RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Newton Aycliffe Firm Creating RNG from Food Waste
The County Durham based business, wholly-owned subsidiary of BioCapital Ltd, has been shortlisted in the Net Zero Now Award for Decarbonisation Strategy of the Year category, in the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards 2020, for helping customers assess operations and identify efficiency savings.
Kevin Quigley, commercial director at Warrens Group, said: “Whilst our fundamental purpose is to collect food waste and convert it into energy, our passion is to strengthen ties with all organisations and communities in our local area to address the UK Government’s Net Zero target by 2050.
By The Northern Echo
OptiFuel Combats Climate Crisis with Testing of Preproduction RNG Hybrid Line-Haul Locomotive
OptiFuel Systems (“OptiFuel”), a system integrator of Cummins and BAE Systems hybrid power products for decarbonizing the rail, marine, and microgrid power market, is in the process of finalizing a $2.6 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to demonstrate a pre-production Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) hybrid 4,300 hp line-haul locomotive. The program will demonstrate that a suite of commercially available, EPA rail-certified engines present a near-term, low risk solution to create an affordable RNG hybrid line-haul locomotive with near zero emissions while simultaneously improving fuel cost by 50%. This new program, partially funded with the DOE grant, will allow pre-production testing at AAR’s Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) and will operate in-service with a regional railroad to validate that OptiFuel’s low-risk, affordable technology can also be applied in the higher horsepower freight and passenger locomotive market.
By Business Wire
Fed. Grant to Help Scientists, Industry & Farmers Harness Biomass & Ag Waste to Fuel Farms
A new federal grant will allow a research team led by Iowa State University, Penn State and Roeslein Alternative Energy to develop new methods of turning biomass and manure into fuel.
The five-year, $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture will power the Consortium for Cultivating Human and Natural reGenerative Enterprise (C-CHANGE) as it works to create new value chains on U.S. farms, with emphasis on the generation of renewable natural gas, improved rural economic outcomes and protection of the environment.
By News IA State
NGVAmerica Launches ‘Fast Fill’ Podcast
Today, NGVAmerica launched a new podcast designed to discuss the past, present and future of natural gas vehicles. Titled ‘Fast Fill’ and hosted by NGVAmerica President, Daniel J. Gage, the bi-weekly podcast will feature leaders in the natural gas industry to help educate those in and outside of the industry on the latest developments for NGVs.
The inaugural episode features NGVAmerica’s General Counsel and Director of Regulatory Affairs Jeffrey Clarke. Jeffrey and Daniel discuss renewable natural gas and the reports NGVAmerica released this year in partnership with the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas. The first detailed on-road natural gas motor fuel volumes for 2019 and the second focused on the market in California.
By NGVAmerica
Read more…
Greenlane Renewables Signs Agreement With SWEN Impact Fund for Transition to Provide Turnkey Biogas Upgrading as a Service in Europe
Greenlane Renewables Inc. (“Greenlane”) (TSXV: GRN / FSE: 52G) is pleased to announce that today it has signed a definitive joint venture agreement with SWEN Impact Fund for Transition (“SWEN”), a European fund dedicated to renewable gases managed by SWEN Capital Partners based in Paris, France, with the purpose of providing biogas Upgrading as a Service (“UaaS”) to developers and owners of renewable natural gas (“RNG”) projects in Europe. The joint venture company, called Greenlane Biogas Finance B.V., will remove the burden of ownership on Greenlane’s clients by allowing them to replace initial capital outlays with a monthly fee. With capital provided by SWEN, this joint venture is expected to accelerate deployment of Greenlane’s biogas upgrading systems and assist in the decarbonization of the gas sector in Europe. This finalizes the agreement in principle announced on January 28, 2020.
By Business Wire
SoCalGas Now Powering Two Los Angeles Facilities with Bloom Energy's RNG
Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced it has begun powering two of its largest Los Angeles-area facilities with Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) solid oxide fuel cells. The switch to fuel cells will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollutants and the cost of power, as well as provide reliable electricity independent of the power grid. Photos of the fuel cells at one of the SoCalGas facilities are located here.
To produce electricity, Bloom Energy's fuel cells could use natural gas, renewable natural gas, or hydrogen. The fuel cells at SoCalGas intake natural gas and oxygen, and through an electrochemical reaction, produce electricity without any combustion. Bloom Energy Servers can operate at 60% efficiency and are considered one of the most efficient power solutions currently available. More information on how fuel cells work may be found here.
By PR Newswire
Department of Environment Helps Convert Motor Fleets to Cleaner Fuels
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has approved $2.1 million in funding for five private businesses to convert their motor fleets to cleaner alternative fuels as part of the settlement of the Volkswagen (VW) “defeat devices” case. Existing diesel powered vehicles will be replaced with new vehicles that use clean alternative fuels like electricity, propane and compressed natural gas (CNG).
In addition to the funds from the VW settlement, the businesses will spend about $5.2 million of their own money on the new vehicles for a total project cost of $7.3 million. The projects will improve air quality and provide health benefits through reduced vehicle emissions. Use of the cleaner vehicles will cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and also eliminate an estimated 60 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) that cause smog pollution. In addition to NOx reductions, the program will achieve more than 1,600 tons in reductions of carbon dioxide.
By Maryland Gov
Shell Secures Biogas-to-RNG Supply as Part Low-carbon Shift
The gas will be supplied to Europe’s pipeline network from July 1. The size and financial details of the contract were not disclosed.
In April, Shell laid out the oil and gas sector’s most extensive strategy yet to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
Biogas, produced from methanisation of agricultural and other biological waste, could play a key role in Europe’s ambitions to become a low-carbon society.
By Reuters
Oregon Rulemaking Complete, Giving Green Light for New Energy Source
Rulemaking for Senate Bill 98 (SB 98) is now complete, giving NW Natural a clear path to acquire renewable natural gas on behalf of customers, and forging the way for this newest renewable resource to be an increasing part of the state’s energy supply.
NW Natural, a subsidiary of NW Natural Holding Company (NYSE: NWN), worked collaboratively with legislators and renewable natural gas stakeholders to create SB 98, a groundbreaking bill that was signed into law by Oregon Governor Kate Brown last year. Since then, the Public Utility Commission of Oregon (OPUC), consumer groups and natural gas utilities have been working through a rulemaking process, so natural gas utilities can begin procuring renewable natural gas under the legislation.
By Yahoo News
RNG Coalition Welcomes National Debate on the Viability of RNG
Earthjustice and Sierra Club on July 14 issued a report calling renewable natural gas (RNG) “too costly” and “environmentally risky” to replace current natural gas demand in buildings. The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas said it welcomes a national debate on the viability of RNG.
In the report, titled “Rhetoric vs. Reality: The Myth of ‘Renewable Natural Gas’ for Building Decarbonization,” Earthjustice and Sierra Club claim that fossil gas alternatives (FGAs), including RNG, could only replace a small portion of natural gas, are up to 17 times more expensive than natural gas, have a mixed environmental record, and perpetuate the health impacts of combustion. Rather than biobased fuels like RNG, the report calls for building electrification.
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine
Don’t miss an update—join our weekly newsletter below.