Discovery Channel documentary 'Hot Grease' spotlights biodiesel

They’ve been following us around for almost two years. Now, finally, the story of biodiesel will be shared with a large, national audience as Discovery’s Hot Grease makes its on-air debut Thursday, Nov. 16.

“I don’t know if the film crew fully appreciated the scope of what they were stepping into when biodiesel first piqued their interest,” said Jessica Robinson, director of communications at the National Biodiesel Board. “Not surprisingly, biodiesel’s story—the amazing entrepreneurs and dedicated workers who make that story so powerful—pulled them in. Hot Grease will share a glimpse into that story with Discovery viewers, showcasing what the industry is about and what we’re up against.”

In its broadcast release, Discovery previewed the story of Hot Grease as: “Set in Houston, Texas, in the shadow of the nation's oil industry, Hot Grease tells the surprising story of how the biodiesel industry is turning an ostensibly worthless raw material—spent kitchen grease—into a renewable energy source capable of fueling cars, buses and fleets of trucks throughout the country. But, powerful forces are working to stop that from happening. Featuring innovators, entrepreneurs, grease collectors and supporters like Sens. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Hot Grease follows the battle for biodiesel’s future and its very survival.”

Footage from NBB member meetings and events appears in the film, as well as interviews with several familiar faces in biodiesel, including Robinson; former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-North Dakota, and Gene Gebolys, founder and CEO of World Energy.

The Discovery Impact documentary Hot Grease debuts Thursday, Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery, following its premiere at the prestigious DOC NYC festival. The film will be available on Discovery Go and Discovery On Demand on Nov. 17.

“Biodiesel is a solution to many of our country’s biggest issues—job losses, air pollution and energy insecurity,” said Dorgan. “This fuel embodies the ingenuity and entrepreneurship that this nation is all about, so I’m glad that there is now a new way to elevate biodiesel awareness with the American people.”   

“Biodiesel is a driving economic force for many rural communities and supports more than 64,000 good-paying, clean energy jobs across the country,” Robinson said. “This is an outstanding opportunity for Discovery viewers to get a glimpse into that industry and what it represents. For us, this is an exceptional platform to bring biodiesel to the general consumer audience in a whole new way.”

Hot Grease is directed and produced by Sam Wainwright Douglas, Paul Lovelace and Jessica Wolfson. The crew is set to make an appearance on the Main Stage and the Biodiesel Conference & Expo in January.

NBB is the U.S. trade association representing the entire biodiesel value chain, including producers, feedstock suppliers and fuel distributors, as well as the U.S. renewable diesel industry.