JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #62 - January/February 2011 - 21

Korean market
In 2010, the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Environment is targeting a total of 22,000 buses and 1,000 garbage trucks, with 440 operational CNG refuelling stations. Governmentsupported policies and directions will help bring these numbers to fruition by providing funds to purchase NGV vehicles, making lowinterest loans available to build more CNG stations, and offsetting the fuel cost differentiation from NG to other fuels. There will also be various other tax benefits. Overall, the Asia Pacific region has experienced rapid growth in the NGV market for the past 5 years, at an average 40% per year, and this trend is expected to continue. More than half the world’s 10 million NGVs are in the Asia Pacific region. Reports indicate that out of the 58 countries in the Asia Pacific region, 21 have NGV programmes.

pipeline network. This would be expanded to cover 85 cities in three years, 125 cities in five years and 250 cities in seven years. The existing natural gas pipeline is 10,000 km long and should be extended to 25,000 km in the next five years. Five million NGVs are expected to be on Indian roads in 2017. Some of the initial problems India faced with the introduction of a CNG programme 10 years ago have been resolved effectively by the collective efforts of all stakeholders. Today, Delhi is a showpiece example of improved air quality with its entire transport fleet converted to

Indian market
India is the world’s third largest consumer of oil and it imports 70% of its total oil demand, 90% of which is utilized by the transport sector. Natural gas consumption of 100 million cubic metres a day would double within a year because of fresh discoveries and imports. At present, 12% VAT is being levied on natural gas by the state government and the author believes this should be lowered. In India, CNG conversion began in 1992-1993. CNG is a leading alternative fuel for India in terms of emission reduction and operation economics. At present, 25 cities are connected to the existing natural gas

Air pollution caused by automobiles is a major problem in many countries

more and more policy makers are starting to understand that both the traditional gas market and the growing NGV market can be sustained by current gas supplies. The main criticism of gas supply is that natural gas is a fossil fuel. This is no longer strictly true. Complementing our natural gas supply is the potential of renewable natural gas (biomethane) from landfill gas, sewage, animal waste and energy crops. Biofuels generally fall into three categories: ethanol, biodiesel and biomethane. For example, you hear a lot about cellulosic ethanol being

occurring with biomethane worldwide, and what it might mean for us. A third big advantage of converting to NGVs concerns greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Surprisingly, even though natural gas is a fossil fuel, it has a very good story to tell. The California Air Resources Board commissioned a study on the GHG benefits of all transportation alternatives, and then ranked them based on their emissions. They concluded that NGVs produce 22% less greenhouse gases than diesel and 29% less than petrol. These percentages constitute a full cycle measure – from well to wheels.

Climate change
The world’s CO2 emissions were 28 billion metric tons (28 gigatons, Gt) in 2006, with 23% originating from the transport sector. This translates into 8.9 Gt of CO2 emissions by 2030. CNG is not the answer to climate change but it is far better for the environment than petrol or diesel and better than some renewable fuels like corn ethanol. CNG can have an immediate ecological impact. When CARB did their rank ordering of fuels and technologies, biomethane from waste was among the very best GHG options. As more biomethane is produced and blended with natural gas, the 2229% can steadily improve. United Nations Regulation 110 outlines CNG components and vehicle certification and testing protocols, while Regulation 115 addresses vehicle exhaust emission requirements, test procedures (as distinct from petrol & diesel) and installation requirements. (Emission limit

CNG on a scale unparalleled anywhere in the world. In 2003, the US Department of Energy awarded the city of Delhi the “Clean Cities International Partner” distinction.

Gas reserves

Estimates now show that the Americas have over 100 years of gas supply. These gas supplies can easily support both a growing NGV market and all the traditional gas markets, and

No62 January - February 2011 / jec composites magazine made from wood waste, switchgrass or other cellulosic materials. In Europe, Sweden is leading the way in biomethane production. They are demonstrating how producing biomethane from these materials is far more energy productive and far less expensive than turning it into any other transportation energy. A report from CALSTART’s John Boesel provides additional information about what is

Market

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #62 - January/February 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #62 - January/February 2011