RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.How Dairy Farmers Are Turning Manure Into Money
The Connecticut River cuts between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire and rushes into the heart of Massachusetts, where Denise Barstow Manz stands in the wind, surveying the land her family has farmed for 217 years.
“We have some of the best soil in the entire world,” says Barstow Manz. “It’s called Hadley silt loam.” She explains how the rich Connecticut River flood plain that’s wedged between the river and the Mount Holyoke mountain range behind her nourished tobacco, asparagus, broom corn and squash for her 1800s ancestors, and how it now grows hay and corn for the current farm’s 600 dairy cows.
Cowboy Clean Fuels Completes Series A Financing to Advance Renewable Natural Gas Commercialization Plan
Cowboy Clean Fuels on March 28 announced the closing of a $7.5 million Series A financing led by Machan Investments and advised by Syren Capital.
The capital will be used to clear regulatory pathway objectives, provide initial engineering design and prepare for the Company’s initial commercial-scale project launch in the Powder River Basin (“PRB”) of Wyoming.
NW Natural Tracking to Meet Initial Oregon RNG Goal
NW Natural's just-released request for proposals for renewable natural gas could attract enough RNG to clear the first hurdle in Oregon's decarbonization goals for natural gas utilities.
In 2019, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 98, which sets voluntary goals for adding 30% RNG into the state's gas pipeline system by 2050. NW Natural targets using RNG to meet 5% of annual sales by 2024, increasing to 10% in 2025-2029, 15% in 2030-2034, 20% in 2035-2039, 25% in 2040-2044 and 30% in 2045-2050.
NW Natural currently has enough RNG deals in place to meet 3% of its annual sales, but that figure could rise in the near future.
RNG Framed as ‘Low Risk’ Option to Slash Truck Emissions
The journey to zero emissions has begun, but a global fuel system producer believes that several energy sources — including renewable natural gas (RNG) — will be needed to reach the goal.
“There is not one solution that can replace diesel,” Hexagon Composites CEO Jon Erik Engeset said in a March 23 press conference. “We firmly believe there’s got to be a mix, depending on the geography, depending on availability, depending on the application of the trucks.”
The need for such options becomes increasingly important against a backdrop of ever-tighter emissions standards and the limited ranges of emerging battery-electric options. Ninety-seven percent of heavy trucks continue to be powered by diesel, and in Europe the share even increased by half a percentage point from 2021 to 2022.
Montauk Renewables, Inc. Announces Planned Entrance Into South Carolina With A New RNG Project in South Carolina
Montauk Renewables announces its planned entrance into South Carolina with the development of a new landfill gas-to-RNG facility located in South Carolina.
The planned project is expected to contribute approximately 900 MMBtu/d production capacity upon commissioning. The Project is expected to be completed mid-2024.
“Montauk is excited to announce its entrance into South Carolina and the development of our newest RNG site,” said Sean McClain, Montauk Renewables President and CEO. “This new project in South Carolina demonstrates the continued execution of Montauk’s diversified development growth strategy, as it continues to select and win projects in an increasingly dynamic industry.”
Viridi Launching Wisconsin RNG Project for Transportation Fuel
Private equity-backed Viridi Energy has begun building a landfill renewable natural gas (RNG) project in Ringle, WI, in partnership with the Marathon County Solid Waste Department.
Viridi, sponsored by Warburg Pincus and Green Rock Energy Partners, plans to produce RNG equal to more than three million gallons/year of gasoline, it noted.
“As the transition away from fossil fuels accelerates, our Marathon County project showcases how waste-to-energy projects can be a win-win-win,” Viridi CEO Dan Crouse said. “We are reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the county’s landfill, converting that landfill gas into clean RNG, and replacing the need for fossil fuel-derived natural gas in the process.”
Republic Services Expands Organics Recycling in California with Anaerobic Digestion Facility
Republic Services today announced a significant expansion of its organics recycling operations in California with the acquisition of North State Bioenergy, an anaerobic digestion facility north of Sacramento. California requires the diversion of food and yard waste from landfills as part of its climate strategy, and this important infrastructure will play a key role in helping Republic customers comply with the law and meet their own sustainability goals.
"Republic Services is a leader in recycling and composting in California, and we're committed to helping our customers divert valuable material from the waste stream and reduce emissions," said Pete Keller, vice president of recycling and sustainability. "California is taking bold steps to address climate challenges, and we're continuing to invest in solutions that enable greater circularity and support decarbonization."
More Bio-, Hydrogen-based Marine Fuels Required for Net-Zero Emissions: Shell
The shipping industry will need to significantly increase its uptake of bio- and hydrogen-based marine fuels by 2040 to help the world achieve net-zero emissions by midcentury, Shell said in its energy security scenarios report.
In the report published March 21, the UK major explored how the energy mix will evolve in two scenarios -- Archipelagos, where net-zero will be "in sight" but not achieved by 2100, and Sky 2050, where net-zero will be reached by midcentury, a condition scientists said would be required to avoid climate disasters.
Elkton Dairy Farm Joins Green Energy Effort
Zwemmer Dairy in Elkton is joining a growing number of farms in an effort to help the environment.
It has leased a plot of land to South Jersey Industries so the company can build a methane digester at the farm's Z-Star location in Caseville.
The digester takes cow manure from the farm and processes its methane output into usable energy, contained as a liquid in heavily-pressurized tanks.
Hawaiian Airlines and Gevo Enter into Sustainable Aviation Fuel Sales Agreement
Hawaiian Airlines today announced that it has reached an agreement with biofuel company Gevo, Inc. to purchase 50 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over five years. Gevo expects to supply the SAF from a facility to be constructed in the Midwestern United States and begin deliveries to Hawaiian's gateway cities in California starting in 2029.
"This offtake agreement gets us one step closer to achieving our goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050," said Peter Ingram, Hawaiian's president and CEO. "We intend to continue to invest in SAF, which will be pivotal in reducing our impact on the environment."
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