The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) released its 2019 Renewable Energy In Ireland report, discussing Ireland’s progress with its 2020 renewables targets. According to the report, only 10.6% of energy consumed in Ireland was sourced from renewables in 2017. This makes Ireland 22nd of the EU-28 for its overall renewable energy share and 26th for the progress towards its 2020 energy targets. SEAI states in its report that is clear and evident that Ireland will not be able to meet its 2020 targets, potentially placing Ireland in the position to receive fines from the EU.
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On March 13, 2019, the European Commission (EC) adopted a Delegated Act on sustainability criteria for biofuels as requested by the European Parliament and the Member States. With the decision, Member States will still be able to use, and import, fuels included in the category of high ILUC-risk biofuels, but will not be able to include these volumes when calculating the extent to which they have fulfilled their renewable targets. According to the Commission, the enhanced use of electricity produced from renewable sources, including in the transport sector, is crucial for the decarbonisation of the EU’s economy and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
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Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), the primary provider of natural gas to the region of Southern California, is helping California fleets obtain funding for the purchase of new near-zero emissions heavy-duty natural gas trucks. Fleets operating within the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) are able to apply for incentive funding to replace diesel trucks with new near-zero emissions natural gas trucks through the Carl Moyer Program. Fleet owners whose applications are accepted will receive $100,000 towards the purchase of the new trucks. The program grant is competitive, which means funds are distributed on a rolling basis until all money is awarded.
“The UK’s green gas industry strongly welcomes the government’s commitment to increasing the proportion of green gas in the grid in order to decarbonise the UK’s heat supply, and we look forward to more detail on this in the promised consultation as soon as possible. “As the Chancellor rightly said in his statement, we need to reduce our dependence on burning natural gas for heating our homes in order to meet our climate targets, and the only way we can do this whilst making use of the existing gas grid is to increase the amount of green gas in the grid.
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In the Bulgarian municipality of Gabrovo, Municipal Passenger Transport Company Ltd has issued a tender document for the supply of eight low floor buses powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The value of the acquisition is estimated at 3.47 million levs (USD 2 million/ EUR 1.79 million), excluding VAT. According to the Notice of Tender (Procurement ID # 000440) issued February 28, the project benefits from the financial support of the Operational Program “Regions for Growth” 2014-2020, co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.
Currently, the system can process 165 tons per day of source separated food waste and should be able to digest 300 to 550 tons per day by 2020. Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) is tapping into existing infrastructure at its wastewater treatment plant to be able to process food waste and convert it to renewable power or transportation fuel. Organics will be processed at its Puente Hills materials recovery facility (MRF), where contaminants will be removed, and a slurry will be created, pumped into tanks and shipped to the plant for co-digestion with biosolids.
Construction of Bright Biomethane’s first project in Scotland is set to start soon. The modular and compact biogas upgrading system will produce sustainable biomethane from various wastes and residues. The system will be installed in the north of Scotland. The gas-to-grid system, with proven membrane technology and a patented control system to ensure a quick gas-to-grid start-up, is initially suitable for 1,000 Nm3 ingoing biogas per hour and upgrades the biogas to 600 Nm3 of biomethane per hour. Completely according to the wishes of the customer, the future-proof and easily extendable system can be extended to 1,200 Nm3 biogas per hour, which will result in a flow of 720 Nm3 of biomethane per hour.
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The plant will process 1,000 tons per day of food waste and biosolids that will be shipped to Rialto from outlying areas. Final products will include electricity and pipeline-injected RNG. Organics recycling solution provider Anaergia is on course to launch what it says will be the largest food waste diversion and energy recovery facility in North America, in partnership with two major waste management companies, three California utilities and several sanitation agencies in that state. The city of Rialto, Calif., will host the plant on property adjacent to its wastewater treatment plant.
The technology group Wärtsilä has been given Notice to Proceed for a Liquid biogas (bioLNG) plant to be built in Asker, Norway. The contract for the plant was awarded in April 2018 by VEAS, a Norwegian wastewater treatment and biogas producing company, and the Notice to Proceed was signed in December 2018. The new facility will comprise a biogas upgrading and liquefaction plant. It will enable VEAS to produce vehicle quality biogas, thereby creating an alternative to fossil fuels and reducing CO2 emissions. The new bioLNG plant will be incorporated together with the company’s existing biogas plant, which is the biggest sewage sludge treatment plant in Norway serving nearly 750 000 people.