The Source - Winter 2008 - (Page 33)

feature Taking the leap to natural gas vehicles By Douglas R. Clark W hile energy prices skyrocket and emphasis is placed on preserving the environment, Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD) in Omaha, Nebraska has turned to compressed natural gas (CNG) to meet its automotive fuel needs. The effort to bring natural gas vehicles to the city was due in most part to the high prices of gasoline and diesel fuel. This was the case in the 1990s when MUD began its commitment to CNG as a fleet fuel. In 2008, the focus remains the same as we work to reduce greenhouse gases, offset $4.00 gasoline and $4.50 diesel prices, and work through a struggling economy. All of these signs are strong indications that CNG is here to stay. conventional gasoline or diesel fuel, second the reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) is 25 percent, and third CNG is domestically produced, reducing our dependence on foreign oil. While natural gas vehicles are expensive, MUD has ended up saving money on fuel costs and is now better equipped to serve its 200,000 customers. Currently, the District has 66 vehicles running on CNG daily, and it has saved roughly $300,000 in fuel costs over the last 12 years. In 2008 alone, MUD saved $80,000, avoided dumping more than 2 million pounds of CO2 into the environment and displaced 2,050 barrels of foreign oil. The simple transition of switching to CNG fleet vehicles has made a real environmental impact, saved customers money, and strengthened the city’s economy. Fleet fuel, for now CNG works now for fleet vehicles only. It works in part because fleet vehicles accomplish tasks on routes that never take the vehicle far from its point of origin. CNG fueling stations are limited but centralized so that fueling can take place either at the end of the day when the fleet vehicle has completed its duties or in the morning prior to the vehicle leaving for the assigned route. The efficiency and cost savings of CNG vehicles and fueling stations is why MUD is now using its experience to promote CNG in Omaha and throughout MUD’s journey began with a slow start in the 1990s, when the city of Omaha opened two fueling stations for cars, trucks, and buses. Unfortunately, back then the trend to use CNG did not catch on, and after six months, both fueling stations were closed, mostly due to the lack of CNG vehicles in the area. However, this setback to mainstream natural gas vehicles did not deter MUD from forging ahead and continue to adopt CNG as a fuel of choice for its fleet vehicles i.e. large trucks and vans. Economic, environmental impact The benefits of using CNG as a fuel are three-fold. First, the cost of the CNG fuel is approximately 25 percent or less than THE SOURCE | WINTER 2008 , VOL. 1, ISSUE 2 33 

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Source - Winter 2008

The Source - Winter 2008 Contents First Person The Bridge to Renewable Energy Future Natural Gas: The Comfortable, Responsible Energy Solution Gas Hydrates: Poised for the Next Phase The Role of Natural Gas in a Carbon-Constrained World Natural Gas Prepays Taking the Leap to Natural Gas Vehicles The Pipeline Legislative Outlook Advertiser's Index Advertiser.com At Last

The Source - Winter 2008

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