Addressing A Renewable Natural Gas Transportation Fuel Research Roadmap
Directing future research activities that will increase penetration of RNG as a transportation fuel.
The Regents of the University of California, on behalf of the Davis Campus
Recipient
Davis, CA
Recipient Location
3rd
Senate District
4th
Assembly District
$99,941
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
The Issue
Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) is identified as one of the lowest carbon intensity alternative fuel options in the California Air Resources Board’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. RNG can reduce petroleum fuel demand, stimulate economic development, and reduce environmental impacts associated with the State’s major waste sources such as landfills and livestock manures. Increased use of RNG as a transportation fuel addresses California public policy goals. While RNG can play an important role in California’s energy policies, it is presently produced in relatively small volumes due to high costs, high uncertainty, and lack of investments.
Project Innovation
This project developed a research, development, and demonstration roadmap to help deploy locally or regionally produced and distributed renewable natural gas (RNG) in transportation applications for the state of California. The University of California, Davis team leveraged existing studies and worked with CALSTART researchers to assess the current state of technology for RNG as a transportation fuel, identified barriers to commercialization of RNG and critical technologies necessary for the expansion of RNG usage, quantified the potential RNG that could be produced annually from various biomass resources, quantified emissions and costs for producing RNG from various pathways, and identified and prioritized unmet research needs.
Project Benefits
This project identified the most promising research priorities based on the technological, economic, and financial analysis, and recommend a research pathway to deploy RNG for transportation applications in California. Implementing the recommended research will reduce the barriers to RNG deployment in California, resulting in a number of ratepayer benefits.
Economic Development
Use of RNG as a transportation fuel creates approximately 4 times as many jobs per vehicle mile travelled when compared to gasoline and diesel fuel. Provided the RNG is produced in-state, this will create jobs and spur economic growth in California.
Environmental Sustainability
As the transportation fuel with the lowest carbon intensity, increased use of RNG as a transportation fuel will decrease total carbon emissions statewide.
Energy Security
Approximately 90 percent of natural gas is produced out-of-state and transported to California via natural gas transmission pipelines. In-state production and use of RNG will increase energy security by decreasing dependence on external sources of natural gas.
Subrecipients
CALSTART, INC.
