The essential role of RNG in the energy transition | Michael Bakas, Ameresco
06/28/23 • 45 min
Every community across the globe produces waste. This waste can come from landfills, decomposing food, animal manure, and wastewater sludge. As this waste decomposes, it emits natural gas – primarily composed of methane, which is a naturally occurring but very potent and harmful greenhouse gas. In fact, methane is nearly 30 times more potent at trapping heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) projects capture this methane before it harms our environment and repurposes it to create clean and reliable energy that is used to generate electricity, power our vehicles, heat our homes, cook our food, and many other productive purposes. In this episode, Chad and Gil speak with Michael Bakas, Executive Vice President at Ameresco, a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Michael details the various RNG production pathways and revenue streams, discusses his views on RNG market growth drivers, and makes a compelling case for the essential role of RNG in the energy transition.
Links:
- Michael Bakas Bio
- Ameresco White Paper: Making Your Organization Carbon Neutral with Renewable Natural Gas
- Ameresco White Paper: Beyond Hydrogen: Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) & Deep Decarbonization
- Ameresco Case Study: BMW Landfill Gas to Energy, SC
- RNG Coalition
Episode recorded May 4, 2023
Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at [email protected] or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod.
Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at [email protected].
Every community across the globe produces waste. This waste can come from landfills, decomposing food, animal manure, and wastewater sludge. As this waste decomposes, it emits natural gas – primarily composed of methane, which is a naturally occurring but very potent and harmful greenhouse gas. In fact, methane is nearly 30 times more potent at trapping heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) projects capture this methane before it harms our environment and repurposes it to create clean and reliable energy that is used to generate electricity, power our vehicles, heat our homes, cook our food, and many other productive purposes. In this episode, Chad and Gil speak with Michael Bakas, Executive Vice President at Ameresco, a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Michael details the various RNG production pathways and revenue streams, discusses his views on RNG market growth drivers, and makes a compelling case for the essential role of RNG in the energy transition.
Links:
- Michael Bakas Bio
- Ameresco White Paper: Making Your Organization Carbon Neutral with Renewable Natural Gas
- Ameresco White Paper: Beyond Hydrogen: Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) & Deep Decarbonization
- Ameresco Case Study: BMW Landfill Gas to Energy, SC
- RNG Coalition
Episode recorded May 4, 2023
Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at [email protected] or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod.
Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at [email protected].
Previous Episode
Outsmarting waste with the Mill kitchen bin | Matt Rogers, CEO of Mill
In this week's episode, Gil speaks with Matt Rogers, the founder and CEO of Mill, a startup revolutionizing how we tackle food waste. They delve into the inspiration behind Mill, discussing how the idea came about and the parallels to Matt's previous work as the co-founder of Nest, the company behind the iconic learning thermostat and other smart home products. Matt discusses the functionality of Mill's kitchen bin, which transforms food scraps into nutrient-rich animal feed, and how the company is bringing this groundbreaking product to the market. He explains the emissions profile of Mill's appliance and the positive impact it can have on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Also, Matt shares his insights on the crucial role of technology and innovation in driving sustainable solutions.
Links:
- Mill Website
- Mill Impact Stats
- Matt Rogers Twitter
- Matt Rogers LinkedIn
- Mill LinkedIn
- Mill Twitter
- Mill Instagram
- Mill TikTok
Episode recorded May 2. 2023
Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at [email protected] or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod.
Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at [email protected].
Next Episode
How nanobubbles solve climate challenges | Nick Dyner, CEO of Moleaer
Nanobubbles provide an effective solution to many of the challenges of climate change. These nanoscopic bubbles are 2500 times smaller than a single grain of salt and can be formed with any gas. Unlike larger bubbles, they remain suspended in liquid longer and remain stable until they interact with surfaces or contaminants. Their size allows them to achieve dissolved oxygen levels many times greater than those achieved using traditional aeration technologies. With applications from industries including agriculture, aquaculture, oil and gas, mining, and municipal and surface water treatment, nanobubbles can improve energy efficiency, save water, and reduce chemical use.
In this episode Hilary Langer talks with Moleaer’s CEO Nick Dyner. Moleaer provides nanobubbles-as-a-service, nanobubble equipment, and water quality improvement around the world.
Links:
Article: Capitalism Vs. Climate Change: Moleaer’s Innovative Nanobubbles (forbes.com)
Article: Moleaer Deploys Nanobubble Generators to Eliminate Foul Odour (h2oglobalnews.com)
NOAA: Nanobubble Ozone Technology Shown to Eliminate Invasive Species in Ballast Water
Article: A breath of fresh air: how nanobubbles can make aquaculture more sustainable
Article: Nanobubbles as an Emerging Sanitation Technology
Episode recorded: May 25, 2023
Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at [email protected] or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod.
Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at [email protected].
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