Friday, November 28, 2008
Green Flight International
To build $100M Plant
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Green Flight International plans to build an
estimated $100 million, algae-based biofuel
plant in Central Florida aimed at making fuel
for the aviation industry as well as
ground-based transportation.
The 2-year-old company, which successfully
completed the first transcontinental jet flight
powered by biofuel earlier this month, is
looking at possible sites for the plant, said
Douglas Rodante, president and CEO. He did not
reveal financing details.
So far, he has put up between $100,000-$200,000
of his own money to finance Green Flight’s
activities. “The technology is closer than
people realize to commercialization — two to
five years,” said Rodante. How much biofuel the
plant would produce and how many workers it
would employ are still up in the air, Rodante
said.
Green Flight’s algae-based biofuel would be able
to replace petroleum without alterations to
engines or infrastructure, Rodante said, and
could be used for all sorts of transportation.
Green Flight is taking a step in the right
direction toward energy independence, said
aviation analyst Michael Boyd of The Boyd Group
Inc. in Colorado. “If they can bring up the
threat [of biofuels], it will bring down the
price of fossil fuel,” he said. “The key is
making it economically viable.”
Biofuel takes off
Green Flight International earlier this month
successfully completed the first
transcontinental jet flight powered by biofuel —
a trip closely monitored by the Federal Aviation
Administration, which is interested in
alternatives to petroleum-based fuels.
Using a 1968 Czech-built jet, Green Flight
President and CEO Douglas Rodante and his chief
pilot, Carol Sugars, flew from Reno, Nev., to
Leesburg, landing Nov. 1 after about 11 hours of
flight time.
The FAA, which is developing policies on
biofuels and other alternative fuels, worked
with Green Flight for about a year on the
cross-country project, said spokeswoman Kathleen
Bergen. Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control
in Orlando provided lab space and personnel for
research and development, said Steve Rocca,
senior manager for mechanical engineering
laboratories.
For 1,776 miles of the trip, Green Flight used a
100 percent biofuel made of vegetable oil and
animal fat. For the remaining 710 miles of the
flight, it used a 50-50 percent mix of biofuel
and standard jet fuel to compare performance and
demonstrate the viability of blending biofuels
with jet fuel.
Fast facts
What: a $100 million algae-based biofuel plant
Who: Green Flight International
Conact: greenflightinternational.com
http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/12/01/story4.html
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