Read the renewable energy story
In our story about renewable energy in the
Spring 2005 newsletter,
we incorrectly reported information about Iowa's growing
ethanol industry.
Energy analyst L. Hunter Lovins said that compared to
Germany, Iowa still had a lot of room for growth in the use
of alternative fuels, but she was speaking about biodiesel
and not ethanol. Biodiesel, most commonly produced from
soybean oil, is a clean-burning alternative to petroleum
diesel. According to the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources, a 100 percent biodiesel blend can lower carbon
monoxide emissions by 44 percent and particulate matter
emissions by 40 percent.
The National Biodiesel Board estimates that the 32 biodiesel
plants in the United States produced about 30 million
gallons in 2004, but that on average production and demand
have been doubling every year. Iowa is a leader in soy
biodiesel production with three facilities; a fourth plant
under construction near Wall Lake will have the capacity to
produce 30 million gallons a year.
In contrast, Lovins said Germany produces about 750 million
gallons of biodiesel every year.
Ethanol fuel made from corn, however, has widespread use in
the United States. According to the Renewable Fuels
Association, 85 ethanol plants in the United States can
produce about 3.8 billion gallons of fuel. Iowa has 17
ethanol facilities and with three major expansions and four
new plants under construction will have the capacity to
produce 900 million gallons each year. -- Leopold Letter
editor Laura Miller
|