U.S. Embassy Montevideo Hosts Alternative Energy Expert

George Philippidis Investigates Uruguay's Bioenergy Potential

By Leigh Miller

While wind power may be one of Uruguay’s best bets for future alternative energy production, the country could start right away making ethanol from sugarcane and biodiesel from animal fat or soybeans, according to George Philippidis, a bioenergy expert who visited Montevideo, Sept. 15-17.
Dr. Philippidis, associate director of the Applied Research Center and co-director of the Energy Business Forum at Florida International University in Miami, was invited by the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo to investigate alternative energy projects in Uruguay.
He said that Uruguay’s wind power is probably one of its greatest assets for developing an alternative to petroleum-based energy. But harnessing wind power is unpredictable – if the wind does not blow, no power can be produced. Plus, the windiest time of the day is typically at night, which is when the least electricity is needed to power homes and businesses, he noted.
So, harvesting sugarcane to make ethanol and using soybeans and animal fat to make biodiesel offer great potential for Uruguay’s alternative energy production, Dr. Philippidis said. “These are projects that Uruguay could do today with the right government policies and investment from the private sector,” he said.
In the future, ethanol in Uruguay could be made from bagasse (leftover sugarcane fiber), wood waste from forest products, sweet sorghum or switch grass, while biodiesel could possibly be produced from algae or jatropha (a drought and pest resistant plant), he added.
Most biofuel produced in Uruguay would likely be used as fuel for vehicles, rather than for other energy uses, Dr. Philippidis said, noting that biodiesel would be preferable to ethanol because the country consumes two and a half times more diesel than gasoline. Uruguay currently uses 300 million liters of gasoline per year. To supplement this with ethanol, the country would need one small plant to produce 30 million liters of E10 (gasoline that contains 10% ethanol) and several plants to produce E85 (gasoline with 85% ethanol), Dr. Philippidis estimated. Feedstocks used to produce the ethanol could include sugarcane and sweet sorghum. In terms of diesel, Uruguay already uses 800 million liters per year. To convert this to biodiesel, he said that the country would need one medium-sized plant to produce 160 million liters of B20 (diesel made with 20% biodiesel) and several plants to make 680 million liters of B85 (diesel with 85% biodiesel). This biodiesel could be produced from soybeans, vegetable oil and animal fat, he said. Fuels that contain 10% ethanol or 20% biodiesel can be used in exiting vehicles in Uruguay.
Existing sugar or corn mills in Uruguay could be converted to make biofuels from sugar, corn, algae and other biomass, as well as electricity and food products, Dr. Philippidis suggested. Pulp and paper mills already operating in Uruguay could also produce biofuels from algae and woody biomass, in addition to paper, wood pellets and electricity, he added.
Some investment in biofuel production has already begun in Uruguay, with the state-owned petroleum company, ANCAP, building an ethanol plant that will use sugarcane inputs. And the national power company, UTE, is requesting bids to buy wind, solar and biomass power from local and foreign producers. The majority of Uruguay’s energy needs, however, including industrial and residential electricity, are currently supplied by hydroelectric power.
For biofuel production to really take off in Uruguay, Dr. Philippidis said that the government needs to implement a comprehensive, long-term bioenergy policy that includes incentives for private investors. Incentives are also needed to encourage Uruguayan consumers to purchase flex-fuel cars, which can use either petroleum-based fuel or biofuel. Uruguay could consider importing flex-fuel vehicles from neighboring Brazil, which currently has 6 million such vehicles, he suggested. Some 6.8 million flex-fuel vehicles are operating in the United States.
Dr. Philippidis and the Applied Research Center are assisting the U.S. Department of Energy, in cooperation with the Brazilian government, to conduct biofuel feasibility studies in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis. This project, which could be extended to other countries in the Americas, is part of a broader bioenergy cooperation agreement between the U.S. and Brazil aimed at fostering alternative energy production in these countries. The hope is to create jobs and wealth in these countries, which could reduce poverty and emigration in the region, Dr. Philippidis noted.
While media and the petroleum industry have linked rising global food prices to biofuel production, Dr. Philippidis dismissed such fears as unfounded. He blamed increasing food prices, instead, on the high cost of oil, which is needed to make fertilizers and to transport food products. Significant increases in meat consumption worldwide have also caused animal feed prices to skyrocket. China, for example, has more than doubled its per capita meat consumption and quadrupled its grain consumption since 1995.
“The price of rice has increased significantly, but how much rice is used for biofuel? Zero,” Dr. Philippidis said. “Plus, U.S. exports of biofuel increased last year, but so did its exports of corn. So, there is no relationship; it’s just a misperception.”
He added, however, that the alternative energy industry needs to move away from using any food crops for biofuel because of the negative perception it has generated. Next-generation bioenergy technology will use waste materials, such as residual fibers, instead, he noted.
While Dr. Philippidis was in Montevideo, he gave a presentation at ANCAP, met with LATU (Uruguay’s national technological laboratory) and INIA (the national agriculture research institute) and attended a U.S. Embassy-sponsored luncheon, among other activities.
For more information, visit the Applied Research Center’s website at www.arc.fiu.edu.

John McCain Formally Accepts Republican Presidential Nomination

Arizona senator pledges to be guided by the public interest

By Stephen Kaufman, America.gov

Washington – With “gratitude, humility, and confidence,” Arizona Senator John McCain accepted the Republican nomination for president at the party’s convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, and pledged to confront challenges such as terrorism and energy sources by putting the public’s interests first.
Speaking September 4, at the culmination of the four-day convention, McCain criticized many of Democratic challenger Senator Barack Obama’s policy positions and his relative inexperience. However, he said Obama and his supporters have “my respect and admiration.”
“Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other,” McCain said.
The Arizona senator embraced the “maverick” label that has been attached to him in the past for occasionally taking unpopular positions and voting against Republican-supported programs and legislation.
“Sometimes it’s meant as a compliment and sometimes it’s not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don’t work for a party. I don’t work for a special interest. I don’t work for myself. I work for you,” he said.
He pointed to his recent support for the U.S. troop surge in Iraq, despite diminishing public support for continuing the military engagement. “[T]hat strategy succeeded and rescued us from a defeat that would have demoralized our military, risked a wider war and threatened the security of all Americans,” he said.
McCain said he is prepared to handle the many security threats currently facing the United States, and knows both the capabilities and the limitations of military force.
“I know how to work with leaders who share our dreams of a freer, safer and more prosperous world, and how to stand up to those who don't. I know how to secure the peace,” he said.
McCain warned that both al-Qaida and Iran continue to threaten the United States and its interests. He also was critical of Russia’s leadership, describing them as people “rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power” who have “rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power.”
He pledged to work to establish good relations with Russia, but said he could not “turn a blind eye to aggression and international lawlessness that threatens the peace and stability of the world and the security of the American people.”
On energy policy, McCain said as president he would embark on “the most ambitious national project in decades,” to reduce U.S. dependence on “countries that don’t like us very much.” He called for drilling new oil wells within U.S. territory; building more nuclear power plants; and increasing the use of wind, tide, solar, natural gas and clean coal technology.
“We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and to restore the health of our planet,” he said.
Throughout his speech, McCain referred to his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and the challenges he and other American soldiers faced. “I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s,” he said, adding “My country saved me, and I cannot forget it.”
For additional information, see excerpts from McCain's acceptance speech:
McCain’s Acceptance of Republican Nomination to Presidency
[The full text of McCain’s acceptance speech is posted on the Web site of the Republican National Convention.]
Excerpts on McCain’s vision for the country and his views on energy policy and international security follow:
(begin text)
Senator John McCainSt. Paul, MinnesotaSeptember 4, 2008
Thank you all very much. Tonight, I have a privilege given few Americans -- the privilege of accepting our party’s nomination for President of the United States. And I accept it with gratitude, humility and confidence.
In my life, no success has come without a good fight, and this nomination wasn’t any different. That’s a tribute to the candidates who opposed me and their supporters. They’re leaders of great ability, who love our country, and wished to lead it to better days. Their support is an honor I won’t forget.
* * *
Finally, a word to Senator Obama and his supporters. We’ll go at it over the next two months. That’s the nature of these contests, and there are big differences between us. But you have my respect and admiration. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other. We’re dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal and endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. No country ever had a greater cause than that. And I wouldn’t be an American worthy of the name if I didn’t honor Senator Obama and his supporters for their achievement.
But let there be no doubt, my friends, we’re going to win this election. And after we’ve won, we’re going to reach out our hand to any willing patriot, make this government start working for you again, and get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace.
* * *
I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government, both parties made it bigger. We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies. We lost their trust, when we valued our power over our principles.
We’re going to change that. We’re going to recover the people’s trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics.
We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential from the boy whose descendents arrived on the Mayflower to the Latina daughter of migrant workers. We’re all God’s children and we’re all Americans.
We believe in low taxes; spending discipline, and open markets. We believe in rewarding hard work and risk takers and letting people keep the fruits of their labor.
We believe in a strong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don’t legislate from the bench. We believe in the values of families, neighborhoods and communities.
We believe in a government that unleashes the creativity and initiative of Americans. Government that doesn’t make your choices for you, but works to make sure you have more choices to make for yourself.
* * *
My fellow Americans, when I’m President, we’re going to embark on the most ambitious national project in decades. We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us very much. We will attack the problem on every front. We will produce more energy at home. We will drill new wells offshore, and we’ll drill them now. We will build more nuclear power plants. We will develop clean coal technology. We will increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas. We will encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.
Senator Obama thinks we can achieve energy independence without more drilling and without more nuclear power. But Americans know better than that. We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and to restore the health of our planet. It’s an ambitious plan, but Americans are ambitious by nature, and we have faced greater challenges. It’s time for us to show the world again how Americans lead.
* * *
Today, the prospect of a better world remains within our reach. But we must see the threats to peace and liberty in our time clearly and face them, as Americans before us did, with confidence, wisdom and resolve.
We have dealt a serious blow to al Qaeda in recent years. But they are not defeated, and they’ll strike us again if they can. Iran remains the chief state sponsor of terrorism and on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons. Russia’s leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power, have rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power. They invaded a small, democratic neighbor to gain more control over the world’s oil supply, intimidate other neighbors, and further their ambitions of reassembling the Russian empire. And the brave people of Georgia need our solidarity and prayers. As President, I will work to establish good relations with Russia so we need not fear a return of the Cold War. But we can’t turn a blind eye to aggression and international lawlessness that threatens the peace and stability of the world and the security of the American people.
We face many threats in this dangerous world, but I'm not afraid of them. I'm prepared for them. I know how the military works, what it can do, what it can do better, and what it should not do. I know how the world works. I know the good and the evil in it. I know how to work with leaders who share our dreams of a freer, safer and more prosperous world, and how to stand up to those who don't. I know how to secure the peace.
(end text)