Renewable Energy Report: January & February 2014 Newsletter

The Renewable Energy Newsletter provides information and analysis from agricultural economists and others on current issues facing the emerging renewable energy industry.

With ample supplies of reasonably priced feedstocks, a blenders’ tax credit, and fuel industry acceptance of the product, biodiesel producers in 2013 experienced the best profits since late 2011.  Favorable profits led to a sharp increase in production in 2013.   However, unsettled government policy issues cloud the industry’s future for the year ahead and possibly longer, and are causing uncertainty in the industry.   In this article, we provide more detail on these developments and implications for the biodiesel industry.

Food demand is expected to increase substantially by the middle of this century.  Can we meet this growing demand?  More specifically, can we meet this demand without putting enormous pressure on the world’s resources and causing environmental damage? This article discusses several of the major factors driving the supply and demand for food over the coming decades.