Opinion: Biodiesel is Our Friend — Really
b>By Robert Schomber
i>State Vice President, Florida
merican Trucking Associations
Since Florida Power & Light’s fleet has been using biodiesel for many years without problems, please allow me to allay some of the concerns raised at the MCE about performance, price, fueling infrastructure and engine warranties.
Understanding biodiesel’s pluses and minuses is now particularly important because Minnesota’s recent mandate that all diesel contain 2% biodiesel will almost certainly be copied by other states.
That is not necessarily a bad thing: Biodiesel is environment-friendly, aids farmers who grow the crops used in its production and is becoming cost-effective now that regular diesel often costs more than gasoline. And every gallon of 100% biodiesel is a gallon of fuel for which OPEC does not get a penny.
Biodiesel has even been endorsed by American Trucking Associations — albeit at blends less than 5% biodiesel. It would be more useful to see that increased to 20%, the “B20” blend that most biodiesel users, and FPL, use.
Admittedly, when FPL began using biodiesel, it was not strictly voluntary. In 1992, the Energy Policy Act — EPAct — complicated the work of energy-producing utilities by requiring that light-duty purchases be alternative-fuel vehicles using no petroleum products.
In 1998, Congress passed an EPAct amendment allowing covered fleets to offset 50% of the mandated light-vehicle purchases by using biodiesel blends, which can be burned in their medium- and heavy-duty fleet trucks. In addition, there are now certain tax breaks for biodiesel blending — some of which can be passed on by suppliers to make the price competitive with regular diesel fuel. FPL has been burning B20 in our fleet of 1,500 diesel trucks for at least five years, consuming from 2,000 to 5,000 gallons of neat biodiesel a year as part of our compliance with the EPAct mandates, with no ill effects.
I can honestly say that as long as it made economic sense, we would continue to use biodiesel even if EPAct was repealed.
Now, let me address some specific concerns raised during the MCE biodiesel session, beginning with performance. Performance should be considered from two standpoints — first the “net heating value” of the fuel, or in this instance, how much energy is provided when burning an equal amount of each fuel. By this measure, B20 biodiesel provides about 1.7% less energy than regular diesel — an amount that is so small it could not be detected even by fleets that monitor consumption carefully.
The second performance measure relates to engine operating problems. FPL has had no biodiesel performance problems. Keep in mind that Florida does not have the extreme cold common to the upper Midwest and that some truckers at the MCE said they had heard biodiesel jells more quickly in cold weather than regular diesel.
I have talked with utility fleet managers from cold-weather states who told me they treat trucks burning biodiesel blends the way they treat normal diesel vehicles — putting a heater on the engine when it is in the garage, for example — and that biodiesel does not jell any more quickly than regular diesel.
That is “hearsay,” but FPL is only one of hundreds of electric utilities covered by EPAct. That means you can get a good idea of how biodiesel performs in the various states by simply asking the fleet managers of investor-owned electric utilities in those areas. They have almost certainly tried biodiesel and probably still use it. In addition, there is a wealth of information on the National Biodiesel Board’s Web site at www.biodiesel.org.
The engine warranty problem is more complex and hinges on engine makers’ concerns that using a blend with more than 5% biodiesel could void the warranty. That is something each carrier needs to work out with its engine supplier. FPL uses B20, which is 20% biodiesel, and has not had warranty problems. For many years, FPL has had a “strategic alliance” with one major engine manufacturer and has worked very closely with that maker on these types of situations.
Engine makers are asking that biodiesel meet the standard of the American Society of Testing and Materials — ASTM Standard D6751. FPL also has had a long-term relationship with a single biodiesel supplier, and specifies high-quality biodiesel made from virgin soybean oil — rather than reprocessed cooking oil — that meets the ASTM standard.
FPL’s biodiesel vendor relationship also helps with availability and price. Customers with significant fuel storage capacity can interact with their suppliers in the biodiesel marketplace and sometimes get volume pricing that is very competitive with regular diesel fuel.
Early biodiesel users have been fleets like FPL’s, fueling from a central location and with a comparatively limited service area. Private truck fleets with similar set-ups most likely will be the next group to use biodiesel.
But once biodiesel becomes widely available — and I have heard that at least 40 biodiesel plants are under construction — it can be dispensed by regular truck stops via the same pumps used for conventional diesel, without the special equipment, techniques or protective gear required by most other alternative fuels.
Better yet, an over-the-road driver will be able to fill up with a biodiesel blend at a truck stop offering it, and if the next fueling station carries only regular diesel, he can add that to his tank without significant problems. FPL’s fleet switches from regular diesel to B20 and back again all the time, adjusting our use of biodiesel based on price and availability.
Finally, a major advantage of biodiesel I feel has not received enough publicity is its higher lubricity than regular diesel. I am told that biodiesel can help to eliminate sulfur without losing lubricity, something to consider when, in 2007, diesel with extremely low sulfur content will have to be available for the next big round of EPA-mandated engine redesigns.
I can honestly say that FPL’s biodiesel program is no longer an experiment. This is for real.
Robert Schomber is a retired regional manager for Florida Power & Light Co. and has been a consultant to the company for the past two years.
This opinion piece appears in the Dec. 5 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
