FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   November 4, 2014

For further information:

Bill Hall/Executive Director

Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center (SGICC)

814-863-4881/ billhall@psu.edu

Ben Franklin’s Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center Funding Study Focused on Identifying Opportunities & Issues with Utilizing Natural Gas or Propane as Transportation Fuels

STATE COLLEGE, PA – The Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center (www.sgicc.org) has awarded a grant to Gannett Fleming to produce a study using funds provided by the PA Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) through their Discovered in PA, Developed in PA (D2PA) program. The study will focus on identifying the factors Pennsylvania-based entities, operating small to mid-size fleets, should consider before switching to using natural gas or propane as their transportation fuel. Over the past few years there’s been much discussion regarding how to best take advantage of low-cost natural gas as a transportation fuel. But the pace of adoption has been noticeably slower than many expected. The intention of this study is to provide a useful, easy-to-understand resource that companies can rely on for answers before they make the decision to switch to natural gas or propane to fuel their vehicles.

Bill Hall, SGICC Director commented, “We believe there are many opportunities for companies to use natural gas or propane to fuel their vehicles and significantly lower their overall fuel costs. But there are many issues that must be considered in the evaluation process. For example, has the company considered whether or not it will take extra time to fuel vehicles, raising their cost of labor or lowering their productivity, or the potential costs associated with upgrading facilities to allow indoor vehicle storage and maintenance? Will there need to be potential adjustments to day-to-day operations to accommodate vehicle refueling or limited range issues that might occur due to the fuel change? Our intention is to provide a resource that outlines all of the issues that need to be considered and options available when considering the change so that companies have an unbiased third party developed document to turn to as they weigh their decisions.”

The study to be performed by Gannet Fleming, will also include support from the Ben Franklin Technology Partners Transformations Market Research Team, as well as input from Hugh Mose. Mr. Mose is an expert in the use of natural gas for transportation, and the recently retired CEO of CATA which operated their entire fleet of buses since 2005 on natural gas. The report will also include a listing of available entities across the state that are offering natural gas or propane vehicle sales and conversion kits as well as refueling systems, and also a list of currently operating public refueling stations.

The SGICC hopes to release the study by the spring of 2015.

The Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center (www.sgicc.org), an initiative of Ben Franklin Technology Partners/CNP (http://www.cnp.benfranklin.org) is designed to harness innovation and new technologies as a means to maximize the economic return to Pennsylvania’s citizens from the various shale formations comprise part of the energy reserves of the Commonwealth.  The Center also identifies, supports and helps commercialize technologies and early-stage businesses that enhance responsible stewardship of the environment while properly utilizing this transformative energy asset.