Archives

Visitor Counter

322709
Visit Today : 180
Visit Yesterday : 165
This Month : 1722
This Year : 10012
Total Visit : 322709
Hits Today : 220
Total Hits : 1071753
Who's Online : 2
Your IP Address: 54.158.138.161
Server Time: 24-03-29

Energy Notes: Madera Biofuel Restart / Hanford ‘ Independence’ Goal / SCE Street Lamps

Screen Shot 2014-03-12 at 3.35.44 PMMadera Ethanol Plant Re-Start Target May 1

Pacific Ethanol hopes to restart the shuttered Madera ethanol plant by May 1 says spokesman Paul Koehler.The plant that has been idle for 5 years will be run “far more efficiently” predicts Koehler.”We’ve learned a lot over those five years on how to operate an ethanol plant “says Koehler.The facility will employ 35 and Koehler says most of the staff has been hired.

Pacific Ethanol will install corn oil extraction technology at the plant later in the year as they have at other company facilities.

Koehler says the company wants to source a percentage of feedstock, perhaps 15%, of the corn and grain sorghum grown nearby as they are doing near Stockton.

Asked if margins are as healthy as they were last fall when the company reported a nice profit, Koehler says they are – noting high demand for exports of distillers grain is helping to improve profits at all ethanol plants.
The other good news for the company ”we are approaching 100% ownership” adding that“Madera was our first plant – so the restart is something special for us.”

Hanford Seeks “Energy Independence”

Hanford City Manager Darrell Pyle says the city has a goal to become “energy independent” installing up to 2.3 megawatts of solar power under a proposal by Chevron Energy Solutions. Pyle suggest the project will move forward with “permits likely by the end of June.” In late 2012 Chevron completed a solar installation expected to reduce energy costs at the city’s wastewater treatment plant and save more than $7 million over the program’s life. The installation uses a 1 MW ground-mounted single-axis solar tracking system, which automatically positions solar panels towards the sun. Now the city looks to make an an even larger deal with Phase 11 including the wastewater treatment plant. A public hearing will be held on March 18, 2014 at 7:00p.m.for the purpose of taking public comments on a new contract with the company. The contract calls for some $14 million in savings to the city over 25 years.

Tulare County Cities Want To Buy SCE Streets Lights

Visalia,Tulare and Porterville are negotiating with SCE to buy street lights in their communities. Visalia has 6200 street lights in the city and pays Edison up to $850,000 annually to use them. Buying the system and maintaining it themselves will save enough money the city expects, to convert them to energy savings LEDs. The other cities are on a similar track but behind Visalia on their time line. Visalia believes the price tag to buy the system will be $4 to 5 million.

CEC Approves Monies

The California Energy Commission this month approved more than $9.5 million in grants for two biogas projects, and $1.6 million for an electric vehicle power train conversion project:
Pixley Biogas LLC, in Pixley CA, has received $4.6 million to construct an anaerobic digestion facility that will produce biogas from dairy manure and will power the adjoining ethanol-producing Calgren Renewable Fuels Biorefinery. CEQA requirements have been completed, and this approval lets them move forward with the project.
Community Fuels, in Encinitas, CA, will receive $4.9 million to expand biodiesel production capacity at its Port of Stockton facility from 10 million to at least 15 million gallons per year.
Motiv Power Systems Inc., in Foster City, CA, will receive $1.6 million to convert older United Parcel Service and U.S. Postal Service medium-duty gas or diesel walk-in vans to use its electric power train.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *