NGVAmerica News Week in Review: May 30, 2017

 

• Clean Energy Earns Multi-Year Contract from LA Metro for Redeem RNG
• The 2017 West Coast-to-East Coast NGV Road Rally Announces Participating Drivers
• Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Award Winners Announced
• X3CNG and Ward Alternative Energy Create New Joint Venture
• DTE Biomass Acquires Renewable Natural Gas Facilities in Texas
• NAFA Awards First-Ever Sustainable Fleet Certificates
• Company Sets Sights on Constructing Japan’s First LNG-Fueled Tugboat 
• Wärtsilä to Install Hybrid System on LNG-Powered Offshore Vessel

 

Clean Energy Earns Multi-Year Contract from LA Metro for Redeem RNG

May 26, 2017

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has awarded Clean Energy a renewable natural gas (RNG) contract to fuel its fleet of transit buses. The deal calls for Clean Energy to provide Metro its Redeem brand of RNG, which is made entirely from 100 percent organic waste.

The fueling contract begins with a one-year pilot where Clean Energy will provide Redeem to one of Metro’s eleven CNG stations, which are currently operated and maintained by Clean Energy. Each station provides fuel for approximately 200 CNG buses. Execution of an additional option will allow Clean Energy to provide Redeem to the entire fleet of 2,200 natural gas buses for four more years, for an anticipated 38 million GGEs each year.

Over the five year period, Clean Energy says the transition to RNG will reduce Metro’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by over 520,000 metric tons over the use of regular natural gas and by almost 900,000 metric tons over the use of diesel. Unrelated to the use of Redeem, Metro will begin retrofitting and replacing their buses with the new Cummins-Westport Low NOx CNG engines that reduce smog-forming NOx and GHG emissions that are 90 percent lower than the EPA NOx limit.

“As one of the largest transit agencies in the nation, we take our responsibility to the environment and the taxpayers very seriously,” said Cris B. Liban, Metro Executive Officer for Environment and Sustainability. “The use of RNG allows us to further exceed our environmental goals and reduce our reliance on the use of extracted fossil fuels, while ensuring the seamless transition to a cleaner, greener fleet.”

Redeem is derived from biogenic methane or biogas, which is methane that is naturally generated by the decomposition of organic waste. The methane gas is then processed, purified and sent into the interstate natural gas pipeline and transported to Clean Energy’s and its customers’ stations.

The 2017 West Coast-to-East Coast NGV Road Rally Announces Participating Drivers

May 30, 2017

The 2^nd Annual ‘From Sea-to-Shining-Sea’ NGV Road Rally Across America, presented by NGVAmerica, the American Public Gas Association (APGA) and the American Gas Association (AGA), has announced the participants providing drivers and a variety of natural gas vehicles to this year’s 18-stop, 4,825-mile cross-country rally that starts outside of Long Beach, CA on Monday, June 5 and concludes in Washington, DC on Friday, June 16.

Those providing NGVs and Drivers include:

• SoCalGas
• Southwest Gas
• Small Arrow Engineering
• CenterPoint Energy
• Strata-G
• Virginia Natural Gas
• NGV Solutions
• Greater Houston Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance
• Atlanta Gas Light
• York County Natural Gas Authority
• Vectren
• NiSource Gas Distribution
• Clean Energy
• Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp.
• Gibson County Utility District
• Middle Tennessee Natural Gas
• Washington Gas
• CNG 4 America
• Piedmont Natural Gas
• Greer Commission of Public Works
• Barry Carr

The event highlights the many benefits of using natural gas in transportation and the variety of vehicles available today that operate on natural gas over a two-week period. Event media stops in-between include:

• Wilmington, CA
• Tolleson, AZ
• Albuquerque, NM
• Tulsa, OK
• Conway, AR
• Dickson, TN
• Knoxville, TN
• Salisbury, NC
• Newport News, VA
• Washington, DC

Other rally events that tie into the main route will be held in:

• Houston, TX
• Leesville, LA
• Atlanta, GA
• Spartanburg, SC

Additionally, a separate spur will also make its way to Washington, DC via:

• Fair Oaks, IN
• Wixom, MI
• Columbus, OH
• York, PA

“The west coast-to-east coast road rally not only dispels the myth of NGV ‘range anxiety’ but will also draw media attention to the historic VW settlement program,” said event coordinator Tom Sheehan.  “Every stop will serve to educate states on how NGVs are the most cost-effective use of funds for clean transportation projects as part of the $2.9 billion VW settlement.”

Each Drive NatGas road rally stop includes good food, a variety of NGVs, award ceremonies and educational opportunities that highlight NGVs’ exemplary value proposition. All are welcome and attendees will include state and local government officials and policymakers, the media, NGV customers and advocates, industry stakeholders, DOE Clean Cities coordinators as well as the public.

The following organizations are sponsors of this year’s event:

Agility Fuel Solutions, ampCNG, ANGI Energy Systems, Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp, Atlanta Gas Light, Blue Bird Corporation, Blue Energy Fuels, Carolinas Public Gas Association, CenterPoint Energy, City of Richmond – Dept of Public Utilities, Clean Energy Fuels Corp, Clean Fuels Michigan, CNG Cylinders International, Cummins Westport Inc, DeKalb County Government, DTE Energy, EVO CNG, Gibson County Utility District, Greater Dickson Gas Authority, Greater Houston Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance, Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition, Knoxville Utilities Board, Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia, National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA), Norwich Clean Cities, Okaloosa Gas District, Oklahoma One-Call, Ozinga Energy, Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition, Piedmont Natural Gas, Precision Fitting and Gauge/Precision CNG, Sevier County Utility District, Sheehy Mail Contractors, Inc, South Jersey Gas Company, Southern California Gas Company –  a Sempra Company, Southwest Gas Corporation, Staubli Corporation, TECO Energy, Tennessee Gas Association, Trillium CNG, TruStar Energy, Tulsa Gas Technologies, Inc, U.S. Venture/GAIN Clean Fuel, Virginia Natural Gas – a Southern Company, WEH Technologies Inc, and Worthington Cylinders.

For more information, contact Tom Sheehan at tsheehan@altfuelsolutions.com.

 

Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Award Winners Announced

May 24, 2017

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), have announced the winners of the 2017 Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Awards. The awards recognize outstanding initiatives to improve the efficiency, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability of transportation systems in the state.
“As May is Clean Air Month, this is a fitting time to recognize achievements in sustainable transportation and the positive affects this industry can have on the environment,” said TDEC Commissioner Bob Martineau. “Since 2000, during a period of historic growth for Tennessee, pollutants have decreased and our air has become cleaner. Currently, the entire state is designated attainment for the federal ozone standard.”

A panel of judges selected the following entities as 2017 winners of the Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Awards for their commitment to using clean-burning natural gas.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water — Public Access CNG Refueling Stations
In 2013, Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) invested over $500,000 to convert its privately owned CNG refueling station to the area’s first public-access CNG refueling station, enabling all businesses and residents of Memphis and Shelby County to convert from gasoline and diesel to cleaner, domestically produced natural gas. The following year, a second public refueling CNG station was built. The stations are close to high traffic industry access ways, to attract heavy duty trucks from both local and interstate roadways. In 2016, MLGW began purchasing 100 percent renewable natural gas from Clean Energy Renewable Fuels, which collects, cleans, and compresses the gas that is produced by the North Shelby landfill. MLGW brings that gas to market through their natural gas distribution system. Total CNG usage and diesel displacement since the opening of the stations has reached over 700,000 DGEs.

Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority — Nashville Airport CNG Parking Shuttle Buses
In February 2017, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) unveiled 20 new CNG shuttle buses to service parking lots at the Nashville International Airport (BNA). These 20 shuttles join eight new BNA Express Park CNG powered shuttles that were put into service in June 2016. Based on an annual estimated consumption of 300,000 gallons of diesel (338,248 DGEs), MNAA anticipates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributed to the airport’s shuttle operations will be reduced by 14 percent. In April 2017, MNAA also opened an on-site CNG refueling station to support its CNG shuttle bus operations. MNAA plans to incrementally continue modernizing and converting its fleet annually. Information on MNAA’s CNG use will also be displayed on the airport’s ‘Green Screen,’ an interactive kiosk inside the airport that educates customers on progress made on sustainable and green initiatives.

United Parcel Service, Inc. —UPS Rolling Laboratory
The United Parcel Service (UPS), which has invested more than $750 million in alternative fuel and advanced vehicle technologies since 2009, now operates one of the largest private alternative fuel and advanced technology fleets in the U.S. Natural gas, in the form of both CNG and LNG, has become the foundational fuel of UPS’ alternative fuel vehicle fleet, based on the fuel’s ability to meet the demands of the heavy duty, over-the-road trucks that connect the company’s regional hubs. In 2016, UPS opened 11 new CNG refueling stations throughout the U.S.; with these new stations, UPS now owns and operates 44 CNG and LNG stations in 21 states. In the State of Tennessee, UPS vehicles consumed over 7.5 million DGEs of natural gas in 2016; over 2 million DGEs of this natural gas consumed was renewable natural gas diverted from landfills. In December 2015, UPS announced that it would supply its fleets in Memphis, Tennessee and Jackson, Mississippi with an estimated 15 million DGEs of RNG as part of a multi-year agreement with Memphis Light, Gas and Water and Atmos Energy Marketing, LLC. The deal will help the company to meet its goal of driving one billion miles with its alternative fuel vehicle fleet, known as the Rolling Laboratory, by the end of 2017.

More information on the Sustainable Transportation Awards and Forum can be found here.

 

DTE Biomass Acquires Renewable Natural Gas Facilities in Texas

May 25, 2017

DTE Biomass Energy has acquired two landfill gas-to-energy projects in Texas, purchasing both the operating Fort Bend Power Producers, LLC facility just outside of Rosenberg and the Seabreeze landfill gas development project in Angleton.  Construction of the Seabreeze plant is expected to commence next month.

Fort Bend and Seabreeze bring the number of landfill gas-to-energy projects DTE operates in Texas to three and gives DTE five facilities enterprise-wide that convert landfill gas to pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG).

The RNG produced at the Fort Bend project is derived from landfill gas which is then ultimately processed to pipeline-quality standards. Today, RNG is primarily used to power natural gas vehicles, offsetting the use of fossil-based fuel.  The purchase is consistent with DTE’s recently announced, broad sustainability initiative to help address climate change.

“These landfill gas-to-energy projects support our continued commitment to renewable energy and growing interest in supplying the renewable vehicle fuels market,” said DTE Biomass President Mark Cousino.  “We see an increasing demand for natural gas-powered vehicles—and RNG production provides a clean, sustainable fuel source with the benefit of reduced emissions over standard fuel.”

Constructed in 2013, the Fort Bend facility generates enough RNG to supply fuel for 560 transit buses annually. Later this year, DTE will increase the output of the project by expanding the plant’s capacity to generate enough RNG to fuel over 1,000 transit buses. Forecast to reach commercial operations in the fourth quarter of this year, the Seabreeze facility is expected to produce a similar volume.

 

X3CNG and Ward Alternative Energy Create New Joint Venture  

May 24, 2017

X3CNG Corp and Ward Alternative Energy finalized a joint venture to create the largest operator of CNG stations in the Rocky Mountain region. The joint venture combines the assets, resources and expertise of both companies, with X3CNG owning 65 percent of the joint venture and Ward owning the remaining 35 percent. The new joint venture will immediately operate 10 CNG stations in Colorado.

“We want to partner with fleets in the region that are currently utilizing CNG or are planning on implementing it,” said X3Energy Group CEO Giovanni Baroni. “Fleets can leverage our robust network of stations and depend on our skilled resources.”

The CNG fueling stations are located in:

• Firestone
• Greeley East
• Greeley West (new opening)
• Kersey
• Gilcrest
• Fort Lupon
• Longmont
• Castle Rock
• Colorado Springs
• Colorado Springs

“We are excited to announce this new, strategic Joint Venture, which has been developed with X3Energy Group over the past twelve months,” said Bill Ward, CEO of Ward Alternative Energy. “The combined companies begin operations with significant market share and plans for rapid future growth.”

 

NAFA Awards First-Ever Sustainable Fleet Certificates

May 22, 2017

NAFA Fleet Management Association, an association committed to sustainable fleet education and practices, recognized graduates of its latest initiative, Sustainable Fleet Certificates, during the Association’s recent annual conference in Tampa, Florida.

Launched in April 2017, the Sustainable Fleet Certificate Program was developed through a partnership between NAFA, CALSTART, and NC State University, and is designed to educate fleet professionals in proven methods to develop sustainable fleet initiatives, providing the tools and skills that help them succeed in their sustainability goals.

NAFA President Bryan Flansburg, CAFM, recognized the first-ever certificate recipients. “You are blazing a path for all fleet managers to follow, showing them that not only is being sustainable a good thing for our planet, but it can also be a good thing for your employers,” said Flansburg.

NAFA developed the Sustainable Fleet Certificate program in response to a need uncovered after NAFA launched its Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program (SFAP). In order to earn a Sustainable Fleet Certificate, individuals had to attend a full-day training session for which they received a comprehensive study guide. The study guide provided the basis for the course materials, as well as the exam on which individuals were tested. Those who successfully completed the exam at the end of the training session earned a Sustainable Fleet Certificate.

NAFA is working to offer the sustainable certificate training in autumn 2017. For information about NAFA’s Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program, visit www.nafasustainable.org

 

Company Sets Sights on Constructing Japan’s First LNG-Fueled Tugboat
May 23, 2017

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced the company’s decision to build an LNG-fueled tugboat. The new tugboat, the first LNG-fueled tug in Japan, will be constructed at Kanagawa Dockyard Co. and will be operated by Nihon Tug-Boat Co. The new tugboat is slated to be deployed in Osaka Bay in April 2019.

The tugboat will be equipped with high-performance dual fuel engines that allows for both high-speed operation and superior environmental performance. It will be the first LNG-fueled tugboat to escort large-scale freighters in Osaka Bay and the Seto Inland Sea. The development of this tugboat will also spur the initial development of an LNG fuel supply system for vessels in Osaka Bay.

The construction of this tugboat also reflects MOL’s proactive stance in promoting LNG fuel through technological development of LNG-fueled vessels. MOL continually strives to promote and expand its environment and emission-free businesses, seizing opportunities presented by efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the global shipping industry.

 

Wärtsilä to Install Hybrid System on LNG-Powered Offshore Vessel

May 26, 2017

Wärtsilä has signed an agreement with Eidesvik Offshore to install a hybrid system on board of its vessel Viking Princess, which runs on four LNG-powered Wärtsilä engines, to reduce the number of generators on board. The new energy storage solution will improve engine efficiency, generating fuel savings and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Viking Princess provides supplies to oil rigs in the North Sea and Barents Sea. The new energy storage solution replaces one of the vessel’s four generators and can provide balancing energy to cover the peaks, resulting in a more stable load on the engines. The technology is similar to that in hybrid cars: it keeps the engine load from dipping and re-routs the surplus to charge a battery, which in turn can fill in when needed.

As the operating profile of supply vessels is variable, Wärtsilä says there is significant potential for fuel savings through improved engine efficiency. In the dynamic positioning mode, when the battery is used as power redundancy and the engine runs at its most efficient load, the fuel saving potential is 30 percent. Consequently, the Viking Princess may cut CO2 emissions by 13 to 18 percent per year, depending on the operating conditions.