Diesel Progress North American

EMISSIONS & ALTERNATIVES
Covering Fuel Cells And Other Emerging And Alternative Technologies
Ballard Partners On Waste-To-Energy Project
… Buy One, Get One Free From CARB …
New BAE Heavy-Duty Hybrid System …

Ballard Power Systems has partnered with GS Platech, a subsidiary of GS Caltex, to demonstrate waste-to-energy power generation using zero-emissions fuel cells and hydrogen produced from processing municipal solid waste. The initial testing will be held at GS Platech’s Cheongsong, South Korea, plant, which the company said is capable of treating 5 tons of solid organic waste per day; resulting in up to 50 k W of clean power. Upon successful demonstration, GS Platech said it plans to take technology to new customers worldwide.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has announced an early action compliance credit for trucking fleets that install a particulate filter by July 1, or that make a commitment to purchase a particulate filter by May 1. By installing a particulate filter early on one truck, the CARB said the fleet will be able to delay compliance for a second truck in the fleet until Jan. 1, 2017. The early action “buy one, get one free” credit applies to heavier trucks with a manufacturer’s GVWR of more than 26,000 lb. There is no limit on how many trucks in the fleet can earn the early action credit.

Fleets that install a PM filter by July
1, 2011, will get the early action credit.
Fleets that have made the commitment
to purchase by May 1 and install the
PM filter after July 1, 2011, will still re-
ceive early action credit. In addition, the
vehicle that is retrofitted would also be
compliant until 2020 regardless of en-
gine model year. Extra particulate filter
credits are not available for filters in-
stalled to comply with other pre-existing
CARB regulations or, if partially paid for
by public funding. Fleets are required
to report information about all of their
heavier trucks that operate in Califor-
nia by Jan. 31, 2012, to use the phase-
in option and to claim the early action
credit plus other credits.