Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has announced several contracts to provide its Redeem renewable natural gas (RNG) for fleets across multiple sectors.
Redeem, which became commercially available in 2013, is derived from capturing biogenic methane that is naturally created by the decomposition of dairy, landfill and wastewater treatment plant waste. As a vehicle fuel, Redeem enables at least 70% reduction in carbon emissions when displacing diesel or gasoline, says Clean Energy.
Greener Big Blue Bus Fleet
Longtime customer and an early adopter of Redeem, the Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica, Calif., has extended its contract with Clean Energy with an anticipated 2.3 million gallons of Redeem per year to fuel 200 municipal buses.
Big Blue Bus transports 44,000 passengers daily across a 58-square-mile service area. The entire fleet operates on alternative fuels, including liquefied and compressed natural gas (LNG/CNG).
“We’re proud to continue our partnership with Big Blue Bus and share its commitment to sustainability. Their natural gas buses are providing healthier air for people in and around Santa Monica, and the use of Redeem is significantly reducing greenhouse gas and long-term climate change issues,” says Chad Lindholm, vice president of Clean Energy.
Ports
With funding made available by the Carl Moyer Grant Program and other incentives, fleets in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are taking delivery of 102 new trucks equipped with the Cummins-Westport near-zero ISX12N natural gas engine. The ISX12N is certified by California Air Resources Board to reduce smog-forming NOx emissions by 90% compared to the current engine standard.
“Fortunately for those who live in the area of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, more near-zero trucks are operating on RNG, which will help combat air pollution in Southern California,” says Lindholm. “These near-zero natural gas trucks can have a huge positive impact on the environment and provide the level of performance that fleet operators expect.”
Among the fleets taking delivery is Green Fleet Systems, which has committed to 20 near-zero trucks and RNG fuel at a fixed price well below diesel.
TTSI is starting to take delivery of 40 near-zero trucks under Clean Energy’s Zero Now Program, which makes the cost of leasing or purchasing a new natural gas heavy-duty truck equal to the price or even lower than that of the same truck equipped with a diesel engine.
Other companies that have or will be taking delivery of near-zero trucks include Tradelink Transport, Green Trucking, Overseas Freight, West Coast Trucking, Supra National Express and MDB Transportation (a division of AJR Trucking).
Airport and Municipal Transit
ABM Aviation’s fleet of vehicles has helped ease congestion and move travelers at Los Angeles International Airport during its remodeling project. ABM recently contracted with Clean Energy to provide an expected 180,000 gallons of Redeem for 10 new passenger buses.
Several other Clean Energy customers – including the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Foothill Transit, the City of Phoenix, Fresno Area Express, the City of Lodi and Translink – are placing new CNG buses into service this year. LA Metro also recently finished upgrading 125 of its buses with the near-zero natural gas engines.
Private transit contractor Transdev has signed an agreement with Clean Energy to build a private fueling station in Los Angeles for dispensing existing contracted volumes of an estimated 2.8 million gallons of Redeem.
Omnitrans has selected Clean Energy to provide operations and maintenance services for two CNG stations. Clean Energy will be the agency’s exclusive provider for up to five years.
Expanding Capacity in Solid Waste
Clean Energy has signed a significant station upgrade agreement for longtime customer Alameda County Industries (ACI). The upgrade is expected to accommodate the addition of approximately 50 new refuse trucks that are scheduled to service ACI’s newly awarded municipal solid waste collection contracts with the cities of Castro Valley and San Ramon in California. ACI anticipates the fleet will consume 300,000 incremental gallons of Redeem annually. Clean Energy constructed the original station in 2014 and is scheduled to complete the upgrade by the end of 2019.
Burrtec Waste Industries (Burrtec) signed a seven-year O&M contract extension for its CNG fuel stations in Fontana and Santa Clarita in California. The agreement also incorporates Burrtec’s CNG fuel station located in Azusa, which was previously not maintained by Clean Energy. The three stations support the fueling operations of over 130 natural gas refuse trucks and are expected to deliver over 9 million gallons throughout the life of the contract.
The City of Redlands, Calif., awarded Clean Energy a three-year RLNG supply contract for an estimated 1.8 million gallons of Redeem for its public-access station. The station provides fuel to the city’s 40-truck refuse fleet, along with local refuse trucks and school buses. Clean Energy also received an extension on its existing maintenance contract.
The City of Sacramento, Calif., has executed a three-year retail fuel contract for an anticipated 700,000 gallons of Redeem for its growing fleet of 40 refuse trucks.
Service Industry
Puritan Bakery in Carson, Calif., has deployed its first four natural gas delivery trucks, which supply bread goods to In-N-Out Burger and were purchased to meet Puritan’s environmental sustainability goals.
RNG is the future, not hydrogen or electric. Once all waste water plants, landfills, farms, etc., are converted to capture the renewable methane, CNG in this country will be nearly free. We already have too much conventional gas and the additional RNG will just continue to push down prices. The gap bw diesel and RNG will only grow over time and as the trucks get to scale, prices will come down close to par with diesel.