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Population in USA wants more clean fuels
Here’s an overview of key biogas news.
GOVERNMENT POLICIES & LAW
Paris to receive 409 new biogas buses
Two French organisations, the French Public Transport Central Purchasing Office (CATP) and Ile-de-France Mobilités, have ordered 409 biogas buses for the city of Paris. The Urbanway Natural Power buses were ordered from IVECO Bus and will operate in the inner and outer suburbs of the Paris metropolitan area. According to a report by Transport Engineer, the deal was confirmed at the National Public Transport Exhibition in Nantes and is the first time an order has been placed via a central purchasing office without going through transport operators.
US voters show strong support for ethanol, Renewable Fuel Standard
A new nationwide US survey conducted by Morning Consult has found strong support for ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Support for the latter has reached its highest level since the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) began polling on RFS support in 2016. The survey additionally found that registered voters opposed the Trump administration’s exemptions of oil refineries from renewable fuel blending obligations by a margin of almost two to one. “The massive increase in secretive small refiner waivers has been all over the news recently and we wanted to find out how registered voters really feel about the EPA [Environment Protection Aceny] giving highly profitable oil companies a free pass to ignore their Clean Air Act obligations,” said RFA president and CEO Geoff Cooper.”
Ireland eyes ‘green’ gas to cut emissions
Renewable gas could significantly help cut Ireland’s emissions, according to Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) boss Denis O’Sullivan. The Irish government aims to produce 70 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. O’Sullivan said: “We have set our own ambition to have 20 per cent renewable gas on our own network by 2030. To put that into context, Germany would already have that volume of renewable gas on its network.” GNI has unveiled plans to make the gas system carbon neutral by 2050 through renewables and new technologies. Dublin is far behind its target of reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by 20 per cent between 2005 and 2020, with the actual figure expected to be 1 per cent.
CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES
CNG fueling station opens in Kelowna
Natural gas-powered transportation has a new hub in British Columbia with the opening of the first public access compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelling station in Kelowna. This station expands the province’s CNG network and will help enable fleet operators to easily travel from the Lower Mainland to the Interior without worrying about refuelling. “Having fleets adopt natural gas helps the province meet its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals, and improves air quality in the communities in which they operate,” said Sarah Smith, director of NGT, regional LNG and RNG with FortisBC.
Irish logistics firm becomes first to complete zero-carbon delivery to Europe
An Irish logistics company has become the first haulier to complete a zero-carbon HGV delivery to Europe. Virginia International Logistics transported processed beef from County Cavan, Ireland to Caen in northern France. The 1,121km trip was fuelled by renewable gas. The lorry was fuelled by bio-compressed gas purchased from biomethane producers in Europe and delivered via Gas Networks Ireland. The truck filled up at the company’s compressed natural gas (CNG) station in its Dublin yard and again at a station in France. Switching to CNG can reduce a lorry’s emissions by up to 22%, according to a report by Irish Times.
COMPANIES & ORGANIZATIONS
Construction Underway at California’s Sterling Natural Resource Center, Incorporating Fibracast’s Advanced Membranes and Anaergia’s Anaerobic Digestion System
Anaergia Inc. and its sister company Fibracast Ltd. are pleased to announce that they have been added to the team selected for the construction of the Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC) in the East Valley Water District. SNRC, being built in Highland, California, will be a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility. It will recover clean water, energy, and nutrients, from the wastewater and provide the community with a place for, and opportunities for, education, entertainment, plus other events.
Read more on Anaergia’s Website
CalBio, Bloom Energy to generate electricity from dairy waste
Bloom Energy and California Bioenergy LLC today announced a collaboration to deploy the companies’ commercial solution for the conversion of dairy waste into renewable electricity without combustion. CalBio’s dairy digester technology with Bloom Energy’s solid oxide fuel cell technology delivers an end-to-end solution for the capture of methane and generation of renewable electricity. The solution has been designed such that the electricity will power electric vehicles (EVs) throughout California. In integrating these proven technologies, the two companies have created the world’s first commercial solution to generate non-combusted electricity from dairy waste to power EVs.
Scottish brewer invests £14 million in bioenergy project
The brewer of Scotland’s best-selling beer has announced a £14 million (€15.5 million) investment in green initiatives, including anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities. Tennent’s lager, made at the Wellpark Brewery in Glasgow, announced its plans through a new marketing campaign with the tagline: ‘Because life is bigger than beer’. Tennent’s aims to become carbon neutral by 2025, according to a report by The Drinks Business. To achieve this, the company has revealed it is installing a new AD and carbon capture plant at its site in Glasgow.
BIG opens Copenhill power plant topped with rooftop ski slope in Copenhagen
BIG has completed the “cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in the world” in Copenhagen, Denmark, which is topped by an artificial ski slope that is open all year round. CopenHill, also known as Amager Bakke, is a power plant located on an industrial waterfront that is capable of converting 440,000 tons of waste into clean energy annually. It was designed by BIG to double as public infrastructure, and is complete with tree-lined hiking trails and ski slopes on its roof along with the “tallest artificial climbing wall in the world” on its facade.
RESEARCHES & STUDIES
UNSW scientists design graphene filter to purify methane from biogas
UNSW researchers are using ‘wonder material’ graphene to generate sustainable energy in municipal wastewater treatment plants. UNSW scientists that developed a graphene filter to improve the quality of drinking water have discovered a new application for the very thin form of carbon – the ability for graphene to purify methane from biogas produced in wastewater plants. The research team, led by Dr Rakesh Joshi of the UNSW School of Materials Science and Engineering, has demonstrated at lab-scale that graphene membranes can be used to extract methane present in biogas generated during the breakdown of organic materials in wastewater plants.