Utilities are leading the way with compressed natural gas solutions
Two utilities recently celebrated compressed natural gas partnerships within their local communities, a part of the growing story of CNG and its benefits to the environment.
Atmos Energy helped open a CNG fill station at Waste Management of Northern Colorado. The facility currently has 10 trucks on-site using CNG, with plans to expand to 48 trucks in the near future and a long-term potential for 85.
With 48 trucks, the facility will use about 166 million cubic feet per day. To put that into the context of its most abundant and common customer, a typical residence averages about 75 Mcf per year in Colorado, Rob Leivo, vice president of marketing, Atmos Energy Colorado-Kansas Division, told American Gas.
“There is a lot going on today with the push for ‘green’ solutions, with electrification typically dominating the conversation,” he said. “I’m glad Waste Management recognized the reality of natural gas as the best option when viewed through the lens of both current environmental and economic measures.”
Using CNG to fuel the trucks is estimated to save 88,000 gallons of diesel in the first year. That represents a reduction of more than 560,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention health-sensitive emissions and particulates such as sulfur oxide—and is equivalent to taking 46 cars off the road for a year, Leivo said.
Atmos also partners with Waste Management on a CNG fill station in Kansas City, Kansas, where natural gas helps fuel 76 trucks throughout the area, he said.
Meanwhile, in Florida, Peoples Gas and the city of Tampa recently broke ground on a CNG fueling station for the city’s refuse fleet of 110 trucks. Construction is expected to be complete by late summer.
“We are excited to help the city’s fleet become cleaner by using an alternative fuel—and this also will help them save on fuel costs,” Cherie Jacobs, media spokesperson, TECO Peoples Gas, told American Gas.
The shift to CNG is expected to have significant environmental impacts, including lowering carbon dioxide emissions by 1.4 million pounds per year, reducing particulate matter by 99%, and reducing nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide dramatically, Jacobs said.
Collaboration is exciting; however, Atmos’ Leivo said it’s important to remember there is no “one size fits all” solution to reducing emissions. “Natural gas is a key part of an integrated approach for reaching emissions goals, providing reliable energy to support renewable technologies and offering an affordable energy option for consumers,” he said.