RNG NEWS
Lots of Trash left after Bills' games - Team encourages Recycling
By Hannah Bueller, WKBW News 7.
When 75,000 fans get together on a Sunday, some are bound to make a mess. It's almost inevitable that trash is left behind at Bills games.
But the fans who responsibly take care of their leftovers say others should do the same. After a game, you can find bags and bags of trash, just left behind for the taking.
The Buffalo Bills are trying to eliminate their carbon footprint. The team has teamed up with Republic Services, launching a "green" campaign to reduce the trash problem.
Microsoft & University of Wyoming Celebrate Biogas Project
By University of Wyoming.
The University of Wyoming and Microsoft are celebrating their collaboration in developing a zero-emission green data center that is fueled by methane biogas and allows the university to run high-performance computing and modeling applications from the Laramie campus.
A cable-cutting ceremony for the Cheyenne Biogas Power Plant at the Dry Creek Water Reclamation Facility was scheduled Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. The water reclamation facility, where the data center is housed, is located at 8911 Campstool Road in Cheyenne.
The data center is powered by a fuel cell that generates electricity by electro-chemically converting biogas emitted from the treatment plant.
NGV Conference in KC next week
By Fleet Owner.
The 2014 North American NGV Conference & Expo will be held next week in Kansas City, MO.
Taking place at the Kansas City Convention Center Nov. 11–14, the four-day program features an educational program, a 90,000-plus sq. ft. exposition, a ride & drive, two off-site tours of nearby fueling facilities, and numerous social functions where registrants can network, share ideas and collaborate.
The event is hosted by NGVAmerica in cooperation with the Canadian NGV Alliance.
The two plenary sessions and 20 informative breakout sessions will focus on practical tips and experiences. Among the more than 85 speakers will be:
· Congressmen Lee Terry (R-NE-02) and Sam Graves, Jr. (R-MO-06)
· Scott Reed and Peter Mirijanian, experienced and respected Washington political advisors and contributors to FOX, MSNBC and other Washington media
· Johannes Escudero, Exec. Director, and Evan Williams, Chairman, RNG Coalition
Biogas a Low-Tech Fuel with a Big Payoff
By Beth Gardiner, The New York Times.
LONDON — In villages across China, tens of millions of families use farm and household waste to make clean cooking fuel in backyard fermenters. Germany generates as much electricity as two nuclear power plants with the gas produced by decaying plant matter and animal slurry. Near San Francisco, a landfill extracts enough energy from its stewing garbage to power 300 trucks on their daily runs.
Around the world, both household-run operations and industrial-scale facilities are using centuries-old technology to extract a fuel known as biogas from crop waste, manure, kitchen scraps and even sewage.
Proponents cite the multiple benefits of harnessing biogas, such as reducing emissions of the powerful climate-warming gas methane, cutting waste streams and saving the lungs of those in poor countries who would otherwise burn wood or other smoky fuels indoors. After biogas is extracted from organic material, a rich fertilizer remains.
There is talk in the United States of creating a network of natural gas filling stations for trucks, infrastructure that could easily be used for biogas as well. “If the fracking boom can pay for that,” said Heather Youngs, a senior fellow at the Berkeley Energy and Climate Institute, “biogas can inherit that and green it.”
FACT SHEET: US EPA Clean Power Plan Notice of Data Availability
By US Environmental Protection Agency.
Since proposing the Clean Power Plan in June, EPA has heard a wide range of ideas and issues that states, stakeholders, and the public have raised concerning the proposed Clean Power Plan to cut carbon pollution and fight climate change.
This Notice of Data Availability (NODA) provides additional information on certain issues that have been consistently raised by a diverse set of stakeholders. EPA is issuing this NODA to ensure that all stakeholders and the public are aware of these issues and can consider them as they comment on the proposed Clean Power Plan.
In this NODA, EPA discusses several issues that have been raised by stakeholders, including:
- The trajectory – or glide path – of emission reductions from 2020 to 2029;
- Aspects of the way building blocks are established; and
- The way the state goals are calculated.
Alternative Fuel Center to open at O’Hare International Airport
By Rosalind Rossi, Chicago Sun-Times.
An alternative fuel station will open at O’Hare International Airport in early 2016 offering taxis, shuttle buses and everyday drivers fast-charging electric stations, alternative fuels and conventional gasoline.
In addition to conventional gasoline, the fueling station will offer compressed natural gas, biodiesel, and fast-charge charging stations for electric vehicles.
According to the aviation department, an increasing number of vehicles using the airport are powered by alternative fuels, including taxis and hotel and rental car shuttles. However, the center also will be open to the general public.
Renewable Energy for Ethiopian Refugee Camps
By Norwegian Refugee Council.
In an exciting new project, NRC Ethiopia has introduced biogas as an alternative fuel in Bambasi Refugee Camp in Ethiopia. Human and animal waste is used to generate as that can burn safely and effectively in people’s homes.
The pilot phase in Bambasi refugee camp, which houses mainly Sudanese refugees, has proven successful and has inspired new plans to apply the innovation to other refugee camps in Ethiopia.
The use of biogas has led to a significant reduction in dependence on firewood for cooking, and women are able to save more time to attend to income generating activities instead of going in search of firewood.
Kauai to Study Food Waste for Renewable Natural Gas
By West Hawaii Today, the Associated Press.
Kauai County is studying whether food waste can be used to generate renewable natural gas to power buses and other county vehicles.
Restaurants, schools, hospitals and grocers are being asked to take a survey to determine how much local food waste is being produced.
The Garden Island reported Tuesday the results of the study may also lead to projects that could reduce waste disposal fees, reduce dependence on imported fuels and extend the landfill’s lifespan.
EPA may Change the Clean Power Plan
By Gavin Bade, Utility Dive.
On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Notice of Data Availability (NODA) on the Clean Power Plan, its draft rule to regulate carbon emissions from existing power plants. The document, meant to address concerns raised during the agency's public comment period, opens the door to more flexibility for utilities trying to cope with the new regulations.
In particular, the EPA document reveals that the EPA will seek further comment from stakeholders in three areas: The 2020-2029 trajectory—or glide path—for emission reductions, the Clean Power Plan's building blocks, and calculating state-specific CO2 goals.
BMW Signs Biogas-Electricity Energy Deal
By Roy Cokayne, Business Report.
BMW South Africa has signed an off-take power purchasing agreement with energy company Bio2Watt that will bring renewable energy to its vehicle manufacturing plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria.
It is believed to be the first private deal of its kind, with the BMW/Bio2Watt initiative also marking the first commercially viable biogas-electricity project in the country.