Search This Blog

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Atlanta Retail Biodiesel Station Opens

Atlanta residents, along with motorists traveling on the U.S. Department of Energy's I-75 Green Corridor,  may now fuel vehicles with B20 and B100 biodiesel.  The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, in partnership with Clean Energy Biofuels, christened their retail biodiesel station at a well-attended Grand Opening Ceremony on Thursday, June 21.

CEB Biofuel Station
LOCAL is at the core of the CEB biodiesel produced in Monroe, GA and sold at the 250 Arizona Avenue fueling station.  CEB collects spent grease from Metro Atlanta commercial kitchen fryers for biodiesel production and delivers the finished product to the retail station.  Local residents purchase the fuel for metro Atlanta driving. The CEB facility is the only Georgia biodiesel station selling locally produced fuel.

PARTNERSHIP is the weaving thread for station success.  In addition to the SACE | CEB partnership, the East Tennesse Clean Fuels Coalition partnership adds the I-75 Green Corridor participation component.  ETCFC is manager for the corridor program and responsible for promoting the station to those traveling the I-75 Corridor from Florida to Michigan.  The goal is to create the longest alternative fuels corridor in the nation as it traverses six states and just under 1800 miles.
McKay fueling the first car along
with the program speakers

SUSTAINABILITY is the foundation for the CEB biofuel station.  In addition to its local core, the CEB production facility is powered 100% by solar polar with no assistance from the grid.  The biodiesel is made completely from spent grease with no virgin oil included in the production process.


With strong City of Atlanta support, Denise Quarles - COA Director of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability - was the first in a series of impressive grand opening program speakers.  In addition to Denise, Dale Aspy of the U.S. EPA, Region IV, SACE Board President John Noel, Jonathan Overly of ETCFC and McKay Johnson of CEB presented in the ceremony's program.  SACE executive director Dr. Stephen Smith served as the Master of Ceremonies.


Denise at the podium
photo courtesy of Susan Montgomery
The biodiesel station opening is integral to the Atlanta-based  Zero Waste Zones program as many of the participants contract with CEB for their spent grease collection.  During the ZWZ formation, ZWZ director Holly Elmore worked closely with SACE on assisting participants meet the ZWZ Criteria requiring spent grease be collected for biofuel production.  When practical, ZWZ strives to keep contracted services local and close the loop in recycling systems - both are achieved with the CEB station opening.


McKay & Anne happy with
the ceremony success
For a pictorial recap of the grand opening ceremony, see the Ei FB album, 06-21-12 Biodiesel Fueling Station Grand Opening.  Anne Blair, SACE Clean Diesel & Bioenergy Program Manager, was the Atlanta action person who made the fueling station a reality and is featured in many pictures.


Join Elemental Impact for a strong round of applause to SACE and CEB for success in an industry where most closed their operations.  It took perseverance, tenacity and ingenuity to create a model program for spent grease collection | biofuel production that makes solid business.  The vast majority, if not all, of the Georgia biofuel production facilities in business at the 2009 ZWZ launch are closed.  


CEB | SACE exemplify the pioneering spirit that propels Atlanta into the national sustainability spotlight - Thank You!

1 comment:

  1. What great things can be accomplished when like-minded people collaborate and tackle the tough challenges. It should serve as an example for other states to follow. Good Sustainability Practices can be achieved through perserverance for those who challenge the 'Status Quo'.

    ReplyDelete