A new Cummins X15N natural gas engine for big-rig trucks could be a tipping point for moving away from diesel, and a Miami-based renewable gas manufacturer hopes to ride the resulting wave.
Nopetro Renewables started in 2007 targeting mostly government fleets of buses and garbage trucks with compressed natural gas fueling stations. It serves fleets in Tallahassee, St. Augustine and the Orlando area’s Lynx transit system. As technology advanced, the company moved into capturing and processing methane gas emitted from landfills, mixing it with compressed natural gas.
The process reduces landfill emissions, and the processed fuel, says Nopetro founder and CEO Jorge Herrera, can provide cleaner energy for home heating systems and long-haul trucks. It can cost a dollar a gallon less than diesel and burns 33% cleaner.
“The headwinds we were facing are now tailwinds pushing the industry to move to natural gas and it’s because (now) it makes economic sense,” Herrera says. “And it’s better for the environment. And it’s renewable.”
A single long-haul truck might travel 100,000 miles and use 20,000 gallons of fuel per year. “Imagine if you’re saving $1 or $2 every gallon,” Herrera says. “It’s incredible the amount of savings you can create for them.”
Natural gas also is domestically sourced, making it immune to price shocks that might be triggered by geopolitical events.
“We are solely focused on production and distribution of natural gas in the United States for heavy duty transportation,” he says.
Herrera, 44, had no background in energy. After graduating from Emory University’s law school, he worked for Coca-Cola and the Social Security Administration before joining a law firm. But he says he was looking for the right entrepreneurial opportunity the whole time.
Los Angeles was converting its bus fleet to natural gas to try to address smog. The public-private partnership of local transit and solid waste operations with natural gas suppliers caught his eye. Nopetro started building and operating natural gas stations for fleets that started moving toward natural gas. He now employs 35 people with plans to add at least 25 more in the next year.
Nopetro just activated a $40-million processing facility east of I-95 near Vero Beach. It is projected to generate 3 million gallons of renewable natural gas each year by capturing and converting landfill emissions under a 20-year contract with Indian River County. The converted fuel will supply 80% of natural gas power in the county, Herrera says. In addition to providing lower cost and cleaner energy, the contract gives Indian River a cut of Nopetro’s commercial sales.