RNG NEWS
Why States Should Adopt A Renewable Portfolio Standard
By: North American Windpower
Some states throughout the U.S. have implemented various policies to encourage renewables and energy efficiency that could be adopted by neighboring states to improve local economies, provide energy security and reduce emissions, according to a new study. In addition, the report says these innovative policies could be particularly valuable as states develop plans to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) pending rules to cut power plant emissions. One effective clean energy policy, the study points out, is a renewable portfolio standard (RPS).
Dubbed "The State Clean Energy Cookbook," the study was created by Stanford University's Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance and Hoover Institution's Shultz-Stephenson Task Force on Energy Policy. It was led by former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman and former Secretary of State and Treasury George Shultz. Overall, the study analyzes and makes specific recommendations regarding 12 clean energy policies.
Biogas CHP Cogeneration System Powering World-Famous Brewery with Clean Renewable Energy
Press Release: CENERGY Power Systems Technologies
Yuengling® is joining the group of smart breweries that embrace new advanced biogas technologies and modern CHP energy conversion systems from 2G CENERGY®.
The methane gas is generated at the Yuengling® brewery wastewater treatment plant and an anaerobic digester designed by EMG (Environmental Management Group International, Inc.). 2G CENERGY® also supplied the gas treatment system to dehumidify the saturated gas, and to remove H2S contained in the raw biogas. The CHP system has been designed as dual fuel module and can be operated on low BTU biogas, as well as pipeline quality natural gas.
Marks & Spencer turns to biogas to cut carbon emissions
By: Blue & Green Tomorrow.
Retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced plans to buy 35,000 mega-2att (MW) hours of biomethane certificates, as part of its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint and promote clean energy.
M&S will purchase the gas – obtained through anaerobic digestion – from company Future Biogas. The move will save 6,400 tonnes of carbon emissions according to the company and will generate enough energy to heat 15 M&S Simply Food stores over a whole year.
Gio Patellaro, M&S head of energy supply & risk, said, “Over the past couple of years, M&S has worked tirelessly to improve its carbon efficiency and innovate in sustainability. As the first UK retailer to buy biomethane to use in this way, we are blazing a trail in the market place that we hope others will follow.
Canada – US Regulators to Cooperate on Natural Gas Fuel for Transportation
By: CNGVA, an affiliated association of NGV Global.
The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) and the Canadian Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance (CNGVA) fully support a new plan that will see greater cooperation between Canada and the United States on the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel.
The Harper Government and the Obama Administration released the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council’s Joint Forward Plan late last week. This Plan sets the stage for improvements in the way regulatory departments and agencies in both countries work together. The Plan makes it easier for businesses to operate in both countries with 24 priority areas identified including the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel.
Sustainable America Advocates Food Waste Reduction
By: Fiona Chandra, Gourmet Pigs.
We eat local because it is more sustainable, but there is another side of food sustainability: food waste. According to Sustainable America, an environmental non-profit dedicated to make our country’s fuel and food system more resilient, we waste 40% of our food. An average American throws away 1.5 pounds of food daily! There are many things you can do with this waste, instead (for example, see this list of 10 things you can do with a banana peel). Sustainable America has partnered with Grind2Energy to capture food waste and process it to generate biogas for energy and fertilizers. You can learn more during the festival as Sustainable America will be holding a food waste discussion and a demonstration with their partner, Grind2Energy.
Renewable sources of heat will qualify for incentives under new Mass. law
By: Jon Chesto, Managing Editor, Print-Boston Business Journal
Massachusetts’ generous incentives spurred a wave of solar panel construction that has made this state one of the hottest places for solar electricity in the country.
We might soon see the same type of success with renewable heating devices and technologies, now that the Legislature has added “renewable thermal” to the state’s official list of favored energy sources.
Policy makers and regulators have focused their attention on renewable electricity projects for years. But they have done very little to encourage projects that use renewable energy for heating or cooling.
Propane made with renewable process for the first time
By Adam Vaughan, The Guardian.
A gas which can power cars and heat homes has been made using a renewable process for the first time.
Propane, which makes up the bulk component of liquefied natural gas (LPG), has previously only ever been produced from fossil fuels.
But a team of scientists at Imperial College in London has successfully demonstrated that they can make propane from...
New Hampshire Releases 10-Year Renewable Energy Strategy
By Sam Evans-Brown, NHPR.
At the tail-end of the section that opens New Hampshire’s ten-year energy strategy, released Tuesday, there are three paragraphs that acknowledge the issue which has been dominating the regional energy conversation.
In a statement Governor Maggie Hassan called these “concrete ways to help reduce energy costs, create jobs, protect our natural resources and improve reliability and diversity.”
Air Liquide opens its first hydrogen filling station for the general public in the Netherlands
Press Release.
On September 3, 2014, Air Liquide inaugurated its first hydrogen filling station in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in the presence of the Secretary of State of the Dutch Ministry of Transport and the Environment.
This station will be the first Air Liquide hydrogen filling station located in the Netherlands. It has the capacity to refuel fifty cars per day. One hydrogen full tank, which takes under five minutes to achieve, will give Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles a range of 500 – 600 km.
Landfill donates CNG vehicle
By Daily World.
Keeping Opelousas and the parish clean will get a little cheaper because of two donated vehicles from the St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Disposal District. The trucks include a new, environmentally friendly and cost-effective option — they are powered by compressed natural gas, or CNG.
That fuel comes at a discount because it is a byproduct of the parish landfill in the Beggs community. Solid Waste is converting waste methane captured from its landfill into CNG equal to about 250 gallons of gasoline a day. District officials say more capacity is possible.