| What's happening in Sacramento? |
| Written by Michael Donlon | |
| Friday, 24 November 2006 | |
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All right, I know the question you're asking. I know why you are here. I know what it is that you want to know. "Where can I find biofuels / biodiesel / ethanol in the Sacramento area?!?" Believe me, I'm trying to find out that very same thing!! Here is a challenge for you, dear reader: If you are aware of anyone in the Sacramento area (and this includes both the Highway 50 to the East and Interstate 80 to the Northeast of Sacramento) that is selling a biofuel to the public (wholesale doesn't help individuals like us very much), then please provide me with the contact information via the Volunteers page (you will need to register at this site to see the link to the page). I will then contact the seller to get details and then post the details here so that other registered members can benefit from them. So far I have found absolutely no one selling E85 in Sacramento. I admit I haven't looked very hard, but I would have expected that any station in Sacramento selling E85 would have shown up on the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) web site (http://www.e85refueling.com/locations.php?state=CACalifornia ); nothing is listed for the Sacramento area, and anything nearby is closed to the public. I am aware that Interstate Oil Company in Sacramento (see http://www.interstateoil.com/centers.htm for contact information) is selling biodiesel, but I believe it is wholesale only. I will try to contact them to get more information about the product and services they offer and then report back here. Of course an obvious alternative to purchasing someone else's biodiesel is to brew your own. You certainly can buy your own bits and pieces and build them into a functional biodiesel processor. For some folks that are handy and have access to the materials and the tools, that's probably a great way to go. But for those that aren't quite that handy, or don't quite have the time to track down and assemble the parts, purchasing a complete system may be the better way to go. Fuelmeister seems to make one of the best systems I've seen in a while… the kit is fairly complete, the instructions are good, and the manufacturers seem to understand that repeatability is critical. We have two dealers of their systems in the area, each about equally far away (about 1½ hours) away from the middle of Sacramento: To the East on Higway 50, past Placerville: California Biodiesel Solutions To the Northeast on Interstate 80, past Yuba City: Sonny's Solar and Biodiesel I've talked with Dan Aguirre of California Biodiesel Solutions, and he is very enthusiastic about the viability of biodiesel. He'll help purchasers of the Fuelmeister systems through the first 2 batches to make sure the relatively simple process of brewing the biodiesel is well understood. Dan is also willing to work with customers to understand the benefits of biodiesel, to find Waste Vegetable Oil, and to comply with state regulations for transporting the oil. Dan will even work with customers that have either built their own processor or purchased a competitor's system to troubleshoot any issues they may have creating a successful batch of biodiesel. I haven't talked with Sonny yet, but will try to talk with him over the next week or so. If you have your own processor and a steady supply of waste oil, you may even wish to sell some of the fuel that you brew yourself. If you think that's a possibility, let me know and I will post your information here as well. If it gets to be too much, I can easily remove your info. An article I read in TechNewsWorld said it well; "The younger generation is taking part in finding workable solutions to the myriad problems related to the production, distribution, and consumption of energy." The established methods are fine for today, but they are destined to collapse tomorrow. It is up to us, you and I, to find and develop better, workable solutions now so that we are ready tomorrow when the current methods become too unwieldy to continue. Creating a local network of alternative energy suppliers will be, I believe, the answer. Have a great Friday!! |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 24 November 2006 ) |