News > December

Study Recommends Large Scale Natural Gas Vehicle Use to Improve Air Quality
Aware that the European Union aims to make natural gas account for 10% of total energy consumed by the transport sector by 2020, Spain’s Gas Natural Foundation has presented a study on how vehicular natural gas could help reduce atmospheric pollution in Madrid and Barcelona. The study found that air quality in Madrid would improve considerably if just 10% of family cars were replaced with natural gas vehicles. In the Barcelona area, the most effective scenario would be to introduce natural gas in 50% of delivery vans. Study results predict that natural gas would be an alternative and readily available fuel suitable for reducing polluting emissions from wheeled traffic. Natural gas combustion does not emit particles and cuts back on nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions. Natural gas does not contain lead or heavy metals.
Source: Spanish Study Recommends Large Scale Natural Gas Vehicle Use to Improve Air Quality, NGVGlobal

Major New LNG Truck Fueling Station Will Mitigate Port Pollution
Clean Energy, North America’s leading provider of natural gas for transportation, has opened a major new liquefied natural gas (LNG) truck fueling station in California, specifically to support the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports’ Clean Air Action Plan  (CAAP). The new station—which is operational just one year after the announcement of the Plan—is the first of three that Clean Energy plans to build to serve new port drayage trucks powered by clean-burning LNG fuel. “Natural gas is one of the best ways to reduce air pollution because it burns far cleaner than diesel fuel, reducing harmful tailpipe emissions significantly,” said Andrew Littlefair, Clean Energy’s President. The CAAP seeks to reduce overall harmful diesel fuel emissions from port sources by nearly 50% in five years. The Plan anticipates the replacement of more than 16,000 old diesel trucks with several thousand new LNG trucks, as well as new or converted diesel trucks that meet specifications for reduced emissions. The movement to cleaner LNG trucks will significantly decrease harmful greenhouse gas (CO2), NOx and particulate emissions.
Source: Government, Ports and Air Quality Leaders Open First Natural Gas Truck Fuel Station to Support Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports’ Historic Clean Air Action Plan, BusinessWire

Hydrogen Fueling Stations Move Canada Towards ‘Hydrogen Highway’ Goals
With a deal that will see the construction of two fuelling stations for a fleet of hydrogen-powered buses, the government of British Columbia, Canada moved further towards its ‘Hydrogen Highway’. BC Transit has signed a $20 million contract with Air Liquide Canada Inc. to supply hydrogen for the new, non-polluting buses. The first fuel cell buses will be tested next summer. The 20 vehicles will then go on to be based in Whistler to provide public transportation for the 2010 Olympic Games. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon says it will be the largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses in the world. The B.C. government envisions a hydrogen highway reaching from Whistler to California as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouses gas emissions by 33% by 2020.
Source: Deal will see hydrogen fuelling stations for new fleet of 'green' buses, The Canadian Press

Increased Use of Natural Gas Vehicles to Help End Gasoline Rationing in Iran
Iran aims to end its gasoline rationing by March 2009 through the dual measures of expanding domestic fuel production and encouraging the use of vehicles powered by natural gas. Iran, the world's fourth-largest crude producer, was forced to introduce rationing in June to curb fuel consumption that was far outstripping domestic output and to reduce costly gasoline imports. “We are trying to control consumption from one side and increase production from the other side,” said Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh. Nematzadeh said the government was seeking to introduce more cars that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and to set up more stations selling CNG.
Source: Iran aims to end gasoline rationing by March 2009, Reuters UK

Beer Companies Raise a Glass to Environmentally Friendly Delivery Techniques
Manhattan Beer Distributors of New York and Peak Organic Brewing of Portland, ME, have raised their glasses in a toast to environmentally friendly delivery techniques. The two companies have partnered to ensure that Manhattan Beer Distributors will exclusively use compressed natural gas vehicles when delivering Peak Brewing’s handcrafted ales throughout the New York area—a move that will save more than 227 tons of emissions in the coming years. 10% of Manhattan Beer's fleet of 300 delivery trucks have been retrofitted to operate on CNG through state grants totaling more than $1 million. Mike McCarthy, Manhattan Beer’s Sr. VP of Operations, noted that the combined emissions reduction from the company’s 30 CNG delivery trucks is estimated, over ten years of operation, to lower vehicle pollution in New York by 227 tons, eliminate the need for 700 oil changes, displace an estimated 601,423 gallons of diesel fuel and decrease engine noise by 90%.
Source: Peak Organic Brewing & Manhattan Beer Distributors Bring Organic Beer to NY, Associated Content

Peruvian Public Transport Bus Converted to Natural Gas
Peruvian company IRSAGAS has begun to revolutionize Peru’s transportation system by converting a public transport bus to run on natural gas. Natural gas is already a viable alternative transportation fuel in Peru — there are currently over twenty thousand natural gas vehicles in the country, saving motorists the equivalent of US$27 million in fuel costs. The government has established favorable incentives, fixing the price of natural gas for the next five years. COFIGAS, a program established to help Peru’s people convert their vehicles to run on natural gas, has financed 75% of vehicle conversions. 
Source: Peru's First Public Transportation Bus Converted to Natural Gas, Living in Peru

U.S. Hybrid Sales Strong — Up 82% Since November 2006
Reported sales of hybrids in the U.S. in November 2007 rose 82% year-on-year to reach 33,233 total units, representing 2.8% of all light-duty vehicles sold during the month. Toyota, Lexus, Ford, Honda and Nissan all reported increases in sales of hybrid models compared to November 2006. GM does not break out its hybrid sales separately, and so is not reflected in the hybrid number — thus, the actual hybrid total and new market share will be slightly higher.
Source: Hybrids Post Strong US Sales in November; Up 82% Year-on-Year, Green Car Congress

NGVAmerica: House Energy Bill Falls Short of Energy Independence Goal
NGVAmerica says that the House Energy Bill will not be able to achieve its goal of displacing 36 billion gallons of foreign oil. According to Richard Kolodziej, president of NGVAmerica, the House “should have increased the likelihood that the goal could be achieved by allowing natural gas and other low-carbon fuels to qualify. This year, natural gas-powered vehicles will displace 250 million gallons of oil in the U.S. alone — much of that in heavy-duty vehicles (like transit buses, school buses, trash trucks and urban delivery vehicles). A growing natural gas vehicle market would also help stimulate the use of biomethane — a renewable gas produced from landfill gas, sewage, animal and crop waste or cellulosic crops. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the U.S. could realistically power 10 million cars with biomethane.”
Source: House Energy Bill Falls Short of Energy Independence Goal, According to NGVAmerica, Reuters

Researchers Compete to Make Commercially Viable Algae Biofuel
Scientists around the world are racing to turn algae into a commercially viable energy source — some varieties of algae are as much as 50% oil, which can be converted into biofuel. The biggest challenge is reducing the cost of production. The federal government halted its main algae research program nearly a decade ago, but technology has advanced and oil prices have climbed since then, prompting an upsurge in research funding over the past few years. Researchers are trying to figure out how to grow enough of the right strains of algae and how to extract the oil most efficiently. If production costs can be brought down, algae's advantages include growing much faster and in less space than conventional energy crops. One acre of corn can produce about 20 gallons of oil per year, compared with a possible 15,000 gallons of oil per acre of algae.
Source: Algae a rising star as a renewable fuel source, Seattle Post Intelligencer

Biofuel Holds Promise for Small Caribbean Nations
Small Caribbean nations see big biofuel opportunities in ethanol produced from traditional sugar crops and biodiesel from promising African palm and jatropha trees, delegates to the Miami Conference on the Caribbean Basin said this week. Regional governments, however, need immediately to pass legislation mandating that gasoline be blended with ethanol so that farmers can feel confident that biofuels are the future, said Julio Arroyo of the Sugar Association of El Salvador. Caribbean nations have a good incentive to ship ethanol to the growing U.S. market, due to their exemption from a 54-cent-a-gallon tariff thanks to the 1983 Caribbean Basin Initiative. Many delegates said governments need to quickly ensure demand and secure investment capital by passing laws to require at least a 10% blend of ethanol with gasoline.
Source: Biofuel holds promise for Caribbean, Reuters

Austrian Fueling Station Offers Biomethane Blend Using CO2-Neutral Biogas
Austrian energy company Salzburg AG has opened its first biomethane gas station, where customers can fill up their natural gas vehicles with a climate-friendly blend of 20% CO2-neutral biogas and 80% natural gas at a price that beats all other transport fuels. The regional energy administration will run its fleet on the clean gas. The biogas is made entirely from meadow grass (known in the U.S. as Kentucky bluegrass) grown and harvested in a sustainable manner. This feedstock allows the landscape to be conserved, as no new energy crops need to be planted. “Natural gas cars have the future: with low emissions and a high efficiency, natural gas powered vehicles are pollution free and economical. We have engaged ourselves for years in promoting pollution free transport and are proud to feed CO2-neutral biomethane into our natural gas net,” said August Hirschbichler of Salzburg AG.
Source: Salzburg AG opens biomethane gas stations in Austria, Check Biotech

Total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Down in 2006, Yet Transport Sector Up
Total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2006 saw a decrease of 1.5% from the 2005 level, according a report by the Energy Information Administration. Yet total greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector rose 0.5% from 2005 to 2006. Transportation sector carbon dioxide emissions in 2006 were 46.4% of the growth in unadjusted energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from all sectors over the period. Since 1999, the transportation sector has led all U.S. end-use sectors in emissions of carbon dioxide. Petroleum combustion is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector.
Source: Total US Greenhouse Gas Emissions In 2006 Down 1.5% From 2005; Transportation Sector Up 0.5%, Green Car Congress

EPA Increases U.S. Renewable Fuels Standard for 2008
In order to meet a federal mandate that at least 5.4 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into transportation gasoline in 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set the renewable fuels standard for 2008 at 4.66%. The standard for 2007 was set at 4.02%. The Renewable Fuel Standard program is designed to increase the volume of renewable fuel required to be blended into gasoline to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012. Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the EPA is responsible for regulations to ensure that gasoline sold in the U.S. contains a minimum volume of renewable fuel. The Act requires the agency to annually evaluate and determine the standard, which applies to refiners, importers and non-oxygenate blenders of gasoline.
Source: EPA sets 2008 U.S. renewable fuels standard, Clean Tech

New Method for Making Diesel Fuel Uses Vegetable Oils
A Portuguese oil company, Galp Energia, is building a 6,500-barrel-a-day plant to make diesel fuel from vegetable oils using a method akin to refining oil. The method adds hydrogen to oils derived from food crops to create a substitute described as superior to ordinary diesel fuel. The long-term goal is to modify the process to use oil from algae or from jatropha. The company argues that its method produces a fuel superior to the standard biodiesel already being made in places like the American Midwest. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a Pentagon agency, is providing funding to pursue a modification that would produce jet fuel from the same feedstock. At 6,500 barrels a day, the Portuguese plant is tiny by petroleum standards but large by the standards of renewable fuels.
Source: New Method for Making Diesel Fuel Uses Vegetable Oils, New York Times

Honda Builds Home Hydrogen Fueling Station for FCX Clarity
Honda is gearing up to be one of the first major companies to bring a zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell car to market—its FCX Clarity is set to go to production in 2008. In striving to address the need for a refueling infrastructure for the first generation of FCX owners, Honda decided to build a home-based hydrogen generation and fueling device, which has evolved into an energy-saving power station for the whole home. Honda’s Home Energy Station IV sits outside your house and reforms natural gas to produce enough hydrogen to power both the car and the home's energy needs at around 50% of the normal cost.
Honda's Home Hydrogen Fueling Station, BusinessWeek