These days, stakeholders are increasing the pressure on organizations and leaders to bring in investors quickly, leverage partner resources, conserve cash, limit hiring and travel. go capital light, generate cash and convert contacts into customers. It’s a time to “be seen” yet “go lean”. Yet, there are more molecules under development than ever, and all around the globe. In […]
It towers above the surrounding central Iowa countryside like the Launch Assembly Building lords it over Cape Canaveral — it’s the new DuPont cellulosic ethanol project, on the outskirts of the town of Nevada. Functional yet inspiring, imposing yet accessible — when it opens before year end 2014 it is sure to be a monumental addition […]
By Mary Rosenthal Executive Director, Algae Biomass Organization I had the privilege of sitting in the Science, Space, & Technology Committee Room of the Rayburn House Office Building last month for the launch of the new Congressional Algae Caucus with its bi-partisan chairmen, Republican Matt Salmon of Arizona and Democrat Scott Peters of California. They, […]
by Mary Rosenthal Executive Director, Algae Biomass Organization What’s the secret to commercializing a new technology? Recently Jonathan Silver, the former head of the Department of Energy’s loan guarantee program, discussed how that program has an approximately 97% success rate, despite a few well-known failures. As the algae industry closes in on the launch of […]
By Douglas Faulkner, “The Cleantech Conservative” The International Energy Agency recently issued its World Energy Outlook 2012 with much press attention (and some misreporting), because of its dramatic projections about the emergence of new global energy landscape. Its main highlight: The U.S. could become, in less than a decade, the largest oil producer in the […]
By Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director, Algal Biomass Organization In the past few weeks we’ve seen and heard a lot of chatter about high gas prices, domestic energy and biofuels – algae biofuels in particular. Some took the opportunity to turn President Obama’s support for algae into a liability for him, and the algae industry into […]
Federal loan guarantees may be scuttled after the Solyndra affair – but should the baby really be thrown out with the bathwater? By Brent Erickson, Executive VP, BIO, Industrial Biotechnology & Environment Section Federal loan guarantee programs for bioenergy may be headed for demise – death by 1.2 trillion cuts. The recent Solyndra scandal is […]
Consider this: Every time the price of a barrel of imported oil rises one dollar, it costs the Navy $31 million in increased fuel costs. The result is that the military must run fewer operations and complete fewer training exercises. Our nation imagines itself the most free and secure in the world, yet this statistic […]
By Brent Erickson, Digest columnist and Executive Vice-President, BIO Industrial and Environment Section The Renewable Fuel Standard is the key foundation policy supporting the commercial development of advanced biofuels. It is not working as fast as some would like, but given the current economic situation it is indeed working. A handful of advanced biofuel companies […]
by Brent Erickson, Executive VP, BIO As any number of economic analysts have noted, continued policy uncertainty is holding businesses back from the hiring and investment needed to get the economy moving again. The advanced biofuel industry has been trying to deploy pioneering technology in the midst of the recent economic downturn. Additional uncertainty over […]
