RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.TruStar Energy Completes its 250th CNG Fueling Station
TruStar Energy announced it completed construction of its 250th compressed natural gas fueling station, a UPS Inc. facility in Plainfield, Ind.
The company expects to build about 35% of the market’s new stations this year. It also will embark on supplying renewable natural gas, sourced from landfills and digesters, to fleets and introduce new products for smaller fleets, so they, too, can realize the benefits of transitioning from diesel, according to White Plains, N.Y.-based TruStar.
By Transport Topics
Why Some Landfills Operators are Exploring Virtual Pipelines to Capitalize on RNG
Bulk transportation of renewable natural gas (RNG) by truck, or a virtual pipeline, is a growing industry in the U.S. While some landfill owners are setting up virtual pipelines to fuel their fleets, a few are tapping into these systems to get gas into utility pipelines. It’s an expensive endeavor but may be worth it, especially for remote landfills wanting to capitalize on renewable credits. Some utilities find it’s opening opportunities for them, too.
Hexagon Lincoln in Nebraska manufactures mobile pipeline gas transportation modules, delivering about 500 of them throughout North America.
By Arlene Karidis, Waste 360
President Obama’s former Energy Secretary on Why Electricity is Not Enough
On April 11 a much-anticipated report was released by The Energy Futures Initiative that analyzes the ways California can meet its aggressive low-carbon energy goals. The report, which was authored by a team led by President Obama’s former Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest J. Moniz, outlines an innovation agenda needed for deep decarbonization by 2050.
This report validates why Californians for Balanced Energy Solutions (C4BES) is working to educate the public and to rally support for the crucial role that natural gas, and increasingly renewable gas, plays in California’s energy future. To meet emission reduction goals, California cannot rely on simplistic, one-size-fits-all solutions like banning natural and renewable gas in favor of 100% solar- and wind-powered electrification.
On April 11 a much-anticipated report was released by The Energy Futures Initiative that analyzes the ways California can meet its aggressive low-carbon energy goals. The report, which was authored by a team led by President Obama’s former Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest J. Moniz, outlines an innovation agenda needed for deep decarbonization by 2050.
This report validates why Californians for Balanced Energy Solutions (C4BES) is working to educate the public and to rally support for the crucial role that natural gas, and increasingly renewable gas, plays in California’s energy future. To meet emission reduction goals, California cannot rely on simplistic, one-size-fits-all solutions like banning natural and renewable gas in favor of 100% solar- and wind-powered electrification.
Among the report’s findings are:There is no “silver bullet” technology. Technology optionality and flexibility are critical to any decarbonization strategy, especially for difficult-to-decarbonize sectors.Renewable natural gas and hydrogen are critical clean energy pathways due to the enormous value of fuels to flexible operations of energy systems.The state’s energy transformation must operate reliably at all times and take place with as little disruption to essential services.Renewable natural gas, hydrogen, and seasonal energy storage are singled out as technology innovation areas that need to be pursued aggressively as California moves toward its goals.Here’s a link to a fact sheet on the report as well as the Executive Summary and a Bloomberg interview with Dr. Moniz.
While this report advocates the need for balance, we have decision-makers in Sacramento who are driving headlong toward electrification of all buildings. Most notably, the California Public Utilities Commission is considering changing building codes and appliance codes to mandate an all-electric future.
California needs a portfolio of affordable technologies that reduce emissions and protect energy reliability as we introduce other technologies that must be developed for the long term such as carbon capture, bioenergy, floating offshore wind power, smart cities and buildings, producing hydrogen from water, and the ability to store months-long supplies of energy. Regardless of the technologies, improving energy efficiency across all economic sectors is vitally important to achieving emission reduction goals.
Our state has the intellectual and investment resources to lead the world in these efforts. Let’s not squander time in fruitless “gas vs. electricity” arguments.
The availability of natural and renewable gas provides Californians with energy choice, affordability, and reliability for our economic well-being and quality of life. And it has and will continue to contribute to the state’s effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address the challenges of climate change.
National Grid to File Proposals with NY Public Service Commission to Combat Climate Change by Decarbonizing Gas Network
MELVILLE, N.Y., Apr. 22 /CSRwire/ - As an extension of its June 2018 Northeast 80x50 Pathway, a deep dive analysis into ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, National Grid is on the verge of filing proposals for the future of heat with the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) to help provide a greater platform to combat climate change by decarbonizing the gas network.
"While the scope of taking on climate change can be hard to comprehend, I am confident that we have more solutions at hand than we recognize,” says National Grid New York President John Bruckner on Earth Day. “Working together with regulators, elected officials, environmental groups and customers to achieve cost-effective and innovative solutions is the only way forward.”
Via CSRwire.
Government of Canada Invests in Clean Technology and Indigenous Economic Growth in British Columbia
Today, the Honourable Joyce Murray, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), announced a combined total of more than $4 million towards two projects that will stimulate economic growth and is expected to create more than 300 jobs through innovations in the forestry sector.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) will receive $2.38 million towards the research and testing of clean technologies that generate renewable natural gas (RNG) from forest residues. This project will use clean technology to produce affordable fuel that can be used to power pulp mills or sold to export markets. The project is expected to create 238 jobs as mills adopt innovative RNG technology.
By Futures Trading Charts
New RNG Project Proposed for Prince George, B.C.
Today, the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George (RDFFG) announced approval in principle for an agreement where FortisBC will purchase landfill gas from the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill to purify and inject the gas into its natural gas distribution system as Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).
"The demand for RNG is significant. We welcome the opportunity to bring on new supply as we pursue our target of having 15 per cent of our gas supply be renewable by 2030," says Douglas Stout, vice-president of external relations and market development, FortisBC. "If approved, this project will be the first northern Renewable Natural Gas project for FortisBC and will support the development of a locally produced, carbon neutral energy source in B.C."
By Morningstar
Aria Energy Presents Plans for RNG Facility at Bethlehem Landfill
The Lower Saucon Township Council reviewed plans on Wednesday night for a renewable natural gas facility that would process and treat methane and carbon dioxide from the Bethlehem Landfill.
Representatives from Aria Energy of Novi, Michigan, made an informal presentation to the council about building a processing facility on 2.3 acres south of the landfill. It would tie into the existing landfill gas system and send the processed gas into pipelines owned by UGI Utilities.
By Bryan Hay, 69 News
Ameresco Announces Commercial Operations of Historic RNG Plant
Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, today announced that it achieved commercial operations in early 2019 at its 91st Ave renewable natural gas (RNG) plant located in Phoenix, Arizona. Now operational, this plant is the largest wastewater treatment biogas-to-RNG facility of its kind in the US and is capable of processing 3,250 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) of raw digester gas produced at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).
The 91st Ave WWTP is owned by the sub-regional operating group (SROG) member cities: Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe and is operated by the City of Phoenix.
By Business Wire
Vashon Island Anaerobic Digester Unveiled
Impact Bioenergy, a manufacturer of systems that convert organic food waste into usable energy and fertilizer, unveiled its new anaerobic digester at the Island Spring Organics tofu factory Tuesday.
The project, supported by Gov. Jay Inslee’s Clean Energy Fund, the Sustainable Energy Trust and King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, is able to derive methane and carbon dioxide from food waste that is broken down by bacteria — the process creates biogas, which can be treated and used to generate energy.
By Paul Rowley, Beachcomber
Brightmark Energy Funds Indiana Plastics-to-Fuel Plan
The financing for Brightmark Energy Ashley Indiana includes $185 million in Indiana green bonds, which were underwritten by Goldman Sachs & Co. As part of the financing closure, Brightmark has become the controlling owner of RES Polyflow, the Ohio-based energy technology company that innovated the process for converting plastics directly into transportation fuel and other products.
The Ashley facility will be the first of its kind to take mixed-waste, single-use plastics and convert them into usable products at commercial scale. The facility will initially convert approximately 100,000 tons of plastics into more than 18 million gallons a year of ultra-low sulfur diesel and naphtha blend stocks and nearly 6 million gallons a year of commercial-grade wax in a process that is expected to be 93 percent efficient.\
By Construction Equipment Guide
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