CNG Station Construction: Lower Installation Cost
Many cities in the U.S. are ramping up to develop an infrastructure that will support compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. Though there are very few CNG-compatible, or even hybrid OEM passenger vehicles (Honda sells a CNG Civic and General Motors has started to produce a dual-fuel Chevrolet Impala), the market is growing for CNG powered fleet trucks. From long-haul tractor trailers, to regional or local same-day shippers, to garbage trucks, CNG is becoming a fuel of choice among companies who carry the cost of fuel as a major operating expense. Even in the second half of 2014 and now the first half of 2015, while oil prices are at their lowest in over a decade, CNG remains significantly less per gallon equivalent than diesel.
Companies with large truck fleets are planning long-term and speculating that the price of oil won 't stay low. Some of those companies are consumer goods manufacturers whose customers prefer to purchase from organizations that promote sustainability, said U.S. Gain 's Bill Renz.
Another highly visible industry is waste disposal. We see waste trucks every day. The largest waste disposal company in the U.S., Waste Management, Inc. continues its push to be environmentally friendly. Not just in how it disposes of waste, but also in the fuel emissions from their fleets. The organization has converted 2,000 of their collection vehicles to natural gas. This has elevated Waste Management to the
Husky Energy Inc. is a company that produces several different forms of energy but most specifically known for their crude oil work. They do work with natural gas and several different kinds of oil (Warnock, 1). They are well known for their gas and diesel sales as the “Husky” or “Husky Truck Stop” gas bars. They began as a small oil refinery back in 1938 out of Cody, Wyoming, U.S (History). Their growth began slowly, but 1970’s, they had grown nationally, were able to be sold on the stock market in North America, and exceeded 1 billion dollars in value (History). Natural gas is becoming a huge player in the Husky Energy Inc. plan as they have natural gas asset “Liwan” valued at 6.5 billion split at 49/51 with China’s CNOOC Ltd. (Catteneo). The relationship between CNOOC has been going on for many years thanks to their current owner.
The natural gas sector in the United States is booming with the recent discovery of extractable shale deposits. Everywhere from Texas to Pennsylvania, oil companies, job seekers and drivers alike are feeling the positive effects of the US natural gas boom. Thus far, the natural gas industry has added hundreds of billions of dollars to the economy and has created millions of jobs right here in the US all while providing consumers with a clean source of
The industry is highly competitive and typically have thin profit margin and is very sensitive to volatility of crude oil price and general economy condition in terms of revenue and profitability. As the crude oil price is projected to increase in the next five years, this could potentially have positive impact on company revenue, yet due to the lag between the movement of crude oil price and that of the gasoline, as well as the ability of the company to
The recent surge in the cost of heating oil, diesel fuel, and gasoline in the United States has had significant impact on many sectors of the U.S. economy, but most importantly it has had quite a devastating affect on the trucking industry. This is important due to the fact that nearly "70% of U.S. communities rely solely on trucking for their supplies" ("ATA" 23). If the government continues it 's trend of non-intervention and refuses to place pressure on OPEC, the prices will continue to soar well over the two-dollar mark, and cause the trucking industry as a whole to shut down bringing the U.S. economy to a grinding halt.
Economic benefits of the natural gas industry are intimately tied to the market price of natural gas – which historically, has demonstrated high volatility. Recently the price for oil and gas has plummeted. While natural gas supplies steadily accumulated in the US, Canada’s main export market, decreasing revenue and profits. This has resulted in consolidation of oil and gas companies, loss in jobs, and delay/cancelling of new projects (e.g., LNG projects on BC’s coast). Given this financial context, the Canadian gas industry needs to streamline their operations (i.e., increase efficiency and productivity) and explore alternative markets by, perhaps, moving methane up the value chain and creating value-added products (i.e., petrochemicals).
The recent surge in the cost of heating oil, diesel fuel, and gasoline in the United States has had significant impact on many sectors of the U.S. economy, but most importantly it has had quite a devastating affect on the trucking industry. This is important due to the fact that nearly “70% of U.S. communities rely solely on trucking for their supplies” (“ATA” 23). If the government continues it’s trend of non-intervention and refuses to place pressure on OPEC, the prices will continue to soar well over the two-dollar mark, and cause the trucking industry as a whole to shut down bringing the U.S. economy to a grinding halt.
In 2011, the United States produced 8.5 million cubic feet of natural gas, a value of nearly $36 billion, from shale gas alone. As a result, the U.S. is now the world’s top manufacturer of natural gas. Imported gases compose merely 8 percent of total natural gas consumption in the United States. Since America does not rely on imported gas, the United States has balanced it trade as the U.S. domestic supply has grown to meet its demand. Business magnate T. Boone Pickens stated, “Natural gas is the best transportation fuel. It is better than gasoline or diesel. It is cleaner, it is cheaper, and it is domestic. Natural gas is 97% domestic fuel.”
Most of the natural gas transportation in the USA is done through 305,000 miles of transmission pipelines. Existing LNG degasification facilities allow for limited international trade of LNG (Table 2). Due to free market pricing when natural gas cost less in summer period, gas-storing facilities are widespread over the country including more than 400 underground storages and 113 LNG peaking facilities (EIA, 2008).
Energy efficient alternatives to oil, such as solar power and hybrid cars, have grown in popularity over the recent years. When gas prices were at an all time high, people began purchasing hybrid cars to cut gas costs. For example, from 2010 to 2014, sales in electric cars increased by almost 120,000 cars a year. As demand for electric cars rose, demand for oil decreased. Moreover, decreased consumption of oil in other parts of the world had led to less demand. Recent economic problems in China, one of the largest importers of crude oil, and developing parts of the worlds have led to an overall global drop in demand for oil. When a situation occurs where there is an excess amount in the quantity of a product compared to the amount of product that is needed, the price of the item drops. Similarly, as less oil is demanded throughout the world and a record number of oil is being produced, the price of oil is driven
The United States is currently the second-highest energy consumer in the world (Duke 2015.) As the need for energy grows, the need for a clean energy source becomes more urgent. Natural gas, which makes up 24% of the world’s energy source, is promoted as a cleaner energy alternative. Of course, there are pros and cons to this source.
The second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States is related to transportation, the burning of oil to produce energy in a combustion motor. The combustion process inside of engines is what produces the carbon matter that is emitted into the air through the exhaust system on gas-powered vehicles. Gas-powered transportation is accountable for 24 percent of the global carbon emissions; this should not come as much of a surprise given the amount of urban sprawl that is being seen in the United States and across the globe. In the past decade, the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States government, and major car manufacturers have been working in conjunction to find ways to provide a “greener” form of transportation (EPA, 2011). This has included testing the use of hydropower, ethanol, natural gas, biodiesel, and electricity as a means of powering vehicles, which has led to the introduction of hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles run on electricity and gasoline, the byproduct of oil that is generally used in the engine combustion process of vehicles (U.S. Department of
Fracking is good for United States because it is used for fueling vehicles, cooking, and heating houses and offices; unfortunately, fracking is destructive to the environment as it contains many chemicals. Natural gas is lighter than air and dissipates in an accident, which makes it safer than flammable liquid fuel. Most models of natural gas cars get the same miles per gallon. Most spend a lot less filling up the tank using natural gas than anything else. Natural gas costs about half the price of gasoline or diesel. Another plus is the need to change the car's oil is less frequent because of the cleanliness of the fuel. A regular gasoline-powered car averages 32 miles per gallon while a natural gas powered car averages 43 miles per gallon. The natural gas used to fuel vehicles is a certain kind
Natural gas to power vehicles and machinery has been a big approach that the United States government has made in order to further the advancement of being environmentally green friendly. Burning of natural gas is not as bad as burning real fossil fuel gas which is for that natural gas is the same gas that is used in house for heating, laundry drying, and also cooking. It is the gas that disperses and diminishes faster than original gas. Original gas causes global warming more when natural gas for that natural gas produces no harmful fumes such as carbon monoxide. For some of these vehicle brands have created NGV (Natural Gas Vehicles) like Honda, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, and GMC are some of the vehicle that burn natural gas.
For decades the United States of America has been relying on fossil fuels to power its economy and to function as a country. One namely Diesel fuel has power big rigs that our country depends on to transport merchandise and goods. It seems like it is part of the American way of life burning more than 1 billion dollars’ worth of oil per day. An estimated 10 percent of that is consumed by big rig trucks. The United States military also used diesel for a majority of its craft and vehicles. That is a large amount of oil and that is why there is research being done looking for alternative options to keep the country going. The topics at hand are natural gas and liquid natural gas.
The US consumed 142 billion gallons of gasoline in 2007 and the tax applied on it is 18. 4 cents on one gallon. All around the US, there are around 162,000 retail gasoline outlets. With the price of crude oil hovering around $100 a barrel, it is no wonder that concern is growing about the gas prices being so high. After all, modern economies are kept moving by this lifeblood. For instance, in the United States alone personal vehicles consume more than 140 billion gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline per year.However, there are several factors that contribute to the gas prices being so high. Given below are a few of them. Increasing Demand for Oil One of the main catalysts for the incessant rise in gas prices has been one of the most