As recently as 2001, making ethanol from cellulose cost around USD $5.00 per gallon. Thanks to biotechnology advances, the cost today is estimated to be $1.50 to $2.50 a gallon. Conventional ethanol is typically made from corn kernels. Corn kernels are composed of starch and simple sugars that dissolve easily in water. Once the sugars are dissolved they can be fermented by yeast to form ethanol.

The European Commission is preparing for a crucial ministerial meeting this week in Geneva. The outcome of this meeting will be decisive in determining the success of the Doha Development Round. The success (or otherwise) of the negotiations will impact directly on the international biofuels trade.  This trade is rapidly expanding and consists of biofuel made from palm oil and Jatropha Curcas (primarily Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Nigeria and Thailand) and sugar-cane ethanol producers such as Brazil.  These are members of the G20 group of developing countries, which are pressing developed nations at the meeting to lower what they see as barriers to their agricultural exports. After only minor advances were made in Hong Kong in December 2005, time is beginning to run out for negotiators to reach a deal on the full modalities of the final agreement.

Biofuels, natural gas, hydrogen… none of the candidates to replace oil in vehicles are entirely convincing at the moment, according to the European Commission.  Car makers, the oil industry and biofuel producers need to co-operate on a long-term action plan. Alternatives to replace oil in transport are urgently needed but a long-term vision on what technology is best suited to replace it is still uncertain, said Fabrizio Barbaso, Deputy Director General at the Commission's transport and energy department.

On Friday at the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, SunOpta's BioProcess Group discussed developments in the cellulosic ethanol market in China. Today, the Company is pleased to announce that it has signed a contract to sell a cellulosic ethanol pilot demonstration facility, which is based on SunOpta's patented and proprietary biomass conversion technology, to China Resources Alcohol Corporation (CRAC) for research and development of cellulosic ethanol production at their facility in ZhaoDong City, Heilongjiang Province.

Wells Fargo & Company has invested $5 million in the Carlyle/Riverstone Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund I – its first investment in a private equity renewable energy fund. The investment is part of the Company’s pledge to provide $1 billion in lending, investments and other financial commitments by 2010 to environmentally beneficial business opportunities, including renewable energy.

Biodiesel Producers' new US $21 million Barnawartha, Victoria biodiesel plant is on schedule. Yesterday, Biodiesel Producers managing director Andrew White said the weather had blessed the project. “I’m a rural bloke so I’d like to see a bit of rain but certainly the extended dry has helped us during construction,” he said.

A conference entitled "Renewable Energy Technologies" was held at the National Press Club in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Saturday. Jointly organised by The New Nation newspaper, Grameen Shakti Bank and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the conference began at 9:30am. Advisor for Energy Mahmudur Rahman was the guest of honour at the function, presided over by Mostafa Kamal Majumder, editor, The New Nation. GTZ, a German NGO which works with local people to promote sustainable energy initiatives, sponsored the conference.