Vietnam, RoK talk natural gas vehicles

Enterprises and research institutions of Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) discussed advanced technology for a natural gas vehicle (NGV) at the ASEAN-RoK forum which opened in Ho Chi Minh City on November 5.

 

Participants in the two-day forum, jointly held by the RoK-ASEAN Secretariat on NGV and Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, shared information and experiences in developing the natural gas production industry and proposed policies to encourage the use of natural gas for transportation.
Since the first taxi running on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was put into use in 2001, Vietnam now has a total of nearly 900 taxies and buses partly or fully run on LPG.

Cuu Long Petro Gas Service Transportation Joint Stock Company and Indochina Petroleum Transportation Joint Stock Company said all of their 551 taxies are fully running on LPG and refuelling at six out of 10 LPG filling stations nationwide.
An official of the RoK Environment Ministry, Hyoung Lull Jeon, said that since 2000, the country has boasted 20,000 buses and 465 rubbish vans running on LPG and 261 LPG filling stations.

The RoK plans to have 23,000 vehicles running on LPG and compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of diesel by 2010 and 28,000 vehicles by 2012 apart from building 440 new gas filling stations.

Congressman Teague Has A Split Personality On Energy

Marita K. Noon

If there is one thing T. Boone Pickens knows how to do, it is make money. When T. Boone gets behind something, financial gain is the incentive. There is nothing wrong with making money, but his motives cannot be viewed as purely altruistic. When the price of natural gas was high, he advertised converting the world to wind power as wind power needs back-up base-load power and the only source that can ramp up and down quickly is natural gas. Now that natural gas prices are lower, he no longer promotes wind power. He is, however, pushing a new scheme to increase natural gas usage. Natural gas is a clean-burning fossil fuel, so using more natural gas is good.

However, when T. Boone partners with Congressman Harry Teague, one has to look askance. At best, Teague appears to be a bit schizophrenic.
While we do not currently know what version of cap and trade will pass through Congress-or even if any form will pass, we know that Teague voted for the Waxman/Markey Bill (AKA cap and trade). The purported goal of cap and trade is to get America off of fossil fuels by making their emissions taxable in some form-and therefore more expensive for the consumer. One variant of cap and trade basically eliminates coal from America's energy portfolio, which means our coal-fired power plants that provide about half of our base-load energy needs will all have to be converted to natural gas--additionally upping the price. So Teague has essentially voted to make natural gas--a fossil fuel his company helps produce--more expensive and then supports a bill (H.R. 1835) that would use taxpayer money to underwrite the conversion of vehicles from gasoline or diesel to natural gas. We the taxpayers will get hit on both sides of his efforts.
In addition to his apparent split personality, the opinion editorial produced jointly by the Teague/Pickens team has several other flaws.

In their proposal, they recommend tax incentives for converting fleets to be fueled by natural gas. On the surface this sounds good-we trade an imported fuel for a domestic one. The use of natural gas has already been tried in agricultural and oil field vehicles since the 60's and was not reliable.Yet, this is being tried in several government agencies as a way to be more environmentally friendly--even though the infrastructure is not there. To solve this, Teague/Pickens then encourage opening more NGV fueling stations. This will take years and years to make happen due to right-of-way issues, environmental regulations and excessive costs--which their approach would have underwritten by the taxpayer (as are, or course, the aforementioned tax incentives). By the time a NGV infrastructure could be functional, something totally different could be in place.

Another flaw is their idea that NGV will reduce our dependence of foreign oil. We currently use foreign natural gas and their plan would increase natural gas use--therefore using more from foreign sources. I am all for natural gas use and I support getting off of foreign fuels of all kinds. But switching our vehicles to NGV will not do that. What we need is to open up drilling options-for both natural gas and oil! Their op-ed cites a study indicating that the continental United States has enough natural gas reserves to last 118 years. That may be true, but how much are we currently allowed to access? Much of America's natural resources are off-limits due to environmental NIMBYism! With all of the nonconventional fuels coming online, I believe we could be almost energy independent now--or at least have energy security (meaning we get our fuels from friendly countries such as Mexico and Canada). But we must be able to access them.

Additionally the Teague/Pickens piece claims that natural gas burns cleaner and produces "virtually no particulate emissions." I agree that natural gas burns cleanly, but so do most other fuels today. America and Canada derive the largest single percent of energy from coal, yet they both have some of the cleanest air of the industrialized world. Wasn't Waxman/Markey about CO2, not particulate emissions? Come on Harry, make up your mind.
Teague's action in voting for Waxman/Markey was a vote to shut down fossil fuels when the next generation of fuel--whatever it may be--is not yet available. After all, as they state, "Wind and solar are not helping you drive to work in the morning."

Marita Noon is the Executive Director at CARE (Citizens' Alliance for Responsible Energy), the nonprofit organization working to educate the public and influence policy makers regarding energy, its role in freedom and the American way of life. Find out more at www.responsiblenergy.org. Note: The above is in response to a previously published op-ed

How Natural-gas Vehicles Work

Kermit the Frog once said, "It's not that easy bein' green." Although he wasn't referring to cars, his observation seems particularly appropriate for the auto industry today: Designing, developing and marketing "green" cars has not been an easy task, which is why gasoline-powered vehicles still rule the road and fossil fuels still account for almost 75 percent of the world's energy consumption. As gasoline prices soar and concern over harmful emission mounts, however, cars that run on alternate fuel sources will become increasingly important. A natural-gas vehicle, or NGV, is the perfect example of such a car -- it's fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly and offers a relatively low cost of ownership.

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Image Gallery

David McNew/Getty Images
A natural gas home refueling appliance, Phill, by FuelMaker is connected to a Honda Civic NGV­ natural gas vehicle. See pictures of alternative fuel vehicles.

This article will explain the basic idea of NGVs, look at the unique design challenges involved and examine the advantages and benefits of this technology.

LNG Strengthens Gas Supply Outlook – LNG is Hot

LNG is HOT: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies as a Vehicle Fuel
- Brussels, Belgium

The current level of global trade in LNG, according to the International Energy Agency, is anticipated to nearly double by 2020 and, potentially, triple by 2030 and beyond so the market for liquefied natural gas vehicles (L-NGVs) should strengthen concurrently as more countries incorporate LNG into their energy strategies. Noting this strong growth in LNG trading, EU Commissioner for Energy, Andris Piebalgs said on 1 October 2009 at the Eurogas Annual Policy Conference in Brussels, “With respect to the diversification of (natural gas) supply sources, the past five years have seen major progress. European companies have reacted to the decline in indigenous gas sources by embarking on new import pipelines and LNG terminals. In particular LNG terminals have opened up the potential for a much more flexible and competitive gas market. With further LNG terminals planned or under construction, such enhanced flexibility in the gas supply is likely to benefit also markets which are still dominated by few gas suppliers.”

The European Commission is playing its role to address emissions problems at port facilities and to incorporate LNG supply into the seaport and marine infrastructure.  The Maritime Gas fuel Logistics (Magalog), with Norwegian energy giant GASNOR in the lead, is attempting to establish an LNG supply chain in the Baltic region. The ports of, Bergen (Norway), Göteborg (Sweden), Stockholm  (Sweden), Lübeck (Germany) and Swinemünde (Germany) all are planning to set up terminals with LNG filling stations for freight ships and ferries. Lübeck is scheduled to be the first to have one, by 2012.

Jorgen Henningsen, former principal adviser to the Director General of the European Commission  Directorate General Energy & Transport (DG Tren) and currently the Senior Adviser on Energy and Climate Change at the European Policy Center in Denmark added, in remarks to Clean Fuels Consulting, “Expanding LNG import facilities in Europe add to the existing advantages of natural gas as a motor vehicle fuel: It is less CO2 intensive, it is cheaper than conventional fuel and much cheaper than other alternatives such as liquid biofuels, and it provides fuel diversification. Any concern about security of supply must now evaporate.”

Mr. Henningsen was the principal author of the landmark European Commission 2003 publication, “Market Development of Alternative Fuels,” which indicated that natural gas should replace as much as 10% of the transportation sector fuel by 2020.  Mr. Henningsen will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming workshop, “LNG is HOT: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies as a Vehicle Fuel,” on the 3-4 December 2009 in Brussels where he will share his in-depth views about the role of LNG in the worldwide energy supply and demand chain.

NGV – Environmental Friendly Gases

NATURAL GAS VEHICLES

Natural Gas vehicles have recently hit the newsstands, as a great way of fighting the specter of global warming. We are all painfully aware that cars are a major contributor to greenhouse gases, and actively seek ways of reducing their environmental impact. In many states, such as California, tough legislation, aimed at reducing the emissions of smog-causing gases is entering the statute books. Why not think about using natural gas vehicles now, before the last minute scramble, and enjoy the opportunity to bask in the knowledge that you are reducing your carbon footprint.
Many people are looking at Hybrid Electric Cars as the answer, but they are expensive, and use more gas than the average car. They also contribute so much carbon dioxide in their manufacture that they are a false hope. As a result, environmentally aware consumers are looking at natural gas vehicles as the best way forward. This technology requires only a simple conversion of existing vehicles to a cleaner burning fuel.

HOW DO NATURAL GAS VEHICLES WORK
The principle behind natural gas vehicles is simple, burning methane, CH4, rather than complex hydrocarbons, for powering the car. Without being too technical, methane is the most efficient hydrocarbon fuel, and produces the least carbon dioxide. If even half of the cars in North America converted, the reduction in CO2 emissions would be immense, along with the levels of smog causing gases.
The conversion is an easy process, and the number of qualified mechanics is growing rapidly. New cars are entering the marketplace, which can run on natural gas, ethanol enriched gasoline and pure gasoline, making refueling easy. It is simply a matter of fitting storage tanks in the trunk of the vehicle and installing injection nozzles in the engine, not a major undertaking.

WHAT ABOUT REFILLING?
Many countries, especially in South America, have adopted natural gas vehicles and have shown that setting up filling networks is not difficult. In addition, manufacturers have designed machines that will allow filling at home, great if you already have a natural gas supply installed. If not, many cities are investigating the possibility of developing an integrated network of filling stations. Even if you do find yourself running out of fuel, converted cars can still run on gasoline, so you will never be stuck miles away from home. Modern kits are usually Tri-fuel enabled, so your vehicle can run on bio-ethanol too, covering another environmental base.

BUT NATURAL GAS IS STILL A FOSSIL FUEL
It is, but natural gas vehicles offer a way of gently weaning consumers away from inefficient and dirty gasoline. Methane is cleaner and more efficient than gasoline. Many cities, in South America and SE Asia, have already converted their entire taxi fleet to natural gas, vastly improving the air quality in the city. Many US cities are going down the same route, so it is important to think about this now, or your old car may be banned from the cities. In London, for example, drivers have to pay steep congestion charges, but environmentally friendly vehicles attract discounts. Imagine Los Angeles without the smog, and you can see why local governments are pushing through these tough laws.
Finally, there is another source of readily available methane for powering natural gas vehicles, which truly fits the definition of a renewable energy source. Organic waste, such as manure and trash from landfills, gives off methane as it rots and decomposes. This is normally released into the atmosphere, and is a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2. Siphoning it off for fuel prevents the gas from reaching the atmosphere, and this is a huge source of potential energy, not derived from fossil fuels. Companies in the UK are already using trucks powered with a bio-methane/diesel mix, reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide by up to 60%.

WHAT ABOUT THE SAFETY RISK?
Natural gas does carry a risk of explosion, as with most fuels, but is no more dangerous than gasoline or hydrogen. In fact, methane is a much safer option than gasoline. If methane leaks, it is lighter than air, so quickly disperses into the atmosphere. Gasoline, on the other hand, forms a dense vapor and builds up into a dangerous cloud, with a low flash point.

THE TIME IS NOW
Tough emission legislation means that natural gas vehicles are the cheapest option for meeting these targets. Cheap, easily refillable and safe, methane is the fuel of the future, and there is little excuse for not considering this option. Natural gas systems are easy to install, and you can rest, safe in the knowledge that you have done far more to reduce global warming than celebrities buying inefficient hybrid. cars.