RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Here's who's joining Tesla and Fred Meyer in Oregon's Clean Fuels Program
By James Cronin, Portland Business Journal.
The state's Clean Fuels Program has kicked off with some big commitments.
Last week, Fred Meyer signed onto the Department of Environmental Quality's program, purchasing 500,000 gallons of renewable compressed natural gas derived from organic waste that will generate credits for the statewide program that aims to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles.
While the supermarket chain owns 31 trucks that run on liquified natural gas — a cleaner-burning fuel than diesel — Tesla Motors is the headliner for Oregon's program. The electric vehicle company signed on to generate Clean Fuels credits from 697,000 kilowatt-hours worth of electric vehicle charging at Tesla-owned charging stations.
Landfill owner to provide free landfill gas to MMSD for 25 years
By Don Behm, the Journal Sentinel.
Advanced Disposal Services will provide the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District with up to $14.5 million worth of free landfill gas over 25 years from the Emerald Park Landfill in Muskego, under terms of a revised contract negotiated to settle district claims against the company.
Advanced Disposal, owner of Emerald Park, has not delivered even the minimum annual amount of landfill gas required under the original contract, providing only 29% of the contract minimum flow in 2015 and less than one-third in 2014, records show.
"They have not been able to meet the production schedule," MMSD Executive Director Kevin Shafer said.
New York state schedules series of hearings on clean energy
By WBNG News.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) The New York State Department of Public Service is hosting a series of public hearings on a new clean energy proposal.
Officials will provide information and take public comment on the state's proposed Clean Energy Standard. The program mandates that 50 percent of all electricity consumed in New York by 2030 come from clean and renewable energy sources.
Greeley is home to North America's largest renewable energy "stomach"
By Kathleen Duff, Greeley Tribune.
Motorists passing by the series of six domed-top tanks and various outbuildings tucked between two dairy farms near LaSalle might dismiss the development as yet another of rural Weld County’s many oil facilities.
But what those drivers don’t see is an innovative addition to Weld County’s rapidly growing portfolio of renewable energy enterprises.
Resting on that flat piece of rural land is the Heartland Biogas Project, the largest anaerobic digester in North America. There, food waste and dairy cow manure are converted into renewable natural gas that supplies power to more than 35,000 households.
French Team to Challenge with Biomethane at Le Mans 2017
Via NGV Global News.
The renowned Le Mans 24-hour race for 2017 will have a new entry in the experimental category, in the form of a liquefied biomethane powered hybrid vehicle from France’s Welter Racing (WR), based in Thorigny sur Marne, Île-de-France.
This project, led by the WR team whose first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans began in 1976, aims to use biomethane from waste disposal to deliver a zero-CO2-impact race and demonstrate this form of renewable energy is worthy of inclusion at the highest level of motor racing.
Interface Americas using 96% renewable energy, including RNG
Via LaGrange Daily News.
ATLANTA — Interface, the world’s largest commercial modular carpet company and a sustainable business pioneer, announced Wednesday a milestone in the company’s Mission Zero initiative — the Americas manufacturing sites now operate using 96 percent renewable energy.
The renewable energy operation in the Americas brings the company’s global renewable energy usage to 84 percent. The renewable energy comes from directed biogas to meet the thermal energy needs of the company’s flagship operations in Troup County.
“Getting our factories in Americas to near 100 percent in renewable energy is a significant achievement — one that is a first for our industry and likely for industry in general,” said Erin Meezan, vice president of sustainability for Interface Inc. “When we began our focus on Mission Zero 22 years ago, renewable energy was at the heart of our strategy to eliminate our carbon footprint. Four years before our milestone year of 2020, we are ahead of plan and on track to achieve our 2020 goals.”
Can the House and Senate turn two energy bills into one law?
By Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive.
Lawmakers from the two chambers remain far apart on some key issues and a veto threat hangs over negotiations
Last month, the U.S. Senate defied the beltway trope of legislative gridlock that has characterized the Obama era, passing a broad energy bill in an 82-12 vote.
Approval in the Senate on April 20 marked the first time the chamber has passed a bipartisan energy bill since 2007, and national media reacted with appropriate surprise.
"It doesn't happen every day, but it happened Wednesday," the Washington Post noted in an article titled "The Senate just passed — overwhelmingly — an actually bipartisan energy bill."
New cogen system triples energy output from biogas at Oregon WWTP
By Katie Fletcher, Biomass Magazine.
On May 4, Clean Water Services, Energy Trust of Oregon and the Oregon Department of Energy formally announced the implementation of a new cogeneration system that converts wastewater and grease into renewable energy. The innovative system, which is part of Clean Water Services Durham Treatment Facility, is the third cogeneration system in Oregon to codigest fats, oils and grease (FOG).
Amongst the people in attendance of the renewable energy facility opening were Andy Duyck, chair of Clean Water Services of Washington County; Michael Kaplan, director of the Oregon Department of Energy; and Betsy Kauffman, renewable energy sector lead of the Energy Trust of Oregon.
Since 1993, Durham has operated a 500-kW cogeneration system using biogas from the communities’ wastewater to offset its own energy usage. By replacing this smaller engine with two new Jenbacher 848-kW engines, Durham now has a 1.7 MW cogeneration system fueled by biogas produced from the anaerobic digestion (AD) of municipal wastewater solids as well as FOG from Washington County restaurants, commercial food processors and others. Average gallons of FOG codigested per week will start at 70,000 gallons and is expected to increase to 100,000 gallons within the next six months. The Durham campus hosts two, 1.3 million gallon digesters. Prior to being fed to the engine, the biogas will need to be treated with a gas treatment system made by Unison Solutions that will remove hydrogen sulfide particulates, siloxane and moisture from the raw biogas.
AMP Americas Launches Biogas Division
Via HDT.
AMP Americas has launched ampRENEW, a biogas division dedicated to the company’s growing renewable fuel business that has entered into fueling agreements with Dillon Transport and Ruan Transportation Management Systems.
The two companies have signed to have ampRENEW fuel a portion of their fleets at ampCNG fueling stations, the company announced.
Conservative group says N.C. support for clean energy is growing
By John Downey, Charlotte Business Journal.
The latest poll on N.C. voter preferences involving energy shows strong support for renewables, declining support for nuclear plant construction and strong opposition to fracking in the state.
The poll also shows strong support for restoring state tax credits for renewble energy and legislation allowing independent producers to sell power directly to customers. Voters overwhelmingly say they would support candidates who advocate these positions, according to the poll.
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