[Graeme]

Yes I agree. Everybody ought to have an electric car with solar panels. At this point, these have limitations. For example, Ford's C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid.

Even with a full day of blazing sunlight, the eight-kilowatt-capacity panels wouldn't capture enough energy to fully charge the car's lithium-ion battery. So Ford, along with the Georgia Institute of Technology, developed a flat acrylic lens to stand over the car in a canopy that can marshal sunlight from a larger area. The lens would act like a magnifying glass and concentrate sunlight onto the car, boosting solar uptake eightfold. It would take about seven hours of sunlight to fully charge the battery, which could then power the car for an estimated 21 miles (33.8 kilometers) before a gas engine kicks in.

But this thread is not about solar-powered electric cars, it's about renewable biofuel produced by Cool Planet for the existing fleet.

[rollin]

Hasn't anybody realized that Ford or any of the big deal car manufacturers do not know how to build electric cars? Pathetic. They are stuck in an old style design and manufacturing paradigm.

Amateurs are doing much better than they are with a lot less funding.

[ROCKMAN]

Graeme - "They're not going to spend $56 million on a pilot plant if its a scam." Of course they could. I've seen many tens of $millions spent on scams just in the oil patch. The key to making money with a scam is to use someone else's money while taking a cut off the top for yourself. Of course I can't judge if this project is a scam or not since I don't know the details. But just because someone spends a huge amount of capex on a project doesn't mean it's the smart thing to do. We can just review the actions of the US govt for the last 5 decades or so to prove that. LOL.

And I didn't criticize anyone. I just reference facts. If those facts knock someone's opinion sp be it. But that's not a criticism. Just the facts, mister.

[SteveO]

Cool Planet's technology turns biomass into green fuels and biochar and has the ability to be carbon negative.

I'm curious as to how this technology can possibly be carbon negative.

That is part of the bait and switch of these schemes. Folks want to believe that some new technology is able to both reduce carbon emission and also make us energy independent. This report does it again. It confuse emission mitigation with net-positive energy return, both laudable qualities but not necessarily connected.

Thanks pstarr, that's exactly what I thought, but I was afraid I was being too cynical. I guess that proves that it's not possible to be too cynical when it comes to "green" claims.

[Graeme]

Here are some more "facts" from the Cool Planet website. Yes ROCK, it is understandable that you you have interest in this topic because soon you will have another competitor.

Cool Planet’s patented technology is comprised of three revolutionary core components:

Biomass Pyrolysis: Biomass is processed through a mechanical system that uses pressure and heat to create streams of useful hydrocarbon components. Cool Planet’s sources of biomass include corn stover, wood chips, and fast growing, non-food energy crops such as miscanthus.

Catalytic Conversion: Cool Planet has developed a number of proprietary catalytic conversion processes to convert these useful hydrocarbon components into different types of fuels. One of our catalytic conversion processes creates a high-octane gasoline blend stock that can be used in today’s standard automobiles requiring no change to existing conventional fuel distribution systems.

Carbon Capture: Once the useful components for fuel have been removed, the biofractionation captures the leftover plant matter in a solid carbon form called biochar. This excess carbon is highly porous and has beneficial water and nutrient retaining capabilities. By creating renewable fuel and sequestering the biochar in the ground as soil enhancer, we permanently remove atmospheric CO2 for hundreds of years.

Due to the company’s patented technology and biochar products, our green fuels have the capability to be carbon negative, beating the carbon footprints of electric and natural gas alternatives.

[ralfy]

It can't be a circular diagram because of the need for profit and return on investment.

[SteveO]

Due to the company’s patented technology and biochar products, our green fuels have the capability to be carbon negative, beating the carbon footprints of electric and natural gas alternatives.

Sorry, but I'm still stuck on this carbon negative claim. It's been very long time since I took chemistry and thermodynamics, but I do still remember some basics.

Cool Planet has a feed stock with some amount of energy in it in the form of carbon compounds. The literature says that they use heat and pressure along with a catalyst to produce liquid fuels. Where did that heat and pressure come from? If my failing memory serves, it takes energy to heat and to pressurize materials. Unless that energy is from solar power, doesn't that consume part of the feedstock? Or power from the grid which is most likely fossil fuel generated? If so, wouldn't that release CO2 making the process carbon positive?

I just want to be sure I'm not way off base if I'm calling bullsh!t on this claim.

If that is claim is rubbish, why should anyone believe anything else they publish?

[Graeme]

Cool Planet's biochar production has a trade mark so the public does know exactly how they make it. However, the process has been nationally and internationally recognised.

Cool Planet's Cool Terra? Biochar Receives International Biochar Initiative's 1st Certification, California Organic Certification, and Support from United Nations Environment Program

Cool Planet Energy Systems, a developer of small-scale bio refineries for the conversion of non-food biomass into biofuels and soil enhancing biochar, announced today that their biochar soil amendment product "Cool Terra TM" is being recognized both in the United States and internationally with certifications and endorsements. These announcements show the leadership role Cool Planet has taken in the broad field of Agricultural soil amendments. The recent certifications complete the requirements needed to begin commercial biochar shipments in 2014.

"It has been a great year for Cool Planet, and the Cool Planet biochar research team. After announcing successful field trial results for Cool Terra TM at the 2013 US Biochar conference, we now have the ability to produce and ship commercial volumes in 2014," said Rick Wilson, Vice President of the Cool Planet Biochar Group.

Cool Planet biochar has recently received certification from the California Department of Food and Agriculture to be classified as a commercial Organic Product. This validates Cool Terra TM for use in organic farming, in addition to its role as a high-performance biochar soil amendment.

Cool Planet is also the 1st company with a product to be certified by the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) (http://www.biochar-international.org/ce ... _directory) for having met the criteria established in their most recent standards. This includes a standardized product definition, testing guideline, and how the product will be used in the soil.

In addition, Cool Planet has been recognized by The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), stating "[We are] pleased to support the biochar applications in commercial agriculture being conducted by Cool Planet Energy Systems."

A recent UNEP publication1 has concluded that, "Storing carbon in soil for centuries while making nutrient-poor soils fertile, reduce the need for polluting fertilizers, conserve water and prevent desertification, this ancient technique may prove to be part of the solution to 21st century problems."

The company plans to continue expanding application opportunities with selected partners in the agricultural community with its commercial product release in 2014. With the necessary certifications received and extremely successful field trials, the company plans to ship thousands of tons of commercial product in 2014.

Cool Planet CEO Howard Janzen stated, "Our investors have always seen us as both a biofuels and biochar company. With U.N. recognition and organic certification from California, Cool Terra TM will see significant sales in 2014 and rapid growth in future years to serve multiple segments of the global Ag market."

Cool Planet's commercial trials with California and Florida farmers have shown accelerated growth rates, and yield improvements consistently averaging 60%, with input fertilizer and water reductions of 40%, enabling cost-effective farming in regions that are currently restricted due to structured drought issues.

4-traders

[Graeme]

Renewable fuels and biochar company Cool Planet closes on $100M Series D financing

Cool Planet Energy Systems, a renewable fuels and biochar company (earlier post), closed on its targeted $100 million Series D financing. All of the current strategic and venture investors added to their investment in this round, and the company significantly broadened its investor base with more than 50% of equity funds from new investors coming from outside the US. The private placement has been jointly led by UBS and Goldman Sachs.

Cool Planet’s green fuels are chemically identical to fossil fuels, with one of the lowest capital costs in the industry. The company’s process also produces a biochar-based product called CoolTerra that has the capability of making the fuel “carbon negative,” reversing the consequences of CO2 build-up from fossil fuels, the company says. Used as a soil amendment, its CoolTerra biochar product also increases crop productivity and plant health while reducing water and fertilizer requirements.

Cool Planet is moving aggressively to commercialize its technology and scale production of its renewable fuel and CoolTerra products. The company broke ground on its first biofuel production facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, on 26 February 2014. The plant is expected to produce 10 million gallons per year of high-octane, renewable fuel and gasoline blendstocks, as well as CoolTerra biochar products. The company has begun selling CoolTerra for use in commercial agriculture and recently signed an agreement with Organic Waste Solutions (OWS) for water treatment and remediation.

North Bridge Venture Partners and Concord Energy were the lead investors for the round. Funding also came from existing investors BP, Energy Technology Ventures (GE, ConocoPhillips and NRG Energy), Google Ventures and the Constellation division of Exelon.

Cool Planet’s business model of building small-scale facilities located close to the biomass fuel source provides one of the lowest capital costs in the industry, enabling the company to compete directly with the traditional oil industry. Frost and Sullivan recently honored Cool Planet with a Technology Innovation Leadership Award for 2014.

greencarcongress

[Graeme]

Cool Planet: can biochar fertilize soil and help fight climate change?

Although market information and long-term impacts remain unknown, a biofuel byproduct can store carbon and enhance soil quality – and its market is growing despite higher costs

Napa Valley grower Eckhard Kaesekamp is very pleased with a certain group of around 20,000 grapevines he has been nurturing. Their yield has been 5% better than what he’d expected. Their root mass is greater than his other vines as well – which means they’ll hold water better. In drought-hit California, that’s gold.

Kaesekamp, whose Knights Grapevine Nursery supplies vines and rootstocks to the region’s wineries, believes these vines did especially well thanks to a soil treatment called CoolTerra – a product made from a carbon-rich substance called “biochar” that is supposed to improve soil fertility and increase water and nutrient retention.

Cool Planet Energy Systems – the startup company that manufactures CoolTerra – formed to produce a biofuel replacement for gasoline. The master plan was and remains to use wood chips, corn stover and non-food crops as the feedstocks for this fuel. The firm always intended to have a side venture in selling the byproducts as biochar. But right now, the business is all about CoolTerra – which is bringing in modest amounts of revenue.

The textbook definition of biochar is a solid material resulting from the carbonization – the elimination of water and volatile chemicals – from plant matter.

Inspired by the fertility of the biochar-rich Amazonian soil called terra preta, enthusiasm for biochar soil and water additives has grown in recent years. Biochar is said to enhance soil quality by increasing its microbe content – improving yields while requiring less water and fertilizer. In water, it acts like a filtration agent. And biochar is potentially a tool to fight climate change because it can sequester and hold carbon in the soil for a long time.

When asked for its assessment of biochar’s market potential, Cool Planet responded: “Biochar-based soil enhancement is a nascent market” concentrated in the food and energy sectors. “We believe the potential global market for CoolTerra could be measured in millions of tons annually.”

theguardian

[Graeme]

Cool Planet Begins Commercial Production of its Advanced CoolTerra™ Product

Cool Planet Energy Systems, a technology company that develops sustainable solutions for energy, food and water, has unveiled its first commercial-scale production facility for its CoolTerra™ soil amendment. The new manufacturing facility is located in Camarillo, California.

CoolTerra™ is a highly porous soil enhancer engineered to retain water and fertilizer for improving soil health and productivity. For farmers and growers in the Western U.S. and elsewhere, the commercially available amendment gives them the ability to maintain or improve their crop yield, even in drought conditions with less water and fertilizer. Reducing fertilizer use mitigates water pollution from farm runoff.

“This is an important step for our company, and we believe for the agriculture industry more broadly,” said Howard Janzen, President and CEO of Cool Planet. “We have developed a technologically-advanced soil amendment that enables farmers and growers to increase their crop yields with the same watering levels, and in drought conditions under water restrictions, to maintain overall production levels.”

In a recent field trial testing the effectiveness of CoolTerra™ on high-value strawberry crops, CoolTerra™ increased production by 56 percent with normal watering levels and with 40 percent less fertilizer. In recent turf grass trials with a municipality, CoolTerra™ enabled water use to be cut in half while improving the overall appearance of the lawns.

“Based on the results of our scientifically-designed field trials and the early interest that we’re seeing from growers, we know that this advanced soil amendment offers a compelling solution for addressing drought conditions and water restrictions,” said Rick Wilson, Vice President, CoolTerra™ Business for Cool Planet. “While untreated soil allows water and nutrients to evaporate or leach into the ground, away from the root zone of plants, CoolTerra™ retains water and nutrients in the root zone due to its engineered properties.”

“In addition to the results we’ve seen in drought-stricken California, we’ve also begun trialing CoolTerra™ in the Middle East to enhance crop yields in the arid desert climate,” said Janzen. ”And we’re actively exploring other international market opportunities.

businesswire

[Graeme]

USDA provides $91M loan guarantee to Cool Planet for biogasoline blendstock plant; biomass pyrolysis and catalytic conversion

USDA has reached an agreement with Silicon Valley Bank to provide a $91-million Biorefinery Assistance Program loan guarantee to Cool Planet to help the company finish construction on an advanced biofuel plant at the Port of Alexandria in Louisiana. (Earlier post.)

Cool Planet has devised a biomass-to-liquids thermochemical conversion process that simultaneously produces liquid fuels and sequesterable biochar useful as a soil amendment. The Cool Planet plant will produce approximately 8 million to 10 million gallons of high-octane, renewable gasoline blendstocks (reformate), as well the biochar, all made from sustainable wood residues.

Often referred to as a “drop-in” fuel, reformate is an ingredient in gasoline and jet fuel that can be added during the regular refinery process. Reformate enhances the energy content of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel; biofuels such as ethanol are fuel additives that are instead blended into a finished product to oxygenate fuel. Pine chips will be the feedstock source for the Cool Planet facility, but the company can use almost any type of renewable cellulosic material.

Cool Planet’s patented technology comprises three main components:

greencarcongress

[Graeme]

Drive your car, help fight climate change? The new biofuel that claims to be carbon negative

he entrepreneurs and innovators at Colorado-based Cool Planet are betting that a word you’ve probably never heard is about to change the world. “Pyrolysis” refers to a process that involves heating materials to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. The result, says Wes Bolsen, Cool Planet’s head of development, is a biofuel that mixes seamlessly with gasoline and actually removes carbon from the atmosphere.

“There’s a massive benefit for climate change,” he says.

Cool Planet’s first production facility is slated to come online in 2016 and be fully operational in 2017, Bolsen says. If the company’s plans play out as intended, its approach could change the fuel business. But with the possible exception of ethanol – which itself remains controversial – biofuel innovations have a long history of promising big change and then fizzling, leaving the petroleum-based status quo firmly in place.

Bolsen, however, is confident that Cool Planet, founded in 2009, has what it takes to both foment environmental change and grow into a thriving business. First, there’s the technology. Cool Planet’s process uses wood chips, agricultural waste products or other nonfood organic matter, heating them in a pyrolysis unit to temperatures as high as 500C. The vapors that are emitted by the heated biomass are channeled through a proprietary catalyst and then condensed into a biofuel that Bolsen says is molecularly identical to conventional fossil fuels.

Further, according to Bolsen, the organic matter left over from the process can be enhanced and sold as a soil additive that retains moisture so well, it allows farmers to reduce their water use. This biochar product, which the company has branded CoolTerra, decomposes very slowly, which means it can lock carbon into the earth – and keep it out of the air – for hundreds of years, he said. This effect is why the company labels the whole production process “carbon negative.”

theguardian

[careinke]

And what do they use to heat the wood chips?