Earth Share of Washington - News

Biodiesel enthusiasts revved up about alternative fuel's future

The distinctive rattle of diesel engines filled a parking lot outside a Seattle neighborhood center yesterday, but the exhaust smelled more like popcorn than the usual smoky stench.

Boosters of such sweet-smelling - some would say odorless - rigs filled the basement of the community center at Phinney Ridge for the third annual Northwest Biodiesel Forum. More than 300 people showed up to learn about and spread the virtues of vegetable oil as fuel.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made primarily from vegetable or animal oils. In the United States, the most common source is soybean oil. Waste vegetable oil (left over from deep fryers) also can be used, according to Aaron Kahn of Northwest Biodiesel Network, who helped organize yesterday's event.

That so many turned out was not surprising, biodiesel backers said.

They pointed to the relatively high adoption rate of alternative fuels in the Puget Sound area by local and state government, including trucks and ferries, as well as by individuals looking to lessen dependence on fossil fuel, to be more Earth-friendly and to spur a young industry.

Getting the ball rolling with a quick "Biodiesel 101" course was Dan Freeman, who for three years has run a Ballard-based biodiesel filling station, Dr. Dan's Alternative Fuelwerks. Washington state, he said, now has "the highest concentration of users in the nation."

Freeman said the majority of his individual customers own Volkswagens. He said he charges about $3.60 a gallon for biodiesel, a buck more than regular "petrodiesel" at Seattle-area pumps.

He concedes there are far fewer stations like his than regular gas stations. Still, he contends that people who switch from regular gas-powered cars to biodiesel are generally "money ahead" because of the better mileage and lower maintenance costs associated with diesel engines. Diesels typically have a driving range of more than 500 miles - more than sufficient to get to other biodiesel stations, Freeman said.

And all that's apart from political and environmental aspects biodiesel backers point to, including what they regard as dubious U.S. foreign policy toward oil-producing nations, and costs of transporting oil great distances.

Freeman said he now has more than 900 regular customers, more than 95 percent of whom use pure biodiesel. Compared with other states, Washington is lagging in production, but it's near the top in terms of its use.

Continue reading this story from the Seattle Times:
Biodiesel enthusiasts revved up about alternative fuel's future

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