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If you are a student of prevailing energy narratives, you’ve noticed a shift in the conversation coinciding with the change in presidential administrations. Renewed enthusiasm for natural gas, propane, nuclear, and even coal and oil has placed the future of previous clean energy darlings like hydrogen and massive wind projects in some degree of doubt. Stakeholders on both sides of the spectrum are game planning for a new reality.
Insulated from the wild rhetorical swings, something in the middle hasn’t moved: the continuing need for affordable, reliable, resilient–and yes, clean–energy solutions that work for everyone. Some call it an “all-of-the-above” approach; I call it the “wide path” to a clean energy future. Follow that path with me to the hills and hollows of Morgantown, West Virginia.
When the Mountain Line Transit Authority (MLTA), which serves the Morgantown area, looked at replacing its aging fleet of diesel-powered transit buses in 2023, propane rose to the top over electric because of its cost and operational advantages. As MLTA President and CEO Maria Smith told WAJR, “The cost of the batteries on the buses is the majority of the cost, and they only have a six-year life span. So, we’d be looking at replacing the most expensive part of the vehicle halfway through its useful life.”
MLTA officials have also noted that inferior performance in cold weather and hilly terrain (both of which Morgantown has in spades) and infrastructure challenges make electric buses ill-suited for the job.
Propane’s emissions benefits over diesel and gasoline are well-documented. A 2019 study produced by Morgantown’s own West Virginia University found that propane school buses using new low-nitrogen oxide (NOx) engines produce up to 96 percent fewer NOx emissions than comparable diesel-fueled school buses and 88 percent fewer NOx emissions than comparable gasoline-fueled school buses. Particulate matter (PM) 2.5 emissions are reduced to virtually zero in propane buses. NOx and PM are two major causes of public health concerns affecting air quality and exacerbating breathing problems.
Here’s the kicker: not only are propane buses cleaner than gasoline and diesel models, propane itself is less carbon-intense than the U.S. electric grid on average. In West Virginia, where 86% of electricity comes from burning coal, it’s not even close. The carbon intensity score of the state’s grid is 270 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy produced (gCO2eq/MJ), compared to a score of 79 for propane. Which of these, propane or electricity, qualifies as clean energy?
It’s also worth noting that propane is non-toxic and does not pollute soil or waterways like other fuels. In wild and wonderful West Virginia, with its breathtaking and valuable natural landscape, a statement like that goes a long way.
Morgantown’s definition of clean energy is one that I think would work anywhere on Earth. Clean energy means the right energy in the right place bringing maximum efficiency to the task at hand. It means reducing overall energy consumption by making smart investments in areas like public transit. It means improving public health and environmental quality with every decision affecting every member of a community. I’m encouraged that the clean energy conversation, with its wild swings and polarized opinions, has finally landed here.