RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Tesla Seeks Entry Into U.S. Renewable Fuel Credit Market, by Tapping Biogas
Tesla is seeking to enter the multi-billion dollar U.S. renewable credit market, hoping to profit from the Biden administration's march toward new zero-emission goals, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The electric car maker is one of at least eight companies with a pending application at the Environmental Protection Agency tied to power generation and renewable credits, the sources said. The EPA produces a list of pending applications with some details, but not companies' names.
Tesla's entry could potentially reshape the renewable credit market, established in the mid-2000s to boost investment in the U.S. biofuel industry. The market generated some 18 billion credits in 2020 and is currently dominated by ethanol producers. Tesla's application would likely be tied to the production of electricity associated with biogas.
California Clean Fuel Standard Sparks Renewable Gas Boom in Midwest
Twenty years ago, Holsum Dairies installed the first anaerobic digester in Wisconsin. Part of a combined heat and power system, the digester mixed cow manure with heat and bacteria to produce biogas that fueled a generator.
It was a novel experiment at the time. The digester, and another the dairy installed a few years later, reduced the size of open lagoons of manure that release methane into the atmosphere. Wisconsin Public Service, the local utility, bought the electricity. But last year, Holsum Dairies changed course, upgraded the two digesters and began producing renewable natural gas for California’s burgeoning renewable fuels market.
“California’s market is the biggest driver, for sure,” said Holsum Dairies owner Dr. Robert Nagel. He estimates the northeastern Wisconsin dairy will receive three to five times more revenue from selling the renewable natural gas and its environmental benefits than it did from electricity sales to the local utility.
Adopt-a-Port: Chevron Further Bets on Alliance to Help Fleets Shift to Biogas
Chevron Corporation announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (Chevron) is investing an additional $20 million in the Adopt-a-Port initiative with Clean Energy Fuels. Chevron has now invested a total of $28 million in the initiative, which provides truck fleet operators and owners serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with cleaner, carbon-negative renewable natural gas to reduce emissions.
In addition to providing funding for Adopt-a-Port, Chevron supplies renewable natural gas to Clean Energy stations near the ports. Chevron’s funding will allow truck operators to subsidize the cost of buying new or converting to biomethane trucks. Clean Energy, meanwhile, will manage the program, including offering fueling services for qualified truck operators.
Montauk Renewables, Inc. Signs Agreement to Sell RNG for European Market Use
Montauk Renewables, Inc. announced that it has signed an agreement to sell a portion of its Renewable Natural Gas (“RNG”) production as a feedstock to make fuel for the European market.
Beginning July 2021, the Company will sell approximately 900,000 MMBtu annually of is production, currently monetized under an expiring domestic floor-price agreement, to Iogen RC Fuels, LP (“Iogen”) under a new 4.5 year fixed-price agreement to make vehicle fuel to serve the European market.
Energy in Transition: Renewable Natural Gas Has a Role to Play
For Canada to meet its recently announced "Net Zero by 2050" climate commitment, reducing the carbon intensity of natural gas production, distribution and consumption is a priority - all the more so given Canada's bold ambition to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 (announced on April 22, 2021, at the Leaders Summit on Climate).
Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), also known as biomethane, is often seen as the key to decarbonizing the natural gas system. And for good reason: RNG is a drop-in replacement for conventional natural gas, but with much lower GHG emissions. Some RNG projects can do even more, delivering RNG through existing infrastructure that is not just incrementally better for the climate than conventional natural gas when it is burned but is actually "carbon negative" when measured on a lifecycle basis.
We Need to Get Behind Renewable Natural Gas
By supporting the production of renewable natural gas, or RNG, Massachusetts residents have the opportunity to boost the state’s commitment to reducing food waste in landfills while increasing the supply of clean energy and reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere.
RNG is a carbon-free fuel alternative derived by extracting methane from decomposing food scraps and animal manure in a process that sustainably repurposes waste products into a renewable power source. RNG is transported and distributed through existing infrastructure, so there is no need to build new pipelines.
Massachusetts is a national leader in the fight against food waste. Since 2014, the Commonwealth has banned commercial organic waste disposal in landfills, which has inspired companies to come up with innovative recycling solutions such as sending scraps and expired products to RNG-producing facilities. But there is more to be done to confront the epic challenges of climate change and waste reduction.
Getting the Most out of Methane Reduction
Congress and the Biden administration are starting to address methane emissions, and that’s a giant step forward for U.S. climate policy. But to keep spending on methane reduction accountable, and maximize its impact, we’ll need to look at a range of emissions sources, and focus on the most cost-effective methods with the greatest potential for overall methane abatement.
Methane is classified as a “short-lived climate pollutant,” but it’s also the second most prevalent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, it’s 86 times more powerful a warming agent than carbon dioxide over 20 years, and it's spiking. New National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data shows methane emissions have risen rapidly since 2000, and surged in 2020 despite the pandemic. We’re unlikely to meet our ambitious climate goals without reversing that rise.
Southern Company Gas Assumes Control of Meadow Branch Renewable Natural Gas Facility, Launches New Subsidiary to Increase Access to Sustainable Fuel
Southern Company Gas announced that it has taken ownership of the Meadow Branch Landfill Methane Recovery Facility, the renewable natural gas facility located at the Meadow Branch Landfill in Athens, Tenn., from sister company PowerSecure. The facility is now operated by Southern Company Gas Renewables, a new subsidiary dedicated to growing Southern Company Gas’ ability to provide customers with sustainable fuels. The company is pursuing RNG as part of Southern Company’s goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions enterprise-wide by 2050 and its strategy to increase access to clean, safe, reliable and affordable fuel for customers.
Clean Energy Inks New Deals to Meet Growing Demand for Low Carbon, Sustainable Renewable Natural Gas
Clean Energy Fuels Corp announced new renewable natural gas (RNG) contracts as fleets across North America increasingly continue to adopt the clean, low-carbon fuel to power heavy- and medium-duty trucks.
Clean Energy continues to expand its supply of RNG as the demand increases for the vehicle fuel which is derived from capturing the biogenic methane produced by the decomposition of organic waste from dairies, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. RNG reduces climate-harming greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70 percent, and even up to 300 percent depending on the source of the RNG, making it a negative carbon fuel.
“Fleets are learning that RNG, together with natural gas engine technology, is a proven solution that can significantly decrease the impact of harmful emissions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Chad Lindholm, vice president, Clean Energy Fuels. “Clean Energy’s corporate vision is directly tied to working with our customers to improve air quality and positively influence public health. We will continue to grow the role of RNG in our fuel offerings to provide a clean and cost-effective alternative to diesel fuel.”
Brightmark Breaks Ground on Caballero Renewable Natural Gas Project in Arizona
Brightmark, the global waste solutions provider, today broke ground on the Caballero Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) project, which includes the construction of new anaerobic digesters at Caballero Dairy Farms, an 8,800 animal farm in Eloy, AZ.
Upon completion of the project, the digesters are anticipated to generate 214 MMBtu of renewable natural gas daily. The gas will be delivered into the El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline owned by Kinder Morgan. The project will be owned and operated by Brightmark RNG Holdings LLC, a Brightmark platform in partnership with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Brightmark currently owns and operates 29 RNG projects in eight states.
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