Rhapsody in Green

POET provides expert testimony on cellulosic ethanol

Dr. Mark Stowers, Vice President of Research & Development for POET, was on Capitol Hill earlier this week to provide expert testimony to the House Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality. Dr. Stowers briefed the committee on our cellulosic plans at a hearing titled The Renewable Fuels Standard: Issues, Implementation, and Opportunities.

Posted here is Dr. Stowers' testimony from POET TV. You can also watch the entire committee hearing or download the written version of Dr. Stowers' testimony. For more information on our cellulosic ethanol project, visit projectliberty.com.

Photos from BIO

As I mentioned in the previous post, POET is in Chicago for the 2008 World Conference on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. Yesterday, POET CEO Jeff Broin spoke to a gathering of the Governor's Ethanol Coalition and the plenary lunch session of the conference (pictured here).

More pictures from the conference are available on our Flickr page. Today, Mark Stowers, VP of R&D for POET, is speaking on a panel about our cellulosic ethanol project.

POET at BIO

POET will be well-represented at the 2008 World Conference on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing which starts today in Chicago. At 12:15 tomorrow, CEO Jeff Broin will address a plenary session on the Biorefinery of the Future.

Among other things, Broin's speech will touch on the data recently released by Argonne National Laboratory at the USDA which shows the efficiency gains in ethanol production from 2001 to 2006. Over that five years, the ethanol yield per bushel of corn increased 6.4 percent, while energy and water use decreased 21.8 and 26.6 percent, respectively.

On Wednesday at 8:45 am, Dr. Mark Stowers, POET VP of Research & Development, will speak at a breakout session on Joint Process Developments in Biomass. He will be joined on the panel by representatives from Novozymes, ICM and Abengoa.

Stay tuned to the blog and I'll do my best to post reflections and photos from the conference. If you have questions or comments about the conference or their presentations, feel free to leave them below.

Vital is Here!

POET's new magazine, Vital, is making its debut this week! Jeff Broin, CEO for POET, revealed the cover for the April 2008 issue on Friday, April 18, at the quarterly meeting where Sioux Falls employees took home the first copies of the new magazine.

Mailed early this week, Vital was sent to stakeholders in the ethanol industry. Reaching an audience of 10,000, it will hold the distinction of being the most widely circulated publication in the industry, but will contain a slightly different perspective than what you’ve seen from other industry magazines.

We’re putting a face on the ethanol industry by telling the story of the people behind the industry - those who make the ethanol industry, as well as the people most impacted by the benefits the industry has to offer. Each issue will include articles on the future of ethanol, community profiles, environmental advancements and industry issues along with POET Biorefining updates and editorial columns.

Vital will be published quarterly using 100% recycled paper. Also, check us out online where you can subscribe to the printed version.

Flag flown over US Capitol in recognition of POET ethanol plant

U.S. Senator Richard Lugar was unable to attend the grand opening of POET Biorefining - Alexandria last week, but he sent his well-wishes with his executive director Gail Lowry. He also sent something else: a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol  Building in recognition of the new ethanol plant. Here's a picture of Gail just before she handed the flag to POET CEO Jeff Broin:

Gail also read a letter from Senator Lugar talking about the economic and national security benefits of ethanol in general and this plant in particular. You can read the entire letter by clicking here (pdf).

POET Biorefining - Alexandria grand opening on POET TV

As promised in the last post, the speeches from the grand opening ceremony of POET Biorefining - Alexandria have been posted to POET TV. You can also watch them here:

In addition, Jeff Swiatek of the Indianapolis Star wrote a story about our company and the opening of the plant. It's worth the read.

Alexandria, Ind. views the newest POET ethanol plant

The 23rd POET ethanol production facility will begin operations on Earth Day next week and this week we invited the surrounding community to view the new facility. The nearly 2,000 attendees received guided tours, lunch and presentations from POET CEO Jeff Broin, Indiana Lt. Governor Becky Skillman and more.

There was plenty of audio and video news coverage from the event. The Brownfield Network posted audio interviews with Broin, Skillman and the Chairman of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council. An audio recap from Hoosier Ag Today is on their web site. A clip from a video interview with yours truly was featured on the web site of Inside INdiana Business. Finally, FOX59 TV put their 2 minute recap on the home page of their web site.

Pictured here are the people who attended the presentation and are now lined up for lunch. Other pictures of the event are posted on our flickr page. Video of the speeches will be posted to POET TV later today.

Landfill gas press conference on POET TV

As mentioned in the previous post, we announced a partnership with the City of Sioux Falls Regional Landfill yesterday that we would be using their landfill gas to power our ethanol plant. The speeches from that press conference are now on POET TV and can also be viewed here:

If you'd like the text version of Jeff Lautt's speech, you can find it here. Photos from the event will soon be available on our flickr page.

Using Renewable Energy to Make Renewable Energy

An ethanol plant completely powered by waste? It's possible that POET Biorefining - Chancellor could displace 100 percent of its natural gas usage with renewable energy.

Late last year we announced the construction of a solid waste fuel boiler that will burn wood waste that would otherwise have been destined for local landfills. The energy from the boiler will displace up to 60 percent of the plant's natural gas usage.

Yesterday, we announced a partnership with the Sioux Falls Area Regional Landfill that will see that same facility near Chancellor use methane from the landfill to displace even more natural gas. The combination of the two alternative energy technologies will displace at least 90 percent of the plant's natural gas usage and potentially all of it.

Here's a schematic of the facility that explains the process:

As Jeff Lautt, EVP of Corporate Operations for POET, said in his speech:

As renewable energy has increased in America, defenders of the status quo have become fond of pointing out that the production of renewable energy requires fossil fuels. But, should the lack of renewable energy be a reason to not produce renewable energy? Today, most ethanol production facilities are dependent on fossil fuels, just like our country. But as the renewable economy grows, these same facilities will be able to draw their power from renewable sources, like we’re doing in Chancellor.

Alexandria Grand Opening Next Week

Next week, POET will open its 23rd ethanol production facility in Alexandria, Ind. The facility will be the second plant opened in the state of Indiana where one more is under construction. The grand opening is scheduled for April 17 and complete details can be found in a release on our web site.

Hoosier Ag Today interviewed Dave Hudak, the general manager of the facility, and posted it on their web site. You can also listen to the interview here: