DuPont Hosts a Global Collaboratory on Energy

DuPont News, March 22, 2012

DuPont Hosts a Global Collaboratory on Energy

(left to right) Adam Shaw, Eduardo Wanick, Felipe Faria, José Goldemberg and Marcos Jank.

By 2035, global demand for energy will increase by almost 40%, and already more than 1.5 billion people worldwide are without access to electricity.  Defining a future energy path was the focus of a recent debate in Sao Paulo with DuPont and key global partners, moderated by BBC World News host Adam Shaw.

In 2010, almost 45% of Brazil’s energy needs were supplied from renewable sources, which is considerably higher than the 13% globally.  In the next decade, demand for energy is expected to increase by about 60% in Brazil. 

“I cannot think of a better place to discuss and debate the global challenge of securing our energy future,” said Tom Connelly, executive vice president and chief innovation officer for DuPont.  “We have to work right now to gain grid parity for solar and wind power, and to make biofuels fully competitive with oil-based fuels globally, as is already the case in Brazil.  We must transform these energy sources from the margins to the mainstream.”

DuPont set the stage in Sao Paulo, bringing together a panel of distinguished experts – all of whom believe that working together, we can address one of the most important challenges our generation faces – a world that can adequately meet its energy needs now and in the future.  Panelists included:

• Eduardo Wanick, president for DuPont Latin America
• Marcos Jank, CEO for the Brazilian Sugarcane Association
• José Goldemberg, professor emeritus of the Sao Paulo University and former secretary of the environment
• Felipe Faria, Governmental & Institutional Relations, Green Building Council Brazil

“The tremendous opportunities around biofuels, photovoltaic and wind energy in Brazil motivate us to collaborate with customers and partners to develop innovative and sustainable market-driven solutions that will address important challenges of the present and the future,” said Eduardo Wanick, president for DuPont Latin America.

DuPont also marked its sponsorship of the upcoming second series of the BBC World News program Horizons, presented by award-winning BBC business journalist and tonight’s host, Adam Shaw.  This series of Horizons continues the journey across the globe in search of the ideas and businesses that may succeed over the next decade in tackling the planet’s biggest challenges.  The new season of Horizons will air on BBC World News, in more than 200 countries and territories around the world beginning on April 7.

For information on the program, visit http://www.horizonsbusiness.com, Facebook.com/horizonsTVseries and on Twitter at @horizonsbiz and @adamshaw_biz

DuPont Wins 2012 Sustainable Biofuels Award

DuPont News, March 16, 2012

DuPont Wins 2012 Sustainable Biofuels Award for Feedstock Innovation

DuPont has won the 2012 Sustainable Biofuels Award in the Sustainable Feedstock Innovation Category for its Stover Harvest Collection Project.  This is a comprehensive research and scale-up project for DuPont Industrial Biosciences that significantly advances the cellulosic ethanol industry toward commercialization and furthers DuPont’s efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

DuPont received the award at the World Biofuels Markets 2012 Congress, Europe’s largest conference and exhibition focused on biofuels.  The awards are designed to recognize innovation in the development of sustainable and renewable fuels.

“It is an honor to receive this award,” said Jim Collins, president of DuPont Industrial Biosciences.  “We recognize that a reliable, sustainable source of biomass is critical to the success of advanced biofuels.  Our collaborative approach involving growers, researchers, environmental organizations and government ensures we’ll be able to meet the needs of the evolving market sustainably while creating new opportunities for rural America.”

The Stover Harvest Collection Project is a highly collaborative endeavor, involving experts in the field of agronomy from DuPont’s Pioneer Hi-Bred business and Iowa State University working in conjunction with custom harvest equipment manufacturers and more than 50 local farmers.  The project provides key knowledge on the sustainable collection, transport and storage of corn stover for conversion to biofuel.  Going into its third year, the project is expanding its reach in 2012 with a goal of involving up to 150 farmers and collecting biomass that will be used in its planned biorefinery in Nevada, Iowa.

“We had thousands of nominations from around the world and across the entire biofuels value chain,” said Claire Poole, event director for Green Power Conferences, the organizer of the awards and conference.  “The winning companies demonstrated a layer of achievement and promise above their peers that bodes well for themselves as well as the industry.”