AmeriGas' “Airborne Team.”

This Winter, much of the Nation has and still continues to encounter many difficult circumstances that have left many folks struggling to keep up with propane deliveries and serve customers. However, there is one company that has joined together to create the “Airborne Team.”

The Airborne Team is a coordinated volunteer program by AmeriGas that helps deliver gas in areas hit hard by unforeseen weather conditions. As of mid-February, 51 Airborne volunteers had put in 765 days assisting 31 districts in need across 15 states.

Read more about the Airborne Team: at AmeriGas Volunteers Deliver Propane In Hard-Hit Areas

Propane: The affordable, alternative fuel for every campus

Wouldn’t it be great if you could bottle up the energy of your students to fuel your campus? Until that time, you’ll have to look to other alternative fuels for sustainable solutions.

Institutions of higher learning are leaders in innovation, sustainability, and technological advancements. Environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and cost-effective propane closely aligns with many existing campus initiatives.

How can propane benefit your campus?

Propane, known as autogas when used in on-road engines, is a low-carbon alternative fuel that reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent compared with conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles. Our nation has abundant sources of propane, so much so that we are an exporter of the fuel. Plus, propane saves money by cutting fuel and operating costs by 30 to 50 percent compared with diesel and gasoline.

Emission reductions, cost savings
There are a number of applications for propane use around campuses, such as forklifts, lawn mowers, and vehicles.

When compared to their gasoline counterparts, propane-fueled lawn mowers reduce greenhouse gases by 50 percent and carbon monoxide by 80 percent. Plus, propane-fueled mowers often can be operated on ozone-alert days when local regulations ban the use of gasoline mowers. Keep in mind, propane is an approved alternative fuel under the Clean Air Act. And due to its chemical make-up, propane usage eliminates both fuel spillage and theft in lawn mowers. In comparison, 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled every year due to refueling landscape equipment.

In forklifts, propane cuts emissions and takes less time to refuel than electric forklifts, while delivering consistent power.

The University of Louisville, a participant in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s STARS Program, operates both lawn mowers and forklifts on propane.

"We save thousands of dollars per year in fuel savings with propane," said Aaron Boggs, assistant director of physical plant maintenance at the University of Louisville. "We know our emissions are much lower and we are able to stretch the time out between oil changes. Plus our overall maintenance on the engines has been reduced."

Transportation power
Many types of campus vehicles also run on propane autogas, such as shuttles, maintenance trucks, and security vehicles. Propane-autogas-fueled vehicles emit about 12 percent less carbon dioxide, about 20 percent less nitrogen oxide, and up to 60 percent less carbon monoxide than gasoline-powered vehicles.

In Harrisonburg, Va., James Madison University (JMU) implemented an extensive environmental stewardship and sustainability program, which includes a green building policy and an alternative-fuel fleet program. Currently, JMU operates 80 alternative fuel vehicles, including 12 that were converted to run on propane autogas. The university worked with the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program to help fund the conversions. The university reports these dozen vehicles displace 2,400 gallons of gasoline annually, and that it pays about 40 percent less to fill them up with propane autogas compared with gasoline. JMU is in the process of converting five more sedans and trucks to propane autogas.

"We save $1.50 a gallon, maintenance issues have been minimal, and our drivers’ experience has been positive," said Mike Dalmolin, sustainability coordinator at JMU. Read more here.

Getting an education at the Propane Expo

The Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo will be held April 12-14 in Atlanta.

This event has always been known for having the world’s largest propane industry trade show, with an exhibit area that will hold nearly 250 companies this year. More trucks, tanks, propane equipment, gas burning products and services are on display than anywhere else in the world.

In recent years, the Propane Expo has also become known as the best propane-learning forum in the industry. Several years ago, Pinnacle was a standalone National Propane Gas Association educational event and was migrated into the Propane Expo in a consolidation of meetings and events. Attendees are now able to get much more for their travel dollars and time.

The education is divided among several venues in the Georgia World Congress Center, and the curriculum has something to offer for everyone working in the storage, transportation, marketing, sales and delivery of propane and related applications and products.

As a note of caution, you should know that many of the educational events are held in concurrent sessions, so you won’t always be able to schedule your time to attend every session in which you are interested. The Expo has a rich curriculum that gets a high level of interest from attendees for all sessions, so you may want to bring more than one person from your company to the Expo to gain maximum benefit from all of the educational offerings.

The general educational sessions are held at the convention center in meeting rooms adjacent to the exhibit floor. The sessions are 60 or 75 minutes in length and most are not held during exhibit hall hours, so you will have time to participate in all aspects of the Expo. These sessions are typically intense learning experiences.

The general session curriculum is divided into five major learning tracks, and instructors are chosen for their expertise in those areas. Expect to learn the latest information on safety, sales, supply and transportation, operations, and new technology. Some of the sessions are identified for attendees to receive certificates of attendance as a record of the learning experience.

Another popular learning experience at the Propane Expo is the fast-track sessions in the exhibit hall. A separate stage and seating area are set up for 45-minute fast-tracks on a variety of topics that can be more technical in nature and often related to safety and regulations. You are surrounded by, and only steps away from, all of the exhibitors on the trade show floor. Read more here.

LPG outshines other motor fuels in European emissions study

A comprehensive new vehicle emissions study has demonstrated that Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) delivers significant all round environmental benefits and in terms of pollutants it is much cleaner and significantly outperforms petrol, diesel and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

The research, testing more than 9,000 cars and vans, showed that LPG scored very highly across key criteria.

Of the seven vehicle brands available in the five fuels - petrol, diesel, LPG and CNG, CNG Mono - LPG ranks first in four of the brands, with CNG ranking first twice and diesel ranking first once, whilst petrol fails to rank first in any of the brands.

In response, the LPG industry is now calling on the UK Government do more to promote the fuel as a readily available alternative which is almost half the price at the pumps.

While Government has committed to keeping prices for all gaseous fuels substantially lower than petrol and diesel for the next decade, there is now even greater demand for driver incentives, as well as potential, subsidies for car manufacturers.

Last December, Chancellor George Osborne introduced a 10 year duty trajectory for gaseous road fuels, (CNG), Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and LPG. However, whilst the duty differential for CNG and LNG was frozen, the Autumn Statement introduced a duty differential reduction of 1p each year to 2024 only for LPG. Read more here.

CleanFUEL USA to Showcase Liquid Propane Injection System Installations and New Vehicle Offering at NTEA Work Truck Show

Major Propane Autogas Customer to be Announced with Industry Partners at Press Conference

 

 

Georgetown, Texas (PRWEB) February 26, 2014

Who: CleanFUEL USA, an industry leader in propane autogas technology

When: March 4-7, 2014

Where: The National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN

What: CleanFUEL USA will announce with industry partners a leading Fortune 500 customer’s intent for significant adoption of propane autogas vehicles and refueling stations. As well CleanFUEL USA will announce a new vehicle offering at the show and offer a first-hand look at its Liquid Propane Injection (LPI) system in several installations.

Major Customer Announcement Press Conference in PERC Booth #5103 on March 5 at 8:00 a.m. ET

Press conference hosted by Propane Education and Research Council (PERC), CleanFUEL USA, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) and Powertrain Integration with a leading Fortune 500 company and sustainability leader to announce a first-of-its-kind rollout of propane autogas vehicles and refueling stations on Wednesday, March 5, at 8:00 a.m. ET.

On-Display in CleanFUEL USA Booth #5291

CleanFUEL USA will reveal a new vehicle offering and display an upcoming vehicle offering, the GMC C2500 pick-up truck equipped with a 6L engine and a CleanFUEL USA LPI system, as well as a CFT PRO 6100 propane autogas refueling dispenser. Other installations of the LPI system at include:

Freightliner MT-45 walk-in van – Propane Education and Research Council’s (PERC) booth #5103;
Powertrain Integration 6L and 8L engines – Powertrain Integration booth #5295.

Propane Autogas Ride & Drive, March 4-6

Two vehicles equipped with CleanFUEL USA’s LPI system will be available to test drive at the Propane Autogas Ride & Drive event on March 4-6 from 12:00-4:30 p.m. ET at the convention center’s Maryland Street Motor Lobby: the GM G4500 cut-van chassis and the Freightliner Custom Chassis 8L S2G with a Linebacker Crane Truck body by Signature Truck Systems.

Propane Autogas Panel Session with City of Springfield

CleanFUEL USA customer William McCarty, director of Budget and Management for the City of Springfield, Illinois, who oversaw the municipality’s police patrol cars and pickup trucks’ conversion to propane autogas and installation of an on-site refueling station, will speak on the panel, “Fueling a Competitive Edge: How Top Fleets are Succeeding with Propane Autogas,” on March 4 at 4:30 p.m. ET.

For details on the NTEA Work Truck show, please visit: http://www.ntea.com/worktruckshow.

About CleanFUEL USA:
CleanFUEL USA, the nation’s first developer of liquid propane fuel injection systems, is a leading manufacturer of propane autogas dispensers and refueling infrastructure. Headquartered in Georgetown, Texas, with an engineering division in Wixom, Mich., CleanFUEL USA celebrates more than 20 years of innovation. Setting industry standards with a complete alternative fuel solution, CleanFUEL USA products offer unsurpassed economic and environmental advantages. Learn more at http://www.cleanfuelusa.com.

Connect on Twitter (@CleanFUELUSA), Facebook (facebook.com/CleanFUELUSA) and YouTube (youtube.com/CleanFuelUSA1).

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OEMs to discuss corporate plans for propane autogas

Several OEMs of propane autogas technology will participate in a panel discussion March 27 during the 2014 Propane Engine Fuel Summit in Irving, Texas. Panelists from Bi-Phase Technologies, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp., General Motors and Roush CleanTech will discuss autogas’ future and their plans for autogas vehicles during the discussion.

According to a press release, attendees and viewers will learn what types of vehicles are currently on the market, as well as plans for future models. Vehicle performance, certifications and warranties will be discussed along with the benefits of fueling with autogas.

The summit can be attended in person or viewed live via a free online webcast. There is no charge for viewing the event online, courtesy of the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Read more here.

School district looks at buses powered by alternative fuel

A school bus powered by propane made a tour of the Methow Valley last Wednesday, part of the school district’s research into potential replacements for its aging bus fleet.

The school district has nine buses with an average age of 10 years, all with more than 100,000 miles on them, according to Methow Valley School District Transportation Supervisor Hunter Maltais. The district also has a newer van for special-needs students.

The district is looking into propane buses because the fuel is cleaner and easier on the engines, therefore requiring less maintenance, said Maltais. Propane-fueled vehicles typically last three to five years longer, he said.

The fuel is also less expensive than diesel. Propane currently costs $1.24 per gallon, whereas the district is paying $3.40 for a gallon of diesel, said Maltais. Propane gets lower fuel economy — about 5 miles per gallon, compared with 7 or 8 miles per gallon for the diesel buses, said Maltais.

Still, Maltais calculates that switching to buses using the alternative fuel would save the district $5,000 per bus each year. The district’s current budget for transportation — including salaries and maintenance — is $456,000, he said.

Because of its very low emissions and nontoxicity, propane is considered a “green” fuel, said Maltais. Vehicles that run on propane use less oil and do not require additives to assist with starting in cold weather.

Most propane (also known as liquefied petroleum gas – LPG – or autogas) is a byproduct of natural-gas processing and crude-oil refining, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Today there is an abundant domestic supply because it is also a byproduct of hydraulic fracturing (also called fracking) for natural gas, said John Van Winkle, a sales representative from Schetky Bus & Van Sales, who drove the demo bus to the valley. Schetky is the largest dealer of school buses in the Northwest. Read more here.