Bozeman's First 400 mpg (diesel) Vehicle
20 mpg counting vegetable oil & diesel
CHOICE
ENERGY
aka
Renewable Energy & Consulting
Fuel Local - Drive Sustainable - Be A Solution
PO 562
Bozeman, Montana
59771
Thank these restaurants for supplying used oil:
Aleworks
Bennigans
Vann's IGA
Bridger Bowl
Smith's Grocery
Over the Tapas
Fiesta Mexicana
Ferarro's
La Parilla
Dave's Sushi
Lone Peak Brewery
Gourmet Gas Station
Taco Time of 4-Corners
Check out these bags made from BILLBOARDS, yes those 20m x 50m pieces of quality vinyl that get thrown away from each billboard you see each and every time they are changed. They also make wallets from inner tubes, messenger bags from #1 plastic bottles, and that's just the beginning of their business.
Bringing Biofuels and Energy Awareness
to Bozeman and Southwest Montana
Biofuel ~ Oak Firewood ~ Energy Consulting
Bozeman Biofuels spun into existence after the Bioneers conference in the Fall of '04 with the commitment to burning Biodiesel (BD), Straight Veggie Oil (SVO) instead of Dinodiesel, and Cellulose Ethanol as an alternative for gasoline powered vehicles. As the use of biodiesel has moved from fringe to mainstream, it is just a matter of time until Montana comes up to speed. Belgrade has a biodiesel blend available in a public 24-hour pump at Pacific Price, and Story Distributing offers bulk delivery of biodiesel when it's in stock. In the Fall of '06 I started a biodiesel buying coop for self-serve biodiesel to enable convenient, increased local use of biodiesel. However, as of Summer 2008 the cost of biodiesel nationwide is $6/gal and there is no ASTM certified biodiesel available locally.
BIOFUELS IS NOT THE SOLUTION TO OUR FUEL SITUATION. No biofuel discussion should skip the most important step of reducing fuel use.
It seems that people think the world arrived with a
guarantee of providing whatever amount of fuel (and all resources) we
'need.' There is no fuel source [other than solar] that can provide for the current
fuel demand of the world, so focusing on renewable fuels is not the whole
answer. A total change in life style and mobility habits is
needed, and world population needs to be addressed. The only reason we
have been able to reach 6 billion people is thru petroleum derived
fertilizers and chemicals. Read Omnivore's Dilemma for the recent history on
food production.
In the 1970's the
nation reacted to fuel shortage by creating the 55-mph speed limit,
rationing gasoline, and promoting solar energy and conservation. What
has the current administration done in response to the current energy and
climate crisis? Almost nothing, but they have coaxed us into spending
more to spur the economy, from which China will benefit most. $4/gal
fuel is helping to wake us up so now the game is on to reverse our race to
the bottom, as Amory Lovins calls it.
That said.... there are steps to be taken today that will bridge into permanent solutions. Biofuels is one of those steps, especially used cooking oil versus virgin oil, however the supply of used cooking oil is pretty much tapped out locally so don't get excited about it. Ethanol from corn and sugar is a joke -- over-subsidized by government and a dead end. New grants in 2007 aim to develop cellulose ethanol production, which is ethanol made from any woody material including field stubble, forest waste, straw - waste products, not food supplies - and the "work" is done by bacteria instead of massive amounts of heat so not only does it leave our food supplies alone, it uses far less energy to make.
Electric vehicles (EV) are a true solution, I believe, and I've added a new
page in this web site devoted to them. EVs go along well with
large-scale
wind and solar power, as they can be used to store off-peak power as well as
for transportation. Having an EV is like having a backup power supply.
If you haven't seen the documentary Who Killed The Electric Car
then it's time you did so go to your nearest movie rental store and get it.
It's one of the most entertaining documentaries I've ever seen, in addition
to being extremely important.
This site is mainly an orientation to vegetable oil based fuels and
conservation, first providing an
overview of what Bozeman Biofuels is and links to keep you informed on
sustainability in general. The Square 1 Page is a more detailed
description of vegoil and biodiesel. There are also pages for consulting services, biofuels links,
the only vacation rental in the world to run on used cooking oil and heat
its hot tub with the same fuel, and my truly sustainably harvested hardwood firewood operation.
Bozeman Biofuels is currently a one man show for the most part, with room
for the right people to get involved in the following aspects:
- Used cooking oil collection, filtration and use as diesel fuel in
vehicles, generators, and home heating boilers (all 3 aspects
successfully demonstrated and used)
Local restaurants supplying used cooking oil,
filtration in two locations both using SVO as the heat source for settling
and filtering, a variety of filtration methods tried and tested. High
tech SVO fired boiler in one location, converted wood stove in other
location outfitted with water heating capability and SVO drip burner.
Generator project funded by Northwestern Energy, 15 kw stationary genset
running on SVO with utilization of waste heat (exhaust and engine) in
radiant heat system as well as electricity to power the shop's 48-volt
battery bank with inverter. Electricity generated by internal
combustion is not
allowed to be net-metered in Montana.
Thinking about switching to used cooking oil? I'm
afraid it's too late - with a very limited supply and a very high demand,
the time to invest time and energy into converted vehicles or making
biodiesel from locally collected oil was 3 or more years ago.
- Re-selling of Story Distributing's Iowa biodiesel
Advanced third-world gas station with auto shut-off
nozzle and monthly credit card billing, self-serve daylight hours only, 24/7
security, in Bozeman. See Biodiesel Buying Group link at left for more
info - currently out of fuel due to national price surge to $6/gal.
- Oak firewood processing and delivery
Collected from local hardwood furniture producers,
processed into stove lengths, small dimension wood best for efficient
soapstone fireplaces like the Tulikivi, stored and delivered with SVO
company truck in 55-gal drums, easy to handle and easy to light fires, cleanest
burning wood.
www.tulikivifuel.com
- Carbon Neutral renewable energy demonstration home and home energy
consulting including solar hot water, electrical usage reduction, and
weatherization
Demonstration home is a weekly rental
since 1998 to allow hundreds of people annually to experience a wide variety
of energy saving applications. Half of the electric bill was old light
bulbs and an old fridge. Kill-A-Watt
meters provided for energy analysis. Home was converted to hot water
baseboard heating supplied by SVO boiler (like a heating oil boiler only
much cleaner since heating oil is #1 diesel), uses solar hot water pre-heat
for tap water, on-demand gas boiler for backup, carbon credits for
electrical use. Even the hot tub is heated by vegetable oil. For
rental info: www.bozemancottage.com
I am Paul House, an individual impatient enough to make my own solutions, and who decided to gain some gray hairs messing around with vegetable oil. I bought the first project vehicle, a '94 Chevy truck, back when diesel was $1.75/gal and converted it to run on straight vegetable oil in April 05. This truck is used to collect the oil and firewood using a bed-mounted crane and drum handling equipment. In December 05 the conversion of my 95 Suburban was finished. Other conversions have been done in tandem with the vehicles' owners. The list includes a 1991 Mercedes 350SD and an 87 Mercedes 300D which LOVE the oil, an 88 Toyota 4x4 truck, a 91 F250, an 89 Suburban, and an 88 GMC Ice Cream Truck. Fleet is fueled with my SVO for which I pay the road tax.
Important Links: |
B5-20 Story
Distributing has created
SW Montana's first
Biodiesel pump located at their 24-hour Pacific Pride station in Belgrade just
behind La Quinta Inn.
The B5-B20 pump (seasonally blended) is the first fleet pump in the nation to accept
regular visa/mastercard. Thanks to Dan at Story Distributing for making this happen so
biodiesel could be available to the general public!
Map to B20 |
Goals of Bozeman Biofuels:
1. Make Biodiesel available at gas pumps in Southwest
Montana. Convince a local gas station to carry a Biodiesel blend in
their diesel tank for retail sale (no retrofitting required of tank, pump, or
diesel vehicle). Currently serving up 600 gallons of B99 per month to
32 members.
2. Continue operating the used vegetable oil collection
for use as SVO (straight veggie oil) for diesel vehicles, generators, and
boilers.
3. Hone skills for utilizing used vegetable oil, for vehicle
fuel, generator fuel, and home heating.
4. Use vegoil generated electricity to charge electric
vehicles and electric bicycles.
5. Public Outreach:
Educate public of Biofuel facts,
conduct workshops, give talks as needed
6. Support MT oil crop production, non-genetically modified
What You Can Do Today
- Fuel up your diesel with B20 (B5 in winter) from Story Distributing in Belgrade.
- Hire Bozeman Biofuels to consult you on your alternative energy projects
so you can get started faster! See Consulting page.
New construction or remodels.
- Control you junk mail catalog flow
https://www.catalogchoice.org/environmental-facts
Along with driving sustainably (and less) here are my other favorite things to keep in touch with:
Real News
-
Link TV (satellite 9410) and Free Speech TV (9415). Email our
PBS station
to request programming.
-
Amy Goodman's Democracynow.org,
the War & Peace Report (stream from web site, PBS should also add)
-
Bill Maher, HBO weekly report
-
Clean Energy Bulletin
- Check out the long list of renewable energy projects and news in the
NW. You can sign up to receive the bulletin or log on. This is an
impressive list revealing our 'on-the-brink' status of exploding biodiesel
production, ethanol, wind, wood/biomass, hydro, etc..
Books
- Natural Capitalism, Amory Lovins,
www.naturalcapital.org
(downloadable book)
- The Oil Endgame, Amory Lovins w/ forward by George Shultz,
www.oilendgame.com (also
downloadable)
-
Lee Iocaca, excerpt from Where Have The Leaders
Gone
TV
-
Scientific American Frontiers with Alan Alda, already on PBS as well as
Link TV, usually monthly. Seems to be discontinued, but you can watch
the shows online
here
This page last updated on: Monday August 25, 2008