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Marketing & Supply By KeithREID A roundup of providers to get your natural gas solutions moving forward Step on the Gas T o call the current interest in natural gas as a commercial motor fuel (either compressed or in liquid form) an industry buzz would be an understatement. The reserves opened up in recent years through the fracking process have been abundant and gas prices have been more than competitive with other sources of energy. Prices have been so low that production was curtailed for some time. On the motor fuels front, the price is highly competitive with diesel particularly in slow fill applications with fleets that can rest their trucks overnight. This allows the use of smaller cheaper compressors using less electricity and operating at non-peak times. For a marketer, taking on natural gas as a product can be a daunting task, but not one that is beyond the industry's capabilities and general expertise in serving the fueling needs of commercial customers. However, the capital costs can be high, and as with so many things, the market falls into the "chicken and egg" concern where fleet customers are needed to make the marketer's investment worthwhile and the fleets need supply to consider their conversions. Fortunately, the price of natural gas is so competitive that this is one area where there is considerable activity with fleet conversion out the gate. Longer term, a consideration is natural gas prices remaining favorably competitive to the more volatile and higher liquid fuels prices. A strong export market is opening up for natural gas that will impact prices. There have also been some concerns raised over the long term production output and overall size of the reserves. And the Obama administration's continual attack on coal (along with the price of natural gas leading its own attack) will increasingly result more natural gas being used for energy generation. But for now, the future appears bright. Offered below is an initial roundup of some of the natural gas solution providers looking to serve industry needs. Advance Fuel Systems Corp. Advance Fuel Systems Corp. (AFSC) design, manufactures, package, distributes, installs and services their Vehicle Refueling Stations (VRS) and accessories 18 July/August 2013 for fueling vehicles powered by CNG. The AFSC System is a state-of-the-art patented natural gas compressor that can be installed almost anywhere. AFSC VRS are targeted at small to medium sized fleets of commercial vehicles, in-plant vehicles, such as forklifts and ice cleaners, other specialty vehicles and smaller vehicle populations. The AFSC System's design has the flexibility to fuel vehicles quickly (Fast-Fill) or over a period of time (Time-Fill), as required. The result is an efficient fueling system that meets the widespread customer demands of convenience, practicality and low cost. AFSC technology, industry reputation and proven product performance have enabled us to capitalize on the emerging Alternative Fuel markets for conventional internal combustion vehicles. We will continue to provide the solution to the refueling infrastructure dilemma facing the alternative energy industry now and particularly in the future Advance Fuel Systems Corp. Phone: (866) 725-0801 E-mail: info_request@advancefuelsystems.com Website: www.advancefuelsystems.com Atlas Copco Atlas Copco provides customers with access to the most reliable, cost effective and technologically advanced equipment available for NGV fueling applications. With nearly 100 years of NGV and compressor development experience, we offer a complete product line of high pressure CNG compressors, dryers, storage, and dispensers with expert installation and service. Atlas Copco has made strategic acquisitions, including Greenfield Compression and Intermech Ltd., to further support our development of NGV fueling technology. More recently we expanded our operations by opening a new state of the art 96,000 square foot facility, staffed by industry leading specialists, to further support our customers with superior support and solutions. Our teams of specialists have wide-ranging experience in: •Fabrication and assembly of mechanical equipment NPN Magazine n www.npnweb.com