RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.DOE Awards SoCalGas more than $7M for Zero, Near-zero Emissions Vehicle Technology R&D
In an effort to counter climate change and air pollution, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded more than $7.1 million this week for three vehicular research and development projects assisted by Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).
Those projects are meant to advance zero and near-zero emissions technologies for heavy and medium duty transportation vehicles. They are run by Cummins, Inc., GTI, and the West Virginia University Research Corporation, respectively, but SoCalGas will also be supporting them with $730,000 in additional funding.
By Daily Energy Insider
RNG’s Growing Role in Decarbonization Strategies
Today, we know that the industrialization of our modern society has led to unintended consequences for our environment. Many of the means through which we power our buildings, drive our cars, and heat our spaces can have a negative impact on the planet, and on the health of those we care about.
Fortunately, much of this is changing through a global push toward clean energy sources and technology. More than ever, America is using its resourcefulness and ingenuity to usher in a cleaner future. Renewable natural gas (RNG) has become an increasingly important part of this future as a proven way to reduce our carbon footprint. Across the country, dairy farms, wastewater recovery facilities, landfills and other entities that process aggregated organic material are using methane capture and treating technologies to produce a sustainable energy resource that is displacing fossil fuel. Gasses that would otherwise be destroyed or enter the atmosphere as fugitive pollution are now purified for use in household and industrial thermal applications, to generate electricity, for vehicle fuel, and as a bio-feedstock. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, natural gas in the U.S. accounts for 29% of total electricity generation, 32% of industrial sector energy consumption, 24% of residential consumption, and 19% percent of commercial sector consumption. These numbers demonstrate that there is an undeniable opportunity to utilize gaseous waste streams to achieve deep decarbonization.
By Sam Lehr, David Cox and Mike Alaimo, Biogas Magazine
Renewable Natural Gas Trucks Catching On In California
In California, the production and use of renewable natural gas (RNG) has been on the increase ever since the enactment of Senate Bill No. 1383, the 2016 law that addressed “short-lived climate pollutants, such as black carbon, fluorinated gases and methane.” The latter meant a 40% reduction in emissions from dairy farms and diversion of food and green waste from landfills. There are reportedly 30 dairy RNG projects are now in operation in the state, and about 50 more are in various stages of development. Over a year ago, RNG from a San Joaquin Valley dairy digester facility began flowing into pipelines operated by Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas). Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas has said it is committed to replacing 20% of its traditional natural gas supply with RNG by 2030.
The utility has worked with fleet owners to secure millions of dollars in incentive funding for new near-zero emissions natural gas trucks, including the support port of Los Angeles and Long Beach trucking company Total Transportation Services Inc. (TTSI) in its effort to replace its 40 diesel trucks with near-zero emissions natural gas trucks.
By Diesel Progress
Iowa Researchers see Wasted Potential in Agricultural Renewable Fuels
A research team led by Iowa State University is studying ways to increase farmers’ interest in — and profits from — biofuels made from manure and other low-value biomass.
Anaerobic digestion, as it’s known, processes agricultural waste into renewable natural gas using an oxygen-free form of combustion. The gas then can be used on site or refined and distributed through existing natural gas pipelines.
By Energy News
Southwest Gas Shrugs Off Covid-19 and Grows, Despite Economic, Energy Downturn
SWGas also is partnering with stakeholders on compressed natural gas (CNG) and renewable natural gas (RNG) projects. It has two proposals in Arizona, a dairy farm and wastewater treatment plant, to build interconnects with RNG suppliers to connect to the utility pipeline network.
“In California and Nevada, we now have the ability to purchase RNG for our portfolio in both states, and we have begun the process of working with both customers and our gas supply team to purchase RNG resources,” said general counsel Justin Brown.
By NGI
Aemetis Makes Progress on California Dairy RNG project
Aemetis has completed the construction of the first two dairy digesters and a four-mile pipeline for the production of renewable natural gas (RNG).
The advanced renewable fuel and biochemicals firm will supply below-zero carbon intensity RNG to displace petroleum-based natural gas used at the Keyes ethanol production facility, and to provide fuel for RNG trucks and buses.
Eric McAfee, chairman and CEO of Aemetis, said: “Aemetis is implementing multiple system upgrades and expansion projects related to our 65 million gallon-per-year renewable fuel and high-grade alcohol plant, all of which produce carbon intensity and input costs while increasing revenues.”
By Bioenergy Insight
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation Partners with Atlanta Gas Light to Build CNG Filling Station at Port of Savannah
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK) (Chesapeake Utilities or the Company) today announced that the Company has entered into an agreement with Atlanta Gas Light (AGL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southern Company Gas, for AGL to construct and maintain a compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station at the Port Fuel Center located in Port Wentworth near the Port of Savannah in Georgia. The station will provide a strategic staging area and CNG supply source for the Company's Marlin Gas Services subsidiary's (Marlin) CNG virtual pipeline operations. Marlin is a premier North American supplier of mobile CNG utility and pipeline natural gas solutions, and the Savannah location will provide greater access to Marlin's customers in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
"With Marlin now fully integrated into the Chesapeake Utilities family of businesses, we continue to look for opportunities for mobile fuel and virtual pipeline solutions that expand our Florida and Delmarva service areas," said Kevin Webber, senior vice president for Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. "This new fueling station not only positions us to support Marlin CNG trailer filling but allows us to extend environmentally friendly service offerings to a variety of new customers in the Southeast."
By PR Newswire
Aemetis Completes Construction of Phase I Dairy Digester and Pipeline Project for RNG Production
Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX) announced today the completion of construction of the first two dairy digesters and four mile pipeline for the production of renewable natural gas (RNG) to supply below-zero carbon intensity RNG to displace petroleum based natural gas used at the Keyes ethanol production facility, and to provide fuel for RNG trucks and buses.
“Aemetis is implementing multiple system upgrades and expansion projects related to our 65 million gallon per year renewable fuel and high grade alcohol plant, all of which reduce carbon intensity (CI) and input costs while increasing revenues,” said Eric McAfee, Chairman and CEO of Aemetis. “Our Aemetis Biogas team is now rapidly building systems to capture and convert methane from dairy lagoons into negative carbon intensity RNG transportation fuel. After capturing and processing biogas from the anaerobic dairy digesters, we will pipeline the upgraded gas to our plant in Keyes, CA where it will be available for use as energy to produce transportation fuel and high grade alcohol, and in the first half of 2021, inject the RNG into the common carrier pipeline and dispense RNG fuel to truck fleets at our onsite CNG loading station,” added McAfee.
By Global Newswire
A First for North America: FortisBC, REN Energy to Produce RNG from Wood Waste
FortisBC will soon be producing renewable natural gas (RNG) from wood waste – a first for North America. On April 30, 2020, the company announced that it was teaming up with REN Energy International Corporation (REN Energy) for this new endeavour.
This process has never been done on a commercial scale in North America. But as Philip Viggiani, president of REN Energy, says, “If we build it, they will come.”
The partnership comes after FortisBC put out an open call six years ago looking for products to convert from organic waste into RNG. This new source of RNG will add to the RNG supply underpinning FortisBC’s existing RNG Program.
By Canadian Biomass
US Gain to Help Transition Anheuser-Busch's Dedicated Fleet to Renewable Natural Gas
St. Louis, MO (Anheuser-Busch), August 12, 2020 – As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainable logistics and reducing carbon emissions, Anheuser-Busch announced today that it is transitioning more than 180 trucks – representing approximately 30% of its dedicated fleet – to Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).
In 2014 and 2015, Anheuser-Busch converted 160 diesel-fueled trucks in Houston and St. Louis to fleets powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) engines. As the next step to achieve its 2025 sustainability goal of reducing carbon emissions across its value chain by 25% by 2025, the brewer will be expanding this fleet and investing in technology to transition to cleaner-burning renewable natural gas.
The two fleets are expected to travel more than 8.5 million miles each year. By transitioning the trucks within these fleets to Renewable Natural Gas provided by American Natural Gas and U.S. Gain, the brewer expects to reduce its emissions by more than 70% compared to conventional diesel – the equivalent of taking more than 66 thousand passenger cars off the road or planting more than 8 million new trees.
By U.S. Gain
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