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The 40B tax credit guidance and modified GREET model released today by U.S. Treasury begin to unlock the door for U.S. ethanol producers and farmers to participate in the emerging market for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). However, more work must be done to fully open the SAF market to ethanol and properly recognize the climate benefits of modern agriculture and biofuels, according to the Renewable Fuels Association.

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Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the final winners of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Clean Energy Education Prize in the Inspire Track.

DOE launched the HBCU Clean Energy Education Prize through the American-Made program to address the growing need for a robust and diverse clean energy workforce. Through two tracks, the prize awards nearly $8 million to HBCUs to help prepare the next generation of clean energy leaders.

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Across the globe people are talking about decarbonizing our future energy systems. But how do we actually get there?

Much of the answer lies in the distribution grid—the complex network we use to deliver electricity from power plants to homes, businesses, and other end users. Revamping our current distribution grid will be essential for enabling the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps, electric cooking, and more, ultimately driving large-scale electrification and decarbonization.

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The grid needs to change.

To electrify everything from vehicles to heating systems to stovetops, the U.S. grid must expand by about 57% and get more flexible, too. Solar and wind energy are the renewables most likely to dominate a future clean energy grid. But they are found primarily in remote areas, far from the hubs that need their power.

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Gerald A. Tuskan, a Corporate Fellow and director of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, or CBI, at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been selected as a DOE Distinguished Scientist Fellow, one of the highest honors bestowed by the agency’s Office of Science for outstanding scientific leadership and research community engagement.

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A next-generation biorefinery model holds the potential to produce biofuels and chemicals through a process that researchers say has proven to be more efficient in converting plant biomass.

The co-solvent enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation pretreatment process, or CELF, provides a use for the lignin portion of biomass. Because lignin provides rigidity to a plant cell wall, breaking it down can be difficult. Harsh pretreatment steps can render the lignin useless as a feedstock, leaving it suitable only for burning for process heat.

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When it comes to making fuel from plants, the first step has always been the hardest — breaking down the plant matter. A new study finds that introducing a simple, renewable chemical to the pretreatment step can finally make next-generation biofuel production both cost-effective and carbon neutral.

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In 2021, nearly a quarter of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions came from the transportation sector, with aviation being a significant contributor. While the growing use of electric vehicles is helping to clean up ground transportation, today’s batteries can’t compete with fossil fuel-derived liquid hydrocarbons in terms of energy delivered per pound of weight — a major concern when it comes to flying. Meanwhile, based on projected growth in travel demand, consumption of jet fuel is projected to double between now and 2050 — the year by which the international aviation industry has pledged to be carbon neutral.

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This series of lessons encompass the topics of bioenergy, biofuels, carbon impacts and life-cycle analysis. The lessons are designed for middle and high school students and have options for advanced students in each lesson. Additionally, the lessons meet Next Generation Science Standards. All these lessons can be adapted to meet the learning needs of grades 4-12.

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Dairy Waste To Power is a strongly visual, multimedia lesson. Students learn how dairy waste can be turned into a valuable renewable resource. Students find that what is often a waste disposal problem can produce electricity and a variety of other valuable, environmentally friendly resources.

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