Users' Guide

Positioning A Biodiesel Plant to Succeed

Recent Engagements in Biodiesel
In 2006 we completed:
  • 17 Biodiesel Feasibility Studies & Business Plans
  • 4 Integrated Ethanol and Biodiesel Feasibility Studies & Business Plans
  • 3 Integrated Oilseed Processing and Biodiesel Feasibility Studies & Business Plans
References available upon request.


In The News:
Biodiesel production begins in Minnesota
President Bush Makes Visit to Biodiesel Plant
Biodiesel plant should increase profitability

Welcome to the Biodiesel Prefeasibility Assessment Website. This site is designed to support your learning about the biodiesel industry – an industry that is important to you and those involved in providing a renewable energy source for the United States. The internet makes this information accessible to you outside the classroom setting and allows you to move at your own pace and convenience.

Introduction to the Website

Farmers, agribusinesses, entrepreneurs, and the U.S. Government have expressed a great deal of interest about biodiesel production in the United States. Ascendant Partners is committed to helping interested parties learn more about the possibilities of producing biodiesel. This website provides the user with a set of tools which they can use to create financial models of the viability of a biodiesel plant, based upon their set of assumptions which they feel best suit their particular situation.

This site is a cost effective way to explore the possibilities around building a biodiesel plant. Before spending thousands of dollars on a feasibility study, it makes sense to understand whether or not an opportunity is right for you and your community. And if you decide to proceed to the next step, being that of a feasibility study, you will have great insight into what drives the success of a biodiesel plant. This tool is designed to help accelerate your learning about the industry so that you can make an informed business decision on whether or not to proceed to the next step of the process.

This web site provides an introduction to the business issues around biodiesel production. Its aim is to inform interested individuals and groups about the potential of building biodiesel plants. Ascendant Partners has created a web experience designed to enable visitors to explore in limited detail the dynamics of the biodiesel business.

Biodiesel market conditions, inbound and outbound oil supply and prices, transportation choices, environmental issues, energy costs, federal and state incentives and funding alternatives are some of the many variables which must be understood and managed prior to embarking upon a biodiesel venture.

This web site can aid your understanding of how these economic factors operate in successful and less successful combination before you proceed with an in-depth analysis of your specific opportunity.

In addition to building a web-based biodiesel prefeasibility model, we incorporated a biodiesel market assessment which helps provide context to the users while they modify variables within the model. This study takes an independent, in-depth look at biodiesel demand and the possible implications of this demand in the marketplace. It is also the intent of this study to provide sufficient information for decision makers to determine the viability of new biodiesel plants in the US and the methodology necessary to investigate specific sites.

This study can also serve as a resource for government agencies looking to assist farmer groups in building biodiesel plants.

You will find that the information here will continue to change as we receive feedback from users on their needs. Please tell us what you think and how we might improve the site to better serve your needs.

©2005 Ascendant Partners, Inc