Penn. Awards $3.7 Million in Alt-Fuel Grants; Support for Plug-in Hybrid Bus and Biodiesel from Algae Included
14 February 2006
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell announced the investment of $3.7 million in Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants (AFIG), in amounts ranging from $500 to $2 million, for 23 projects.
Among the awards are a grant for $112,000 toward participation in a buyer’s consortium for the commercial development of a plug-in electric/biodiesel hybrid school bus, as well as $105,925 for the production of biodiesel from oil extracted from algae.
Governor Rendell recently signed into law (Act 178 of 2004) an expansion of the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program, enabling DEP to fund projects at higher percentages of the total cost.
The new law also allows DEP to offer a rebate instead of a grant to commonwealth residents who purchase hybrid electric and alternative fuel vehicles. Hybrid vehicle purchasers can now apply throughout the year and will be eligible for the rebate as long as funding is available and DEP receives the required information within six months of the purchase.
The newly-announced grants leverage more than $16 million in private funds for projects ranging from early-stage research to commercial implementation of technologies.
The current group of AFIG awards includes:
$2 million to Seneca Landfill to promote use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced from landfill methane gas. Seneca will construct a liquefaction facility to produce 6,000 gallons of LNG per day, and a LNG refueling facility. Seneca will convert 10 waste-hauling vehicles to LNG engines and purchase five new LNG trucks.
$550,556 to Penn State University/PTI to continue a demonstration of hydrogen and compressed natural gas blends in Centre Area Transit buses and Penn State vans.
$436,263 to cover the estimated incremental cost difference between a gallon of conventional diesel and a gallon of B20 biodiesel blended at 20 percent biodiesel (B20) for four recipients. The largest grantee is York County Transportation Authority, which will receive $381,600 to phase in entire fleet of 20 buses and 33 vans.
$137,864 to the Walt Whitman Truck Stop in Philadelphia to purchase and install electrified idle-reduction systems so truckers can power heating and cooling units and small appliances without running their engines.
$119,277 to Penn State University/PTI to design and build a vehicle to compete in the US Department of Energy Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition.
$112,000 to Jennings Transportation to participate in a buyer’s consortium for the commercial development of a plug-in electric/biodiesel hybrid school bus. Nazareth Area School District will participate in the demonstration of the bus.
$105,925 to Renewergy Cooperative Corp. to produce biodiesel from oil extracted from algae that is also part of the effluent treatment process at the Erie Wastewater Treatment Plant. The grant funds installation of a bioreactor to grow the algae.
$100,000 to Pittsburgh Electric Engines to develop a solid oxide fuel cell for use in a turbo fuel-cell engine targeted for the heavy-duty truck market.
$61,019 to West Chester University to purchase six bi-fuel pickup trucks that operate on compressed natural gas or conventional fuels, and installation of refueling equipment.
$37,138 to Schwan’s Home Services to convert 11 heavy-duty delivery trucks from gasoline to dedicated liquid propane use.
$8,000 toward the purchase of 16 hybrid vehicles by different organizations, at $500 per vehicle.
$4,500 to Temple University to purchase and install compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling equipment for the university’s six dedicated CNG vehicles.
"$105,925 to Renewergy Cooperative Corp. to produce biodiesel from oil extracted from algae that is also part of the effluent treatment process at the Erie Wastewater Treatment Plant. The grant funds installation of a bioreactor to grow the algae."
Glad to see somebody is thinking up there! This is a great way to combine renewable energy with wastewater treatment (which usually requires a lot of energy). The wastewater is loaded with nutrients that the algae require - usually removing those nutrients require energy, and that for converting ammonia back to molecular nitrogen! With this process it should be possible to recover the nutrients for fertilizer or perhaps even animal feed. Algae are also much more effective at converting sunlight to biomass than, say, corn.
Posted by: An Engineer | 14 February 2006 at 04:10 PM
Everybody is saying Algae Algae Algae algae... but nothing has been done. At least we can try to use algae to produce vegetable oil first, if any extra then we can consider biodiesel. Did you said no technology to mass produce algae yet? Remember all those algae spirulina suppliment?
Posted by: rexis | 15 February 2006 at 05:21 PM
I think that Governor Ed Randall is spending wisely and for the future of the people of Pennsylvania . He seems to be a man of vision with the will to achieve that vision. It is an excellent start and I hope it will be continued. I also hope that Governor Linda Lingle of my home state would do half as much as Governor Randall. Hawaii is enslaved to oil and is at the mercy of the price of each barrel. Hawaii may be a nice place to visit but to live here means to pay for high energy prices in gasoline and electricity.
[email protected]
Posted by: Adrian Akau | 15 February 2006 at 06:24 PM
Is there anybody who can assist anyone who is ready to launch commercial production of biodiesel from Algae with the technology?
[email protected]
Posted by: Dr. V. Murugappan | 02 March 2006 at 08:12 PM
Good, interesting article, thanks!
The grant for oil extraction from algae sounds most deserving. Here are a bunch of plants (or plant-like species at least) that have been simply regarded a nuisance by mankind, and lo! they can perhaps solve a good chunk of our energy problems.
Too early of course to celebrate, but biodiesel from algae sounds like a pretty hot and exciting technology to me. Biodiesel in itself looks to me the alternative fuel for the next few decades, with most other alternatives (excepting of course its close relatives such as bioethanol) not even in the feasibility stage
A good site I found for Biodiesel was The Biodiesel Encyclopedia from Castor Oil Online
Vic, BPO
Posted by: Vic Verghese | 12 May 2006 at 12:29 AM
Dear sir/Madam
This is t.vijay from chennai, India.
will anybody assist that who can provide more details on biodiesel produced from algae or some consultants address.
Posted by: t.vijay | 14 December 2006 at 02:28 AM
Dear Mr.
How are you !
First of all, you are kindly introduced that our Chongqing Big Science & Technology Development(Group) Co., Ltd is a professional manufacturer and supplier who is devoted to research and develop high quality CNG series 2 & 3 & 4 wheels vehicles for market through its base of Chongqing China.
Currently, we are doing manufacture and supplying our these new type high quality CNG 2 wheels motorcycle,which is our Patent products to your market:
We are top professional CNG products manufacturer and supplier in China.
We recommend our patent products which BGMT brand CNG motorcycle with CKD term and CBU term.
For the CNG 2 wheel motorcycle characteristic:
1, Safety and Reliablity:
CNG Cylinder had passed NZ5454, which can bear 350 KG atmospheric pressure, Nominal working pressure is 20 MPa. Manufacture stardand of CNG conversion kit is ISO15500, our patent has unique technology wordwide,
2, Applicability:
CNG motorcycle can run 100km if you once fill the gas fully,the CNG motorcycle shape like fashionable model(such as CD 70 type ,CG 125 type and Tailand Honda) it is very beautiful and very suitable for local custom. The new technology have very capacious foreground, it can bring you very infinite business chance,and we have no agent until now,we are searching our best nice business partner,hope we can cooperate with you and set up long term business relation.
For the target of us above, we are currently looking for the good business and professional partner to promote our these CNG 2 wheels motorcycle very well also target for assembling them locally for ensureing large order quantity and profit for two sides.
Of course, your background and position of business line has been our preferred one of them. so, it will be much appreciating for us to get any advice from your side promptly.
Looking forward to your reply soon!
Thanks
(For the avoidance letter be lost,When you reply our letter, suggest write back to three E-mail box at the same time.)
E-mail : [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mr.Weilin Lee
China Chongqing Big (Group) Co. Ltd
(branch No.4 )BIG CNG Compressor Manufacture factory
(branch No.5 )Chuanjiang automobile Manufacture factory
Chongqing Big Science & Technology Development Co. Ltd (Big Group I/E Dept. )
Telephone: +86-23-67635049 ;+86-23-67635035 -(operate)- 605;(office)
Fax:+86-23-67635036; MSN: [email protected]
http://www.chinacngbus.com
http://www.made-in-china.com/product.do?action=list&prodLibFlag=0010
Http://www.china-cng.net
Posted by: weilin lee | 05 February 2007 at 10:28 PM
Dear Mr.
How are you !
First of all, you are kindly introduced that our Chongqing Big Science & Technology Development(Group) Co., Ltd is a professional manufacturer and supplier who is devoted to research and develop high quality CNG series 2 & 3 & 4 wheels vehicles for market through its base of Chongqing China.
Currently, we are doing manufacture and supplying our these new type high quality CNG 2 wheels motorcycle,which is our Patent products to your market:
We are top professional CNG products manufacturer and supplier in China.
We recommend our patent products which BGMT brand CNG motorcycle with CKD term and CBU term.
For the CNG 2 wheel motorcycle characteristic:
1, Safety and Reliablity:
CNG Cylinder had passed NZ5454, which can bear 350 KG atmospheric pressure, Nominal working pressure is 20 MPa. Manufacture stardand of CNG conversion kit is ISO15500, our patent has unique technology wordwide,
2, Applicability:
CNG motorcycle can run 100km if you once fill the gas fully,the CNG motorcycle shape like fashionable model(such as CD 70 type ,CG 125 type and Tailand Honda) it is very beautiful and very suitable for local custom. The new technology have very capacious foreground, it can bring you very infinite business chance,and we have no agent until now,we are searching our best nice business partner,hope we can cooperate with you and set up long term business relation.
For the target of us above, we are currently looking for the good business and professional partner to promote our these CNG 2 wheels motorcycle very well also target for assembling them locally for ensureing large order quantity and profit for two sides.
Of course, your background and position of business line has been our preferred one of them. so, it will be much appreciating for us to get any advice from your side promptly.
Looking forward to your reply soon!
Thanks
(For the avoidance letter be lost,When you reply our letter, suggest write back to three E-mail box at the same time.)
E-mail : [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
Mr.Weilin Lee
China Chongqing Big (Group) Co. Ltd
(branch No.4 )BIG CNG Compressor Manufacture factory
(branch No.5 )Chuanjiang automobile Manufacture factory
Chongqing Big Science & Technology Development Co. Ltd (Big Group I/E Dept. )
Telephone: +86-23-67635049 ;+86-23-67635035 -(operate)- 605;(office)
Fax:+86-23-67635036; MSN: [email protected]
http://www.chinacngbus.com
http://www.made-in-china.com/product.do?action=list&prodLibFlag=0010
Http://www.china-cng.net
Posted by: weilin lee | 05 February 2007 at 10:28 PM
I, Dr.Satyanarayana from India coming from a Doctors family, am very interesting to establish the, “Bio-Diesel Research Center” (BDRC). I am the founder President of,
“Satya Sankshema Sangham”, which is an independent, Non-profit, Non-political, Non-sectarian developmental organization, established in 1989 and Registered under Indian Societies Act XXI of 1860, and obtained all the Legal status to receive the Donations and Funds from abroad for the uplift of the suffering
Fuel is the basic and the need of today’s human's life. There are so many sources exit in the form of a) renewable energy b) non- renewable energy, such as coal, mineral, diesel and petrol. If we see the today’s scenario, there is huge demand for this non-renewable energy sources and this demand is increasing day by day, which could create a critical problem in the future because of unbalanced demand-supply ratio of these non-renewable energy sources. This could cause the energy crises, which could become an abstracts in the development of human being.
For this critical problem many scientist, NGO’s are working constantly on the search of alternative renewable sources- Solar energy, Tidal energy, Wind energy and Hydra energy etc.
The depletion in world petroleum reserves and uncertainty in petroleum supply due to political and economical reasons stimulated the search for alternative sources for petroleum based fuels, especially for diesel fuels - This are the entire Global thinking. .Our goal is to set up a bio-technological research Center, which produces bio-diesel out of algae.
We are proud to say that our East Godavari District, A.P, India is having suitable climate to cultivate Algae. We have already started a small Unit, near by Rajahmundry and wishing to establish on a Large Scale for which we need the helping hands to meet the need of the day. We request the Donors, Authorities etc., to extend your help and support in establishing the above unit
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