Tesco is running a trial of green fuel produced from the methane generated by landfills. The UK retailer is using the liquid biomethane in 25 light commercial vehicles handling delivery of products bought through its online shopping service.
The fuel is being supplied by Gasrec, the first company in Europe to produce liquid biomethane. Tesco has done a deal with the firm to supply the clean fuel for 5.3-tonne light commercial vehicles in the delivery fleet for Tesco.com based at Tesco’s Greenford depot. Tesco has said that if the trial proves successful, it could expand its use of liquid biomethane vehicles.
To produce liquid biomethane, Gasrec extracts the methane naturally-produced by organic waste in landfills. This naturally-produced gas is then converted into liquid biomethane. Not only is this fuel produced in Britain but it can compete against petrol and diesel. Liquid biomethane also has a smaller carbon footprint than diesel.
Tesco is eager to test the ability of liquid biomethane to combine the retailer’s aim of reducing its carbon footprint overall with the need to ensure timely deliveries to customers. Tesco is hopeful the fuel will prove to be a viable replacement for diesel.
In a trial run by Camden Council, an Iveco Daily 65C14G cage tipper was run for six months on liquid biomethane. The vehicle, used for street cleaning, ended up generating 62% less CO2 compared to diesel. Gasrec is also a preferred supplier of liquid biomethane for Iveco. The first Tesco.com vehicles running on liquid biomethane will be operating in August, 2010.
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