Equipment & Technology
Agricultural Water Pumping
The Gas Company has for many years focused on bringing the California
farmer as much energy value as possible. Through this effort, SoCalGas
offers various services and incentives for customers to maintain,
upgrade or replace their water pumping gas engines to operate as
efficiently as possible.
Energy Efficiency
Programs
Gas Engine Water Pumping Technology
Why Choose a Natural Gas Engine?
SoCalGas Incentive
Programs
Replacing Diesel Engines Through
the Carl Moyer Funding Program
Energy Costs
The Gas Company has continuously made efforts to offer gas rates
for water pumping customers to be as cost effective as possible.
In 1992, for instance, The Gas Company introduced a special core
tariff - G-EN
Rate Schedule - to serve as an energy  rate
alternative for smaller agricultural water pumping consumers. More
recently, The Gas Company won approval from the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC) to allow these same customers to "elect" their
core rates so they can now cost-compare between the all applicable
core rate schedules such as the G-10 rate. Larger agricultural
water pumping customers also have flexibility in rate selection.
For a complete overview of the available tariffs for both core
and noncore agricultural customers, visit The Gas Company’s Rate
Tariff Book page.
Other pertinent web pages that will be of interest:
California
Farm Bureau Fact Page
California
Energy Commission
Department
of Water Resources
Carl Moyer Program:
Diesel Ag Engine Replacement
Funding may be available to help your customers (or potential
customers) convert their diesel agricultural engines to natural
gas. The Carl Moyer Program is a state-wide program designed to
provide incentives for reduction of NOx emissions from
heavy-duty diesel engines. Acceptable projects must have a cost-effectiveness
of $12,000/ton of NOx reduced or better (see below for
how to calculate cost effectiveness). While the main focus of the
program is toward transportation-related sources (trucks, forklifts,
etc.), replacement of diesel engines used for agricultural water
pumping is also an approved project category. Final guidelines
are now being developed, to be available in May. Funding will be
available starting in June and will probably go quickly. Now
is the time to start working with potential customers so they
are ready to apply for funding as soon as it is available.
Who can qualify?
All of the air districts within The Gas Company territory have
been allocated funding. For agricultural-related projects, the
most likely prospects will be in San Joaquin Valley, along the
coast, and in Mojave Desert/Antelope Valley areas.
The program will be administered by local air districts along
with the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Specific procedures
may vary from district to district, but general guidelines developed
by CARB are shown below. Acceptable projects must meet the following
criteria:
- Cost-effectiveness of $12,000/ton NOx reduced
or better
- Engine must be 50 HP or greater
- Replacement engines must certify to a NOx level
of 30% below uncontrolled baseline emissions
- NOx emission reductions must not be required by
any other regulation or legally-binding document
- Funded projects must operate for at least five years and
must be registered with the local air district throughout this
period
- Specific criteria for natural gas engine replacements of
diesel are still in development
A complete copy of the draft guidelines developed by CARB is available
for viewing or download at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/moyer/moyer.htm
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