New "renewable natural gas" solution allows some customers to create fuel from a waste product
TECO Peoples Gas is expanding the green energy solutions for its customers with an innovative new renewable natural gas service.
Natural gas comes from underneath the ground, typically through the mining of fossil fuels. By contrast, renewable natural gas (RNG) comes from organic waste – such as gases generated by landfills or water treatment plants, sometimes called biogas. Special equipment cleans or conditions the biogas to produce RNG, which can then be injected into Peoples Gas' pipeline – and used just like traditional natural gas. This allows certain customers, such as landfills, to create a useful product from something they currently dispose of.
"We are excited to be the first utility in Florida – and among the first in the country – to offer this innovative new service," said T.J. Szelistowski, president of Peoples Gas. "This is a win for the environment, a win for our customers, and a win for the communities we serve."
The Florida Public Service Commission today unanimously approved the new utility service. The service would offer the opportunity for Peoples Gas to clean or condition a customer's biogas. It would also allow customers to transport their renewable natural gas using the Peoples Gas pipeline in some circumstances.
RNG is sustainable and renewable. It reduces methane, a greenhouse gas, and adds to fuel diversity. It creates a beneficial use out of a waste product that was previously destroyed. Plus, communities may be eligible to receive economic benefits via environmental credits.
The new conditioning service is expected to be available to customers in 2018.
Peoples Gas System, Florida's largest natural gas distribution utility, serves about 375,000 customers across Florida. Peoples Gas is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
