May 1, 2008

Biodiesel interest keeps growing in Virginia

PRINCE GEORGE—The price of a barrel of oil is now well over $100 on the world market, and diesel fuel prices are higher than gasoline prices. So fleet vehicle managers across Virginia are extremely interested in the possibility of saving money while using cleaner-burning biodiesel fuels.

Virginia Clean Cities and the Hampton Roads Clean Cities Coalition are sponsoring several seminars this spring to help local governments convert their school bus and government vehicle fleets to a blend of diesel and biodiesel fuel. The next seminar is May 8 at the Prince George County government center. Industry experts will describe the changes needed to add biodiesel to a fleet’s fuel supply, and several local government fleet managers will talk about how they made the switch.

While recycled oils and other plant matter are available for making biodiesel, the great majority of the fuel is processed from soybeans. In 2006 soybeans were the fourth-largest farm commodity in Virginia, generating $86.5 million in cash receipts. Farmers have long supported biodiesel as a renewable energy resource. A new study by the University of Idaho has found that biodiesel has a positive 3.5-to-1 energy balance compared to the traditional fossil fuel energy needed to produce it.

“The interest in biofuels has turned into exciting yet challenging times for the agriculture industry, especially in Virginia with our diverse industry,” said Andrew Smith, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation senior assistant director of governmental relations.

“The push to produce more renewable fuel energy sources has increased the market for our crops. Certainly we are aware of concerns some critics have about ethanol. But biodiesel gets less flack in this area,” Smith added.

“It is proven to have a high energy output and is created from what we once considered a waste product. We are happy the Clean Cities are putting on these workshops to better educate folks on the potential use and production of biodiesel.”

Later this year, Virginia State University will hold a small-scale biodiesel production farm tour at its research farm. Dr. Harbans Bardwaj will demonstrate how to harvest canola, crush it and use the resulting oil to create a biodiesel blend. For more information, contact Chelsea Jenkins with the Hampton Roads Clean Cities Coalition at cjenkins@hrccc.org or 757-233-8982.

Contact Norm Hyde, VFBF video producer, at 804-290-1146.