Southern Energy Management, the folks who built the rig put out a time lapse piece that we thought was cool.

by the National Biodiesel Board at a ceremony in Kansas City, Missouri.

Steve Howell of Mark IV Consulting and Technical Director of the National Biodiesel Board and Rachel Burton in Kansas City

The annual award is focused on the technical advancement of biodiesel and has traditionally gone to scientists at federal laboratories or universities.  Burton’s work in enzymatic catalysis stands to open the biodiesel industry up to a large variety of new feedstocks that have not previously been considered useable for fuel production. Burton has also advanced the National Biodiesel Board’s diesel technicians training program with its recent ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) accreditation.

Burton has been producing biodiesel since 2002.  At Piedmont Biofuels she took the lead on fuel quality and analytics, and guided Piedmont into its BQ9000 quality accreditation.  She also founded the research endeavors at Piedmont, which lead to the development of the enzymatic catalysis process.

Burton has delivered technical papers and lectures on sustainable biodiesel production, on enzyme catalysis in biodiesel, and on other scientific breakthroughs in the fats and oils industry.  Her presentations have been well received in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Burton will be presenting at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s 24^th Industry Growth Forum on Wednesday, November 9th in Denver, Colorado to commercialize Piedmont’s enzyme biofuel process.

Piedmont Biofuels has emerged as America’s premiere community scale biodiesel producer.  It produces fuel from locally collected cooking oil, it designs and builds small-scale biodiesel plants, and it performs research on methods of improving the production process and enhancing sustainability.

For more information about Piedmont Biofuels, please see www.biofuels.coop or call 919-321-8260 or Burton at 919-444-3495.

For immediate release

The endeavor consists of an elevated 92.16 kilowatt solar array that will generate electricity above the north field of Piedmont Biofarm, while sustainable produce is harvested at the ground level. The nine-foot clearance of the solar photovoltaic system is designed specifically to encourage growing crops that thrive in partial shade.

“Double Cropping is a term we borrowed from the wind industry,” said Lyle Estill, co-founder of Piedmont Biofuels, and originator of the project.  “We intend to demonstrate the ability to make electricity and grow food in the same space at the same time.”

Estill noted that in some jurisdictions, solar installations are being banned on prime farmland.  “We need clean energy.  And we need sustainable food,” Estill said.  “This installation will enable both.”

Financing for the project has been provided by Michael and Amy Tiemann, who recently opened Manifold Recording, a world-class recording and production facility in Chatham County.  “The vision for this facility has always been based around sustainability.  When we began calculating the energy required to run this facility, we simultaneously envisioned how we could fit that into an overall sustainability plan.  Of all the options we considered, solar double-cropping was far and away the simplest, fastest, and best approach to meeting our energy needs without diminishing the rich agricultural potential of Chatham County.  What good is sustainable energy without sustainable agriculture?” said Tiemann.

Michael Tiemann also sits of the Board of Advisors for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and has a keen interest in both renewable energy and local food.  He created Miraverse Power and Light as an entity for this endeavor.

Doug Jones, the owner of Piedmont Biofarm, has been experimenting with partial shade crops for the past two growing seasons and will be farming beneath the array.  “As our agricultural zone changes, there are some vegetables that will benefit from some protection from the sun,” Jones said.

The 288-panel system is being installed by Southern Energy Management (SEM), a Morrisville-based company well known for utility scale solar arrays.  “We love this project because it challenges us to think about land use, climate change and where our food comes from, all at the same time,” said SEM co-founder Maria Kingery.  “This is the kind of project that made us want to get into the solar business in the first place and we hope to see many more projects like this in the future.”

A ribbon cutting for the array will be held at Piedmont Biofuels Eco-Industrial Park at 4 pm on October 21st.  The public is welcome to attend.

This Solar Double Cropping project represents two years of planning, design, and engineering which resulted in a formal docket assignment by the North Carolina Utilities Commission.

P.O. Box 6028

Austin, TX 78762

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Jeff Plowman

information@fuelresponsibly.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 10, 2011

Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance Unveils Sustainable Biodiesel Retail Pumps

Austin, TX – The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance, alongside SBA Business Member companies in three states unveiled the first retail locations scored through the Sustainability Report Card for biodiesel at the nozzle.   SBA Business members participated in this new system that scores biodiesel based on a host of requirements including: biodiesel feedstock type, feedstock origin, how the fuel was produced and how far it travelled to point of sale.  These questions and many others determine a numeric score for the fuel that translates into a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum rating for the biodiesel. This marks the first time a ‘Sustainability’ assurance program has been used for an alternative fuel at the retail level in the United States. Piedmont Biofuels of Pittsboro North Carolina, Pacific Biodiesel Hawaii and Sequential Biofuels Oregon will offer SBA scored sustainable biodiesel at a total of 8 retail pumps in three states, beginning August 1st, 2011. In addition to these 8 locations, the SBA plans on announcing more retail sites across the country throughout the rest of 2011.

“The SBA was founded in 2006 to create an independent certification system for sustainable biodiesel sold in this country” said SBA Executive Director, Jeff Plowman “these are the first of many stations to be scored nation-wide in the coming months.” The SBA teamed up with business members Piedmont Biofuels, Pacific Biodiesel and Sequential Biofuels for the first set of retail locations. “We’ve been waiting for a sustainability labeling system for years,  and we are delighted that our fuel scored at the top.  Not all  biodiesel is created equal.  Thanks to the SBA the driving public now  has a way to discern the difference between one biodiesel and  another,” said Lyle Estill president of Piedmont Biofuels.  “Piedmont is proud to be a member of the SBA and one of the first sites for labeled biodiesel in the U.S.”.

“Transparency is key to making informed decisions” said Jeff Plowman “this scoring tool will help American consumers make informed decisions about their fuel choice and I am confident we will see people choosing a more sustainable product.” While the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance is still working on an independent third party certification system, the retail biodiesel scoring system is clearly the first step toward accomplishing this goal. American consumers have seen successful programs like the Organic Food Certification and Free Trade Certifications take hold with certified retail products in every sector of consumerism. Sustainable, locally produced fuel is a natural next step in efforts to drive purchasing decisions toward local, environmentally and socially friendly products.

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For more information on the work of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance or to become a member visit their web site.