Monday, January 31, 2011

New stories on Range Fuels

"DOE plans to suspend federal support for the company’s operations and construction at this time, reducing future financial risk for the American taxpayers.”
"The fed should be hotly tracking every penny to see if any is recoverable from this scheme and if any criminality can be assigned to the CEO and officers."
Read the full story:

USDA guarantees loans for three others, but not for Range Fuels.
Good news this week for three cellulosic ethanol process developers when the USDA announced loan guarantees for Fulcrum, Ineos and Enerkem.
On the other hand, it appears Range Fuels is struggling. We were able to confirm a number of employees have been laid off, but the company has not responded to recent attempts to confirm another report in the local press. 
Read the full story:
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Friday, January 28, 2011

Range Fuels Main Venture Capitalist Vinod Khosla Has Been Revealed and Found Wanting



Vinod Khosla, the venture capitalist who brought us Range Fuels, and is now ready to swap technology.  The process that he touted so many years while the Soperton plant was under construction is no longer what he said it was, according to Robert Rapier latest blog, in which he quotes another source: “before it was ever built, it was known by many that it would have performance issues given the past failures of the technology in small scale with low hydrocarbon loaded fuels.”



In Treutlen County, we are wondering,  if  Range Fuels knew that problem way back when, why did they spend tens of millions of tax-payer dollars to build the plant?

THE RANGE FUELS WORST CRITIC SAYS: "In a nutshell, I view this as hogwash for reasons I detail below," as he went on to describe the continuing hype by Khosla leading to bankruptcy of one of his other ventures, Biofuels,  to the closing of the Range Fuels plant.

Rapier wrote about the years of delays, cost overruns, and the volume estimates that were continually reduced. Range Fuels finally ran a "batch", who knows how much?

“Why should anyone listen to him?” Rapier said: "Khosla has influenced the direction of our energy policy, and despite his failed prognostications he is still attempting to drive dollars in a specific direction. He is lobbying for money to be spent in certain areas, just as he did for Range Fuels five years ago. The question I would ask is “Why should anyone listen to him?”

"He may be a super nice guy and a genius in the field where he made his fortune, but he is still a novice in the energy field."

Read the whole article and be amazed:

Local leaders, all super nice guys,  are to be complimented for trying to bring something good to Treutlen County, and fortunately the local investment was meager compared to that of  the federal government (we, the taxpayers),  but we can't brag on the lack of oversight.  Why wasn't an expert in the technology retained to look over the whole project from the beginning?  Once Rapier's blog posts started appearing in the TREUTLEN E-NEWS, why didn't someone in local leadership give him a call?


As for Mr. Khosla, our attitude and that of all of America should be "Fool us once, shame on you.  Fool us twice, shame on us."

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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Miscellaneous Photos of 2010 - never published

August 26, 2010: Ricks was on his trip to
 Indian Springs and stopped by a new
Dollar General in east Macon.
HUGE! A half-dozen refrigerated cases,
15 long aisles, and about a third of the store
 for clothing (not pictured). Don't
we wish our DG was that big?

On the road again...making music with my friends.  Kennon Peebles is an excellent driver!

October 26, 2010: The CrowMart crew checked out a
Shoney's while on a business trip. The food was pronounced
delicious, even the low-fat meal.


November 23, 2010:  Gas prices went up to $2.71 and nine tenths, and  still going up.

Here's a good question.  Soperton has a very busy GA 29 Main Street which is crossed by U. S. 221, GA 56, GA 46, and
the same situation with GA 15 and GA 78. We've been told that the traffic is not severe enough to justify a speed minimum less than 35 MPH.  So, why does Wadley, with a U. S. 1 bypass for most of it's traffic and only one crossing highway on Business U.S. 1, and little traffic, as shown in the picture, has four 25 MPH signs on Business U. S. 1?
There is one 30 MPH sign in Soperton at the bottom of the Harrell's parking lot, with no business  there for months!




December 2, 2010: Heavy frost that morning, and the clouds were unusual on the way to Augusta.

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Monday, January 17, 2011

Will Range Run a Batch? Past or Future?




"... will shut down its Soperton, Georgia plant after an initial ethanol demonstration run in order to raise more capital and “tackle technical problems.”
"... Digest has learned that among those affected are the former Soperton plant manager."
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REPREVE Renewables Hosts Freedom brand Giant Miscanthus Field Day, January 13, 2011

Phillip Jennings with potted Freedom brand Giant Miscanthus 

What is Phillip Jennings growing?
He's growing biomass.

Biomass is a term for organic materials (plant and animal) used as renewable energy.
Examples of biomass are: waste materials including human waste, wood such as pine tops and wood chips, and crops such as Freedom brand Giant Miscanthus produced by Jennings in Georgia his associates of REPREVE Renewables in Mississippi. 

What are you going to do with that miscanthus when you cut and bale it?
It has the same uses of any other biomass.  It can be burned to drive turbines or electric generators.  It can be chemically converted to fuels such as ethanol and methanol.

Approximately 150 people from near and far attended the information sessions and field day events
Almost 150 people from Treutlen County, other parts of Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Kansas and other states and foreign countries convened at the building where the late Manning Mimbs packed Vidalia Onions.  Two high-powered heaters kept the big building warm.  The main wall decorations were a "Welcome to Treutlen County" banner and two signs promoting the Superbowl of a few years ago on which the field was sodded with Jennings famous turf.  Otherwise, it seemed like an Atlanta conference center with comfortable tables and chairs and professional sound and Powerpoint equipment.

Coffee, water, soft drinks, doughnuts and other pastries were enjoyed while checking in at 8:30 a.m.
A line of dynamic speakers began presentations at nine o'clock and continued until barbecue lunch catered by Sonny's.

Bricks of Freedom brand Giant Miscanthus
Two commercial buses transported everybody to two different fields, a smaller one at Gillis Springs with tall miscanthus ready for harvesting, and a huge one along I-16 with access from U. S. 221 which was filled with miscanthus at various stages on various soils.

Mississippi State University with 10 or 12 years experience with Giant Miscanthus has developed the Freedom brand, which is superior to ordinary miscanthus.  It has been tested to grow from 30% to 60% higher yields  than others.  It was developed to thrive in the Southeastern United States. It was named Freedom to help bring fuel independence to our country.

Communications department of Mississippi State University sent several personal to document the event.
Each month, America consumes nearly $30 billion fossil fuels, most of which are imported.

Freedom brand outperforms other "energy grasses" with harvested yields of up to 25 tons per acre.  It produces more fuel per acre than corn, wood or switchgrass.  Also, it's considered a "carbon-negative" energy source.  According to public data, wood (which has been used at the Range Fuels plant in Soperton) has half the BTUs of Freedom Giant Miscanthus (on dry matter basis). Wood has 40-55% moisture, compared to 10-15%. Wood in a 24 year rotation produces only 4 to 8 tons per acre per year. Switchgrass has a BTU rate equal to miscanthus, but it produces only 4 to 10 tons compared the Freedom's 20 to 25 tons per year.

Video cameras captured the cutting and baling on Shady Lane at Gillis Springs
We've posted a few photos to illustrate, but all 170 shots are available on the E-NEWS slide show which will be on the blog for a short time; also they may be examined by the following link:
Everyone is invited to comment on the pictures to identify or explain.

Freedom Giant Miscanthus can grow to 12 or 14 feet (see photos). It's higher than your standard ceiling. Moisture content at harvest is 10-15%.

Freedom takes a smidgen of fertilizer to get started, but it re-grows in subsequent years without need for fertilizer. 

Miscanthus is not grown from seed, so it stays contained to its field.  It comes from a rhizome (a term familiar to those who've cultivated the beautiful irises of springtime).  They look like little worms (see photo of them in farm planter).

No tillage is required, and as the plants grow up they create shade to inhibit weeds.  There are no known pests or diseases for Freedom.

Once established Freedom can continuing yielding up to 20 years. Harvest can be accomplished from late fall through late winter.  The demonstration last Thursday showed one machine cutting  the plants just above ground level and a baling machine following.  The bales (see photos) weight about 800 pounds each.

One of the largest cleared fields in the county  has Freedom Giant Miscanthus at various stages and conditions.


Landowners are offered financial assistance in the BCAP program (Biomass Crop Assistance Program).  Eligible growers can receive up to 75% in establishment costs.  Annual payments provided for up to 5 years for establishment. Dollar for dollar matching payments are available at time of sale (up to $45 per ton) during the first two years.

The federal government has provided a goal of 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022. The total includes corn ethanol, which has been capped at 15 billion, leaving 21 billion advanced biofuels from renewable resources - Freedom Giant Miscanthus being one.

Liquid fuels made from cellulosic sources, like Freedom, are mandated by the EPA and will require a significant amount of energy crops to be grown in this country.

Freedom Giant Miscanthus Field
Gillis Springs Road top
I-16 middle
GA 86 bottom

Contact information for 
REPREVE Renewables:
6311 GA Highway 86
Soperton, GA 30457
888-447-6938
International: 912-529-6938
FredomGiantMiscanthus.com
REPREVERenwables.com

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Friday, January 14, 2011

Reuters Picks Up GPB Story on Range Fuels

"The bad news about the layoffs at cellulosic biofuel maker Range Fuels just got worse. The financially-strapped company plans to shut down its plant in Georgia after making just one batch of ethanol, according to a post by Georgia Public Broadcasting." - Reuters


http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS154341571120110114



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Wall Street Journal says 24 furloughed by Range Fuels

Some $300 million in financing isn’t enough for Range Fuels Inc. The biofuels producer, which has raised more than $130 million in equity and more than $160 million in government funding, is keeping operations at its biorefinery plant in Georgia at a minimum - including furloughing 24 people - until more funding comes in, the company’s plant manager tells VentureWire.  “We need to expand the plant. This was going to be part of several phases, and we’ve not been able to secure financing as of yet,” said Bud Klepper, who also invented the company’s technology.

Can New York do it better?
New York Times mentions Range Fuels
Range Fuels has built a commercial-scale plant near Soperton, Ga., and produced some ethanol there from wood waste, but not in commercial quantities.

Should Klepper move to New York, should Mascoma buy out Range Fuels and see if they can use the Soperton plant to produce commercial levels of ethanol?

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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Now we hear from the Range's toughest critic:


Robert Rapier criticized Range Fuels early on and continued as the company spent the taxpayer's money, but he said he never wanted it to fail, as he explains in his latest blog:

Range Fuels Out of Money?

"As a taxpayer and someone very concerned about energy policy, I spoke out on what I felt were serious deficiencies in the way projects get funded; namely that the companies that make the most outrageous claims are too often the ones that get funded."


Feel free to comment on the E-NEWS blogpost or on Robert Rapier's blogpost.


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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Hilarious! Does anybody think that Range Fuels might need a real PR person?


"they’ve received 320-million dollars in state, federal and private money. But now they need more."

From Georgia Public Broadcasting:

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Strange? Employees laid off but still may produce ethanol this week?

Range Fuels Lays Off Workers, Plans to Meet 2011 Target
Here’s the bad news from next-gen biofuel producer Range Fuels: the company has let go some workers. But the good news, which the company wants you to know, is that Range Fuels is still planning to produce enough cellulosic ethanol to meet a government estimate for 2011.
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Range Fuels declines to elaborate


Range Fuels lays off workers in Colorado, Georgia
Broomfield, Colo.-based cellulosic biofuels producer Range Fuels Inc. confirmed it has laid off employees at both its headquarters in Broomfield and its production facility in Soperton, Ga., but is not releasing details on the number of layoffs or what factors led to the decision to reduce the company’s workforce. “A handful of people in Colorado and Georgia were impacted by the layoffs,” the company said in a statement to EPM, declining to elaborate further.
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Monday, January 10, 2011

Another development with Range Fuels

BROOMFIELD, COLORADO -- Range Fuels, a company based here that specializes in producing fuel from slash and feedstock, has pared back its local work force amid an industry slowdown.

(CEO David) Aldous said Range Fuels was hampered by the recession and recently suffered additional woes because of a problem with the feed system at its plant in Soperton, Ga.

Read more:
http://www.dailycamera.com/broomfield-news/ci_17060301


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What's Range Fuels Up To Now?

Range Fuels, Ceres 
collaborate on biomass research

California-based plant genomics firm Ceres Inc. and Colorado-based Range Fuels Inc. have announced a formal collaboration to research and commercialize dedicated energy crops for cellulosic ethanol production. The two companies initially began working together this spring by establishing five-acre test plots of switchgrass and sorghum near Range Fuels' commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility currently under construction in Soperton, Ga. Field data collected at the site will help to determine biomass yields and the economics of farming such crops.


Range Fuels shuts down Colorado operation?
Range CEO says no.



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Ice Storm in Treutlen





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Friday, January 7, 2011

Self-Cleaning Window



This is how it looked just before Thanksgiving.  Go by and see how it looks now.  More pictures have fallen.  Must be a self-cleaning window.  Bill Ricks taped the pictures to the windows, but he doesn't have a key to get in and straighten things up.


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Sunday, January 2, 2011

Big News of 2010 - New Redlight in Town!




This post is for our blog followers who live elsewhere or home folks who didn't come home for the holidays.  It took over a year to get 'er done, but new traffic signals are almost finished at the intersection of Second Street and Main Street.  The first contractor, it has been said, went bankrupt.  you may notice that there is no light in the high-up fixture yet, and perhaps other details have yet to be done, but we are really "up-town" with pedestrian switches and lights, cameras kind of like the big cities... like Dublin.


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Saturday, January 1, 2011

TOP BLOG POSTS

As we enter a new year, we look back at the most popular all-time posts on the TREUTLEN E-NEWS blog, ranked in order with #1 at the top. We have no explanation for the choices. Just what the computer says.


Click the title to see the post:

Nov 18, 2010, 1 comment
Nov 19, 2010
Aug 16, 2010, 1 comment
Aug 14, 2009
Oct 12, 2010
Nov 19, 2010
Jul 20, 2010
Dec 17, 2010
Aug 16, 2010
Dec 6, 2010

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