RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.2021 Outlook – “Utilities are Anxious to Add RNG to their Pipelines”
The US has built its historic strength in large part from the efforts of our remarkable farming community. I am privileged to work with farmers every day, and I see their commitment to feeding the US and to being the best stewards of the land that they harvest. We at Vanguard Renewables have spent the last eight years trying to build a new model for how the US can work with farmers to heal and replenish the earth. As lofty as those goals sound, it really comes down to proving to the corporate world that by taking some very simple and executable steps, unusable food waste can be converted to renewable energy and low-carbon fertiliser.
Food Scraps to RNG Pathway in California’s LCFS
While renewable natural gas (RNG) produced from dairy and swine manure has received a lot of attention due to the ultra-negative carbon intensities (CIs) possible, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently sent a strong signal to the marketplace that RNG produced from food scraps is also very important. The signal came a couple of months ago when CARB certified the first, and to date, only food scraps-to-RNG pathway under the current version of CA-GREET 3.0, the California-centric version of Argonne National Laboratories’ GREET model. CA-GREET 3.0 is used to calculate CIs for the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS).
Amp Americas Brings Minnesota RNG Project Online
Amp Americas, a pioneer in the renewable transportation fuel industry, on March 10 announced that its fourth biogas facility producing renewable natural gas (RNG) from dairy waste is now operational and has begun delivering RNG into the Alliance natural gas pipeline to be used as transportation fuel. Located in Morris, Minnesota near the state’s western border, the new plant is Amp Americas’ largest dairy RNG project to date and the state’s first on-farm biogas-to-vehicle fuel facility. With this project, Amp Americas has now developed dairy RNG production on 12 dairies with over 66,000 cows.
For New York State, RNG is a No-Carbon No-Brainer
As the advisory committees that comprise the New York State Climate Action Council consider public comments and deliberate on the Empire State’s clean energy future, a lesser-known product called renewable natural gas should be on the minds of decision-makers, right next to wind and solar power.
Renewable natural gas is a resource available today that doesn’t just provide an alternative to fossil fuels, it repurposes food waste, combats harmful methane and carbon emissions, creates clean jobs and offers new economic opportunities for farms and struggling rural communities.
Letter: National Grid's Commitment to a Sustainable Future Laudable
Coalition for Renewable National Gas Member National Grid is right to acknowledge renewable natural gas (RNG) as an important asset in the fight against climate change and as an indispensable resource in Massachusetts’ march toward decarbonization.
Climate change does not have a one-size fits all solution and as the needs of our present and future environmental policy evolves, decision-makers should consider every available solution, especially RNG which captures harmful methane emissions and turns them into a clean, renewable source of fuel and energy. Indeed, RNG is an effective alternative resource that can replace fossil fuels in a variety of applications spanning the transportation, residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.
Opinion: Don't Waste Opportunity for Bipartisan Action on Emissions
Every day, over 42,000 members of the Smithfield Foods Family here in the U.S. come to work with a simple mission in mind: “Good food. Responsibly.®” We’re proud to deliver some of the nation’s favorite brands to dinner tables across the country, but more importantly, we’re passionate about doing it the right way. Part of our effort is constantly innovating how we do business so that we can better respond to a changing climate.
Smithfield was the first major protein company to set the ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% across our U.S. supply chain by 2025. Because we were well on our way to meeting that goal, in 2020 we set our sights even higher with the goal of becoming carbon negative in all our U.S. company-owned operations by 2030. We are set to accomplish these goals by using all the resources at our disposal, including those here in Utah.
Clean Energy Opens Renewable Natural Gas Fueling Station in Carson to Provide Ultra-Clean, Low-Carbon Fuel Option for Heavy-Duty Truck Fleets
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) announced the opening of a new public fueling station in Carson, CA that will provide renewable natural gas (RNG) to fuel trucks in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and service many Carson-area truck terminals and warehouses.
“This RNG station will allow more vehicles to take advantage of the cleanest fuel available today, especially in a region heavily impacted by emissions from heavy-duty trucks,” said Greg Roche, vice president of sustainability, Clean Energy. “We are pleased to bring more fueling choices to companies that want to reduce their carbon footprint with RNG and greatly reduce harmful greenhouse gases.”
“Many members of the Harbor Trucking Association have invested in RNG trucks to meet rigorous sustainability goals,” said Weston LaBar, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association. “We applaud Clean Energy for investing in the fueling infrastructure so that drivers of RNG trucks can quickly and conveniently fuel with the cleanest commercially available fuel.”
Clean Energy and bp Create JV to Invest in RNG Fuel Production
Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ: CLNE) today announced that it has finalized a joint venture (JV) with BP Products North America Inc, a subsidiary of BP p.l.c. (NYSE: BP) to develop, own and operate new renewable natural gas (RNG) projects at dairies and other agriculture facilities.
Each company will retain 50% voting control in the JV, which will be initially funded with $50 million previously provided by bp and another $30 million from Clean Energy. The JV anticipates adding preferred stock and debt to increase committed investment capital. Clean Energy will be the operating partner.
The JV will produce RNG using methane captured from dairies’ waste. RNG is used as a transportation fuel and has lower GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis when compared to conventional gasoline and diesel. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has given similar projects a carbon intensity (CI) score of a weighted average of -317 compared to CI scores of 100 for conventional diesel fuel and 16 for electric batteries.
Natural Gas and America's Clean Energy Transition
President Biden has set the ambitious, important climate goal of achieving net zero emissions from the nation’s electric power sector by 2035. Already, natural gas has played a key role in lowering U.S. carbon dioxide emissions in the past 15 years, in part by displacing higher emitting coal. But gas, which still provides more than a third of America’s electricity, must play an even greater part in America’s decarbonization plans going forward.
Right now, gas uniquely supports the expansion of renewable energy by providing an instantly dispatchable source of electricity. Unlike coal and nuclear plants, natural gas power plants turn on and off within minutes, allowing the grid to quickly match supply and demand even when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. As a U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory report has noted, this unique flexibility of natural gas generation thereby facilitates the steady expansion of renewables.
City Committee Will Consider Authorizing the Use of Renewable Natural Gas in City’s Fueling Program
The Pasadena City Council’s Municipal Services Committee will likely formally endorse a recommendation by the Department of Public Works to start using renewable natural gas (RNG) in the city’s fleet fueling program in an effort to eventually transition from using fossil compressed natural gas (CNG).
Transitioning to RNG will enable the city to comply with Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, and to qualify to participate in the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Program.
Don’t miss an update—join our weekly newsletter below.