Six Policies That Have Cut U.S. Energy Use By 20%

From a blog post at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

• Fuel economy standards for cars, minivans, and SUVs generated the largest energy savings in 2017. They saved an estimated 9.0 quads [quadrillion BTUs]. To that add savings of 0.3 quads (ACEEE calculations) from heavy-duty vehicle standards.
• The second-largest savings, 6.0 quads, come from minimum efficiency standards on appliances and other types of energy-using equipment.
• Third on the list is the ENERGY STAR program. ENERGY STAR has operated for more than 20 years, steadily expanding its market reach and participation levels. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that this program saved about 370 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in 2017, which is equivalent to 3.7 quads. EPA estimates an additional 0.5 quads of savings in direct fossil fuel use in homes, buildings, and industry, for a total of 4.2 quads of savings.
• Fourth is energy efficiency programs funded by utility customers and operated by either the utilities themselves or other entities designated by states and utilities. They help the utility and all ratepayers, because saving a kWh is generally less expensive than generating a kWh. In 2017, these programs saved about 242 billion kWh and 400 trillion BTUs of natural gas for a total of 2.7 quads.
• Federal government energy efficiency research, development, and deployment (RD&D) appears to produce a similar level of savings as utility programs, but this estimate is very uncertain.
• Building energy codes are next on the list, saving an estimated 1.5 quads in 2017. The first energy codes were developed in the 1970s, and code stringency has steadily increased since then, driven by new technologies and practices, as well consumer economics. Compared to 1980 codes, current national model building codes reduce energy use by nearly 40% (residential) to 50% (commercial).

"UPS to Cut 1 Million Metric Tons GHG with Huge Renewable Natural Gas Purchase"

From NGV Global News:

UPS has entered into an agreement with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to purchase 170 million gallon equivalents of renewable natural gas (RNG) through 2026. This is the largest commitment for use of RNG to date by any company in the United States, with a range of 22.5 – 25 million gallon equivalents per year.

RNG is a key part of UPS’s strategy to increase alternative fuel consumption to be 40% of total ground fuel purchases by 2025, supporting the logistics leader’s efforts to reduce the absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of its ground fleet 12% by 2025.

“The world has a trash problem. And the world has an emissions problem. Renewable natural gas, produced naturally from bio sources such as landfills and dairy farms, not only turns trash to gas, but it turns it into cleangas,” said Mike Casteel, UPS director of fleet procurement. “Since RNG is supported by existing national infrastructure used to transport natural gas, it’s a winning solution that will help UPS to reach our ambitious sustainability goals. At the same time, we hope our unprecedented seven-year commitment serves as a catalyst for wider adoption of RNG by other companies.”

UPS has used more than 28 million gallons of RNG in its ground fleet since 2014. This means the company will now be using nearly as much RNG in one year as it has used over the past five years combined. By switching from diesel fuel to RNG, UPS vehicles fueling at 18 company-owned and operated natural gas stations across 12 states will realize a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as much as 1,074,000 metric tons of GHG over the life of the agreement. This is equivalent to planting 17,000,000 trees, removing 228,000 cars off the road or recycling 374,000 tons of waste that would otherwise be sent to the landfill.

UPS trucks refuel at Clean Energy stationClean Energy, co-founded by T. Boone Pickens and Clean Energy President and CEO Andrew J. Littlefair, is the exclusive provider of Redeem™ RNG, the first RNG made available in commercial quantities. According to Clean Energy, Redeem™ RNG yields at least a 70% reduction** in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional diesel or gasoline. Also known as biomethane, RNG can be derived from many abundant and renewable sources, including decomposing organic waste in landfills, wastewater treatment and agriculture. It is then distributed through the natural gas pipeline system, making it available for use as liquefied natural gas (LNG) or compressed natural gas (CNG).

“Together, UPS and Clean Energy are moving the industry forward and toward a nation of energy independence by pushing for RNG at scale,” said Tyler Henn, vice president and general manager of Clean Energy Renewables, a division of Clean Energy. “We’re excited to deliver Redeem to a partner with a substantial alternative fleet and an ongoing commitment to RNG. We’re pleased to be able to fulfill the growing demand for RNG as more fleets seek a clean, economical alternative.”

UPS Natural Gas Fleet

UPS drives more than 6,100 CNG and LNG vehicles which can be powered by RNG in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. More than 22% of the conventional diesel and gasoline fuel previously used by UPS’s ground fleet is now being replaced by alternative fuels including renewable natural gas and renewable diesel. This is significant because of RNG’s staggering reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional diesel.

Since 2009, UPS has invested more than $1 billion in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles and fueling stations globally. UPS deploys the more than 10,000 vehicles in its Rolling Lab to utilize technologies that work best depending on the needs of the delivery route. From old-fashioned pedal power and electric-assisted bicycles in dense urban areas like Seattle, London and Hamburg to electric and hybrid electric vehicles in the U.S., and natural gas, renewable natural gas and propane globally, UPS puts sustainability innovation into action, all over the world.

For more information on UPS’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.ups.com/sustainability.

** Based on weighted average carbon index of Clean Energy’s fuel supply as approved by California Air Resources Board (CARB)

Visual Capitalist has created an animated bar chart showing electric vehicle sales in the United States for 2010-19. "It paints a picture of a rapidly evolving market with many new competitors sweeping in to try and claim a stake. You can see the leads of early successes eroded away, the increasing value of scale, and consumer preferences, all rolled into one nifty animation."

EPA Research Updates

From EPA's Science Matters newsletter.

EPA Research Updates
Food waste is the single largest component of our daily trash, adding up to 133 billion pounds of food at the retail and consumer levels in the United States that go uneaten. EPA is addressing this issue through the interactive Excess Food Opportunities Map, which identifies and displays information about potential generators and recipients of excess food. The map inspired Brett Reinford, a second-generation farmer in Pennsylvania, to build a digester for his family farm that turns waste into energy.

Environmental Health Assessments (EHAs) are used to better understand the range of possible effects of environmental factors on a community’s health and wellbeing. These assessments are even more effective when researchers involve the community through citizen science. Using decades of experience conducting citizen science-based EHAs, EPA scientists have recently published a paper on advice and frequently asked questions to help other communities conduct these assessments.

What constitutes an oil spill, what effects can spills have, and how do responders clean them up? EPA researcher Robyn Conmy and on-scene coordinators Jeff Kimble and Jon Gulch joined Institute on Science for Global Policy's The Forum podcast to answer these questions and more.

EPA has awarded GreenTechnologies, LLC, with the Administrator’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Small Business. With the support of EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, GreenTechnologies successfully developed and commercialized a sustainable and innovative treatment and nutrient recovery process for wastewater. Their processes recover nutrients such as phosphorus, carbon and nitrogen in wastewater and convert the excess nutrients into sustainable slow-release fertilizers.

EPA is announcing a new Science to Achieve Results funding opportunity titled Chemical Mechanisms to Address New Challenges in Air Quality Modeling. Applications will be accepted through June 24, 2019. The funded research activities under this announcement are intended to improve the chemical mechanism component of air quality models relevant for ozone, particulate matter, and air toxics and ultimately advance the science underpinning air quality management strategies.

How much does each fuel type in the mobile transportation sector contribute to emissions?

Question Of The Week!

How much does each fuel type in the mobile transportation sector contribute to emissions?

For information on transportation related emissions by fuel, see the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Transportation-related CO₂ emissions by fuel, 1990-2017 graph (figure 5). This graph provides CO₂ emissions by year for motor gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and all other fuels. The emissions from each of these fuel types as of 2017 is below:

• Motor Gasoline: 1,099 million metric tons of CO₂
• Diesel: 451 million metric tons of CO₂
• Jet Fuel: 247 million metric tons of CO₂
• All Other Fuels: 105 million metric tons of CO₂

In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Sinks includes data on fossil fuel combustion by sector, including transportation, and by fuel type on pages 3-6 and 3-9. Specifically, 42.3 million metric tons of CO₂ were emitted in 2017 from transportation sector use of natural gas.

You may also be interested in the EPA GHG Inventory Data Explorer, which provides information on how transportation contributes to overall emissions. As is mentioned on this page, the Data Explorer is an interactive tool that provides access to data from EPA's annual Inventory of U.S. GHG Emissions and Sinks. You can follow the instructions on the right and use the options to create customized graphs, examine trends over time, and download the data. Note that the data currently only goes through 2017. Using the filters, you can see that transportation emissions accounted for 29% of overall emissions in 2017. You may also be interested in EPA's Transportation Sector Emissions website for an overview of transportation emissions.

Action Alert from the Coalition For Clean Air

Help us get California SB 210 off the Senate floor! Contact your Senator today!

California SB 210, by Senator Connie Leyva (D-Chino) is an important opportunity to prevent thousands of tons of harmful pollutants emitted into our air by heavy-duty diesel trucks.

SB 210 establishes emissions-control inspection and maintenance requirements for diesel trucks weighing more than 14,000 pounds, bringing the hundreds of thousands of these big-rigs on California’s roads closer in line with the smog-check requirements imposed on passenger vehicles since 1984.

Contact your California State Senator and urge them to vote yes on SB 210 today!

VOTE YES ON SB 210 (Leyva)

CLEAN TRUCKS, CLEAN AIR:
SMOG CHECK FOR HEAVY-DUTY VEHICLES

Problem:

• Heavy-duty trucks currently do not have a comprehensive inspection and maintenance requirement like the Smog Check program for cars
• Many heavy-duty vehicles operate with malfunctioning emissions controls, leading to emissions that are up to almost 10 times engine certification standards
• Heavy-duty diesel trucks operating in California account for 82% of diesel particulate matter (PM 2.5), a carcinogenic and toxic air contaminant, and 58% of the harmful oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from mobile sources
• Over 90 percent of Californians live in areas impacted by unhealthy air, and the transportation sector is by far the leading source.
  
  

Solution – SB 210 would:

• Establish a Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspections and Maintenance Program to ensure timely repairs that are needed to reduce emissions of harmful pollutants
• Level the playing field for law- abiding truck owners and operators by requiring multiple state agencies to collaborate on an enforceable system
• Build in legislative oversight and accountability.

TAKE ACTION

Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET)

The Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model is a tool that examines the life-cycle impacts of vehicle technologies, fuels, products, and energy systems. It provides a transparent platform through which energy and vehicle producers, researchers, and regulators can evaluate energy and environmental effects of vehicle technologies and energy and product systems.

GREET development and applications are an integral part of the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). In addition to the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), EERE’s other Sustainable Transportation Offices, the Vehicle Technologies Office and the Fuel Cell Technologies Office, use GREET.

Through BETO funded projects, the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) GREET Team develops a consistent model to advance understanding of sustainability of biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower, and produces high-quality, peer-reviewed analyses. Continually updated by researchers at ANL, GREET provides reliable calculations of life-cycle energy and emissions related to transportation, and accounts for a wide range of conventional and emerging energy systems and vehicle technologies.

More about GREET.