In This Issue
Southwest Gas CNG Lunch and Learn
Biomass/Biofuels- 2023 Billion Ton Report
New Resources on AFDC
Events, Webinars and Funding
Member Spotlight: Southwest Gas
Southwest Gas CNG Lunch and Learn Event
Southwest Gas recently hosted a compressed natural gas (CNG) Lunch and Learn Event. This event included discussion panels with representatives from several companies in the CNG transportation field. Companies such as Loves, Trillium Energy, Cummins, NGV America as well as individuals from Waste Management and the cities of Phoenix, and Scottsdale were on hand to answer questions and explain how CNG is incorporated into their fleets. Topics discussed included Southwest Gas’s projects to recover Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) from Arizona dairy farms, the new X15N Cummins engine, managing compression equipment in extreme heat, new technologies, vehicle conversions and driver education. VSCCC was proud to participate in this event and we hope to see more like it in the future.
Biomass and Biofuels-BETO’s 2023 Billion Ton Report
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technology Office's (BETO) released its 2023 Billion-Ton (BT23) Report this month. This report assessed the current and potential biomass resources available in the United States.
Biomass consists of organic materials that can be used for fuel, energy or heat. Biomass feedstocks include dedicated energy crops, agricultural crop residues, forestry residues, algae, wood processing residues, municipal waste, crop wastes, and food waste. Biomass can then be turned into biofuels for use in transportation, heat and energy or used in the production of other products.
Outcomes from the report show a bright future for biomass production in the US. Major findings from the report state that the United States could produce anywhere from 1.1 to 1.5 billion tons of biomass annually in a future mature market, and if currently available but unused biomass were utilized it could add around 350 million more tons per year, nearly doubling bioenergy resources currently used today.
Read the BT23 report to learn more.
New Resources
The alternative fuel data center (AFDC) has just added a new Tax Credit Hub to its site. Visit the new AFDC Tax Credit Hub for resources to help navigate federal tax credits for EV’s and EV charging. Consumers, fleet operators, dealerships, manufacturers, businesses, and tax-exempt entities can find information about tax credit amounts, requirements to claim credits, and up to date information from the IRS.
A new Local Fuel Savings Calculator is available online from Argonne National Laboratory. Use it to compare costs of EV’s to conventional vehicles based on your location.
The AFDC also has a page with EV Safety Training resources for first and second responders.
Upcoming Events
Arizona Electric Fleet Day
April 3rd, 2024
10am-3pm
Mesa Convention Center
Join us for Arizona Electric Fleet Day 2024. We invite fleet operators and managers of all sizes and sectors to learn about local resources for fleet electrification and transition planning. Event programming includes:
Expert panels of fleet transition planning, electric fleet management, government and utility grants and incentives
EV solutions showcase featuring EV models and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE)
Networking opportunities
Get the answers to your most anticipated questions! Refreshments and lunch will be provided.
For questions or interest in becoming an exhibitor, please contact info@electrifyarizona.org
The Valley of the Sun Electric Vehicle Association, Drive Electric Arizona, City of Phoenix Electric Vehicle Program and the Valley of the Sun Clean Cities Coalition are excited to bring you the Valley's premier Drive Electric Earth Month Event!
Join us on Earth Day, Saturday, April 20, 2024 from 8am to 12pm, and have your chance to get sit in, ride in, or even drive an electric vehicle! Presented to you by vehicle owners, this is your opportunity to learn about everything an electric vehicle has to offer. In addition to the environmental benefits of driving electric, the experience of driving an EV is unlike any other: exhilarating and fun! This is a family-friendly event, and free to the public to participate.
There will be EV's on display, and a large variety available for ride and drives. In addition to vehicle displays and ride and drives, there will be informational displays from event organizers and sponsors, including Valley of the Sun EVA, SRP, American Lung Association and others. This is a great way to become informed about what you can do as a consumer and resident to improve the quality of life for your family and community.
Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo
May 20-23, 2024
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
ACT Expo is the largest conference and trade show highlighting the most advanced transportation technologies and clean fuels available in the marketplace today. The show serves as the official annual meeting place for 12,000+ transportation leaders looking to gain insight and hands-on access to the fuels, technologies, and vehicles driving the future of transportation. ACT Expo features dozens of product debuts and major announcements from leading OEMs and suppliers, unparalleled networking opportunities with the most influential and progressive leaders in the industry, peer-to-peer learning for progressive fleet operators, and access to the most extensive assembly of advanced commercial vehicles anywhere.
Use this link to learn more: https://ow.ly/zRw250Q3C1I
Argonne National Laboratory BRIDGES Workshop
May 15-17, 2024
at Argonne National Laboratory, Lemon, Illinois
Apply today to help your students participate in the renewable energy transformation! The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will offer a free workshop for faculty May 15 – 17, 2024, to help cultivate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career pathways for college students. The workshop will take place at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in Lemont, Illinois, and participation is by application only. Space is limited. The application deadline has been extended to Saturday, March 30, 2024.
The agenda will include presentations by scientists, tours, discussions, and training on teaching the Bioenergy Research Education and Bridge (BRIDGES) Program case studies developed by DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office in partnership with ANL and Idaho National Laboratory. BRIDGES is a case study-based education curriculum for high school, technical and community college, and university classroom settings. Each BRIDGES case study toolkit includes guides for students and instructors, with a focus on careers in biofuels, plastics upcycling, sustainable aviation fuel, and more!
College faculty from across the nation are invited, with priority going to applications from instructors from community colleges and technical colleges. Travel support is available for those located more than 50 miles from ANL’s physical address and within the United States.
The deadline to apply for this free faculty workshop has been extended to Saturday, March 30, 2024. Apply today to secure your spot, and for more information on the BRIDGES program, direct questions to bioenergy_bridges@ee.doe.gov.
Webinars
Autogas Fleet Vehicles
March 28th, 2024 at 2pm Eastern Time
PERC invites you to join them on Thursday, March 28 at 2 p.m. EDT for their latest webinar in the “Propane Presents” series to hear directly from major vehicle and engine manufacturers about their Autogas vehicle offerings.
PERC Manager of Compliance Jim Bunsey will be joined by Derek Whaley of Roush CleanTech and Josh Budworth of Alliance Autogas to discuss their best-selling propane Autogas vehicles, how marketers can take advantage of the variety of options on the market to grow gallons, and the service training available to marketers and end-users.
SRP Business Electrification Webinar
Tuesday, March 26 at 11:30 a.m. MST
Join SRP to discuss electrifying businesses for future resiliency. SRP will cover the benefits and impacts of future proofing businesses through beneficial electrification and energy efficiency with guest speakers from the SRP ENERGY STAR rebate program for Phoenix homebuilders Rebecca Smout and Kim Elliot.
Funding
Clean Energy Deployment on Tribal Lands Funding Opportunity
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a $50 million funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to support clean energy technology deployment on Tribal lands.
Through this FOA, the DOE Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications from Indian Tribes, which include Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Village Corporations, Intertribal Organizations, and Tribal Energy Development Organizations, to install clean energy technology on Tribal lands. Learn more at https://ie-exchange.energy.gov/
Applications are due May 30, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.
Member Spotlight
Southwest Gas provides natural gas services to Arizona, Nevada, and portions of California and serves more than 2 million customers. Southwest Gas brings fuels and sustainable solutions to its customers.They have helped fleet customers throughout their service area reduce nearly 59,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by providing over 27 million therms of natural gas to be used as compressed natural gas(CNG) in place of diesel fuel. Southwest Gas Company is also partnering on Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) projects to bring approximately 17.6 million therms of RNG to market each year.
VSCCC strives to provide alternative fuel information to all people within our region. In order to increase our outreach abilities we are working with local agencies to share our newsletter and clean fuel resources with an even greater audience. We are proud to partner with the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona's Air Quality Department, ASU's Sustainable Cities Network and Maricopa County Air Quality Department.
OUR NEWSLETTER IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN SPANISH
Translations done by Diego Montemayor- Diego@cleanairaz.org
