Waste Management Inc. and Linde North America have agreed to work together to build a facility that will convert landfill gas into liquified natural gas at the Altamont landfill. The $15.5 million joint venture will receive grant assistance from the California Integrated Waste Management Board, the California Air Resources Board and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The Houston based solid waste company said the facility is expected to produce up to 13,000 gallons of liquified natural gas a day when it begins operations in 2009.
Monthly Archives: April 2008
Truck Natural Gas Engine Development Receives Australian Government Funding
April 29, 2008 – 9:20 am
Australia, Perth
The Australian Government has approved a ‘Commercial Ready Plus Grant’ to assist Advanced Engine Components (AEC) Limited develop natural gas (NG) engine and vehicle technology for the Isuzu 295 and 510hp engines. AEC’s current development programme will enable the 295 and 510hp Isuzu vehicle operators to convert their diesel engines to CNG or LNG engines through the incorporation of AEC’s NGVS. Once converted, vehicles operating on NG will comply with Euro 4 emission standards (required under new legislation effective 1 January 2008) and maintain the same performance as the diesel equivalent.
Golden Gate Green Taxis Get New CNG Supply
April 28, 2008 – 7:00 pm
USA, San Francisco
San Francisco’s new city Green Taxi mandate has been boosted by a new contract with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to supply compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel and provide operations and maintenance for the CNG fueling station located near the base of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Presidio.
The station currently provides fuel for shuttle buses serving residents
of and tourists at the Presidio, adjacent to the city’s Marina
District. The agreement calls for opening the station to full public
use by taxis and shuttles serving the City of San Francisco.
Nigerian Government Voices Support for Natural Gas Vehicles
April 28, 2008 – 3:56 pm
Nigeria
Despite an abundance of crude oil, Nigeria’s Federal Government is reportedly in talks
with companies looking to establish compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling
infrastructure in the country. The
Tide Online quotes Chief Emmanual Odusina, Minister of State for Energy
(Gas) as saying proposals are under consideration for the establishment of
pipeline networks to support CNG refueling stations. The Nigeria Gas Company
has signaled its intentions to establish CNG stations in the past.
260 High Capacity CNG Buses for Los Angeles MTA
April 28, 2008 – 11:18 am
USA, Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be buying up to 260 new high-capacity buses that run on cleaner-burning compressed natural gas (CNG). The Metro Board has approved the purchase of the CNG buses including spare parts, diagnostic equipment, training aids and modifications for a contract value of almost $175 million, inclusive of sales tax, and subject to completion of the required Buy America Pre-Award audit. They will be purchased from North American Bus Industries.
European Association Progress
April 27, 2008 – 5:15 am
The role of the earlier European Natural Gas Vehicle Association (ENGVA), based in the Netherlands, has from the start of 2008 been taken over by the new NGVA Europe, based in Spain. Many of the previous ENGVA members are now joining the new Association, but also other new members. Although we have been active already since the start of 2008, the official registration of the new Association, and its bylaws, could not be completed until late April 2008.
Natural Gas Entities Amongst 2008 Blue Sky Award
April 24, 2008 – 7:00 pm
USA, Pasadena, CA
Calstart has announced the finalists competing for its prestigious Blue Sky AwardTM 2008. The Blue Sky AwardTM 2008 Finalists include:
- Business Region, Goteborg: for catalyzing Sweden’s use of biomethane as a renewable fuel for transportation including 4,500 natural gas vehicles and municipal transit buses and a commuter train.
- PG&E Transportation Services: for implementing the greening of its fleet, including the use of natural gas, biodiesel and other alternative fuels to increase fuel efficiency.
- Southern Counties Express, Inc.: for committing to build and operate an LNG truck fueling station at its own facility that is publicly available to the port trucking community.
CNG Trolleys Added to California Fleet
April 24, 2008 – 7:00 pm
USA, Visalia CA
The town of Visalia, California recently added three new compressed natural gas (CNG) trolleys to its public transit fleet for its downtown free bus loop service. They are part of an effort by city officials to put more cleaner-burning transit vehicles onto the streets, lessening the impact on the area’s poor air quality. The trolleys replaced older diesel trolleys. "Compressed natural gas has many benefits — it’s about five times cleaner and it’s cheaper," said Monty Cox, city transit manager. He said prices for CNG are about $1 per gallon less than gasoline or diesel. While prices for those fuels are expected to rise during the summer months, Cox said, CNG prices usually go down in the summer because the need for heating goes down. The city has its own CNG fueling station.
Transit Bus Order Brings Fleet to Near 100% CNG
April 24, 2008 – 7:00 pm
USA, Whitestown NY
Orion Bus Industries, the mass transit bus affiliate of Daimler Buses North America, has received an initial order for 60 Orion VII Next Generation CNG transit buses for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Long Island Bus, and also received confirmed options for 40 buses. In 1992, Long Island Bus began replacing its diesel bus fleet with buses operating using CNG. Now, the Long Island Bus fleet is made up almost entirely of CNG buses which service about 96 Long Island communities.
CNG Fuel Supply Contract Awarded in Las Vegas
April 24, 2008 – 7:00 pm
USA, Las Vegas
Alternative fuels supplier Clean Energy Fuels has been awarded the contract to supply compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel and provide operations and maintenance for two transit fueling stations in Las Vegas, Nevada, by the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada. The two stations currently fuel more than 50 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and paratransit vans serving the greater Las Vegas region. A total of 45 new CNG buses are on order for delivery in 2009. The RTC is both the transit authority and the transportation planning agency
for Southern Nevada.
California Gets Methane Purifier for
April 23, 2008 – 7:00 pm
Canada, Vancouver
QuestAir Technologies Inc. has announced that it will supply an M-3200 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system to the ‘Biomethane for Vehicle Fuel’ project located at the Hilarides Dairy in Lindsay, California. Phase 3 Renewables LLC (Phase 3) will integrate QuestAir’s PSA into a plant that upgrades a portion of the biogas generated from the anaerobic digestion of manure at the 9,000-cow dairy in California. QuestAir’s M-3200 purifies methane-containing gas streams such as anaerobic digester gas and landfill gas to high purity methane, suitable for supplementing existing natural gas supplies. The system can upgrade up to 250,000 cubic feet of biogas per day.
Econic – Now Available in a Gas-powered Semitrailer Tractor or Box Chassis Version
April 23, 2008 – 10:20 am
Germany, Stuttgart
Mercedes-Benz continues to secure its natural gas vehicle market position, this time extending its offering of their Econic range. While the gas-powered Econic has been used predominantly as a waste collection vehicle to date, it is now also available as a semitrailer tractor and as a chassis for box bodies. The first models are being put into service in the short-radius distribution and city logistics segments by Dutch haulage company VOS and Tesco in London respectively.
Demonstration Plant Uses Methanol-to-Synfuel Technology
April 22, 2008 – 7:00 pm
Germany, Wolfsburg
The company Lurgi in Wolfsburg plans to build a demonstration plant to produce synthetic biofuels using the MtS (methanol-to-synfuel) process. This is similar to the Fischer Tropsch process. The biomass is first pre-processed whereby pyrolysis is used to convert it into a product that can be gasified. This product is therefore methanol, which is then converted into petrol or diesel via the MtS process. The project is already underway and the construction of the installation will probably start in 2009. (GAVE)
NYC Adds 28 CNG Trucks to Local Fleets
April 22, 2008 – 7:00 pm
USA, New York City
Energy Vision, a national non-profit organization that studies and promotes the benefits of clean, renewable petroleum-free transportation fuels, recently coordinated an event and unveiled state-of-the-art natural gas-powered trucks in New York City (report on Environmental Online.) The guests of honor were representatives of the township of Smithtown on Long Island, two major privately-owned refuse and recycling companies, and the city’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY). In the last year, acting independently, Smithtown, Filco Carting Corp., Metropolitan Paper Recycling Co. and DSNY committed to put 38 new natural gas trucks into operation; 28 are now in service.NG trucks by mid-2009."
Texas Railroad Chairman Issues Alternative Fuel Vehicle Challenge
April 21, 2008 – 10:33 am
USA, Texas
Michael Williams, the chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas, has taken a strong position in support of more NGVs and other alt fuel vehicles. In a recent statement, Chairman Williams said “As the energy commissioner in Texas, I believe our state and nation need to take that first step by using taxpayer dollars to encourage more alternative-energy sources.” As part of that effort, he recently wrote two high visibility letters. In the first to the CEOs of the major Detroit automakers, he urged them to work with him to replace the entire fleet of state vehicles with alternative-fuel vehicles. “That’s 458,000 more vehicles running on fuels like propane, bio-diesel, electricity, compressed natural gas (CNG), or liquefied natural gas (LNG),” he said in the letter.
