RNG NEWS
Vanguard Renewables Points to Decade of Growth
Vanguard Renewables, a Boston-based provider of organic waste and residuals diversion technology for the food and beverage industry, says it is celebrating a decade of “clean energy innovation and organic materials solutions.”
The company, which is a portfolio company of BlackRock Real Assets, has grown from two facilities under management in 2014 to 32 sites throughout the United States, “with new projects commencing construction consistently over the next four years,” according to Vanguard.
How a New Wave of Clean Fuels Bills Could Spur a Biogas Boom
Bills establishing credit programs for low carbon fuels, including those derived from landfills and other waste sources, are proliferating in state houses around the country.
A clean fuel, low carbon fuel, or clean transportation standard sets a timeline for fuel producers to gradually reduce the emissions, or carbon intensity, of their product, either by blending in existing low-carbon fuels like ethanol or buying credits from producers of fuels that emit even less carbon, like renewable natural gas derived from landfill gas or anaerobic digestion.
Biogas as a Key Element in Mexico's Energy Transition
There has been an extensive debate on the energy transition, including the concept of a just energy transition, which underlines that each country has a specific case linked to its level of development, not only in energy matters but also in meeting the basic needs of society.
In this context, it is important to reflect on the distribution of the national energy matrix and its use, in order to visualize how migration toward greener or cleaner energies can be achieved, facilitating the aforementioned just energy transition.
Canada Invests $11 Million in Clean Fuels Projects
In Canada, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced in Thorold, Ontario, a federal investment of C$15 million (US$11 million) to support six clean fuels projects across Canada, including C$10 million for two projects in the Niagara region. The federal investments include:
C$4.6 million to StormFisher Hydrogen to support a front-end engineering (FEED) study for a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility at BMI’s Multimodal Hub in Thorold, Ontario.
RNG Coalition Salutes New Mexico on Passing Clean Transportation Fuels Standard
The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) congratulates New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and the state she governs for signing the Clean Transportation Fuels Standard Bill, HB 41, into law.
“This is a big victory for the people of New Mexico,” says Dana Adams, RNG Coalition’s manager of Legislative Policy. “Clean fuels, like renewable natural gas, will bring good jobs to the state while reducing air pollution.”
How Federal Attention to Methane and Retailer Relationships Are Benefitting Divert
Divert has ambitious plans for growth. For several years, the company has grown its customer accounts with grocers and other food processors around the country, offering food waste diversion services and data that it can sell back to customers on where they’re seeing the most waste.
A favorable regulatory environment and growing customer base has allowed the company to expand. Last year, Divert broke ground on two anaerobic digestion facilities in Turlock, California, and Longview, Washington, both of which will produce renewable natural gas from tens of thousands of tons of preconsumer organic waste.
Aemetis Receives Authority To Construct Air Permits for Riverbank SAF Plant
Aemetis has announced receipt of the Authority to Construct (ATC) air permits for its planned sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (RD) production plant in Riverbank, California. The plant is designed to produce 90 million gallons per year when allocating 50% to SAF and 50% to renewable diesel production, and 78 million gallons per year when allocating 100% of production to SAF for the aviation market.
The Authority to Construct permits were issued by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District following an extensive technical review and two public comment periods. In September 2023, Aemetis received approval from the City of Riverbank for the Use Permit and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review after a separate technical review and public comment process. Together, these permits are the key permits needed for Aemetis to proceed with engineering and financing to construct the plant.
RTC Releases Case Study on the US Renewable Natural Gas Agreement between AstraZeneca, Vanguard Renewables
The Renewable Thermal Collaborative recently released a case study on the first-of-its-kind partnership between AstraZeneca and Vanguard Renewables to enable the delivery of renewable natural gas (RNG) to all of AstraZeneca's sites in the United States by 2026. The partnership will enable as much as 650,000 million British thermal units (MMBTu) per year of RNG to be used across AstraZeneca’s U.S. sites, equivalent to the energy required to heat more than 17,800 U.S. homes a year by 2026.
AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in the UK, is partnering with Vanguard Renewables, a U.S.-based developer, owner, and operator of farm-based anaerobic digestion projects, through an agreement to procure renewable natural gas (RNG) for AstraZeneca’s U.S. facilities for the next 15 years or more. This is one of the largest business-to-business RNG purchases in the North American voluntary market to date.
Hexagon Agility Preparing for Higher Natural Gas Truck Demand
Hexagon Agility says it has been installing compressed natural gas and renewable natural gas fuel systems on Class 8 pilot trucks running Cummins’ new X15N natural gas engine.
The orders include two truck manufacturers and will be put into service with major U.S. fleets, the company announced in a release. Kenworth is the first to take orders for trucks powered by the Cummins X15N natural gas engine, Hexagon said.
Ameresco: 'Let’s Use What’s Already in the Air' for Natural Gas We Need
If you head south on Routes 1 and 150 just past I-74, and turn east at the Family Dollar Store, you’ll be heading right towards Republic Services’ Brickyard Landfill in Illinois. And a new plant now in operation there by Ameresco is at work turning landfill gas into renewable natural gas.
Ameresco Executive Vice-President Michael Bakas says he very much agrees with Republic Services’ long-term sustainability goal to beneficially reuse 50% more biogas by the year 2030. Right now, Ameresco’s Brickyard Landfill Renewable Natural Gas plant is capturing the natural landfill gas and turning in into a low-carbon transportation fuel. The idea to to displace diesel vehicle fuel, with enough fuel produced by this facility alone to reduce over 27,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.