Berkeley Marine Center has converted its diesel fuel pump to renewable diesel, also known as RD99 or by the brand name Nexdiesel. The yard is among the first marine diesel distribution stations in the US to offer the next generation diesel fuel.
Renewable diesel is different from first generation biodiesel in several important ways. It does not require mixing with petroleum diesel. Its chemical properties are so close to petroleum diesel that it does not require engine modifications. And it is much cleaner burning, resulting in lower maintenance costs and significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions.
“The yard has undergone a major transformation since we took it over in 2001,” stated BMC owner Cree Partridge. “We’re striving to be one of the greenest boat yard possible, and switching to RD99 is an important piece of that effort.”
Renewable Diesel has only been available in the Bay Area since 2013. It is being increasingly used by municipalities and major corporations. Early adopters include City of Oakland, UPS and Google. The City of San Francisco recently announced it is switching its entire diesel fleet to RD99 this year.
“A lot of the credit for our switching to RD99 goes to one of our fuel dock customers, Laurence Dickinson, captain of a motor yacht berthed at Berkeley Marina,” stated Cree. “Laurence had done extensive research looking for a greener fuel option. He introduced us to the idea as well as to the first West Coast distributor of this fuel, Nexgen Fuel.”
For further information about RD99, see: http://nexgenfuel.com
Here are some bullet points from that website:
• Nexdiesel is a chemically indistinguishable hydrocarbon to traditional petroleum diesel, but based on its superior quality, it easily outperforms both conventional fossil diesel and biodiesel.
• Nexdiesel is 100% renewable and sustainable. It allows any diesel powered vehicle to operate petroleum-free with no operational issues.
• Thanks to a high cetane number (70-90), Nexdiesel combusts efficiently, leading to reduced emissions.
• Nexdiesel can be used in all modern diesel engines without any modification as such or blended with fossil diesel in various concentrations.
• Nexdiesel storage qualities are excellent.
• The carbon intensity/life cycle analysis for Nexdiesel is approximately 60% less than petroleum diesel.
• Nexdiesel use has been proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 40–90% over the product’s entire life cycle when compared to fossil diesel.
• Fully compatible with existing distribution and logistical systems and requires no additional investments in this area.
• Excellent cold weather performance means that Nexdiesel can be used year-round even in very cold climates.
• Nexdiesel meets the petroleum diesel standard ASTM D975.
