgroup.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions news,  Carbon Footprint news,  

Growth Energy
Date: 2022-03-18
In Washington, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor sent a letter to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm calling on the DOE to address the most recent inaccurate and misleading study by Tyler Lark and others that claims to have been partially funded by the department.

The study directly contradicts conclusions from DOE's own Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) model, which has been tracking the impacts of corn-ethanol's lifecycle emissions since 1996. Last May, DOE's Argonne National Lab stated that, "for the United States, biofuels like corn ethanol can play a critical role in reducing our carbon footprint."

"Failing to address this research's inconsistencies and departure from mainstream science could have negative consequences in our nation's quest to decarbonize the transportation sector -- both on the ground and in the air. According to recent research by the Rhodium Group, our (ethanol) industry's contributions in reaching net-zero emissions targets and decarbonizing the transportation sector will be necessary," wrote Skor.

"The ethanol industry is continually finding new ways to innovate and reduce emissions throughout its production cycle, including by creating new applications for hard-to-decarbonize industries like aviation. We must rely on the best and most widely accepted science to achieve our climate goals and attain net-zero emissions by 2050."

Download study details www.growthenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GROW-22014-PNAS-Handout-2022-02-16-R3.pdf] HERE . Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET), HERE . (Source: Growth Energy, Website, PR, 15 Mar., 2022) Contact: Growth Energy, Emily Skor, CEO, www.growthenergy.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Growth Energy,  Renewable Fuels Standard,  Corn Ethanol,  GHG ,  GREET,  

Dominion Energy Utah
Date: 2022-03-18
In Salt Lake City, Dominion Energy Utah is touting its CarbonRight, a new and affordable way for the utility's customers to significantly reduce their carbon footprint.

The voluntary program will allow residential and business customers to offset carbon emissions from natural gas use and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Customers can purchase carbon offsets in $5 blocks on their monthly bill. A typical residential customer can offset their entire carbon footprint, achieving net-zero carbon emissions from their natural gas usage by purchasing one $5 block a month, or $60 a year.

The independently certified carbon offsets offered come from projects that reduce landfill carbon emissions in Utah and Missouri, as well as a forest management project in Minnesota.

. Dominion Energy Utah also offers a voluntary GreenTherm Program allowing customers to support renewable natural gas projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farms, food waste, landfills and other sources. The company is also advancing the use of zero-carbon hydrogen and carbon-beneficial renewable natural gas to significantly reduce emissions. (Source: Dominion Energy Utah, PR, Website, Mar., 2022) Contact: Dominion Energy Utah, Steven Ridge, VP, www.dominionenergy.com/utah

More Low-Carbon Energy News Dominion Energy Utah,  GHGs,  Carbon Credit,  Carbon Offset,  Carbon Footprint,  Natural Gas,  

LANZATECH
Date: 2022-03-18
Chicago-headquartered LanzaTech NZ, Inc. an innovative Carbon Capture and Transformation (CTT) company that transforms waste carbon into sustainable fuels and other products, and AMCI Acquisition Corp. II (AMCI) , a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, are reporting an agreement to combine businesses under the name LanzaTech Global, Inc.

Upon consummation of the proposed business combination, LanzaTech is expected to be the first CCT company to access the public capital markets. Through technology and applications that are designed to touch multiple points of carbon use. The company's scalable technology is designed to enable participants in many industries to reduce their carbon footprint and overall environmental impact profitably and help end users replace materials made from virgin fossil resources with recycled carbon, according to the release. (Source: LanzaTech, Website PR, 8 Mar., 2022) Contact: LanzaTech,Omar El-Sharkawy, Director, Corporate Development, LanzatechIR@icrinc.com, www.lanzatech.com; AMCI, Nimesh Patel, CEO, info@amcigroup.com, www.amigroup.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News LANZATECH,  Carbon Emissions,  Ethanol,  Sustainable Fuel,  Natural Gas,  

Strategic Biofuels
Date: 2022-03-16
Strategic Biofuels, the leader in developing negative carbon footprint renewable fuels plants, announced today that its Louisiana Green Fuels project has finished the Preliminary Engineering phase (FEL-2), and having successfully completed all success criteria, has moved into the front end engineering design (FEED) or FEL-3 phase of engineering. Strategic Biofuels selected Hatch as its engineering partner and Koch Project Solutions as the Project Management and EPC partner at the project's inception.

During the FEL-2 phase, the specific set of process operating conditions and equipment necessary to achieve the level of reliability, efficiency, and safety required was established, setting the direction for the rest of the project. The design advancement and optimization during the phase resulted in a further 10 percent reduction in the carbon footprint of the renewable diesel and naphtha than previously estimated. This has resulted in a carbon intensity of -278, which is a 378 pct reduction in carbon emissions compared to fossil fuel production, making it the lowest carbon footprint liquid fuel in the world. (Source: Strategic Biofuels, PR, 14 Mar., 2022) Contact: Strategic Biofuels, Paul Schubert, CEO www.strategicbiofuels.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Strategic Biofuels news,  Biofuel news,  

Microsoft
Date: 2022-03-16
Microsoft reports the internal penalty it charges itself, based on the carbon emissions that its travel generates, is set to increase by 567 pct from the present $15 per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (mtCO2e)to $100 per metric ton from July 2022.

Microsoft is aiming to become a "carbon negative, water positive, zero waste company" by 2030. That money gets set aside for the company to invest in sustainable aviation fuel and similar low-carbon products and initiatives. Growing numbers of companies are looking to slash their carbon footprint, and Scope 3 emissions often represent the majority of an organization's total greenhouse gas emissions. They can surpass Scope 1 or 2 emissions, which emerge from building facilities, or are calculated based on electricity consumption. (Source: Microsoft, Mar., 2022)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Microsoft news,  Carbon Emissions news,  Carbon Tax news,  

Repsol
Date: 2022-03-09
Madrid, Spain-based energy and petrochemical major and SAF producer Repsol and Navantia have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly develop innovative solutions to decarbonise maritime transport and to accelerate the energy transition and achieve carbon neutrality, in line with the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets of Spain, the EU, the UN and the International Maritime Organisation.

The two companies will jointly evaluate the performance of new low carbon footprint liquid fuels to be supplied by Repsol ̶ biofuels and synthetic fuels ̶ in engines manufactured by Navantia, both propulsion and generation. Repsol will contribute its research infrastructures from its Repsol Technology Lab. Key to the implementation of the project will be the pilot plants and blending laboratories, where Repsol will formulate the widest range of fuels and biofuel blends with a low carbon footprint, specifically for maritime transport.

The Navantia Engine Factory will provide the technical knowledge of the engines and will make its facilities in Cartagena available to the project, as well as test benches and diagnostic equipment.

. Repsol and Navantia, through its CEDETH, will explore new areas of collaboration in hydrogen. In addition, Repsol will build one of the world's largest synthetic fuels plants in Bilbao, together with Saudi Aramco. (Source: Repsol, PR, Mar., 2022) Contact: Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz, CEO, +34 91 7538100, +34 91 7538000, www.repsol.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Repsol,  

Mangrove
Date: 2022-02-28
In Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways is touting the launch of its Etihad Mangrove Forest program allowing passengers, corporate accounts and partners to adopt mangroves in Abu Dhabi to reduce their carbon footprint.

The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi designed program aims to develop new carbon sinks and natural resources to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Using a unique digital platform, the Etihad Mangrove Forest will allow guests and partners to invest in carbon removal for $5 per mangrove, where the individual trees can be tracked online or through an app.

The Etihad Mangroves Forest site was selected specifically due to its protected status under the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, which guarantees its ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere for at least 100-years.

Globally, mangroves store approximately 6.4 billion tonnes of carbon, almost four times more than other terrestrial forests. At a rate of just more than 12 kilogrammes a year, the average mangrove captures over 300 kilogrammes of CO2 in its 25-year lifetime. (Source: Etihad Airways, PR, Travel Daily, 28 Feb., 2022) Contact: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, +971 2 693 4444, www.ead.gov.ae/en

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  Carbon Footprint,  Mangrove,  Carbon Sink,  

ENGlobal, Haldor Topsoe
Date: 2022-02-25
Houston, Texas-headquartered global energy engineering firm ENGlobal (ENG) reports it has been selected by an unidentified client to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for a renewable fuels plant designed to produce approximately 100 million gpy of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel.

This U.S.-based plant, which is scheduled for commissioning in 2024, will incorporate Haldor Topsoe A/S "HydroFlex" and "Hydrogen Bridge" technologies to produce renewable jet (SAF) and diesel fuels with a low carbon footprint. (Source: ENGlobal, Website, PR, 23 Feb., 2022) Contact: ENGlobal, Bruce Williams, VP Renewables, 281-878-1000, www.englobal.com; HaldorTopsoe, Nikolay Ketov, Marketing Manager, +7 916 645 5531, nke@topsoe.com, www.topsoe.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News SAF,  Haldor Topsoe,  Renewable Diesel,  Biodiesel,  

Energiestro
Date: 2022-02-25
New Delhi-based renewable energy company Filatex India Ltd is reporting a € 10 million investment in French energy storage startup and residential flywheel energy storage system manufacturer Energiestro. The two companies are planning to deploy Energiestro's flywheel storage solutions across Madagascar and Mauritius.

Energiestro's flyheel energy storage system consists of a hollow or solid cylinder that is rotated around an axis and connected to an electric motor and generator. The system stores electricity by converting it into kinetic energy using the motor and the flywheel that rotates at such a high speed that the electrical power is transformed into mechanical power. The device is claimed to have a lifetime of one million cycles, good resistance to high temperatures, a carbon footprint of 10g of CO2 per kWh.. The system capacity should be increased, initially, to 20 kWh, and then 50 kWh, to eventually reach 24 hours of storage. Production is expeted to begin the year, according to Energiestro. (Source: Energiestor, Website PR, 25 Feb., 2022) Contact: Energiestro, contact@energiestro.com, www.energiestro.net; Filatrex, +91-11-26312503, www.filatrex. Com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Storage news,  Flywheel news,  

Strategic Biofuels
Date: 2022-02-23
Columbia, Louisiana-based Strategic Biofuels, the leader in developing negative carbon footprint renewable fuels plants, reports Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards awarded the company's Louisiana Green Fuels project a $250 million bond allocation.

The tax-free bonds will form part of the project's construction debt financing, will be sold into the private market at final investment decision in early 2023, when construction is slated to begin.

As the first renewable diesel project in North America to achieve "negative" carbon emissions, the project will produce roughly 34 million gpy of renewable diesel from woody biomass and various forestry wastes. A carbon sequestration test well program for the project was completed in 2021. (Source: Strategic Biofuels, PR, Website, 21 Feb., 2022) Contact: Strategic Biofuels, Paul Schubert, CEO, www.strategicbiofuels.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Strategic Biofuels ,  Biodiesel,  CCS,  Green Bond,  

Neste
Date: 2022-02-16
Helsinki-headquartered biofuels producer Neste Corp. is reporting in 2021 its renewable and circular solutions helped customers reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally by 10.9 million tons -- equal to the annual carbon footprint of 1.7 million average EU citizens or the removal of 4.2 million passenger cars from the roads for a full year.

Neste has committed to reaching carbon neutral production by 2035 and to lead the transformation towards a carbon neutral value chain by 2040 and reduce the use phase emission intensity** of sold products by 50 pct by 2040 compared to 2020 levels.

Neste has refineries in Finland, the Netherlands and Singapore and produces approximately 3.3 million tpy of renewable fuels. Capacity will increase to 4.5 million tpy with completion of the previously reported extension of its Singapore refinery in Q1, 2023. Additionally Neste's Rotterdam sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project is expected to produce 1.5 million tpy of SAF by the end of 2023. (Source: Neste, PR, 15 Feb., 2021) Contact: Neste Corp., Minna Aila, Senior VP, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs, +358 50 458 5076, www.neste.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Neste,  GHG,  SAF,   Carbon Emissions,  

Novelis
Date: 2022-02-14
Atlanta-headquartered aluminium rolling and recycling specialist Novelis Inc. is reporting a long-term R&D collaboration agreement with HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Swiss innovation and research hub EPFL , and energy distributor OIKEN, to advance carbon neutral solutions for aluminium manufacturing.

The Net Zero Lab Valais will be located at Novelis' plant in Sierre, Switzerland and will focus on identifying and implementing innovative solutions to neutralize the carbon footprint of Novelis' manufacturing operations and neighboring communities. The aim is to reach carbon neutrality for scope 1 and 2 emissions at the plant by 2030.

Throughout the first months of collaboration, the Net Zero Lab Valais will conduct a research study to identify decarbonization solutions and will launch an ecosystem by which Novelis, in collaboration with OIKEN, will share the energy from its Sierre plant with the surrounding area. This will help lower the area's carbon footprint, as well as the carbon footprint of the manufacturing site. (Source: Novelis Inc., Website, PR, 14 Feb., 2022) Contact: Novalis Inc, www,novalis.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Net-Zero,  Emissions,  Carbon Neutral,  

Lightsourcebp
Date: 2022-01-28
London-headquartered global solar energy developer Lightsourcebp is reporting the closure of a $533 million multi-project financing package and will soon mobilize construction on its 135 MW (dc) Conway Solar project approximately 55 miles northeast of Little Rock.

Lightsourcebp will build, own and operate the facility and deliver the clean, renewable energy it generates to Conway Corp under a long-term PPA for their customers in the City of Conway. The solar farm will generate enough electricity to power more than 21,400 homes play a role in reducing the city's carbon footprint by the equivalent of CO2 emissions from 35,400 cars per year. (Source: Lightsourcebp, Website PR, Jan., 2022) Contact: Conway Corp, Bret Carroll, CEO, www.conwaycorp.com; Lightsourcebp, www.lightsourcebp.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Lightsourcebp,  

Haldor Topsoe ,Indaba Renewable Fuels
Date: 2022-01-19
Denmark-headquartered Haldor Topsoe is reporting Newport Beach, California waste-to-renewable fuels producer Indaba Renewable Fuels LLC is constructing a new renewable fuel refinery in both California and Missouri.

Both of the 6,500 bpd facilities will use Topsoe'sHydroFlex™ technology to produce high grade, low carbon footprint, ultra-low sulfur "drop-in" sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Topsoe will also provide its H2bridge™ hydrogen technology that further replaces fossil fuels with renewable liquids like LPG or naphtha to lower the carbon intensity of the products. Both facilities are expected to begin production of SAF in 2024. (Source: Topsoe, PR, Website, 14 Jan., 2022) Contact: Indaba Renewable Fuels, Geoff Hirson, Pres., CEO, 949-697-3088, geoff@indaba-llc.com, www.indabarenewablefuels.com; Topsoe, +45 27 77 99 68, www.topsoe.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Haldor Topsoe,  Indaba Renewable Fuels,  SAF,  

Growth Energy
Date: 2022-01-14
Washington, D.C. headquartered biofuel industry trade group Growth Energy has outlined what it sees as the top federal priorities the US biofuel industry must take to achieve the nation's energy and climate goals, including:

Restoring certainty to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) -- finalise strong Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for 2021 and 2022; reject improper and illegal retroactive cuts to the already finalised 2020 RVOs; reject all pending and improperly granted small refinery exemptions (SREs); restore the 500 million gallons remanded by the courts in 2017; establish forward-leaning biofuel targets for 2023 and beyond that recognise the contributions of low-carbon ethanol in achieving climate goals; update EPA's outdated lifecycle carbon assessment model and; approve pending registrations for cellulosic biofuel from kernel fiber.

Eliminate Barriers to Higher Blends of Low-Carbon Ethanol -- restore unrestricted access to E15 year-round; clarify rules around the use of existing fuel storage and dispensing equipment for E15; finalize EPA's proposal to simplify onerous labeling requirements at fuel pumps and ; expand infrastructure for higher biofuel blends through legislative or administrative action

Utilize biofuels as a low-cost pathway to achieve climate goals -- promote new uses for biofuels, including in aviation, marine, and heavy-duty applications; enact new and expand existing incentives to encourage ethanol producers to further reduce their carbon footprint through carbon capture, utilization, and storage, as well as innovation in biotechnology and sustainable agriculture; break down trade barriers to low-carbon ethanol in markets like Brazil, India, and China and; utilize opportunities to decarbonize the nation's transportation sector through the use of high octane, low-carbon fuels. (Source: Growth Energy, Website Release, 12 Jan., 2021) Contact: Growth Energy, Emily Skor, CEO, www.growthenergy.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Growth Energy,  Biofuels,  Etanol,  

Blue Biofuels, Vertimass
Date: 2022-01-12
Palm Beach, Florida-based Blue Biofuels, Inc. reports it has expanded its present license agreement with Irvine, California-headquartered Vertimass LLC to allow Blue Biofuels to convert additional volumes of ethanol into renewable jet fuel and other bio-hydrocarbons using Vertimass technology.

Vertimass' technology allows sustainable production of fuels derived from ethanol with high yields that can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to sourcing these products from petroleum. Vertimass technology for producing jet fuel and chemicals from cellulosic ethanol offers producers the flexibility to diversify their product slate and market renewable fuels and chemicals that have low carbon footprints.

Blue Biofuels' proprietary Cellulose-to-Sugar (CTS) technology provides a near zero carbon footprint process to convert virtually any plant material -- grasses, wood, paper, farm waste, yard waste, forestry products, fruit casings, nut shells, and the cellulosic portion of municipal solid waste -- into sugars and lignin. Sugars are subsequently processed into biofuels. (Source: Blue Biofuels Inc., PR, 12 Jan., 2022) Contact: Vertimass LLC, John Hannon, CEO, www.vertimass.com; Blue Biofuels, Ben Slager, 561-359-8222, www.bluebiofuels.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Vertimass,  Blue Biofuels,  SAF,  Ethanol,  Cellulosic Ethanol,  

ADM, Wolf Carbon Solutions
Date: 2022-01-12
Chicago-based agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), the nation's second-largest ethanol producer, is proposing to cut its carbon footprint by constructing a 350-mile, 12 million tpy pipeline to transport carbon dioxide from its ethanol plants in eastern Iowa for injection in Decatur, Illinois. The pipeline would be owned and operated by Calgary, Alberta-based carbon capture and pipeline company Wolf Carbon Solutions.

ADM's three plants in eastern Iowa, one in Clinton and two in Cedar Rapids, account for 46 pct of the company's ethanol production capacity.

The Hawkeye State hosts 43 ethanol plants with an annual capacity of 4.6 billion gpy out of 209 plants nationwide with a capacity of 17.4 billion gpy. (Source: ADM, Jan., 2022) Contact: ADM, www.adm.com; Wolf Carbon Solutions, info@wolfcarbonsolutions.com, www.wolfcarbonsolutions.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Wolf Carbon Solutions,  ADM,  Carbon Dioxide,  CO2,  CCS,  Wolf Carbon Solutions,  

NYSERDA
Date: 2021-12-22
In Albany, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) yesterday announced nearly $14.5 million in awards to the third-round winners of the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Carbon Challenge -- part of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) Round XI awards. The awarded entities include: the City of New York; Columbia University Irving Medical Center; St. John's University; Cascades Containerboard Packaging Niagara Falls; Essity Hygiene in the Capitol Region; Holcim (US) Inc. in Ravena; and IBM Corporation.

The winning entities have committed to high-impact actions that will shrink their carbon footprints and result in a reduction of over 1.2 million metric tpy of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of taking approximately 260,000 cars off the road. Yesterday's announcement supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 pct by 2050 and advance a just transition for difficult-to-decarbonize and energy-intensive economic sectors.

Launched in May 2018 and administered by NYSERDA, the C&I Carbon Challenge is a competitive program that provides funding to large commercial and industrial energy users such as manufacturers, colleges, health care facilities and office building owners in New York State to develop various cost-effective clean energy projects that reduce carbon emissions.

The winning proposals, submitted through the State's annual CFA process, demonstrate the highest potential for cost-effectively implementing carbon-reducing clean energy actions. Projects that benefit disadvantaged communities received extra points in the scoring criteria when determining awards.

With yesterday's announcement, more than $31 million has been awarded through the C&I Carbon Challenge for projects that are reducing carbon emissions to improve statewide sustainability and combat climate change. Past awardees have collectively committed to reducing over 2.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking approximately 585,000 cars off the road.

NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise, and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA professionals work to protect the environment and create clean-energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York State since 1975. (Source: NYSERDA, PR, 21 Dec., 2021) Contact: NYSERDA, (518) 862-1090, www.nyserda.ny.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News NYSERDA,  Climate Change,  Carbon Emisions,  Carbon Footprint,  

Blue Biofuels, USDA ARS
Date: 2021-12-17
Palm Beach Gardens , Florida-based Blue Biofuels (BIOF) and the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) are reporting a collaboration on optimizing the yields of King Grass, a perennial grass biomass crop, that the Company is growing and using as feedstock for its patented "mechanocatalytic cellulose-to-sugar" (CTS) process at its research facility in Arcadia, Florida.

Blue Biofuels' CTS technology is a near-zero-carbon footprint system that can convert virtually any plant material -- grasses, wood, paper, farm waste, yard waste, forestry products, fruit casings, nut shells, and the cellulosic portion of municipal solid waste -- into sugars and lignin. Sugars are subsequently processed into biofuels. Lignin may be further converted into biodegradable bioplastics or used in ion exchange resins.

Blue Biofuels believes that biofuel originating from its CTS process will be eligible for roughly $3 per gallon in D3 cellulosic Renewable Fuel Credits (RINs) , an incentive offered to all domestic cellulosic transportation fuel producers.

The EPA's newly proposed revised mandate for cellulosic ethanol for 2020 is 510 million gallons, for 2021 is 620 million gallons, and for 2022 is 770 million gallons. (Source: USADA, Blue Biofuels, Green Car Congress, Dec., 2021) Contact: Blue Biofuels, Ben Slager, 561-359-8222, www.bluebiofuels.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News King Grass,  Biofuel Feedstock,  Blue Biofuels,  USDA ARS,  

ESG Clean Energy,Ethatec GmbH
Date: 2021-12-15
West Springfield, Mass.-based ESG Clean Energy LLC, a developer of net-zero, distributed power generation and clean energy manufacturing solutions, is reporting a letter of intent (LOI) with Weselburg, Germany-based Ethatec GmbH for the use of ESG's patented CO2-free power generation technology to power its production of ethanol.

Ethatec's process crushes bakery waste and other starch-based food products mixed with water and enzymes then heated in a multi-stage mashing process to "saccharify" the starch. It is then cooled and fed into fermentation tanks. Yeast is then added for alcoholic fermentation of the sugar and after 72 hours, the mixture is fed to a distillation system where ethanol is obtained. Ethatec's process can also produce biogas and nitrogen fertilizer.

By using the ESG Clean Energy carbon-capture power generation system, Ethatec will be able to use natural gas to power their manufacturing plants while achieving a net-zero carbon footprint. (Source: ESG Clean Energy, Website PR, Dec., 2021) Contact: ESG Clean Energy, (413) 272-2135, www.ESGcleanEnergy.com; Ethatec GmbH, : +49 1512 5217803, www.ethatec.de

More Low-Carbon Energy News ESG Clean Energy,  Ethatec GmbH,  Ethanol,  

NSW Australia
Date: 2021-12-06
In the Land Down Under, the New South Wales Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Rob Stokes, is proposing Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) standards for homes that would encourage construction of more energy efficient homes and save residents up to $980 a year on energy bills and reduce the state’s carbon footprint. The Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) is a key assessment tool that ensures new homes are comfortable to live in regardless of the temperature, are more energy efficient and save water.

According to the Ministry release, the proposed increases in standards will see more energy-efficient homes with better design, better insulation, more sunlight and more solar panels that will keep home naturally cooler in summer and warmer in winter at significantly reduced energy usage and expense. The new targets complement work underway, such as planting one million trees and investing $4.8 million to make building materials more environmentally friendly, the Ministry noted. (Source: NSW Government, PR, Coast Community News, Dec., 2021) Contact: BASIX, www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/BASIX-standards

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency Standard news,  Australia Energy Efficiency news,  

Purpose Investments
Date: 2021-11-29
In Toronto, Canadian asset manager Purpose Investments is touting two new cryptocurrency-based exchange-trading funds (ETFs) that offer carbon offsetting to investors. Exchange-traded funds are public trade, limited liability and passively managed investment funds that have many benefits such as performance, versatility and security.

Purpose Investments has partnered with Patch to help measure the carbon footprint of crypto wallets and provide carbon removal solutions. The objective is to invest in controlled carbon offset schemes with the aim of providing carbon neutral exposure to customers BTC. Some of the projects it invests in include direct air carbon capture, biomass, mineralization or CO2 removal, forestry, marine composting and soil management. (Source: Purpose Investments, PR, WSC, 28 Nov., 2021) Contact: Purpose Investments, 877-789-1517, www.purposeinvest.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Purpose Investments,  Carbon Neutral,  

Emergen Research
Date: 2021-11-29
The global energy efficient devices market size is expected to reach $1,771.70 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 12.5 pct during the forecast period. Increasing focus and initiatives taken to reduce carbon footprint to mitigate climate change is a key factor driving growth of market. Increasing rate of global warming, rising concerns regarding climate change, rapid depletion of natural energy resources, and increasing need to minimize energy consumption have been boosting adoption of energy efficient devices and this is expected to drive market growth over the forecast period, the report notes.

Manufacturers are offering more green gadgets to cater to growing consumer demand for energy-saving products to protect the environment and save money. Research and development to develop more energy-efficient devices, rapid urbanization, and increasing disposable income are key factors expected to drive adoption of energy-efficient devices and solutions worldwide. In addition, increasing volatility in oil prices, fuel shortages, and rapid shift towards utilization of renewable energy sources are other key factors driving revenue growth of market. Adoption of renewable energy resources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change has been surging over the last couple of decades. Stringent government regulations regarding carbon emissions and energy consumption has been boosting demand for energy efficient device across industrial and manufacturing sectors. This is expected to further fuel market growth over the forecast period.

However, lack of awareness about energy-efficient devices is a key factor expected to restrain market growth to an extent over the forecast period. in addition, high initial costs associated with deployment of energy efficient devices and solutions is expected to hamper adoption of such products to a significant extent over the forecast period, according to the report.

Report details at www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/energy-efficient-devices-market. (Source: Emergen Research, Nov., 2021) Contact: Emergen Research, www.emergenresearch.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency news,  

Ryanair
Date: 2021-11-24
"People want low fare air travel, and people want somebody else to pay the environmental taxation. You give people the opportunity to voluntarily offset their carbon footprint. 1 pct of our passengers take that up. I suspect a lot of those are the corporate passengers where there's a corporate policy of offsetting carbon footprint." -- Ryanair Group CEO Michael O'Leary

Dublin-based airline Ryanair formerly charged a flat fee to offset emissions on each booking, but now uses a proportional system based on the length of the flight and emissions generated. For example, Frankfurt to Milan attracts a fee of €0.79 ($0.89). Presently, some airlines include carbon offsetting in fares, others levy an optional flat charge directly at the point of booking while Lufthansa, and others, require passengers to go to a third-party website to complete the offsetting transaction. (Source: Ryanair, Simple Flying, Nov., 2021) Contact: Ryanair, www.ryanair.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Footprint news,  Carbon Offset news,  Carbon Emissions news,  Aviation Emissions news,  

SkyNRG
Date: 2021-11-17
Amsterdam-based aviation biofuel specialist SkyNRG and digital tool developer CHOOOSE (Climate Action for Eeveryone) are reporting the launch of "Fly on SAF", a new carbon emission reduction solution that enables airlines and travel companies to integrate sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and carbon offsets at Heathrow Airport, Rotterdam, The Hague Airport, Stuttgart Airport and others.

Airline travelers booking a ticket with organisations offering "Fly on SAF" can easily mitigate the carbon footprint from their flight by replacing fossil fuel with SAF. (Source: SkyNRG, Website, PR, Nov., 2021) Contact: SkyNRG, +31 20 470 70 20, info@skynrg.com, www.skynrg.com; CHOOOSE, www.chooose.today

More Low-Carbon Energy News SkyNRG,  SAF,  Carbon Offset,  

US Green Building Council
Date: 2021-11-10
The U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the results of the 2021 World Green Building Trends report, of which USGBC is a contributing partner. The new report demonstrates that despite the challenges of the last two years, commitments to increase green building efforts continues to remain strong and that green building continues to remain a global priority, driven by extreme events and despite rising concerns like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Industry professionals surveyed for the report cite both social and financial reasons for increasing their green building efforts with top reasons including lowering operating costs, lowering carbon emissions, reducing energy and water consumption, market demand, building healthier buildings, reducing energy consumption and the carbon footprint of building projects with creating net-zero/net-positive buildings and that it's the "right thing to do."

The findings also demonstrate a compelling business case for building green. The average reduction in operating costs for the first 12 months in a new green building is 10.5 percent and five-year costs savings are 16.9 percent. Green renovations and retrofits have even greater performance globally at 11.5 percent and 17 percent respectively. Owners also report that new and retrofit green building projects see an increase in asset value by more than 9 percent. Other findings of the report include:

Over half of those doing a majority of green projects plan to incorporate resilience strategies into their projects in the next five years.

Most respondents (82%) are at least aware of the concept of embodied carbon – emissions from manufacture, transportation, installation, maintenance and disposal of building materials -- with contractors and owners as less familiar with embodied carbon than architects and engineers. The vast majority (79%) of those building green use at least one metric to track green building performance, an increase of five points since 2018.

About half of respondents engage in green renovation/retrofit projects, with most investors engaged in this work.

The report was published by the Dodge Construction network with USGBC as a contributing partner in the report. More than 1,200 industry professionals, including engineers, architects/designers, contractors, owners, developers, inventors and consultants around the world were surveyed for the report. The full report can be found HERE . (Source: U.S. Green Building Council, PR, 9 Nov., 2021) Contact: USGBC Peter Templeton, President and CEO, (202) 552-1500, www.usgbc.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News US Green Building Council,  Green Building,  Energy Efficiency,  

Johnson Controls
Date: 2021-10-25
Cork Ireland headquartered sustainable buildings specialist Johnson Controls (JCI) is touting its OpenBlue Performance Advisor, an all-in-one solution that empowers building operators to track sustainability, health and wellness metrics while also reducing energy use, water use, waste and carbon footprint.

The new OpenBlue Performance Advisor application builds on Johnson Controls OpenBlue Enterprise Manager which helps facilities managers optimize building portfolio performance through advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence used to monitor and improve indoor air quality, energy efficiency, asset performance, maintenance operations, space performance and the comfort of all occupants. OpenBlue Enterprise Manager supports smart building capabilities for property portfolios ranging across commercial offices, healthcare, mixed use high-end, transportation, retail and K-12 school systems. (Source: Johnson Controls, Website PR, 25 Oct., 2021) Contact: Johnson Controls OpenBlue Enterprise Manager, www.johnsoncontrols.com/openblue/openblue-enterprise-manager

More Low-Carbon Energy News Johnson Controls Sustainable Building news,  Energy Management news,  Energy Efficiency news,  

CoGo
Date: 2021-10-22
New Zealand-based carbon footprint tracking specialist CoGo Ltd. reports it will open a $20 million capital funding effort to venture funds, companies and to its retail customers, to support staff expansion and market growth in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

The company has raised about $10 million since it's 2016 incorporation and has agreements with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and seven U.K. banks allowing the banks to use Cogo's technology to assess customers' carbon footprint based on purchases and provide details via an app.

CoGo's algorithms track data on U.K. and New Zealand companies to help consumers align their purchasing habits with targets such as reducing carbon emissions, (Source: CoGo Ltd, PR, 21 Oct., 2021) Contact: CoGo Ltd, Ben Gleisner, CEO, support@cogo.co, www.cogo.co

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  Carbon Footprint,  

Elkem
Date: 2021-10-22
Oslo, Norway-headquartered advanced silicon-based materials specialist Elkem reports it will test the world's first carbon capture pilot for silicon smelters at its plant in Rana, Norway. Aker Carbon Capture will deliver the test unit.

The roughly $2,83 million project is intended to verify carbon capture technology on natural industrial exhaust gases from smelters and to prepare a full-scale plant for industrial carbon capture.

Elkem aims to reduce its total CO2 emissions by 28 pct and improve its product carbon footprint by 39 pct by 2031, according to the release. (Source: Elkem, PR, Mining Mag., 22 Oct., 2021) Contact: Elkem, Helge Aasen, CEO, www.elkem.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Elkem news,  Carbon Capture news,  

Cognizant
Date: 2021-10-20
Teaneck, New Jersey-headquartered global business consultancy Cognizant reports it has committed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030. Cognizant's commitment calls for reducing emissions by 50 pct from the company's global operations and supply chain by 2030, and by 90 pct by 2040, with the remaining emissions negated with carbon offsets. Specific initiatives to achieve net-zero include:

Aligning to climate science -- Cognizant is developing a science-based emissions reduction target that is aligned with the need to keep global average temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and will submit this target for third-party validation with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Ongoing investments in renewable energy -- Building on initial success in India, where over a quarter of Cognizant's energy has come from renewable sources since 2020, Cognizant plans to expand its use of onsite solar energy and enter new power purchase agreements with clean energy developers. It will also continue as a member of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, a global initiative bringing together the world's most influential businesses committed to procuring 100 pct renewable electricity.

Increasing energy efficiency -- Cognizant will be investing in new energy efficient equipment and technologies across its owned offices and data centers throughout the world. In 2019 and 2020, the company improved energy efficiency across several offices in India, replacing outdated conventional power supply systems with modular systems, upgrading conventional lighting with energy efficient LED fittings, and retrofitting cooling systems.

In addition to its own net zero agenda, Cognizant is developing and deploying solutions enabling its global client base to double down on reducing their own carbon footprints, reducing waste, and sustainable product development by leveraging technology advancements in AI, data and analytics, cloud and IoT. Examples include: transitioning energy-intensive data centers to public cloud use; designing IoT-enabled smart buildings that manage electricity, heating, cooling and water consumption more efficiently to reduce power needs; and using IoT and cloud solutions in transportation and supply chain applications for real-time vessel emissions monitoring to improve shipping route planning and increase fuel efficiency. (Source: Cognizant, Website PR, 19 Oct., 2021) Contact: Cognizant, Brian Humphries, CEO , Sophia Mendelsohn, Chief Sustainability Officer , Jodi Sorensen, jodi.sorensen@cognizant.com, www.cognizant.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Cognizant news,  Net-Zero Emissions news,  Carbon Emissions news,  Energy Efficiency news,  Renewable Energy news,  

Atotech, AT&S
Date: 2021-10-20
In Berlin, chemical technology and electroplating specialist Atotech is reporting a collaboration Leoben, Austria-based AT&S aimed at reducing energy consumption and optimizing energy efficiency of the AT&S production processes in the plating lines manufactured by Atotech.

As part of the collaboration, Atotech will provide an innovative combination of Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) software solutions and hardware optimization to enable AT&S to reduce overall energy consumption.

According to its website, AT&S is committed to ambitious climate targets, annual reductions of their carbon footprint and use of freshwater, by 5 pct and 3 pct respectively. Atotech systems are designed to reduce the use of raw materials, water and energy consumption. (Source: Atotech, Website, PR, 20 Oct., 2021) Contact: Atotech, Geoff Wild, CEO, 803-504 4731, Susanne Richter, +49 30 349 85 418, press@atotech.com, www.atotech.com; AT&S, +43 3842 200-0, www.ats.net

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency,  

Repsol
Date: 2021-10-15
Madrid, Spain-based energy and petrochemical major Repsol is reporting its Cartagena Industrial Complex produced its first 10 tons of renewable hydrogen from 500 MWh of urban solid waste biomethane. The renewable hydrogen was used to manufacture transportation fuels with a low carbon footprint, such as gasoline, diesel, or kerosene for aviation.

The Cartagena plamt is is scheduled to begin commercial scale production in the first quarter of 2023, and will avoid roughly 900,000 tpy of CO2. The company aims to produce two million tons of low-carbon fuels by 2030. (Source: Repsol, PR, Green Car Congress, Oct., 2021) Contact: Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz, CEO, +34 91 7538100, +34 91 7538000, www.repsol.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Repsol,  Biomethane,  Biogas,  Renewable YHydrogen,  

Nacero
Date: 2021-10-06
In the Lone Star State, Houston-headquartered Nacero Inc. is reporting the launch of its renewable natural gas (RNG) acquisition platform Nacero NEON™ -- a strategic growth engine for production of Nacero Green Gasoline™ an affordable net-zero carbon footprint gasoline for everyday drivers.

Nacero is currently in negotiations with dairies, landfills, and food waste facilities for production of Nacero Green Gasoline™ from its flagship Penwell, West Texas facility that is scheduled to break ground in early 2022 and commence operations in 2025.

"Methane is 80x more harmful over a 20-year period than CO2. A significant amount of global warming is caused by fugitive and flared methane from farms, landfills, and wastewater facilities but only a small amount of this resource is captured and put to beneficial use as an everyday fuel. Nacero will make a real difference by using this feedstock to make its net-zero Nacero Green GasolineTM, connecting America's RNG potential with the multi-hundred-billion-dollar per year gasoline market. The Company will prioritize a new wave of projects in key markets across Texas, the Midwest, and Southeastern United States" according to the release. (Source: Nacero, Website Release, 29 Sept., 2021) Contact: Nacero Inc., Jay McKenna, Pres., CEO, info@nacero.co, www.nacero.co

More Low-Carbon Energy News Nacero news,  RNG news,  

Equinor, Rosneft
Date: 2021-10-01
Norwegian energy giant Equinor is reporting it has signed an agreement with and Rosneft, Moscow-headquartered petroleum developer, to collaborate on carbon management, including potential collaboration on the use of renewable, carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), low-carbon hydrogen solutions and to reduce the carbon footprint from joint projects. The two organizations have been active in Russia for more than e decades.

Stavenger, Norway-headquartered Equinor, with over than 21000 employees, is developing oil, gas, wind and solar energy projects in more than 30 countries. (Source: Rosneft, Website PR, 29 Sept., 2021) Contact: Rosneft, +7 (499) 517-88-99, Fax: +7 (499) 517-72-35, postman@rosneft.ru, www.rosneft.com; : Equinor, Andres Opedal, President and CEO, www.equinor.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Equinor,  Rosneft,  

Neste
Date: 2021-09-29
TripActions and Reed & Mackay, the fastest-growing group "travel and spend" management group, and Helsinki-headquartered sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer Neste are reporting a global partnership to offer Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ to all TripActions Group customers. The agreement marks the first time that a corporate travel management company is able to give customers the option to purchase SAF at scale directly from the fuel producer or an airline and thus reduce their business travel carbon footprint.

Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is made from sustainably sourced renewable waste and residue raw materials. In its neat form and over the lifecycle, Neste MY SASF reduces GHG emissions by up to 80 pct as compared to fossil jet fuel use. The fuel enables significant reductions in flying-related emissions, giving businesses an opportunity to contribute to reportable emission reductions with Science-Based Targets (SBTs), according to the Neste release. (Source: Neste, Website PR, 29 Sept., 2021) Contact: TripActions, Ariel Cohen, CEO, www.tripactions.com; Neste, Thorsten Lange, Exec. VP, Renewable Aviation, www.neste.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Neste,  SAF,  

Argonne National Laboratory, GEVO
Date: 2021-09-22
Englewood, Colorado-headquartered energy-dense liquid hydrocarbons -- sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable petroleum -- producer GEVO Inc. reports it is partnering with the US DOE Afgonne National Laboratory to perform a critical lifecycle analysis of GEVO's next-generation technology.

Using data provided by Gevo, ANL's Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Technologies Model (GREET) is expected to yield results regarding carbon footprints of these fuels within a few months.

GREET's lifecycle analysis considers a host of different fuel production pathways including energy use, emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants, water consumption related to the production processes, as well as the whole of the fuel pathway system from capturing carbon via photosynthesis to the final burning of the fuel.

The effort is being funded by the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), which is part of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). (Source: ANL, GEVO, PR Sept., 2021) Contact: Gevo, Dr. Chris Ryan, CEO, 303-858-8358, cryan@gevo.com, www.gevo.com; Argonne National Lab, 630-252-2000, www.anl.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News Argonne National Laborator,  GEVO,  Biofuel,  SAFy ,  

Samsung,Carbon Trust
Date: 2021-09-10
Seoul, South Korea-headquartered semiconductor producer Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., reports four of its System LSI products received product carbon footprint label certification from the London-headquartered Carbon Trust.

The Carbon Trust is an independent and expert partner of organizations around the world that advises businesses on their opportunities in a sustainable, low carbon world. The Carbon Trust also measures and certifies the environmental footprint of organizations, supply chains and products.

Of the various certification categories of the Carbon Trust, Samsung's System LSI products received the CO2 Measured product carbon footprint label. The label certifies the chip's carbon footprint, which informs consumers of the impact that the product and its manufacturing process have on the environment. (Source: Samsung Electronics Co., PR, 8 Sept., 2021) Contact: Samsung Electronics Co., www.samsung.com; Carbon Trust, +44 (0)20 7170 7000, www.carbontrust.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Samsung,  Carbon Trust,  Carbon Footprint ,  

Strategic Biofuels
Date: 2021-09-03
As previously noted, Strategic Biofuels LLC, the leader in developing negative carbon footprint renewable fuels plants, reports its carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) test well program at its Louisiana Green Fuels (LGF) Project in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, has been completed.

The test well program demonstrated that CO2, the main greenhouse gas generated during the fuel production process, can be safely and securely stored deep underground and that the storage reservoir has sufficient capacity to store all the gas produced over the plant's lifetime. Completing the test well program is an essential pre-requisite for securing the permit for the EPA Class VI sequestration well.

The design and execution of the test well program was developed by COO Bob Meredith with help from Geostock Sandia, an international consulting firm that has worked with the Department of Energy on carbon sequestration wells for almost two decades. (Source: Strategic Biofuels LLC, Aug, 2021) Contact: Strategic Biofuels, Strategic Biofuels & Louisiana Green Fuels, [startlimk]info@info@strategicbiofuels.net[endllink]

More Low-Carbon Energy News Strategic Biofuels ,  Biodiesel,  CCS,  

Blue Biofuels
Date: 2021-09-03
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida-based Blue Biofuels, Inc. is reporting Dr. Travis Baughman, Ph.D., has joined to company to lead the development of biodegradable bioplastics and nanocellulose from the company's patented Cellulose-to-Sugar (CTS) technology system.

CTS technology is a near zero carbon footprint system that can convert virtually any plant material -- grasses, wood, paper, farm waste, yard waste, forestry products, fruit casings, nut shells, and the cellulosic portion of municipal solid waste -- into sugars and lignin which are processed into biofuels. Lignin may be further converted into bioplastics. The CTS process is an independently-developed patented and proprietary technology that is fully owned by the Company. The company believes that bio-fuel originating from the Company's CTS process will be eligible to receive EPA D3 cellulosic Renewable Fuel Credits (RINs) of roughly $3 per gallon of ethanol in addition to the market price of ethanol. This incentive is offered to all domestic cellulosic transportation fuel producers. (Source: Blue Biofuels Inc., PR, 1 Sept., 2021) Contact: Blue Biofuels Inc., Ben Slager, CEO, Ben@Bluebiofuels.com, www.bluebiofuels.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Blue Biofuels news,  Ethanol news,  Bioplastic news,  Cellulosic news,  

Mumbai International Airport
Date: 2021-09-01
In India, Mumbai International Airport reports receipt of the Confederation of India Energy Efficient Unit Award for Excellence in Energy Management 2021. The award lauds the airport for its sustainable and green initiatives, most importantly in assessing the reduction in specific energy consumption, innovation in identifying and implementing energy-saving projects, green supply chain, waste management, GHG Emission and climate change initiatives.

The Airport's initiatives include: a carbon management system, carbon neutrality, renewable energy installations, wastewater recycling and an effective waste management system enhancement in renewable energy capacity, and others that have delivered a 35 pct reduction in energy consumption and the reduction of 31,581 units (tCO2e) of GHG Emissions.

Mumbai International Airport is an ISO 50001:2018 Energy Management System certified company committed to continuous reduction in energy consumption and carbon footprint through various initiatives. The airport is also the only in airport in India to publish the Sustainability Report as per the latest GRI Standards and the first platinum-rated Indian airport within the Existing Building (O&M) Rating System for its environmentally sustainable profile. In addition, the airport also owns an Organic Waste Converter (OWC) project with a solar capacity of 5kWp for providing green power for its operations. (Source: Mumbai International Airport, International Airport Review, 1 Sept., 2021) Contact: Mumbai International Airport, www.csmia.adaniairports.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Mumbai International Airport news,  

Equinor, Rosneft
Date: 2021-09-01
Equinor and Rosneft , a Moscow-headquartered petroleum developer, have signed an agreement to collaborate on carbon management, including potential collaboration on the use of renewable, carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), low-carbon hydrogen solutions and reduce the carbon footprint from joint projects. The two organizations have been active in Russia for more than 30 years. (Source: Rosneft, Website PR, 29 Sept., 2021) Contact: Rosneft, +7 (499) 517-88-99, Fax: +7 (499) 517-72-35, postman@rosneft.ru, www.rosneft.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Equinor news,  Rosnef news,  Carbon Emissions news,  

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation
Date: 2021-08-30
In Beijing, China's largest oil distiller and petrochemicals producer, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) is reporting plans to invest roughly 30 billion yuan ($4.6 billion) over 5 years to establish 1,000 hydrogen refueling stations with 200,000 tpy of capacity, and facilities run by renewable energy that can produce over 1 million tpy of the zero-emission fuel.

Sinopec's preliminary budget will fund the necessary R&D, production of hydrogen, purification, treatment, storage and transport facilities. The company will also upgrade its refineries and petrochemical plants to use "green" hydrogen in their operations to reduce their carbon footprint. The goal is to avoid 10 million tpy of CO2 by 2025.

The company also plans to install 7,000 solar power projects totaling 400 MW at its network of 30,00 fuel stations and increase its low carbon plant-based fuel supply capacity to provide 100,000 tpy of aviation biofuel (SAF) and 1.45 million tpy of ethanol by 2025.

Sinopec emitted 170.9 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2020, 84 pct of which were attributed to its oil refining and chemicals manufacturing operations, according to its latest sustainability report. (Source: Sinopec, S.China Morning Post, Sept., 2021) Contact: Sinopec, www.sinopecgroup.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation ,  Sinopec,  Hydrogen,  Carbon Emissions,  

Storegga,Virgin Airline,Carbon Engineering
Date: 2021-08-27
UK-based low-carbon projects/carbon removal firm Storegga Geotechnologies is reporting its planned carbon capture project in the north-east of Scotland has been "endorsed" by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airline, which has agreed to a partnership to reduce the airline's carbon footprint.

The Storegga facility, which will permanently remove between 500,000 and 1,000,000 tpy of Virgin Air's CO2 from the atmosphere, follows a similar previously reported agreement between Storegga and oilfield services provider Petrofac.

Storegga is developing the facility in partnership with Squamish, British Columbia-based direct air carbon capture (DAC) provider Carbon Engineering following a feasibility study in the first half of this year. The project, which is expected to be operational in 2026, is now in the preliminary engineering and design stage, while a shortlist of potential locations has been identified around the Acorn CSS development, another Storegga project that aims to use depleted North Sea reservoirs as a repository for CO2. (Source: Storegga, PR, Herald, Aug., 2021) Contact: Storrega Geotechnologies, Nick Cooper, +44 (0) 20 3757 4980, nick.cooper@storegga.earth, www.storegga.earth; Virgin Atlantic, www.virgin-atlantic.com; Carbon Engineering, Steve Oldham, CEO, www.carbonengineering.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Storegga,  Direct Air Carbon Capture,  Carbon Engineering,