This report details the design, installation, and performance of a $2.8 million compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility for the City of Sacramento’s Department of Public Works, specifically its commercial refuse vehicle fleet. Funded in part by the California Energy Commission as agreement ARV-15-018, the project aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower fuel costs for the city’s Solid Waste Fleet. Despite several changes in scope and location during the project, the final installation at the Meadowview site proved to be the optimal solution.
The project objective was to deliver CNG fuel to 100 fleet vehicles responsible for refuse collection across the City of Sacramento. This would allow full retirement of the previously diesel-fueled trucks and terminate the process of filling the existing CNG trucks at a third-party facility, both expensive and time-consuming.
The general arrangement for dispensing fuel to the trucks utilizes 25 quad post fuel standards containing four tethered dispensers each. The fuel is delivered from the main natural gas service under Meadowview Road to the immediate north of the property and travels approximately 1,500 feet south to the equipment yard where it is compressed by three primary compressors and distributed to the time-fill dispenser-equipped parking spaces. There are also two fast-fill dispensers for urgent fueling when required.
The City has enjoyed success with the new facility. In 2014, prior to commencing conversion to CNG, the City consumed 94,201 gallons of diesel fuel for its Solid Waste fleet. This equates to 959 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions. Today, this consumption has been eliminated, and the objective of reducing operating costs while reducing carbon footprint has been achieved. There have been no significant issues, and the implementation of the system has not resulted in any service disruptions. Although the City does eventually intend to convert the entire refuse fleet to electric in the future, the recommendation to other municipalities would be to install a CNG facility provided funding exists, and conversion to electric is neither feasible nor practical.
