Biofuels Go Linear as California RNG Firm Adds Mainspring Generators
Renewable natural gas (RNG) producer California Bioenergy is acquiring linear generators from Mainspring Energy to power biogas upgrading sites this year.
CalBio converts dairy waste biogas into RNG and has expanded across multiple dairy facility clusters statewide. The company has used Mainspring’s linear generators in the past and is purchasing eight more to be deployed at its North Visalia and South Tulare biogas upgrading sites.
The linear generators convert fuel directly into electricity through a low-temperature, flameless reaction. They are similar to fuel cells in converting fuel into electricity, but linear generators achieved this through direct conversion processes instead of a fuel cell’s electrochemical reactions.
CalBio now has operated about 3 MW of Mainspring generator capacity at its biogas sites and is expecting to operate a combined 5.3 MW at all five sites by the end of 2026.
"To lead the state in dairy methane emission reductions, while also supporting our local family dairies and communities, requires a constant focus on innovation as well as efficiency, resilience, and cost reduction," said N. Ross Buckenham, CalBio chairman and CEO, in a statement. "We've seen what linear generators can achieve, and we are proud to be leading in delivering the valuable benefits of Mainspring's power design to the dairy industry."
Biofuels such as RNG reduce methane emissions, which are considered by many environmental scientists are multiple times more damaging than carbon dioxide (CO₂). The linear generators also will help reduce nitrogen oxide emissions to about 1.5 parts per million, according to the companies.
CalBio says its operations account for an annual reduction of approximately 1.9 million metric tons of CO₂e, equivalent to removing more than 430,000 gasoline passenger vehicles from the road.
RNG produced from dairy manure blended 32% with traditional natural gas can reduce lifecycle gas emissions by 100%, according to a report from the American Biogas Council.
Mainspring Energy has partnered with Schneider Electric on microgrid design and generation since 2024. The company is also part of the Accelerating Resilient Infrastructure Initiative led by Schneider Electric and Microsoft.
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EnergyTech Staff
Rod Walton is head of content for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 17 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.
Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.
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