California Agency Approves Funding for Green Fuels Projects

The California Energy Commission has approved funding of $23,110,015 for a host of projects that are meant to develop “green” fuels. The funding also will be used to assist in the installation of fueling stations for these new types of fuel.

"These awards support innovative projects that provide a crucial boost to emerging fuels and vehicle technologies," says Energy Commissioner Carla Peterman. "They support a range of efforts, from cutting-edge scientific research to the development of alternative fueling stations. They also benefit all Californians by creating jobs and improving air quality while helping to develop a diverse range of transportation options the state can rely on in the future."

The awards are provided through the California Energy Commission's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, created by Assembly Bill 118. The program provides about $100 million per year to encourage the development and use of alternative and renewable fuels and new vehicle technologies. By leveraging outside funding, many of the projects also attract additional investment in clean energy technology.

The award recipients are the following:

• Clean World Partners LLC will receive $6 million to increase its Sacramento biorefinery's capacity from 25 tons to 100 tons per day.
• EdeniQ, Inc. will receive $3.9 million to modify an existing biorefinery to test and optimize the use of non-food woody plant materials to produce cellulosic ethanol. The project will evaluate the potential of several plant materials and production processes, including installation and testing of equipment. The project includes the demonstration of a 2-ton-per-day ethanol biorefinery that will be capable of producing at least 70 gallons of ethanol per ton of biomass.
• The University of California Davis, will receive $2.77 million to research the comparative value, benefits and drawbacks of alternative fuels in California. The research will be based at the university's Institute of Transportation Studies. Findings will be used to inform the Energy Commission's investment plans for AB 118 funds.
• tmdgroup Inc. will receive $2.21 million for an outreach and marketing campaign to accelerate California market acceptance and use of alternative fuels and new efficient low-carbon vehicle technologies that reduce petroleum dependence and greenhouse gas emissions.
• The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory will receive $2,152,273 to assess the effectiveness of the Energy Commission's AB 118 investments in alternative and renewable fuels and vehicle technology.
• Aemetis, Inc. will receive $1,875,528 as a cost-share for the development of a facility in Keyes, Calif., which will demonstrate and analyze the production of ethanol using various crop refuse, including wheat straw, cotton gin waste, sugar cane and corn waste. The ethanol will be mixed with conventional gasoline for a lower-carbon, less-polluting fuel.
• Kent BioEnergy Corp. will receive $1,496,426 for research to develop processes with commercial potential for producing fermentable sugars from algal biomass that has been grown on land unsuitable for agriculture, in brackish water, and fed nutrients from waste. Sugars produced in this way can be used to create sustainable and renewable ethanol.
• Sysco Food Services of Los Angeles, Inc. will receive $600,000 to develop a 24-hour publicly accessible liquefied natural gas station in Riverside, Calif.
• North Star Biofuels LLC, will receive $500,000 to develop a commercial-scale biodiesel blending facility. The biodiesel, to be blended with conventional diesel, is derived from waste oils, including used cooking oil. The blending technology will create a fuel of more consistent quality than was produced using older processes.
• The U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station will receive $361,716 as additional funding to an existing $1.5 million project to examine the sustainability of using forest biomass in the production of biofuels, with particular attention to the risks and effects of wildfire on overall forest health.
• Atlas Disposal Industries will receive $300,000 to construct a natural gas fueling station that uses pipeline and renewable natural gas.
• Bear Valley Unified School District will receive $300,000 to install a compressed natural gas fueling station to service the district's existing natural-gas fueled school buses and to allow the district to acquire more natural-gas fueled buses.
• The Institute for Transportation Studies at the University of California Davis, will receive $227,000 to address facility siting and life-cycle issues of using forest biomass to produce alternative fuels in California.
• The South Coast Air Quality Management District will receive $217,000 to establish a compressed natural gas fueling station in Murrieta, Calif.
• The City of Riverside will receive $200,000 to construct a compressed natural gas station at the city's water quality control plant.