The Lodi Unified School District’s bus fleet has expanded its compressed natural gas-powered buses from 27 to 54. With the increase of natural gas buses, the school district needed to construct a new fueling station that could provide the increase use of natural gas fuel. Lodi Unified School District obtained grant funding from the California Energy Commission, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and district funds to help build the new compressed natural gas station. The construction of the fueling station was completed on Monday, September 21, 2015. Performance Mechanical Inc. was awarded the contract to construct and build the new station. The equipment was purchased from Angi Energy Systems in Janesville, Wisconsin.
The purpose of the project was to increase the amount of compressed natural gas needed to fuel Lodi’s growing school bus fleet at the facility located at 820 S. Cluff Avenue in Lodi, California. The current equipment could not provide the amount of natural gas needed. With the increase of natural gas vehicles added to our fleet, this has helped clean the air in the San Joaquin Valley Basin.
Since the completion of the new compressed natural gas fueling station, Lodi Unified School District has seen a substantial reduction in the use of diesel fuel. The project has also enabled the school district to become a backup station and provide fuel to other public entities that use natural gas in the San Joaquin Valley.
