Pioneering US cleantech firm Qnergy calls on Environmental Protection Agency to tackle decentralised methane with US cleantech
OGDEN, Utah, June 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qnergy, the world's leading manufacturer of clean, reliable, electric power based on linear Stirling engines – proven to reduce methane emissions by up to 98% in natural gas operations - has today called on the US government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement its proposed rules on methane emissions.
There are 500,000 natural gas sites in the US alone, emitting 6.6 million metric tons of methane a year. A new study, published today, shows how Qnergy's technology alone could reduce this figure by 20% (up to 1,350,000 tons) - the equivalent of taking 24 million cars off the road.
In its submission to the EPA - published today alongside a new paper on decentralised methane emissions - the company has called on the EPA to;
- adopt the strongest performance standards possible to continue to push the natural gas industry to develop and improve innovative U.S. – based technologies that help it meet the Clean Air Act's goals.
- exclude technologies that emit appreciable amounts of VOCs, CO, and NOx, and have methane slip such as those powered by Internal Combustion Engines
- recognise and publicly acknowledge that clean technology already exists in the market (solutions from Qnergy and others) in order to meet its targets.
While Methane disperses from the atmosphere more quickly, and is emitted in lower quantities, it's far more potent than Carbon Dioxide, trapping 84 times more heat per unit mass.
Qnergy CEO Ory Zik said:
"Addressing the decentralised problem of industrial methane emissions is both hard, and easy. It's easy, as technological solutions already exist to prevent emissions from escaping in the first place. Further, there is a commercial incentive for high-emitting industries to convert this 'waste' methane into clean, low cost fuel. "
"But it's hard, because methane emissions are widely distributed. And it is imperative that the EPA understands that the centralised solutions being proposed to tackle a decentralised problem simply will not work."
"Policymakers have not done enough to support or incentivise high methane-emitting industries to adopt the decentralised, reliable, US-based, cleantech solutions that already exist. Finally, internal combustion engines that suffer from methane 'slip' and emit noxious gases simply replace one problem with another, and should not form part of the solution."
The white paper, "Too Small to Collect but Too Large to Ignore", outlines how high-emitting industries and policymakers can start to address the distributed methane challenge
Key findings;
- There are 500,000 natural gas sites in the US, emitting 6.6 million metric tons of methane a year. Qnergy technology could reduce this figure by 20% (up to 1,350,000 tons) - the equivalent of taking 24 million cars off the road.
- 360 metric megatons (MMt) of methane are released every year via human activities that can be mitigated and used as clean fuel - valued in excess of $100bn by today's natural gas prices.
- Net-zero policy, such as in waste disposal, is focused on centralised solutions that need complex and costly infrastructure investment, and drive behaviours such as flaring (where methane is burned off).
- Qnergy has a proven solution for this vented methane problem in the natural gas sector. By decentralising disposal and converting 'waste' methane into fuel, other businesses can also gain greater energy independence and reduce emissions.
Contact
[email protected]
+ 44 20 8064 0361
Editors' Notes
Qnergy Submission to the EPA (redacted)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k3KYOArahDomKMrt2IZNuTwvAefYirtj/view
Qnergy White Paper: "Too Small to Collect but Too Large to Ignore"
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nIsoGWW2Z-Vc5w8iDJVdreD5AJ1cZlyz/view
Video: Behind Qnergy's pioneering clean engine technology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OadiysJS3f0
About Qnergy
Qnergy (q-ner-gy) was founded to provide reliable power using alternative fuels. It's best known for its ability to operate in remote locations and harsh conditions; resilient to blackouts, lower costs, and reduced emissions.
Using Free Piston Stirling Engine technology, its engines are enclosed systems that require no lubrication, oil changes or repair, delivering many years of uninterrupted operation - technology that has been recognized by NASA as the most reliable heat engine technology 'in history'.
With two of the largest sources of methane emissions being the oil and gas supply chain and organic waste, Qnergy's methane mitigation program uses raw natural gas and biogas to convert normally vented methane into useful energy.
SOURCE Qnergy
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