FuelCell Energy Inc announced that it had begun construction on its 1.4 megawatt SureSource 1500 biofuels fuel cell project in the city of San Bernardino. The project will work with the San Bernardino water treatment plant to create energy. As a result the San Bernardino Water Department will now run on energy created from biogas that is released from the water treatment plant. This is also significant because it helps solve the flare in biogas released from the wastewater treatment plant.

It is very good to see that more businesses and organizations adopt the use of carbon-reducing technologies like biofuel. While a lot of the push for biofuel is occurring in the automotive industry, biofuel can also have impact in other industries as seen in San Bernardino. In order to stop the spread of global warming we will need to make efforts in every area to curb carbon emissions. Ultimately, it is stories like this that are important in pushing for change and the overall expansion of biofuel use.

Voegele, E. (2020, May 7). Construction on biofuel fuel cell project begins in California. Bio Mass Magazine. Retrieved August 17, 2020, from http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/17027/construction-on-biofuel-fuel-cell-project-begins-in-california

Growth Energy, a group that represents producers and supporters of ethanol urged the California Air Resources Board to increase its use of higher biofuel blends. It was stated that higher biofuel blends are immediately ready for use and will both reduce air toxins, and greenhouse gases. With higher ethanol blends CARB could greatly help fight against global warming, all while reducing harmful toxins like carbon monoxide, benzene, and more from being present in the air. 

Organizations like Growth Energy are very beneficial for our future. Putting pressure on bigger organizations like CARB to push for more sustainable practices is very important. If more biofuel plants switch over to higher ethanol blends we will see an overall improvement in air quality, and decrease in carbon emissions. Ethanol biofuel also is very promising because research is being done to potentially harvest ethanol biofuel out of agricultural waste, a process that could end up being much more sustainable than other methods.

C. (2020, August 20). Growth Energy Encourages California to Embrace Biofuels. CStoreDecisions. Retrieved August 19, 2020, from https://cstoredecisions.com/2020/08/10/growth-energy-encourages-california-to-embrace-biofuels/

Travis Williams, a chemistry professor at USC discovered a new process for making biofuel out of cooking oil. Williams takes advantage of glycerol in the process, something that had been largely overlooked for years. With this new change to the overall conversion of cooking oil to biofuel it is finally profitable, and holds good promise for the future. Innovations made by others at USC are occurring too. For example, Dian Kim director of undergraduate programs has been making progress in the potential utilization of kelp along the Californian coast for biofuel.

Both of the recent innovations at USC are extremely promising for the future. By making the conversion of cooking oil to biofuel profitable, Williams has opened up a whole new door for biofuel manufacturers. This overall push towards biofuel can only help the industry grow moving forward. Kim’s research in the use of kelp for biofuel is also extremely impactful for the industry. If the project turns out to be a success it will be a great step for biofuel considering that kelp is among the world’s fastest growing organisms and would be a great ingredient for sustainability. Ultimately, it is great that innovations like these are being made in the industry because they will help push use for biofuel and lead to overall less fossil fuel use.\

Nightingale, S. (2020, March 10). USC researchers are creating the cheaper, cleaner fuels of the future. USC News. Retrieved August 17, 2020, from https://news.usc.edu/166340/biofuels-vegetable-oil-carinata-seeds-kelp-usc-research/

There has been a recent surge in Western oil refineries making the switch to biofuel plants. Phillips 66, and Marathon, both large oil companies have announced that they are converting refineries into biofuel. The cause of this is an increased biofuel profitability due to biofuel subsidies, and companies needing a way to stay in business amidst low oil demand. Beyond these two companies, many more have also started to make the switch and there are concerns whether the supply will exceed the demand for biofuel in California.

Overall the article once again reflects how the economy is truly what pushes change when it comes to fighting global warming. While this is all beneficial for the environment it is worth noting that biofuels aren’t perfect substitutes for oil. Biofuel can also have a high impact on the environment when considering the source used for the fuel. A surge in transferring over to biofuel is definitely a step in the right direction; however, it shows that fuel, in general, is around to stay in the auto industry for many years to come. With brand new biofuel plants companies show the move away from oil isn’t coming soon.

Tuttle, R. (2020, August 16). Western refineries converting to biofuel. Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved August 17, 2020, from https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/aug/16/western-refineries-converting-to-biofuel/?business

Phillips 66 the American multinational energy company announced that it would convert its Bay Area oil refinery to a biofuel plant. Oil refineries throughout the U.S. have been struggling to get by as a result of a lower demand for oil during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, many oil refineries are converting into biofuel plants to gain access to the provided government subsidies. With these subsidies biofuel is much more profitable, providing an attractive incentive to go green. 

This article is really reflective of the times we live in and why it is so hard to fight global warming in a very capitalistic society. It’s sad that it takes the threat of almost going out of business to make positive change. The fact is that if there were no subsidies for biofuel, then these oil companies wouldn’t make the switch. This is the challenge we face fighting climate change, most companies will never make the switch unless they know it is the only way to make a profit. In order to protect the Earth from global warming humans will need to make a serious change, and the example of California goes to show this is possible with big enough threats.

B. (2020, August 12). Phillips 66 is turning a California oil refinery into a biofuel plant. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 17, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-08-12/phillips-66-oil-refinery-biofuel-plant