Innovative Company Utilizes Solar Energy to Power Biofuel Factory-

Biofuels are an exceptional diesel and gasoline alternative, especially as technology advances and companies begin adopting more avant-garde methods of production. Based out of New Mexico, Sundrop Fuels has developed a hybrid solar-biofuel refinery which will employ concentrated solar power (CSP) to heat plant remains and wood chips; in turn creating biofuel. By using solar power to supply the immense heat needed in biofuel production, the refinery will significantly increase energy-efficiency and will offer a product that can truly be called green. Solar heat that is collected “blasts organic materials with super high temperatures…tearing apart the materials at the molecular level…which creates a synthetic gas that can be formed into gasoline or diesel,” said Wayne Simmons, Sundrop CEO. Although burning of biomass is essential to achieve required temperatures, the company asserts that nearly 30 percent of heat will come from the sun – with about one-third less fuel being burnt in the manufacturing process. Currently, the company is in need of $100-$150 million from investors to aid in developing a facility that is capable of manufacturing up to 8 million gallons of the renewable fuel annually. Subsequently, Sundrop intends to expand into foreign markets with sunny, dry climates such as North Africa, China and the Middle East. The company plans to present their demo project on the web near 2012. Video below is courtesy of The University of Memphis Center for Biofuel Energy & Sustainable Technologies, and highlights the newest biodiesel micro-refinery added to the college campus in an effort to improve sustainability and increase environmental awareness.