This is a good paper. I wish I had time to read the whole thing.

Calfornia Low Carbon Fuels Standard Technical Analysis.

California Low Carbon Fuels

So I'm doing simple research on RINs and a potential financial business model. I am looking the world over for a CO2 off-set value for biodiesel and can't find a thing.

Look up the California Low Carbon Fuels Standard though I found some really interesting charts. Though worthless to my project today I felt they were worth posting for posterity.

Below is a chart showing weight and btus. A handy one stop chart.

The Diesel Hybrid Cometh - Go VW!

I was blown away to see it. Now I just prey it sees the US market. Check it out at Wired Magazine's blog.

VW is bringing on a TDI electric hybrid power train to challenge Toyota's dominance. This vehicle will be seen at the Geneva Auto Show later this week so I would expect the chatter to cross over into the mainstream after the show.

Claiming a 69.9 mpg, if this vehicle delivers as promise it will be big for us B99 lovers. Its clean enough to meet both EU and California tailpipe standards so a new era might be approaching. The Toyota Prius emits 104/kg of CO2 compared to this diesel which kicks out 89/kg. This is the future of diesel we all have been expecting.

If this touches down and out performs the mileage of gasoline/electric hybrids its only a matter of time before clean diesel becomes a standard option in smaller sedans. Now lets just make sure it doesn't take a nose dive due to uneducated technology biases.

California Sets a Goal for CO2

Last week the California Energy Commission set a new goal for biofuels and alternative fuel use. This goal is a nonbinding agreement that will hopefully guide future laws to be made. Specifically laws that guide California to the ambitious goal of a 80% drop in CO2 emissions benchmarked at 1990 levels by the year 2050.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle use of alternative fuels, including ethanol and biodiesel, could displace 26 percent of the gasoline and diesel used in California by 2022 and more than 50 percent by 2050, under an ambitious plan approved by state energy regulators this week. Conservation, break through technologies, and better urban planning are expected to get the rest of the way to the goal.

Check out the complete California plan here.