RNG NEWS
Waste Management opens 100th CNG fueling station
By Cole Rosengren, Waste Dive.
Dive Brief:
- Waste Management recently announced the opening of its 100th compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station at an event in Oklahoma City. The company spent $9.2 million on the fueling center and service station, which can fill up to 134 trucks per night. Another $19.8 million has been invested in its local fleet, which will have more than 100 trucks by the end of the year, as reported by News OK.
- The company now has CNG stations in 33 states and three Canadian provinces. Of those 100 stations, 25 are open to the public.
- This infrastructure now supports 6,000 CNG trucks, which Waste Management says is the largest heavy-duty fleet of its kind in North America. Each trucks saves an estimated 8,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year and reduces emissions by 15% per truck.
Compressed natural gas-fueled vehicles on the rise in city fleets
By Jason Axelrod, American City and County.
As American City & County previously reported, compressed natural gas (CNG) is a popular fuel choice for refuse vehicles. But cities and their transportation partners are also finding success with CNG fuel in other vehicles in their fleets.
By Jason Axelrod, American City and County.
As American City & County previously reported, compressed natural gas (CNG) is a popular fuel choice for refuse vehicles. But cities and their transportation partners are also finding success with CNG fuel in other vehicles in their fleets.
Valley Metro, the unified regional transit system for the greater Phoenix area, will be deploying 200 new buses over the next few years, according to Phoenix radio station KTAR. In addition to using CNG, the buses will also have new electronic fan systems and new transmissions, which officials report will yield better engine performance.
“We are moving all of our buses over to CNG,” Valley Metro Spokeswoman Corinne Holliday told KTAR. “One of those things we really try to do it improve the environment and one way we can do that is by having CNG buses.”
Omaha Metro Transit announces first purchase of CNG buses
Omaha Metro Transit’s Board of Directors has approved the purchase of nine compressed natural gas (CNG) powered buses for Metro’s paratransit service, MOBY. They will replace current vehicles that have reached their useful life, as calculated by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
Clean Energy awarded multi-year extension by DART and extends fuel agreements
Via USGasVehicles.com.
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced that Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), one of the country’s largest transit agencies to move away from diesel to natural gas, has extended Clean Energy’s operation and maintenance contract for an additional four years. Clean Energy services DART’s four compressed natural gas (CNG) facilities supporting 537 buses and 123 shuttles and paratransit vehicles. These stations are anticipated to dispense approximately 40 million gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs) over the contract period.
Via USGasVehicles.com.
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced that Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), one of the country’s largest transit agencies to move away from diesel to natural gas, has extended Clean Energy’s operation and maintenance contract for an additional four years. Clean Energy services DART’s four compressed natural gas (CNG) facilities supporting 537 buses and 123 shuttles and paratransit vehicles. These stations are anticipated to dispense approximately 40 million gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs) over the contract period.
On July 27, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LAMTA) approved the purchase of an additional 65 CNG buses, expanding on a purchase earlier in July of 295, for a total of 360 new CNG buses. LAMTA currently operates the largest CNG fleet in the nation with a total of 2,250 buses, all of which may, at the option of LAMTA, be fueled by Clean Energy’s Redeem™ brand of renewable natural gas (RNG) that is the cleanest transportation fuel available rated 70 % cleaner than diesel. These new buses will be fitted with CWI’s latest L9N engines, which have NOx emissions 90% lower than the current EPA NOx limit of 0.2 g/bhp-hr.
LA Metro Orders e-Buses, CNG Buses & Engines too
(LA Metro) Is Buying 95 Battery Vehicles from BYD and New Flyer
As Actions Include CNG/RNG Vehicles from Two Suppliers,
And Up to $26.5 Million for Near Zero Replacement Engines
The busy board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority – LA Metro – voted last week to buy 95 all-battery buses. And while it endorsed the idea of an all-electric fleet in future, the board voted too to buy 360 compressed natural gas-fueled buses and to replace the engines in as many as 395 existing CNG buses with super low-NOx “Near Zero” engines from Cummins Westport.
Challenge to launch in British Colombia aimed at boosting RNG development
By Maria Church, Canadian Biomass Magazine.
Aug. 3, 2017 - BC Bioenergy Network and Foresight are looking for participants to weigh in on a proposed RNG challenge that seeks to boost development of innovations in the sector.
The partners sent out an open invitation for stakeholders to give feedback on the challenge and to help them narrow in on potential solution providers.
Report: EPA will reject change in RFS point of obligation sought by Icahn
By Eric Wolff, Politico.
The Trump administration plans to reject a proposal that would let oil refiners off the hook for complying with the federal ethanol mandate, a senior administration official told POLITICO, dashing the hopes of billionaire Carl Icahn and a slew of independent companies.
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to formally announce the decision within the next two weeks, the official said.
By Eric Wolff, Politico.
The Trump administration plans to reject a proposal that would let oil refiners off the hook for complying with the federal ethanol mandate, a senior administration official told POLITICO, dashing the hopes of billionaire Carl Icahn and a slew of independent companies.
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to formally announce the decision within the next two weeks, the official said.
The move is a severe blow for Icahn, a longtime associate and early supporter of Donald Trump who owns the refiner CVR Energy. He was once so confident that the obligation would be changed that he tried to strike a deal with a biofuels trade association.
Ultimately, Icahn and his allies were unable to prevail over a peculiar alliance of major oil companies and biofuels producers, who opposed changing the Renewable Fuel Standard, though for different reasons.
Icahn, refining giant Valero and smaller refiners argued that purchasing compliance credits, called Renewable Identification Numbers, squeezed their bottom lines and, in some cases, threatened to put them out of business. Icahn's CVR lost $19 million in the second quarter of this year after guessing incorrectly that the administration would make the policy change.
Trump has turned away from one of Icahn's main policy goals in large part due to pressure from corn-state voters and ethanol organizations.
"President Trump supports the EPA's decision," the official said.
Why Court Victories for New York, Illinois Nuclear Subsidies Are a Big Win for Renewables
By Julia Pyper, GreenTech Media.
A federal judge in New York ruled last week that the Empire State’s plan to subsidize nuclear power plants “is constitutional” and “of legitimate state concern.”
It’s a significant win for the nation’s largest nuclear fleet owner Exelon, which has been struggling to keep its money-losing power plants operational amid weak electricity demand and low energy prices. But the ramifications of last Tuesday’s decision go well beyond the legality of New York’s nuclear program.
By Julia Pyper, GreenTech Media.
A federal judge in New York ruled last week that the Empire State’s plan to subsidize nuclear power plants “is constitutional” and “of legitimate state concern.”
It’s a significant win for the nation’s largest nuclear fleet owner Exelon, which has been struggling to keep its money-losing power plants operational amid weak electricity demand and low energy prices. But the ramifications of last Tuesday’s decision go well beyond the legality of New York’s nuclear program.
The ruling marks the third time in less than a month that a federal court has affirmed states’ authority to favor certain clean energy resources in their supply mix -- which could influence how states across the nation set renewable energy targets and credit programs in the years to come.
The New York case was brought by a coalition of competitive power producers that predominantly generate power from coal and gas, including Dynegy and NRG Energy. Plaintiffs argued that subsidies for the state’s nuclear power plants violate federal market rules and put out-of-state generators at a disadvantage.
District Judge Valerie Caproni dismissed all challenges, however. She ruled that New York’s zero-emissions credit (ZEC) program does not intrude on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's jurisdiction over wholesale electricity markets and that it is constitutional for states to take action on climate change.
Shell Helping Lead a Greener Path Amid ‘Lower Forever’ Oil Prices
By Jason Deign, GreenTech Media.
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell thinks oil prices will be "lower forever." And it's looking to transform itself to meet the challenge by investing further in renewables.
According to Reuters, Shell and Japanese telecom giant SoftBank were among potential bidders for Asia’s largest independent renewable energy producer, Equis Energy of Singapore, just two days before the oil major unveiled a strong surge in year-on-year quarterly earnings. Equis is valued at $5 billion.
By Jason Deign, GreenTech Media.
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell thinks oil prices will be "lower forever." And it's looking to transform itself to meet the challenge by investing further in renewables.
According to Reuters, Shell and Japanese telecom giant SoftBank were among potential bidders for Asia’s largest independent renewable energy producer, Equis Energy of Singapore, just two days before the oil major unveiled a strong surge in year-on-year quarterly earnings. Equis is valued at $5 billion.
Shell CEO Ben van Beurden told investors the company is “transforming...through the reshaping of the portfolio, as well as through structural changes in our culture and ways of working."
“Becoming that world-class investment case involves Shell being a leader, reducing its carbon intensity and contributing to shared value with society,” said van Beurden. “It means having a strategy that is resilient for the long term.”
Reuters did not say whether the Equis deal, if it goes ahead, would be handled through Shell’s New Energies division, which was set up last year to develop opportunities in new fuels, renewables and digital platforms.
Google's 'Secret Plan' to Store Renewable Energy
By Bloomberg, via Fortune.
Alphabet Inc.'s secretive X skunk works has another idea that could save the world. This one, code named Malta, involves vats of salt and antifreeze.
The research lab, which hatched Google's driverless car almost a decade ago, is developing a system for storing renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted. It can be located almost anywhere, has the potential to last longer than lithium-ion batteries and compete on price with new hydroelectric plants and other existing clean energy storage methods, according to X executives and researchers.
By Bloomberg, via Fortune.
Alphabet Inc.'s secretive X skunk works has another idea that could save the world. This one, code named Malta, involves vats of salt and antifreeze.
The research lab, which hatched Google's driverless car almost a decade ago, is developing a system for storing renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted. It can be located almost anywhere, has the potential to last longer than lithium-ion batteries and compete on price with new hydroelectric plants and other existing clean energy storage methods, according to X executives and researchers.
The previously undisclosed initiative is part of a handful of energy projects at X, which has a mixed record with audacious "moonshots" like Google Glass and drone delivery. Venture capitalists, and increasingly governments, have cut funding and support for technology and businesses built around alternatives to fossil fuels. X's clean-energy projects have yet to become hits like its driverless cars, but the lab isn't giving up.
"If the moonshot factory gives up on a big, important problem like climate change, then maybe it will never get solved," said Obi Felten, a director at X. "If we do start solving it, there are trillions and trillions of dollars in market opportunity."