September 15, 2009

Alternative fuels: Topping off the tank

By LAYLAN COPELIN

Three Texas projects got $38 million to boost alternatives to gasoline or diesel. Who knows? Someday you might not need the Internet to find a fueling site.

The U.S. Department of Energy last month awarded nearly $300 million in federal stimulus grants around the country to encourage alternatives to gasoline or diesel.

Texas' $38 million led all states. And that's in addition to the $11 million that the Comptroller's State Energy Conservation Office has set aside for alternative fuel projects from a separate federal stimulus award. You can apply for SECO's Alternative Fuel project at the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) site.

The $38 million breaks down like this:

• Almost $13.2 million to North Central Texas Council of Governments to help buy biodiesel, ethanol, compressed natural gas, electric and hybrid vehicles for local governmental fleets. The money also will provide for refueling sites in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Those stations also will benefit "high-visibility fleets" in the private sector, such as those of Coca-Cola, Sysco, Frito-Lay and Irving Holdings Inc., which operates Yellow Cab.
• About $12.6 million to the Texas Railroad Commission to deploy 882 liquid propone gas (LPG) vehicles and construct 35 refueling stations for its 40 partners that include school districts, cities and state agencies.
• Almost $12.3 million to Texas State Technical College (TSTC) and its partners, including ConocoPhillips and Clean Fuel USA, to create a network of 184 LPG stations in 16 cities across the country and to train mechanics to work on LPG vehicles.

TSTC will train the mechanics. ConocoPhillips will provide the sites for refueling stations. And Clean Fuel USA has created the pump technology for LPG.

The 16 cities include Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.

Curtis Donaldson, the founder of Georgetown-based Clean Fuel USA, notes that two-thirds of the $38 million is for LPG.

"That's good for Texas," he says. "It's made here. It's stored here."

He says 65 percent of the world's storage capacity for LPG is in Texas in salt domes in the Houston area.

Donaldson says the TSTC project targets managers of public and private vehicle fleets. It emphasizes LPG's strengths — it's cleaner, cheaper and produced in America. But it also tries to address two chronic barriers to the broader acceptance of LPG: a shortage of mechanics and fueling stations.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy maintains maps on its Web site so the public can find refueling stations for all alternative fuel types, including LPG.

Donaldson says he hopes the project will raise the profile of LPG.

"I believe the stimulus (money) will create the momentum we've lacked," Donaldson says. "We can show fleet managers this isn't just some fuel-of-the-month club."

E-mail your comments or suggestions for future columns to Laylan.Copelin@cpa.state.tx.us