When deciding how to meet the power and thermal energy needs of commercial and industrial facilities, executives must consider a range of priorities including cost, safety, reliability, and environmental stewardship. While on-site power and heat generation is often considered because of the potential for enhanced reliability and energy savings, typical equipment for on-site generation can… Keep reading →
The Canadian Gas Association, a leading industry trade group, issued a report in December 2014 promoting renewable natural gas in Canada. Titled, “Renewable Natural Gas Technology Roadmap for Canada,” the report offers very aggressive support for biomethane production as a means to both reduce waste and greenhouse gases while developing an underutilized renewable resource. According… Keep reading →
This is the latest installment in our Energy Startup Series that gives executives at cutting-edge energy firms an opportunity to share insights and experiences about the energy industry, their careers and their companies. While working for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Olof Hansen was in charge of building public-private partnerships in waste minimization and pollution… Keep reading →
Renewable natural gas (RNG) is methane produced from biomass that is cleaned to pipeline quality standards and blended with fossil natural gas. RNG, also known as biomethane, is carbon-neutral and chemically identical to fossil natural gas allowing it to be blended without restriction. Renewable natural gas is produced from a variety of (mostly waste) resources… Keep reading →
Many of China’s coal-fired power plants are equipped with air pollution scrubbers, but in some parts of the country they are seldom used. Scrubbers take energy to run which reduces total output and makes operating the equipment more expensive. The government often sends plant operators mixed messages that prioritize economic growth (which requires maximum power… Keep reading →
Natural gas use is growing throughout the world as new drilling techniques open up vast shale and other tight resources. The result is low-cost gas flooding the market. The environmental advantages of natural gas over other fossil fuels have put it in a favored position as emissions regulations continue to tighten around the world. But conventional… Keep reading →
Ed. note: This is a new weekly column by Elie Mystal, Managing Editor of Above the Law Redline. This space will focus on the laws that exist, should exist, and should be put out of their misery. OVER-REGULATED Chinese Diplomacy: Let me get this straight: our new “deal” with China involves the U.S. agreeing to… Keep reading →
Fuel cell proponents like to talk about how the devices can use biogas to create zero-carbon power, but that actually doesn’t happen very often. Typically, natural gas is the fuel that feeds the electrochemical process. Not so at the Microsoft Data Plant in Cheyenne, Wyoming, however. This data center was built alongside a wastewater treatment… Keep reading →
Converting natural gas to liquid fuels using Fischer-Tropsch conversion is not a new idea but it has always been a big one, meaning it has always required very large and expensive production facilities. Royal Dutch Shell and South Africa’s Sasol have been the industry leaders in Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) for decades but their existing GTL plants… Keep reading →
Following the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent decision to emphasize the use of biogas in the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has come out with their own Biogas Opportunities Roadmap to promote biogas as a valuable form of renewable energy. The USDA is working together with the EPA, the Department… Keep reading →
