Brightmark Energy Seeks Communities for Recycling

San Francisco waste and energy company Brightmark Energy announced this week it will invest $500 million to $1 billion each to build new plastic recycling plants in select U.S. cities.

Brightmark, founded in 2016 with an initial $250 million investment from Jackson Investment Group, is hunting the U.S. for suitable locations to scale its recycling model and divert hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic waste from landfills and the ocean.

The company will kick off the nationwide search Nov. 19. The chosen cities can expect up to a $1 billion investment and more than 100 new jobs. Brightmark will fund the projects through company equity and debt.

By San Fransisco Business Times

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RNG Plant to Turn Landfill Gas Into Fuel

Work is underway on what Indianapolis-based Kinetrex Energy says will be the largest renewable natural gas (RNG) project in Indiana. Chief Executive Officer Aaron Johnson says the project is the latest sign that Indiana is becoming a national leader in renewable fuels.

Kinetrex is working with Australia-based sustainable energy producer EDL and South Side Landfill of Indianapolis on the $25 million project. The companies say, when complete, the facility on the south side of Indianapolis will turn methane produced by the landfill into about 8 million gallons of RNG each year in a process they say will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create a renewable energy resource and lower fuel costs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says methane is up to 36 times stronger than carbon dioxide.

By Andy Ober, Inside Indiana Business

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John Lewis Delivery Trucks to Run on RNG

Hundreds of John Lewis delivery trucks will begin running on cow power from 2021 as the retailer weans its fleet off polluting diesel fuel and switches to carbon-neutral cow manure.

The retailer will begin using renewable biomethane made from manure slurry for almost 300 John Lewis and Waitrose delivery vans under new plans from its fuel supplier to swap rotting vegetables for poo power at no extra cost.

John Lewis currently runs 80 vans on biomethane from food waste, but plans to expand its green fleet by up to 200 vans within the next 18 months before switching to manure.

By The Guardian

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Dane County Landfill Facility to Fuel Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison's First RNG Maintenance Truck

Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison is excited to announce that for the first time they are now using Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) to power one of their Maintenance trucks.

During Earth Week in April of this year the Dane County Landfill Biogas Facility opened a $28 million plant as the first of its kind in the United States.  The plant converts the collected methane into compressed natural gas (CNG) which is then injected into its pipeline.  It turns decomposed waste (and cow manure) into renewable fuel which can be bought and sold.

By Native News

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CNG Fuels Plans to Become the UK’s First Supplier of Carbon-neutral fuel for HGVs, using RNG

CNG Fuels today (7 Nov) has announced plans to become the UK’s first supplier of carbon-neutral fuel for HGVs, using manure to help fleet operators achieve Net Zero emissions.

The company is also consulting on how its network of refueling stations can best accommodate low-carbon hydrogen and battery electric technologies for HGVs, so that it can support customers when these become commercially viable.

Philip Fjeld, CEO of CNG Fuels, said: “We want to help decarbonize freight transport and enable fleet operators to meet Net Zero targets now, supporting the UK’s climate targets.

By Circular

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Aerial methane survey finds a fraction of point sources responsible for more than a third of California’s methane emissions

An article published in the current issue of the journal Nature highlights the high-tech efforts and important findings of the California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission and NASA to pinpoint emissions of the climate super pollutant methane. The results will be used to help state and local agencies and businesses prioritize investments to reduce emissions.

From August 2016 to October 2018, NASA, through a contract with the two state agencies, flew remote sensing equipment over selected portions of the state.  Hundreds of methane point sources were identified during the California Methane Survey, including “super-emitters,” sources responsible for an outsized proportion of the total methane released into the atmosphere.

By California Energy Commission

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Hawaii Bill Encourages Companies to Use Renewable Natural Gas

As Hawaii policymakers seek to wean the state from fossil fuels, Hawaii Gas, the state’s regulated natural gas utility, is preparing for a major fight before the Honolulu City Council. 

Oahu lawmakers are considering an ordinance that would eliminate gas hot water heaters from new homes, or require Hawaii Gas to produce at least 90% of its gas from renewable sources, like waste.

The bill might seem like a modest step. But Hawaii Gas is taking a hard line against the measure, saying it could be the first step toward broader restrictions that could threaten its business model.

By Stewart Yerton, Civil Beat

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Xebec and Asja Announce a Construction Milestone on Genoa Landfill Waste-to-RNG Project

Xebec Adsorption Inc. (TSXV: XBC) (“Xebec”), a global provider of clean energy solutions today announced that renewable energy project developer and operator Asja Ambiente Italia SpA  is in the final construction phase of its 11.2 MW landfill gas (LFG) to Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) plant in Genoa, Italy. Scheduled completion date is end of 2019. (Reference Xebec PR of March 6, 2019 – URL below).

Asja is a major player in international power generation using landfill gas generated at municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites. With this first time ever project, Asja is transforming its Genoa landfill site installation to produce biomethane instead of electricity. Xebec’s Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) system was chosen for its innovative solution, delivering lower initial investment costs, low operating and maintenance costs, flexible and stable performance, combined with high durability and reliability. Expected benefits from the transition of electricity production to biomethane are plant efficiency improvements, reduction of emission points from 5 to 2, less waste production, greening of the gas supply and a longer period for monetizing the biogas.

By EIN Newsdesk

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Landing RNG: Prince George Landfill Harnesses the Power of Household Waste

A regional landfill just outside of Prince George, B.C., that sees around 73,000 tonnes of household and construction waste in a year, is finding new ways to harness the power of trash.

The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George owns and operates the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill and is partnering with provincial utility FortisBC to produce Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) – a purified biomethane – for the province’s gas grid. The project will have the capacity to produce up to 100,000 gigajoules of RNG annually, enough to heat up to 1,100 homes on 100 per cent RNG.

By Maria Church, Canadian Biomass

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Maersk Sees RNG, Alcohol and Ammonia as the Best-positioned Fuels to Reach Zero Net Emissions

A study by A.P. Moller - Maersk and Lloyds Register confirms that the best opportunities for decarbonizing shipping lie in finding new sustainable energy sources. Based on market projections, the best positioned fuels for research and development into net zero fuels for shipping are alcohol, biomethane, and ammonia. 

Energy efficiency has been and still is an important tool for Maersk to reduce CO2 emissions. Efficiency measures have positioned Maersk 10% ahead of the industry average. But getting to net zero requires a total shift in the way deep sea vessels are propelled. The shipping industry needs to introduce carbon neutral propulsion fuels and new technologies.  

By Maersk

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