Oberon Fuels and Sunvapor Commission Pioneering Solar Steam Agreement
Image provided by Oberon
In April this year, renewable fuels producer Oberon Fuels commissioned a breakthrough solar steam project at its California production facility. Working with Sunvapor, a renewable heat provider, the two companies launched a solar steam project under the first purchase agreement in the U.S. for industrial solar steam. Through the agreement, Oberon is able to eliminate upfront capital requirements to deploy solar steam while as much as doubling output capacity at its facility, slashing the carbon intensity of the renewable fuels produced. This partnership is critical for industrial customers seeking renewable fuels to achieve pressing net-zero commitments.
As part of this agreement, Sunvapor’s solar steam technology is now integrated at Oberon’s Maverick Innovation Center in Brawley, California. The facility produces renewable DME, Oberon’s signature fuel, which can reduce the carbon intensity of propane when blended. At the Maverick Innovation Center, the solar steam technology will displace conventional process heat, therefore lowering the carbon intensity of the fuels produced at the facility. By using zero-carbon solar steam, Oberon will be able to improve its already low carbon intensity by removing as much as 90% of the carbon used for process energy in large-scale developments.
According to Elliot Anise-Hicks, Oberon Fuels co-founder and chief technical officer, this project is a triple-win for Oberon. “Working with Sunvapor, we can further slash the carbon intensity of our fuels while doubling our throughput, all with no capital expenses.”
This partnership is only furthering Oberon’s impact on the propane and renewable energy industries. Oberon’s rDME® fuel can reduce the carbon intensity of propane by up to 60% when blended, offering potential reductions in global CO2 of 750 million metric tons per year. By 2050, renewable DME and propane could meet half the world’s demand for propane and other low-carbon fuels, according to the WLGA.
“At Oberon Fuels, we’re on a mission to decarbonise the fuel and energy sectors through the commercialisation of innovative fuels. This partnership will help further our mission and bring the industry closer to its low-carbon or carbon-negative goals,” said Dr. Rebecca Bourdeaux, CEO of Oberon Fuels.
For Sunvapor, this project is a major win as well. “We’ve designed our technology and first-of-its-kind financing in the USA to eliminate the risk of adopting solar steam and provide compelling economics to our customers,” Philip Gleckman, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Sunvapor shared. “With bountiful sunshine, low land costs, a need for process heat, and a commitment to decarbonisation, Oberon is an ideal partner to begin scaling our solutions for the massive industrial process heat market.”
Sunvapor is a pioneer in the renewable energy technology space focused on difficult-to-decarbonise industries. The company provided engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning management services to build and operate Sunvapor’s solar steam technology at Oberon’s plant.
Oberon Fuels’ renewable DME is also a highly efficient, cost-effective and convenient way to make and move renewable hydrogen. Hydrogen is a tough product to make and transport since it’s highly volatile. Oberon’s renewable DME fuel has six hydrogen atoms, and a single LPG tanker carries almost four times as much hydrogen as a gaseous hydrogen tanker. Once on-site, DME fuel can be easily converted into hydrogen by adding a reformer, making it overall a better carrier of hydrogen than hydrogen.
Additionally, Oberon is working on technology that can produce renewable methanol to serve as a clean fuel for the maritime industry, which makes up roughly 3% of global carbon emissions. According to the Methanol Institute, green methanol can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from container ships by up to 95% compared with conventional fuels. This technology would be a major win for the maritime industry and global shipping and is currently in the works at Oberon Fuels.
Oberon Fuel’s Maverick Innovation Center in Brawley, California
Images provided by Oberon
Sources:
oberonfuels.com
For more on renewable Liquid Gas: https://www.worldliquidgas.org/key-focus-areas/renewable-liquid-gas/
30 May 2024
This article was prepared by Oberon Fuels, WLGA is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information in this article is provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information. Furthermore, the views of this article are Oberon Fuels’ and not those of the WLGA.