RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.National Grid Unveils Plan to Run Carbon-Free Gas Through Its Pipes By 2050
National Grid unveiled a plan to decarbonize its US natural gas pipeline system by 2050, a move that dovetails with broader state efforts to ensure Massachusetts is net-zero with regard to carbon emissions by that date.
The goal is to augment electric heating with two forms of “clean” gas in the utility’s pipes: renewable natural gas — drawn from decomposing materials at farms, landfills, and sewage treatment plants — and “green” hydrogen, created from water by using electricity produced by offshore wind farms. The British utility will also look at ways to incorporate geothermal heating systems in certain neighborhoods or for specific properties.
Nacero Set to Infuse Billions into Economy
Plans for Nacero’s natural gas to gasoline plant near Penwell, Texas, are proceeding with an air quality permit in hand, financing and a groundbreaking in the works.
Nacero Director of Project Integration Wesley Burnett gave an update on the project, the number of jobs it will create and the billions it will infuse into the regional economy.
Fueling the Hydrogen Revolution with RNG
The hydrogen economy is here and now. The rapidly growing opportunity is significant, and the RNG industry has a key role to play, according to BayoTech Chief Commercial Officer Stewart Stewart, who briefed the RNG industry on opportunities in hydrogen production from RNG, its advantages and what the sector currently looks like during a March webinar sponsored by the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas.
The hydrogen industry has traditionally served three very large, centralized industries, which Stewart categorizes as oil and gas refineries, methanol production and fertilizer production from ammonia. “In those value chains, hydrogen is traditionally produced in very large plants and shipped over long distances to their users,” he says.
Clean Energy Expands Sustainable Fueling with Contracts for Renewable Natural Gas, More Dairy Development Projects
Clean Energy Fuels announced it continues to meet the growing demand for renewable natural gas (RNG), a sustainable transportation fuel made from organic waste, with new fueling contracts, infrastructure expansions, and RNG production projects.
“More fleets are finding RNG to be the most easy and cost-effective way to achieve significant carbon reductions,” said Chad Lindholm, Clean Energy’s senior vice president for sales. “As we continue to see growing demand for RNG, we’re working on the production side so that more customers can turn their sustainability goals into reality.”
Wood Chips Would be a Fuel Feedstock at a New $2B Biofuels Facility that Could Come to Beaumont, Texas
A chemical plant outside Beaumont, Texas, could be getting a $2 billion expansion as its owner, Amsterdam-based OCI, plans to expand into renewable methanol-to-gasoline and bio-methanol production, or biofuels.
A new facility would put woodchips through a gasifier system, applying oxygen and superheated steam to yield renewable natural gas, the company said in an application with Beaumont Independent School District to reduce its tax burden. The renewable natural gas would then be used as a feedstock for OCI’s bio-methanol production.
Enbridge Gas and the Ontario Waste Management Association Announce RNG Project to Decarbonize Waste Collection Trucks
Enbridge Gas, in agreement with the Ontario Waste Management Association, announced a pilot project to use low-carbon renewable natural gas (RNG) in waste collection vehicles across Ontario, Canada. RNG is a carbon-neutral fuel source that presents a tremendous opportunity to help Ontario reach its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
Currently, more than 40 percent of Ontario's waste sector expenditures are related to transportation costs, which are expected to increase. While the sector has made significant contributions to sustainability by supporting waste diversion efforts there is room to build on that success and continue investing in a green future.
Increase in Atmospheric Methane Set Another Record During 2021
For the second year in a row, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists observed a record annual increase in atmospheric levels of methane, a powerful, heat-trapping greenhouse gas that’s the second biggest contributor to human-caused global warming after carbon dioxide.
NOAA’s preliminary analysis showed the annual increase in atmospheric methane during 2021 was 17 parts per billion (ppb), the largest annual increase recorded since systematic measurements began in 1983. The increase during 2020 was 15.3 ppb. Atmospheric methane levels averaged 1,895.7 ppb during 2021, or around 162% greater than pre-industrial levels. From NOAA’s observations, scientists estimate global methane emissions in 2021 are 15% higher than the 1984-2006 period.
No BS – Dairy Digesters Work
Large trucks and luxury cars are being powered by dairy cows – or to be more precise, the biogas from their manure.
Yes, California farms are not only producing milk products for the world, they’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20% on the farm and replacing fossil fuels destined for big-rig gas tanks. If the state is going to achieve its ambitious climate goals, more dairies are going to have to generate renewable natural gas with anaerobic dairy digesters.
Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts Achieve Carbon Neutrality
The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, which manages wastewater and solid waste for over half the residents in Los Angeles County, announced that its operations result in a net reduction of greenhouse gases into the environment. A third party reviewed and verified the Districts' 2021 emissions inventory.
The Sanitation Districts recently published a summary of the agency's seven biggest initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the biogas created at the agency's landfills and wastewater treatment plants is converted into enough electricity to meet the needs of 23,000 homes. Other initiatives include converting food waste into vehicle fuel, using alternatives to fossil fuel in vehicles, biosolids management and green waste management. Collectively, these initiatives avoided 362,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, which is equivalent to taking 78,000 cars off the road.
Canada: $50M Ontario Project to Convert Decomposing Trash into Green Energy
A waste management company is partnering with the region’s natural gas supplier on a $50 million project to mine landfill gas from decomposing trash that will generate green energy and help the environment.
Waste Connections of Canada announced plans to construct a new renewable natural gas (RNG) facility on the Ridge Landfill site, near Blenheim, that will include an upgrading and compression system to convert landfill gas into a high-quality renewable natural gas. Enbridge Gas is partnering on the project to run a new four-inch pipeline nearly six kilometres from its Chatham East Line at its Blenheim North Station to a new injection station at the landfill that will require at least a $12 million investment.
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