City of Madison to Run More Vehicles on Biodiesel Fuel
by Abriela Thiel (The Badger Herald) ‘This has the short and long-term advantage of making Wisconsin a producer of materials it would otherwise import,’ UW expert says. — The Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board and the National Biodiesel Board announced they will be investing in greener vehicles for the City of Madison.
Twenty City of Madison Fleet Service vehicles will be retrofit to run on nearly 100% biodiesel fuel, according to the Wisconsin State Farmer.
…
Professor of Bacteriology and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Director Tim Donohue said in an email statement to The Badger Herald that the investment in biodiesel has both short and long-term advantages.
“The biodiesel is produced from local Wisconsin and Midwest materials. Thus, it is providing farmers and rural communities with a source of income for a material that might otherwise have little value,” Donohue said. “This has the short and long-term advantage of making Wisconsin a producer of materials it would otherwise import and a host of new industries that provide jobs and economic opportunities.”
Last year, the City of Madison used a 20% blend of biodiesel fuel from April to September, and a 5% blend for the rest of the year in some of the city vehicles, according to the Wisconsin State Farmer. Since 2018, these biodiesel fuel blends have helped Madison Fleet Services save more than 8% of the fleet’s total carbon emissions. READ MORE
Soybean farmers help Madison grow sustainable vehicle fleet (Wisconsin State Farmer)
Excerpt from Wisconsin State Farmer: The 20 Madison vehicles will be retrofitted with technology that starts their engines using standard diesel and automatically switches to B100 fuel when the engines reach a certain temperature.
Madison Fleet Superintendent Mahanth Joishy said Madison’s desire to lower carbon emissions is a driving force behind the use of biodiesel fuel.
“The City of Madison is eager to put more vehicles on the road that reduce carbon emissions,” said Joishy said in a news release, “and 2021 is the year we’ll start to have some B100 year-round for the first time ever.”
…
Compared to petroleum-based diesel fuel, biodiesel has several environmental benefits:
- Reduces lifecycle greenhouse gases by 89 percent
- Lowers airborne particulate matter by 47 percent, reduces smog and results in cleaner air
- Reduces hydrocarbon emissions by 67 percent
- For every unit of fossil energy it takes to produce biodiesel, 3.5 units of renewable energy are returned — the best of any U.S. fuel READ MORE
