WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vice President Kamala Harris will join U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in New York today to announce the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $199 million to fund 25 projects aimed at putting cleaner cars and trucks on America’s roads, including long-haul trucks powered by batteries and fuel cells, and at improving the nation’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. While in New York, they will discuss the enormous benefits of electrification and alternative-fuel technologies, through programs like SuperTruck, to combat the climate crisis and create good-paying jobs across the country.
Bio-based chemicals and materials can serve as renewable alternatives to many of the products derived from petroleum or natural gas, such as plastics, fertilizers, lubricants, and industrial chemicals. They also often require less energy during production and produce fewer greenhouse gases than their petroleum-based equivalents.
The Bioenergy Association of New Zealand welcomed the proposal from Government in its Action on Agricultural Emissions to provide credits for reductions of gross greenhouse gas emissions from farms.
By 2050, 30-40% of Europe’s total gas consumption could be made up of sustainable biomethane, according to the European Biogas Association (EBA).
In its 11th Statistical Report, the EBA provides an in-depth analysis on biogas and its upgraded form, biomethane, and the best pathways to ensure full deployment in the coming years.
Airplanes and their jet fuel (more specifically, the carbon-packed emissions generated when airplanes fly) pose a real – and growing – hurdle to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. Despite becoming 130% more efficient since 1978, airplanes are still responsible for 2% of the CO2 emissions caused by humans and 11% of U.S. transportation-related emissions. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the industry is expected to double within the next 15 years, and it is impractical to electrify or power airplanes with batteries for long-distance flights. Those who fly the sky need to pursue new fuels and technologies, just as the automotive and power industries have done.
The U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) empowers energy companies and aviation stakeholders by supporting advances in research, development, and demonstration to overcome barriers for widespread deployment of low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
SAF made from renewable biomass and waste resources have the potential to deliver the performance of petroleum-based jet fuel but with a fraction of its carbon footprint, giving airlines solid footing for decoupling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from flight.
Bioenergy researchers are always on the lookout for natural materials that can be used as biomass or bioproducts. As biomass processing becomes more efficient, the more economically competitive it becomes, and the easier it is for consumers to make environmentally conscious consumption choices.
The first automaker to collaborate with dairy farms on renewable energy projects, BMW of North America and California Bioenergy (CalBio) announced an expanded partnership to include Bar 20 Dairy, a farm based in Kerman, CA. The collaboration aims to power EVs in California with clean energy, and generate cleaner air in the state by leveraging the latest biodigester technology to create renewable energy by capturing methane from manure to feed back into the power grid.
Replacing petroleum-based aviation fuel with sustainable aviation fuel derived from a type of mustard plant can reduce carbon emissions by up to 68%, according to new research from University of Georgia scientist Puneet Dwivedi.
Dwivedi led a team that estimated the break-even price and life cycle carbon emissions of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) derived from oil obtained from Brassica carinata, a non-edible oilseed crop. The study was published in GCB Bioenergy.
An Oak Ridge National Laboratory team has successfully introduced a poplar gene into switchgrass, an important biofuel source, that allows switchgrass to interact with a beneficial fungus, ultimately boosting the grass’ growth and viability in changing environments.
Scientists observed the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor as it enveloped the plant’s roots. This behavior, not known to occur naturally between these fungi and switchgrass, helps the plant to efficiently take up nutrients and water. This symbiotic relationship results in switchgrass that is more disease- and drought-resistant.