Natural gas refueling station opens in Trenton
TRENTON — Conversation became conversion when the Gibson County Utility District natural gas refueling station held its grand opening ceremony in Trenton on Tuesday.
The opening was the second leg of the Tennessee Gas Association's statewide compressed natural gas rally.
The rally continues in Nashville on Wednesday.
"The Gibson County Utility Division (took) a visionary leap into America's transportation history with an eye on sustainability and the environment, with the construction of the 'greenest' natural gas refueling station in Tennessee," said Pat Riley, Gibson County Utility District general manager. "I knew we would build a station, and our station Wednesday joins the ranks of other existing stations across Tennessee to meet those needs."
Riley's vision for the station began at a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation meeting at Montgomery Bell State Park in 2013, and groundbreaking was held in September 2014.
"It was a series of meetings, and it came upon me to build a green station," Riley said. "It was the influence of the environmental agenda of TDEC I picked up at the meeting. We had already bought the land knowing we were going to build a station, and I went to our board of directors, and they agreed to move forward with the project."
Features of the station include a Kohler gas generator set that produces power for the station from natural gas — and the power generated is the equivalent of taking 35 homes off the electric grid while helping the Tennessee Valley Authority supplement its power supply.
Andalay solar panels — the first production run in the nation — help keep the station off the grid, and the panels supply LED lighting for the fueling canopy.
Solar energy provides the energy to display the price of fuel.
Safety lighting for the evening is also independently solar-powered at the station which cost about $1.7 million to construct.
The fueling station, the 10th public station in Tennessee, provides compressed natural gas (CNG) for inbound and outbound material supply, public and private service organizations and public transportation.
"Natural gas transportation is growing exponentially across America, and businesses like UPS, AT&T, Waste Management and Anheuser-Busch are using natural gas," said Lori Munkeboe, director of the office of sustainable practices at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. "This is the only public/private compressed natural gas refueling station between Memphis and Nashville."
Rep. Jimmy Eldridge (R-Jackson) said the station continues the movement to eliminate the dependency of foreign oil.
"Clean energy is less costly to produce," Eldridge said. "And I'm on board with any legislation that supports this."
State Sen. Ed Jackson (R-Jackson) said the Trenton station is the tip of the iceberg.
"We are seeing the beginning of a new era," Jackson said. "Industries are trying to go green — and the public will drive the demand sooner rather than later."
Mike Batten, president of Midwest Energy Solutions in Kansas City, Mo., which designed the station, said Riley is "the eyes and ears for natural gas vehicles."
"Pat kept pushing, pushing and pushing, and look at where we are (Tuesday)," Batten said. "This is the first station ever designed like this, and it's the first time anybody has done anything like this."
Batten said Riley's passion impressed him from day one.
"When he first came to me, he told me he wanted to do something off the grid," Batten said. "Pat has a drive he is excited about."
Reach David Thomas at (731) 425-9637. Follow him on Twitter: @dgthomasbiz