Shockers in the 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy

December 7, 2010 |

Our picks for most underrated company?

American Process at #97 and Fiberight at #85 got short shrift from the voters this year, and Targeted Growth has an outstanding story in camelina and aviation fuels.

We think INEOS Bio was cruelly under-rated at #43 – way more progress towards commercialization in the past 12 months, and getting not nearly enough love from the voters. At #45, Fulcrum Bioenergy was a shocker – after all, this is the first company to get a term sheet on a DOE Loan Guarantee since, well, the year dot.

KL Energy made a lot of progress towards commercialization, including a major partnership with Petrobras, and backed up to #46. Neste became, by a factor of five, the largest advanced biofuels producer in the world this year – yet reached only #29 in the rankings. Algenol made huge strides – including opening a state-of-the-art R&D center in Florida, and yet did not progress beyond the mid-20s. Inbicon is the largest producer at this time of cellulosic ethanol, but ended up at #50!

We also noted that TMO Renewables signed a huge licensing agreement this year for multiple plants using their technology, but remained out of the Hot 50 at #61. Propel has been expanding all year – how did it end up at #66?

Not to mention the outstanding progress towards commercialization made by Glycos Bio, who may have suffered because most of its efforts were in Malaysia – out of sight, out of mind for many voters. But we think they should have landed better than #70.

Our pick for most under-rated? We’d have to tap Renewable Energy Group, the leading biodiesel producer, coming in at #55, and Archer Daniels Midland, which missed out on the top 100 despite being the #2 ethanol producer, as the biggest surprises.

Category: Fuels

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