The appropriately named Progress Energy announced plans to buy 50 megawatts of electricity from a biomass power plant:

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1497196.html

According to the article:

“Progress will redistribute the electricity to its customers in the Carolinas. Using electricity generated by biomass will count toward meeting a 2007 state law to increase use of renewable energy resources. The plant would burn wood waste — limbs, stumps and tree tops — left over from logging operations.”

Think about this: this is leftover wood that would have to be burned anyway. So why not use it for energy? This is the magic of biomass. It uses renewable sources of energy, it does not negatively impact the environment and its homegrown right here in America.

Now that really is progress!

I’ve been pretty tough on President Obama, as readers of this blog know. So let me take a minute and talk about an area where I support him. And that’s alternative energy:

http://www.kcci.com/news/19248884/detail.html

The President is right when he calls for “a new era of energy exploration in America.” And I’m glad he chose Earth Day to speak about the need to diversify our energy supply. One of the key elements of a new energy policy (and an element the President supports) is biomass.

Biomass offers so many advantages. It is the ultimate renewable energy since trees and plants are re-planted. It has no negative impact on the environment. And it already works. Right now. In fact, nearly 3 percent of the energy consumed in this country comes from biomass. Why not make that 10 or 20 or 30 percent?

The only people who should be opposed to biomass are foreign dictators whose power comes from oil. The closer we get to energy independence, the better off we will be in America.

My company, Advanced Trailer, is partnering with the University of Idaho to help promote biomass through the use of our trailers.

We view it as more than a business opportunity, we view it as a service to America. And we are in it for the long haul.

Happy Earth Day!

On this Earth Day there is an exciting new development in biomass. Lockheed Martin has opened its first biomass facility in Oregon:

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20090421/BUSINESS/904210427

The article describes the process this way:

“Operating much like a pellet stove in someone’s home, but on a much larger scale, the roughly 11,000-square-foot biomass plant uses sawdust, wood chips and bark primarily from Wagner Lumber in Owego, but also Gutchess Lumber in Cortland and other lumber mills, to generate steam used to heat, cool and provide supplemental electricity year-round at the approximately 1.6 million-square-foot Lockheed plant.”

When a major defense contractor is using biomass for electricity at one of its plants, you know that biomass is here to stay. That’s why I’m so excited that my company, Advanced Trailer, is partnering with the University of Idaho. Our trailers are a perfect fit for drying the wood chips that fuel biomass.

To find out more about biomass and how our trailers are helping make a difference, stay turned for a new ebook that I will release in a few days.

The biomass revolution continues:
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http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=35115

What’s interesting about this particular story is it highlights
another important aspect of a biomass power plant: employment.
Biomass will create jobs. No doubt about it. According to the
article:

“BioEnergy Power LLC would use wood waste, previously provided to a
paper plant in Terre Haute, to produce 27 megawatts of electricity.
The company hopes to employ 25 to 30 people once the facility is at
full capacity.”

So biomass is ready, effective and creates jobs. That’s a winning
formula. And that’s why my company, Advanced Trailer, is continuing
to invest in this industry. We are proud to be a part of the biomass
revolution.

More exciting news about biomass! A major utility company has decided to convert a coal-burning plant into a biomass-burning plant:

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-ohio-biomass-plant-0401,0,1575329.story

I was interested to see how the company described this big decision. The article notes:

“FirstEnergy President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony J. Alexander said in a statement today that the retrofit will expand the company’s ‘diverse generation portfolio even further and continue our support of state and federal efforts to increase reliance on renewable energy sources.’”

This is smart business. FirstEnergy realizes that the momentum for alternative, renewable energy is building. Why not ride along?

That’s why I’m so excited that my company, Advanced Trailer, has made a grant to the University of Idaho to explore using our trailers for drying wood chips. We are committed to biomass. It’s the future, and we are going to be a part of it.

Hitch your wagon to a star, Emerson famously advised. This month, I’ve officially hitched my trailers to biomass.

As readers of this blog know, Advanced Trailer announced a grant to the University of Idaho to study the application of our trailers for drying wood chips and procuring biomass. Here is one of the many reasons I am so excited about biomass: it saves money:

http://www.leader-vindicator.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20296543&BRD=2758&PAG=461&dept_id=572984&rfi=6

According to the article this school district has saved money since switching to biomass three years ago. As the article states:

“Rook said the school used to pay between $105,000 to $125,000 annually in natural gas heating costs. With the biomass system, those heating costs have been reduced to $40,000 annually.”

That’s just one more reason why we all need to be looking into biomass. It works, it saves money and it can be produced right here, right now in the United States.

This week has been a great week for me. And I believe it may turn out to be a great week for energy policy in this country.

This week my company, Advanced Trailer, announced that the University of Idaho has been selected as the recipient of a grant:

http://www.spokanejournal.com/article.php?id=4456

Our company will provide the University with equipment and financial resources to test the use of crop-drying trailers to dry wood chips which are then used for biomass. The implications of this research are profound. Dozens of power plants around the country are experimenting with biomass. And by introducing the trailer as a part of the process, we believe we will be able to make biomass more effective and more available to communities across America.

As I’ve written about before on this blog, we need to explore alternative energy in this country. Biomass is a big part of that. And I’m proud to be doing my part.

University of Idaho selected as the recipient of a biomass research grant

Abilene, TX—Randy Hill, President of Advanced Trailer, today announced that the University of Idaho has been selected as the recipient of a grant his company will fund to study the application of Advanced Trailer’s agricultural crop drying trailer for biomass. Nearly two years ago Advanced Trailer began exploring the possibilities of using its drying trailer to remove moisture from woody mass by providing a trailer to the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center in Savannah, Georgia. This revolutionary application will remove moisture from wood chips which are used as fuel for the University of Idaho’s steam boiler plant located at their campus in Moscow, Idaho. The results of this new research at the University of Idaho will benefit biomass plants in other cities.

“The prior testing has shown that the trailer works and it does the job,” Hill said in announcing the grant. “But we were looking for a facility or institution that had an actual application where we could daily see the benefits of lowering moisture in biomass products used to fuel a plant. The University of Idaho was eager to put the trailer to work and we are excited about finding an educational institution with a direct and specific application.” A video of Randy’s press release discussing the grant and its potential impact on the biomass industry can be found at the website, www.advancedtrailer.com, and at the Advanced Trailer Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/AdvancedTrailerTV.

In December, Advanced Trailer met with representatives at the University’s steam boiler plant located in the heart of the university’s campus. After touring the facility and seeing the similarities in handling wood chips compared to peanuts, plans were made to provide equipment to the school’s steam plant. Advanced Trailer is recognized as revolutionizing the peanut industry with its semi trailers that dry peanuts; now Advanced Trailer hopes to revolutionize the biomass industry. In late January 2009, a trailer and dryer were transported from Advanced Trailer’s plant in Vienna, Georgia 2600 miles to Moscow, Idaho. The initial 12 month testing period is expected to begin within the next few weeks. The grant will provide written research on lowering fuel (wood chips) cost while reducing carbon emissions by lowering the moisture content in woody mass products.

“This is a very exciting day for the University of Idaho,” said Darin Saul, Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Idaho. “This is a win-win situation for everyone. Thanks to this donation of both funds and equipment from Advanced Trailer, the University of Idaho will be able to evaluate the economic and environmental benefits of drying biomass before burning it in a boiler. This fits into UI’s efforts to increase the efficiency of its biomass boiler as part of ongoing energy conservation efforts.”

APT Advanced Trailer and Equipment LP is best known for their trailers which are used to procure (dry) agricultural products. Currently Advanced Trailers are widely used to dry peanuts in 10 American states, almonds in California, and seed in Kansas. Texas Tech is currently using an Advanced Trailer to dry manure for bio fuel-methane gas conversion. Advanced Trailer is Headquartered in Abilene, Texas with a semi trailer conversion plant located in Vienna Georgia. Patent applications are currently pending in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office covering various aspects of the Advanced Trailer and including over 50 patent claims.

So now we find out that Rick Wagoner might not be the only one to get fired by the president:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/01/business/econwatch/entry4911030.shtml

Let me get this straight: the Obama administration thinks it’s a good idea to try and micromanage and staff private companies? How about if it just focused on trying to correctly manage the federal government. By the size of the Obama budget and the projected deficits, it doesn’t look like the administration is managing its own house too well.

How can the government run other businesses when it can’t run its own? It makes no sense. But it will cost dollars. Tax dollars, that is. And that means every time the administration starts talking about firing another CEO, you as the taxpayer better hold onto your wallet.

Frequents visitors to this blog may remember that earlier this week I warned it was a bad idea for the government to try and manage the affairs of a private company. I pointed to the postal service’s poor operations and predicted that it would be impossible for the president to know enough to pick the CEO or manage salaries of a private company.

Fast forward to this week where the president is in England for a summit and stopped by with a gift for the queen:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/2009/04/01/barack_obamas_gift_for_the_queen_an_ipod_your_majesty

An ipod is a nice gift: it represents American creativity at its finest. But here’s the problem: the queen already has an ipod. Okay, maybe this is not a big deal. But what does it tell you about the ability of a president or his staff to get things rights? If they can’t get something this small right, how are they going to manage a huge company?

They aren’t. They will do the same thing they did with the queen’s gift–mess it up. And when damage is being done to the economy, there is whole lot more at stake than just ruffling a few diplomatic feathers.

Yesterday we found out the White House fired the CEO of a private
company. Now we find out that Congress wants to set the pay of other
employees too:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Beyond-AIG-A-Bill-to-let-Big-Government-Set-Your-Salary-42158597.html

I never thought in my lifetime I would see a serious discussion in
Washington about setting the salaries for employees in private
companies. Imagine that: a government that can’t even deliver the
mail on time thinks it will be able to determine salaries for
employees? Incredibly, this bill has already passed a House
Committee and is now headed to a vote by the full House. In other
words, this actually has a chance of passing!

What was it Will Rogers said? Every time Congress makes a law it’s a
joke and every time it makes a joke it’s a law.