In the U.S. State of Wisconsin, Barnes Green Energy in partnership with Barnes, Inc. and Zebulon Innovations has opened its new private Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station. The station has capacity to refuel 20 of Barnes’ vehicles with a minimum of 20 GGEs (gas gallon equivalents) of CNG per each 10-12 hour filling cycle, with all fueling posts dispensing simultaneously.
Barnes will rotate filling cycles to accommodate 40 vehicles at the station. Barnes’ cost for natural gas is $0.61 per GGE, and approximately $0.75 per GGE total when electricity and other operating costs are factored in. A second phase of the project is planned as more CNG vehicles are added. The company’s 2014-declared goal was to have 80 CNG-powered vehicles in its fleet by 2017, primarily utilised for landscaping and snowplowing.
The opening event included remarks from Mark Barnes, CEO of Barnes, Inc., Joe Parisi, Dane County Executive, and Dave Mahoney, Dane County Sheriff. Parisi shared Dane County’s positive experience with CNG, and has created a road map for converting his county’s entire fleet to run on CNG by 2023. Parisi thanked Barnes for his commitment to the environment, and for taking this major step in the alternative fuel movement during the ceremony.
Barnes’ CEO commented, “The decision we made to install time-fill CNG fueling on our site will yield tremendous savings in cost over traditional petroleum operated vehicles. The important benefit of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions allows us to greatly reduce our carbon footprint in an industry that is traditionally a huge polluter.”
After gaining experience with the CNG trucks in his fleet, Mark Barnes set up Barnes Green Energy to be a qualified vehicle modifier for installing and maintaining EPA certified CNG fueling systems for a range of Ford, GM and Chrysler vehicles.
Zebulon, a BAUER CNG distributor and installer, provided the turn-key solution for the Barnes station. A BAUER CNG C22 Duplex model was selected for the project.
Lee Nelson, Zebulon’s Chief Technology Officer stated, “This is a great project that exemplifies what CNG offers. You can’t beat fueling your vehicles for $0.75 a GGE.”
Barnes’ goal is to help other fleets drastically reduce their fuel expense, while contributing to a substantial reduction in carbon emissions. They install and service EPA Certified/compliant vehicle conversion systems, offering brands such as Zavoli and IMPCO Automotive. Barnes used the Zavoli conversion systems to convert the bulk of their existing fleet.
(Source: Zebulon Innovations)
