As Diesel Prices Hit Record Highs, Leaders Helping Scale Renewable Natural Gas as a Clean Alternative Receive Energy Vision Awards

NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At its 20th^th annual Leadership Awards event, the non-profit Energy Vision honored industry and municipal leaders working to accelerate adoption of renewable natural gas (RNG) made from organic waste. The winners are:

Capital Region Water – A municipal water authority serving the greater Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area, whose state-of-the-art $27 million Energy Recovery Improvements Project that produces RNG went into operation this year.

OPAL Fuels – A leading vertically integrated producer and distributor of RNG, demonstrating how waste-derived fuel and the infrastructure to deliver it can be scaled today to reduce fleets' emissions and exposure to diesel price volatility. OPAL is the nation's second-largest RNG distributor, supplying about 12% of RNG dispensed in the US.

Cespira™ – A joint venture between Volvo Group and Aetherion™ Technologies, Cespira's proprietary HPDI™ fuel system offers a practical pathway to decarbonizing heavy transport at industrial scale today. Cespira has over 10,000 HPDI-powered trucks operating in 30+ countries, a global R&D center in Vancouver, and a manufacturing plant in Europe.

This recognition of their leadership in helping scale RNG comes as diesel prices over $6/gallon are changing fuel economics, squeezing fleets, farmers, and consumers, while at the same time stimulating adoption of clean alternatives such as RNG.

"Our vertically integrated approach produces renewable RNG fuel and delivers it to fleets, helping customers lower costs, improve price certainty, and transition away from diesel with a proven solution that is commercially available at scale today," said Adam Comora, Co-CEO, OPAL Fuels.

"The Energy Recovery Improvements Project transforms raw biogas into RNG and injects it into the utility's gas pipeline, a massive upgrade we accomplished with no disruption in the water services," said Jess Rosentel, COO for wastewater at Capital Region Water. "The potential for wastewater RNG is staggering; it's time we fully tap into it." 

"We're on the path to decarbonizing heavy transport using low-carbon, renewable fuels," said Charlie Ker, Senior Director of Business Development at Cespira. "Projects like CRW can turn organic waste into RNG, companies like OPAL can dispense it, forward thinking operators can run their truck fleets on it. It's as inventive as it is inspirational."

 "In 2011 there were 31 RNG facilities in North America; now there are over 600, and RNG is commercial and competitive," said Matt Tomich, President of Energy Vision. "Our research helped make the case, but leaders and innovators like CRW, OPAL, and Cespira are making it happen, and their work is scaling RNG up."

"For less than the cost of the [Iran] war, the US could expand its renewable energy and fertilizer production to more than it previously imported through the Strait," Energy Vision founder Joanna Underwood wrote in a recent Financial Times/Sustainable Views column. "This is well worth doing. Carbon-intensive fossil fuels are untenable for energy security and the climate, and clean energy is by far the better investment."

Read the full release here.

Contact: Stephen Kent, [email protected] 914-589-5988

SOURCE Energy Vision