Clean Energy View: Biodiesel -The Passion, People & Politics

The race is on to find alternative energy solutions which will eliminate our dependency upon fossil fuels. One possibility is biodiesel. Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease. With the number of new technologies emerging, biodiesel power has become one of the fastest growing industries because it reduces emissions, improves air quality and can be made in your own home!

In Lyle Estill’s Biodiesel Power: The Passion, the People, and the Politics of the Next Renewable Fuel, there is a chronicle of this emerging industry. Lightly touching on the technical aspects of the fuel, its qualities and specifications, the book is largely about the people and stories of the biodiesel movement. It explores the tensions between grassroots activists and their altruistic co-ops, the profit minded commercial producers and the voices of agribusiness, and the current administration - or "the coalition of the drilling."

Far from a third party account, Biodiesel Power comes from one who has experienced it from the grease dumpster to the boardroom. Lyle Estill has made the journey from back yard brewing, to being part of a producer and distributor cooperative, to commercial production.

In this segment of The Clean Energy View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to energy expert, Lyle Estill about biodiesel power. Stay tuned!

Energy expert Lyle Estill is the president, co-founder and VP of Stuff at Piedmont Biofuels, and has won numerous awards for his commitment to sustainability, outreach, community development and leadership.