Energy Literacy Advocates Newsroom
Energy Literacy Advocates (ELA) is a non-partisan, non-profit, public education and advocacy group dedicated to improving the energy literacy of all sectors of our democracy in order to empower a comprehensive national energy policy that is responsible and sustainable. Stay tuned for updated energy news!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ethanol Conversion Untruths
By Bob Gordon
President and Co-publisher
The Auto Channel
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/05/25/462650.html
Originally published May 25, 2009There are a growing number of automotive aftermarket companies offering E85 Flex-fuel conversion kits for many of the U.S.’s 192 million EFI equipped cars and trucks. Vehicles that if converted to run on Ethanol would save American drivers billions of dollars each year and stop our support of the Oil Cartel that has been strangling our country for the past 50 years while also making Mother Earth a lot happier.
Be aware that it is illegal and against federal law to install these devices EXCEPT for a certain make and year that Flex Fuel U.S. has gotten EPA certification on. Doing so carries a $10K fine for "Fuel System Tampering".
So what’s the problem you ask.
There seems to be a concerted campaign to slow up or prevent the support of converting existing gasoline powered vehicles into cars and trucks that run on Ethanol. The next generation Ethanol made from U.S. farmer grown switchgrass or as most of us know it as plain old hay. We believe that E85 could be our best stopgap in the, must happen, move away from gasoline powered vehicles into a EV-Motoring sustainable future.
As a good example of misinformation, some of you may have watched Pat Goss the in house mechanic and “expert” on Motor Week, the long running PBS TV car show and pass on what we have now discovered is just GM propaganda.(See Complete Story Below)
The premise of the Motor Week story was to illustrate the enormity of a Flex Fuel retrofit conversion of a GM/Chevy’s 5.3L engine & fuel system, an engine available as both a gasoline and flex fuel version to power the Tahoe, Silverado and Suburban would be. The gist of the story was to show how different most of the main parts of the Flex Fuel version was from the gasoline powered version.
Well what was shown and discussed just wasn't accurate or even true!
Just today I have been made aware of a presentation that the Ohio BioSystems Cooperative has put together to show some of the misconceptions and untruths about E85 can hurt our nation.
A section in the Ohio BioSystems presentation contains side by side part numbers for both the Flex Fuel and Gasoline versions of the 5.3L engine, they show a comparison of the part numbers of these OE parts as listed in the GM inventory... and folks, over 85% carry the SAME PART NUMBER for both the gasoline powered version and Flex Fuel Version…85% are the exact same part.
Below you will can see the parts, which are linked to the appropriate page in the Ohio BioSystems presentation, the red highlights show the part numbers that are different but in fact may be the exact same part.
Fuel Caps, Fuel Pump, Fuel Tank(Plastic), Vapor Canister, Fuel Tank Sender, Fuel Filler Hose, Fuel Rail, Engine Control Module, Intake Valve, Exhaust Valve, Piston Rings, Intake Manifold Gasket, Intake Valve Seal.
As you saw, over 85% of the part numbers were EXACTLY THE SAME, leading to our conclusion that maybe the conversion of certain gasoline engines to flex fuel is really not such a big deal...it's the only way to take our existing fleet and make it green and fuzzy.
The Motor Week misinformation example is just an easy one for me to point to,(and I like easy) but there are many, many others.
I have talked with manufactures of Ethanol conversion kits and other bright smart engineers, inventors and entrepreneurs who want to do what’s right for their customers, our country and the ecology and instead of getting support and encouragement from our government they are getting roadblocks from the EPA…roadblocks, while our nation is losing our most precious asset, our children in the defense of our need for oil to power our cars and trucks to maintain the freedom of mobility that our country is proud of...road blocks, huh?
You can read the complete presentation here for your self (but don't forget the Rolaids and your anger control breathing): http://www.ohiobiosystems.org/OBSC-NTEP_files/frame.htm
Let me know what you think; bgordon@theautochannel.com
Labels: automakers, biofuels
posted by Jamie Lang at 1:13 PM
0 comments
Thursday, September 17, 2009
New Renewables Project to Evaluate More Viable Biofuel

Labels: biofuels, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:16 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
British Show Demonstrates Biodiesel
Curious about how biodiesel is actually made? This video from Top Gear, a British automotive television program, briefly demonstrates one way to convert used vegetable oil into diesel fuel.
If video appears as unavailable, click here to find it online.
Labels: biofuels
posted by Amanda Voss at 12:17 PM
0 comments
Thursday, July 30, 2009
New Federal Loans Released for Renewable Energy
Labels: biofuels, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 11:51 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Some Big Oil Companies to Experiment with Biofuels

Labels: biofuels, energy sources, oil companies, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 10:26 AM
0 comments
Friday, April 17, 2009
Government Releases New Report on Biofuels
The renewable fuel standard calls for Americans to use 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022, up from the current 9 billion today.
The biofuels report argues that the nation needs to increase the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline, as well as make it easier for biofuels plants and pipelines to get government permits and make it easier to transport ethanol.
To read the full article in the New York Times, click here.
Labels: biofuels, energy sources, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:08 AM
0 comments
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Largest Independent Oil Refiner Buys Up Ethanol Plants
The purchase comes as a boost for the ethanol market. VeraSun filed for Chaper 11 bankruptcy in the fall of 2008, amidst economic woes. Valero plans for the plants include using the ethanol produced there to blend with traditional gasoline, satisfying the 10 percent blend requirement.
The Valero purchase of an ethanol plant is the first in the U.S. by a traditional refiner, pumping cash into the industry at a time of tight credit. It also signals a new alignment of traditional and renewable energy industries.
Given the economic travails facing renewable energy industries, the ethanol industry is additionally pressing the Obama administration to raise the 10 percent blend limit in most gasoline blends to as high as 15 percent to bolster demand for biofuels.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: biofuels, economy, oil companies, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 7:34 AM
0 comments
Monday, March 2, 2009
USDA Signals Support for Domestic Biofuels
Vilsack also highlighted the cooperation between the USDA and the Department of Energy to forward research efforts and identify new feedstocks for biofuels. The two agencies are parterning in hopes to identify valuable fuel stocks which can alleviate the pressue on foodstocks. Last year, corn-based ethanol received heightened scrutiny, as it drove up food prices and presented ethical debates on food versus fuel production.
“My view is that we have the capacity and the ability to do both and need to do both. If we’re to meet the President’s instruction that he wants more energy production out of our farm fields and ranches, and if we are going to turn this economy around and become less reliant on fossil fuels, we’ve got to create more biofuel,” Vilsack remarked.
To read the entire article, click here.
Labels: biofuels, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 11:12 AM
0 comments
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Practical Applications in Our New Energy Future: Continental Runs Biofuel-Powered Flight
"HOUSTON (AP) - Continental Airlines is the first U.S. commercial carrier to conduct a demonstration flight powered in part by alternative fuels.
The Houston-based company, the nation's fourth-largest airline, made the flight Wednesday with a Boeing 737-800 that left from Bush Intercontinental Airport, its large hub. The flight was expected to last about two hours and return to the airport around 3 p.m. EST.
Continental chairman and chief executive Larry Kellner said the goal of Wednesday's flight was to analyze technical aspects of using biofuels, including effects on the plane's engines. But he and others acknowledged it's likely several years, a decade perhaps, before biofuels make up a significant percentage of the fuel used by Continental and other major carriers."
Labels: biofuels, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:41 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Year in Review: Bumpy Road to Market for Renewables
Fairing best in 2008, wind and solar companies will enjoy extended benefits in 2009, thanks to an extension package tied to the $700 billion Congressional financial bailout. The real economic squeeze has caught biofuel companies, particularly those with publicly traded stocks, which lost up to 95% of their value in 2008.
Despite a sober market forecast, renewable companies continue to enjoy set market shares for 2009, due to government mandates on renewable energy usage. Joseph Muscat, Ernst & Young's Americas director of cleantech and venture capital, predicts that clean energy and renewables will be the first economic segment to experience significant rebound.
To read the full Associated Press synopsis, click here.
Labels: biofuels, economy, energy, renewables
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:12 AM
0 comments
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thwarting the U.S. Oil Addiction: Falling Gas Prices & Consumer Behavior
This is positive news in the face of dire reports fearing low gas prices would bring about America's return to inefficient SUVs and high gasoline consumption.
Falling gas prices still concern industry experts, who fear a 1970's repeat, wherein alternative fuels and technologies were abandoned after the drop in price at the pump. President-elect Barack Obama emphasized these concerns in his November 60 Minutes interview, stating that despite the drop in price, the urgency to diversify energy sources and provide a more stable supply remains.
Labels: biofuels, gas prices, oil price, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:58 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Practical Applications in Our New Energy Future: Colorado Colleges Embracing Alternative Fueled Fleets
In Boulder, the University of Colorado (CU) boasts the CU Biodiesel program, a non-profit student organization dedicated to advancing the use and knowledge of biodiesel, a vegetable based and clean-burning alternative to petroleum diesel. Many of CU's fleet vehicles have been converted to biodiesel, again earning monetary and environmental savings as compared to the use of traditional fossil fuels.
Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University, offers biodiesel, electric and hybrid electric vehicles for on-campus use, as well as a test track for alternative fueled vehicles.
Labels: biofuels
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:44 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Radical Change in Energy Department Predicted
Currently, the bulk of the $24 billion Deparment budget goes to mitigating issues surrounding nuclear weapons: maintaining the nation's nuclear weapons stockpiles, cleaning up sites used to produce those weapons, or dealing with non-proliferation issues. Only $4 billion is allocated for energy research and development, with only $650 million put towards renewable fuels.
While its role in supervising nuclear affairs will never be abandoned, the new agency is likely to reverse current spending trends, expanding the R&D budget, with particular focus on renewable fuels, while also focusing on greater conservation efforts. Additional agenda items will likely be laying out a role for the Department in curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.
To read the full article, click here.
Labels: biofuels, election 2008, energy policy, energy sources, renewables, u.s. energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 9:44 AM
0 comments
Monday, December 8, 2008
Practical Applications in Our New Energy Future: Pond Scum for Fuel?
While many questions surrounding this technology remain, including how well this science functions in full-scale production, algae-based fuels avoid the moral dillemma that corn and foodstock-based fuels face.
To visit Solazyme's website, click here.
To explore the scientific theory behind algae fuels, click here.
Labels: biofuels
posted by Amanda Voss at 8:19 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
What a Depression Means for Alternative Energy
While alternative energy meant big business in the first half of 2008, with over $13 billion invested, investments and large-scale projects have dwindled in the final quarters, according to New Energy Finance, a market research firm based in London. Some fear that the decline in oil prices, coupled with a staggering economy, could doom alternative energy in a way reminiscent of the 1970s.
Yet observers say there are strong reasons for optimism about the alternative energy industry. Geopolitics has made clean energy and energy security a national priority in many countries, including the United States. The government has a host of support mechanisms for the nascent industry, including state and federal mandates for alternative-energy use, as well as subsidies and tax credits. Alternative-energy technologies are now much better, and hold more demonstrable promise, than in the 1970s. Alternative energy also has the support of science and agencies, demonstrated by the latest World Energy Outlook report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which suggests that oil production could decline more rapidly than previously thought.
In the end, alternative energy groups are facing the same challenges as other businesses during this tough economy, but unlike the 1970s, this time the experts are betting on green.
To read the full MIT Technology Review article, click here.
Labels: biofuels, economy, energy sources
posted by Amanda Voss at 1:43 PM
0 comments
Developments in the Markets: Economy & Oil
Despite the precipitous decline in prices, OPEC leaders tabled an additional production cut at the November 29 summit, delaying the decision until the next meeting. Not all OPEC members have complied with recent cuts, as indicated by the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned producer statement that it would provide full contractual volumes to Asian refiners.
Additionally, the drop in crude oil prices has forced demand and prices for biofuel components, such as palm oil, down.
To read more from Bloomberg's summary of oil market activity, click here.
posted by Amanda Voss at 1:33 PM
0 comments
Thursday, March 20, 2008
EPA Accepting Proposals for Clean Diesel Project
The EPA estimates that projects will likely include engine upgrades, cleaner fuel use, and vehicle or equipment replacement. To learn more about this campaign, click here.
Labels: biofuels, energy policy
posted by Amanda Voss at 1:13 PM
0 comments
Friday, March 7, 2008
GM Aims at More Efficient Ethanol in New Partnership
While cheaper than gasoline, ethanol currently available to drivers is also 25 to 30 percent less efficient than the fossil fuel. To overcome this limitation, Coskata's bioreformer method utilizes a refined microbial blend to produce a 99.7 pure ethanol end product, avoiding additional end costs which plague catalytic production systems.
GM and Coskata plan to open a 40,000 gallon capacity demonstration facility later this year, with a 100 million gallon production facility slated for 2011.
The full article is available on page 37 in the April 2008 edition of "Motor Trend," Volume 60, Number 4.
Labels: biofuels
posted by Amanda Voss at 3:37 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Problem with Biofuels
Feb 27, 2008
Washington Post
The Problem With Biofuels
More proof that there are no easy solutions to climate change
Wednesday, February 27, 2008; A16
As the United States searches for alternative ways to feed its addiction to petroleum, ethanol and other biofuels derived from organic material have been considered a miracle motor vehicle elixir. The energy bill signed by President Bush in December mandates that at least 36 billion gallons of biofuels a year be used by 2020. Yet separate studies released this month by Princeton University and the Nature Conservancy reveal that biofuels are not a silver bullet in the battle against global warming. In fact, they could make things worse.
Corn and sugar cane are common sources of ethanol. Aside from emitting fewer greenhouse gases than coal or oil when burned as fuel, these biofuel crops remove carbon from the atmosphere while they are growing -- thus making them nearly carbon-neutral. But the studies show that ethanol may be even more dangerous for the environment than fossil fuels are. As the Princeton study points out, clearing previously untouched land to grow biofuel crops releases long-sequestered carbon into the atmosphere. While planting corn and sugar cane in already tilled land is fine, a problem arises when farmers churn up new land to grow more fuel or the food and feed displaced by biofuel crops.
The impact of these land-use changes is enormous. As the study from the Nature Conservancy warns, "converting rainforests, peatlands, savannas, or grasslands to produce biofuels in Brazil, Southeast Asia and the United States creates a 'biofuel carbon debt' by releasing 17 to 420 times more carbon dioxide than the fossil fuels they replace." There are other negative effects. Massive amounts of water are needed to irrigate cornfields, setting up potential competition between farms and homes. The runoff of pesticides and nitrogen-based fertilizers used by farmers could lead to increased pollution and oxygen-depleted waterways. The natural gas used to make the fertilizer adds to the carbon deficit created by biofuels.
An essay in the May-June 2007 issue of Foreign Affairs by two professors from the University of Minnesota highlighted still another problem: The biofuels craze could starve people. "By putting pressure on global supplies of edible crops, the surge in ethanol production will translate into higher prices for both processed and staple foods around the world," they wrote. "If oil prices remain high -- which is likely -- the people most vulnerable to the price hikes brought on by the biofuel boom will be those in countries that both suffer food deficits and import petroleum."
The problems with corn-based ethanol, long regarded as a transitional fuel source, have been debated for years. One alternative is to squeeze ethanol out of cellulose from switch grass, cornhusks and other biomass sources. But because cellulosic ethanol remains experimental, it might be years before it makes it from the laboratory to the gas tank. It all adds up to another example that there is no quick, cheap and easy way to confront the menace of global warming.
Labels: biofuels
posted by Jamie Lang at 12:01 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Green Dreams
Read the article here.
Labels: biofuels
posted by Jamie Lang at 1:32 PM
0 comments
Friday, February 22, 2008
End of the Oil Age
Read the article here.
Labels: biofuels, energy policy
posted by Jamie Lang at 2:32 PM
0 comments
Friday, February 8, 2008
Study: Ethanol Worse for Climate Than Gasoline?
This is where the future of biofuels likely rests. On lands that are not currently used for farming (such as a huge swath of the great plains in the US) and where a net carbon gain could be realized by planting cellulosic type crops for biofuels production.
Read the article here.
Labels: biofuels
posted by Jamie Lang at 3:59 PM
1 comments
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Biofuels May Threaten Environment, UN Warns
Read the article here.
Labels: biofuels, environment
posted by Jamie Lang at 6:09 AM
0 comments
Friday, January 11, 2008
The Price of Biofuels
Access the article here (you will need to register for free to view this article - but its worth it!)
Labels: biofuels, economy, energy policy
posted by Jamie Lang at 2:57 PM
0 comments

