San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District December 20, 2012

Chapter 7: Technology Advancement

2012 PM2.5 Plan 

Chapter 7

Technology 

Advancement

2012 PM2.5 Plan

SJVUAPCD
San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District December 20, 2012

Chapter 7: Technology Advancement

2012 PM2.5 Plan 

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San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District December 20, 2012

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Chapter 7: Technology Advancement

The District Governing Board approved creation of the Technology Advancement 

Program in March 2010 to accelerate development of technologies that can help reduce 

air pollutant emissions in the Valley. Meeting EPA’s increasingly stringent ozone and 

PM2.5 air quality standards will require significant advancements in low-emissions 

technologies from mobile and stationary sources. The Technology Advancement 

Program provides a strategic and comprehensive means to identify, solicit, and support 

technology advancement opportunities. Ongoing refinement of the program’s 

technology focus areas targets efforts to achieve the greatest impact on the Valley’s 

attainment and other health-based goals under the 2012 PM2.5 Plan and the District’s 

other ozone and PM2.5 attainment plans.

The Valley’s air quality challenges are not completely unique to the Valley, nor are they 

isolated within the boundaries of the air basin. Technology development can benefit 

regional and state air quality. Strategies for reducing emissions in the Valley can be 

enhanced through partnerships and collaborations with other air districts and state 

agencies. The District is currently collaborating with the California Air Resources Board 

(ARB) and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to prepare a 

document to outline a common vision for attainment of federal air quality standards, as 

well as greenhouse gas goals and reduced exposure to toxics. The market penetration 

of transformative technologies will be a critical component of realizing a common vision,

and the Technology Advancement Program will help to identify and support upcoming 

technology opportunities. 

7.1 TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AREAS

The District has structured the Technology Advancement Program to encourage 

participation within three focus areas:

I. Renewable Energy. Renewable energy projects are those that overcome the 

barriers to using renewable energy, such as remote solar energy/storage, 

vehicle-to-grid, wind energy, or peak-shaving systems with zero- or near-zeroemissions technologies. 

II. Waste Solutions. Waste solutions focus on waste systems or technologies that

minimize or eliminate emissions from existing waste management systems and 

processes, including waste-to-fuel systems, such as dairy digesters and other 

bio-fuel applications.

III. Mobile Sources. Mobile source projects include, but are not limited to, retrofit 

technologies for reducing particulate or NOX emissions from heavy-duty trucks, 

zero- or near-zero-emissions goods movement solutions, clean alternative fuels 

(hydrogen, electric, etc.), vehicle hybridization, and efficiency improvements to 

on-road or off-road equipment. 
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These focus areas represent the current needs of the Valley; they also reflect the types 

of proposals previously received by the District within this and other programs. 

Throughout implementation of this PM2.5 plan and future air quality plans, the District 

will continue to evaluate and, if necessary, update these technology focus areas to 

address to the Valley’s air quality challenges. 

7.2 FUTURE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS

For the fiscal year 2012–2013, the District has committed an additional $8 million of 

funding for new demonstration projects. In addition to directly funding demonstration 

projects, the District actively seeks opportunities to collaborate with technology 

innovators in seeking additional funding. An example of this type of funding is the 

District’s administration of the Zero-Emission Commercial Lawn and Garden 

Technology Demonstration, funded with State Air Quality Improvement Program funds.

Moving forward, District staff will continue to search for opportunities to support projects 

that build the air quality technology research and demonstration capacity of colleges 

and universities in the Valley. This emphasis will improve the ability of local institutions 

to engage in future clean-technology projects that are specifically suited to the Valley’s 

needs. To accomplish this, staff has adapted the Technology Advancement Program 

scoring criteria so that projects that incorporate local colleges and universities will score 

higher in that category than those that do not. 

7.3 DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS IN PROCESS

The District’s Technology Advancement Program has had two rounds of funding and 

received over 60 proposals for clean technology projects. In 2011, the District selected 

18 of the proposed projects for funding, for over $3 million in support of clean 

technology demonstrations. The following 11 projects, out of the 18 selected, are in 

process and moving forward:

Engine, Fuel, and Emissions Engineering, Inc. (EF&EE)

Rancho Cordova, CA

Renewable Energy and Waste Solutions Technology Focus Areas

The EF&EE project will demonstrate a compact SCR device on a biogas-powered 

engine to be installed at Joseph Gallo Farms in Atwater, CA. This technology is 

expected to reduce emissions from biogas-powered generation systems to ultra-low

NOx levels. The system will include advanced monitoring and reductant metering 

equipment to prevent ammonia slip and reduce or eliminate the need for an ammonia 

slip catalyst. The slip catalyst is the primary source of NOX emissions in their current 

system, and the new system with advanced metering is expected to reduce NOX

emissions.

This new technology has a low cost relative to the anticipated emission reductions, 

resulting in good cost-effectiveness. Additionally, the large amount of resource 

leveraging in the form of capital and equipment investment made this project a good 
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candidate for funding. The technology being demonstrated has the potential to impact a

large number of biogas projects in the Valley, and with statewide efforts being made to 

increase the number of biogas projects, this project is highly relevant to our planning 

process and offers additional co-benefits in greenhouse gas reductions.

Solar Storage Company

Redwood City, CA

Renewable Energy Technology Focus Area

The Solar Storage Company project will demonstrate a renewable solar-power 

generation system as an alternative to diesel power for agricultural irrigation pumping 

systems, especially those systems in remote locations. The demonstration system uses

a thermal-solar concentration system with two reciprocating steam engines and a 

pressurized steam storage system. This technology will provide an alternative to 

electrifying pumping systems, which is not cost-effective in situations where electricity is 

not close by or infrastructure is not in place. The project will be installed in parallel with

a diesel backup-power system to operate the pump at times when there is a need for 

emergency freeze protection occurring with two cloudy days in a row. Meteorological 

conditions that prevent the solar use in such cases are rare and only accounts for 1% of 

the pumping time of a typical agricultural irrigation 

pump. As a result, the project will result in a 99% 

reduction in emissions including diesel 

particulates, NOX, and greenhouse gasses.

This project has potential for reducing criteria 

pollutant emissions, as well as the potential to 

reduce greenhouse gases, while expanding 

renewable energy options. Successful 

demonstration of the technology may prove a 

low-cost thermal storage alternative for additional 

applications, thus reducing the barrier to adoption 

of solar thermal technology.

California Bioenergy

Dallas, TX

Renewable Energy and Waste Solutions 

Technology Focus Areas

The California Bioenergy project will optimize and 

expand the emissions control systems used at the 

Bidart Dairy digester in Bakersfield, California. The 

digester gas system currently uses a non-selective 

catalytic reduction (NSCR) system. The project will 

tune the NSCR system to achieve very low NOX

emissions and install a second after-treatment 

system that uses hydrogen selective catalytic 

reduction to reach near-zero NOX emissions.
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The District is interested in the success of clean bioenergy production through the use 

of biowaste, particularly in terms of developing ultra-low-NOX technologies to mitigate 

the potential impact from the large-scale development of these types of projects. 

Projects such as this one, if successful, move the Valley closer to that goal. The ability 

of digester projects like this to reduce greenhouse gas emissions provides co-benefits 

important for program acceptance.

US Hybrid Corporation

Torrance, CA

Mobile Sources Technology Focus Area

US Hybrid, in collaboration with CALSTART, will to convert a Terex wheel loader to 

plug-in hybrid operation for fuel savings and emission reductions. Hybrid-electric 

technology, which is already available in the light-duty vehicle category, has only 

recently been applied to off-road vehicles. This project will advance the use of this 

technology for this off-road category and quantify the emission reductions associated 

with the system. The wheel loader will be tested at Maddox Farms, a dairy located in 

Fresno County. The hybridized vehicle includes electric-only operation, idle elimination, 

and power for electric attachments.

The outcome of this project has the 

potential to affect a large segment of the 

off-road vehicle emissions inventory and 

is very relevant to the attainment 

planning process. Additionally, the 

expected fuel savings will also reduce 

the long-term cost of ownership for the 

technology. 

Electricore, Inc.

Valencia, CA

Mobile Sources Technology Focus Area

Electricore, Inc. will build and demonstrate a

zero-emission, completely autonomous 

agricultural spray vehicle. Electricore will work 

with Trexa, LLC, who has developed a lowcost, commercial, electric off-road vehicle 

platform that will be combined with a 

commercial orchard pull-rig agricultural spray 

trailer. Electricore will oversee the 

demonstration at Tech Agricultrual’s farms 

outside of Buttonwillow, in Kern County. The 

vehicle will operate autonomously based on robotics developed by the Robotics Institute 

at Carnegie Mellon University.
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Successful implementation of this technology could have an impact on the inventory of 

emissions from agricultural tractors, which are numerous in the Valley. Likewise, the 

reduced fuel use and the associated greenhouse gas reductions provide co-benefits 

beyond criteria pollutant emissions reductions. 

Sun-Maid Growers of California

Kingsburg, CA

Waste Solutions Technology Focus Area

Sun-Maid Growers will modify and test a mobile prototype device called the Burn Boss® 

Air Curtain Burner. Successful use of this device will reduce emissions resulting from 

the burning of paper raisin trays used during the grape harvest. The technology has 

been shown to significantly reduce visible smoke and NOX emissions compared to open 

burning. The grape harvest coincides with District’s highest ozone levels; reductions of 

these emissions greatly benefit air quality. 

US Hybrid Corporation

Torrance, CA

Mobile Sources Technology Focus Area

US Hybrid, in partnership with CALSTART and Roush, will demonstrate a plug-in 

electric-hybrid propane utility truck using a Ford F-250 truck base. US Hybrid will 

demonstrate and test the utility truck at Maddox Farms near Riverdale, California. The 

demonstration and testing will identify NOX emission reductions, greenhouse gas 

reductions, and fuel savings. 

The outcome of this project has the potential to affect a large segment of the on-road 

vehicle emissions inventory in light of the extensive use of utility trucks in agriculture 

and other industries. Likewise, the reduced fuel usage, use of propane, and the 

associated greenhouse gas reductions provides co-benefits beyond criteria pollutant 

emissions reductions. The expected fuel savings will also reduce the long-term cost of 

ownership for the technology.

Leva Energy, Inc. 

Santa Clara, CA

Waste Solutions Technology Focus Area

Leva Energy, Inc. will install and test two systems that recover wasted energy from 

ultra-low NOX burners (ULNB). The system (Power Burner) integrates a gas-fired 

microturbine with a new ULNB into a system that can replace a burner on any boiler 

larger than 5 MMBtu/hr. The Power Burner recoups the energy lost with other ULNBs 

to cogenerate 100 kW of electricity with the same amount of fuel. 

This technology’s ability to provide boiler owners a faster payback on their investment 

has the potential to accelerate the adoption of ultra-low NOX boilers in the Valley and 

provide NOx emissions reductions in the short term. The use of waste heat to generate 

electricity provides co-benefits beyond emissions reductions. 
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City of Manteca

Manteca, CA

Mobile Sources Technology Focus Area

The City of Manteca will demonstrate two 

new Autocar Xpeditor E3 refuse vehicles 

fitted with Parker RunWise advanced series 

hybrid-drive technology to reduce diesel fuel 

consumption, associated NOX, and other 

emissions, by up to 45%. The City will 

purchase the trucks from Autocar and 

subcontract with infoWedge to install monitoring equipment and collect data from the 

hybrid truck and a conventional diesel truck, for comparison purposes. infoWedge will 

characterize the drive cycle; monitor a 30-day demonstration of the hybrid truck; monitor 

and report emissions testing; and monitor long-term (6 months) demonstration to 

evaluate usage patterns, fuel consumptions, and maintenance needs.

Successful implementation of this project will show the ability to reduce emissions 

through reduced fuel use in the medium heavy-duty diesel truck off-road category. The 

reduced diesel fuel use also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and lowers overall, 

long-term operating costs for end users.

Association of Compost Producers 

Julian, CA

Mobile Sources and Waste Solutions Technology Focus Area

The Association of Compost Producers will design and test an aerated static pile 

method of composting for a large-scale composting facility. The system consists of 

three components: substitution of diesel-powered loaders with electronic conveyor 

systems to build piles; the use of solar-powered electric blowers to replace dieselpowered windrow turners during the active phase of composting; and the use of finished 

compost biofilter covers, which reduce VOC emissions.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company 

San Ramon, CA

Mobile Sources Technology Focus Area

Pacific Gas and Electric Company will develop and 

demonstrate an extended-range, electric-drive Class6 bucket truck with electric worksite operation 

capability. The system will improve on-road fuel 

efficiency and allow crews to work on-site without 

running the diesel engine. Emission reductions will 

be achieved by reducing consumption of 4,895 

gallons of diesel fuel per vehicle per year. 
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Because of the number of class-6 utility work trucks that operate in the Valley, this 

project has the potential to demonstrate significant emissions reductions in the on-road 

vehicle category. The reduced diesel fuel use also reduces greenhouse gas emissions 

and lowers overall, long-term operating costs for end users.

7.4 INTERAGENCY COLLABORATIVE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS

In addition to projects selected through the request-for-proposals process, the District 

has partnered with other air quality agencies in the state to demonstrate new and 

emerging technologies.

Under-fired Charbroiler Emission Control Demonstration

South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast)

South Coast is currently conducting a demonstration project focused on control 

technology for under-fired charbroilers. South Coast released a program opportunity

notice for this demonstration project in October 2011 to solicit of proposals from control 

device manufacturers. District staff assisted in reviewing the submitted proposals, 

making recommendations on which manufacturers should be allowed to submit their 

device to the testing protocol at the University of California, Riverside College of 

Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology test kitchen facility.

This technology demonstration effort is testing promising prototype emission control 

devices, which will support future regulatory efforts at both South Coast and the District.

As discussed in Chapter 4, reducing emissions from commercial cooking is critical for 

the Valley’s attaining the 2006 PM2.5 standard, particularly in Kern County. In addition, 

as noted in Appendix D, reducing emissions from commercial charbroiling contributes to 

the District’s Risk-based Strategy. 

Zero-Emission Commercial Lawn and Garden Equipment Demonstration

California Air Resources Board

The Cordless Zero-Emission Commercial Lawn and Garden Equipment Demonstration 

Program will provide eligible cordless zero-emission commercial lawn and garden 

equipment to commercial landscape professionals (participants) who conduct business 

within the Valley. The cordless zero-emission lawn and garden equipment must be 

designated commercial-grade and used by commercial landscape professionals to 

complete multiple small to large gardening tasks over an eight-hour workday period.

Eligible equipment may include, but is not limited to, lawn mowers, edgers,

trimmers/brushcutters, hedge clippers, blowers/vacuums, sweepers, and chainsaws.

The District opened a Request for Applications on August 20, 2012 and expects a 

program completion date of May 2013.

Participating equipment manufacturers/vendors (technology demonstrators) will be 

responsible for providing the equipment; training to participants on the safe and efficient 

operation of the equipment and maintenance; and providing materials necessary for 

daily operation. The participants will use the equipment in real-world settings to verify 

equipment durability and performance, battery capacity, and battery charge time. In 
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addition, the participants will be responsible for providing monthly data and feedback to 

the District and technology demonstrators and may have the opportunity to keep the 

equipment upon submittal of all required data and information for the program. At the 

conclusion of the program, the District and the technology demonstrators will work 

together to complete a final report and submit the findings to ARB.

Natural Gas-Fired, Fan-Type Central Furnaces with Reduced NOX Emissions

South Coast Air Quality Management District

South Coast is currently conducting a demonstration project focused on prototype 

natural gas-fired fan-type central furnaces with reduced NOX emissions. South Coast 

released a program opportunity notice for this demonstration project in February 2010, 

which solicited a number of proposals from furnace manufacturers and gas industry 

technology developers in partnership with furnace manufacturers. This technology 

assessment of reduced NOX central furnaces was initiated with the November 2009 

amendment of South Coast Rule 1111. The District committed to financial support of 

the technology assessment in June 2010, and has provided $50,000 for the 

demonstration project.

The goal of this technology assessment is to demonstrate reduced NOX furnaces 

capable of meeting an emissions goal of 14 nanograms NOX per joule of useful heat. 

Based on the preliminary results of the South Coast furnace demonstration project, the 

technology required to meet new NOx standards will be available by 2015. The District 

has committed to amend Rule 4905 in 2014 to lower the NOx emission limits for 

residential furnaces and to examine the possibility of incorporating NOx limits for natural 

gas-fired, fan-type, commercial central furnaces into the rule, with an anticipated 

compliance date of 2015. This demonstration project will be an integral component of 

the District’s 2014 Rule 4905 amendment. 

Vision for Clean Air: A Framework for Air Quality and Climate Planning

South Coast Air Quality Management District and California Air Resources Board

While the District’s air quality challenges are significant, many aspects of those 

challenges are not unique, and they are not isolated to the boundaries of the Valley air 

basin. Strategies for reducing emissions in the Valley are enhanced through 

partnerships and collaborations with other air districts and state agencies. The District 

seeks out opportunities for such collaborations to build strong relationships and even 

stronger attainment strategies.

In 2011, ARB, with the assistance of the District and South Coast AQMD, developed the 

Vision for Clean Air: A Framework for Air Quality and Climate Planning. The goal of this 

collaboration is to draft a common vision for mobile and stationary source strategies that 

integrate the need to meet federal air quality standards for PM2.5 and ozone, the need 

to reach California’s greenhouse gas goals, and the need to reduce public exposure to 

toxics (e.g. diesel particulates). This collaborative effort will take advantage of the 

efficiencies inherent in dealing with these three issues as inter-dependent problems with 

inter-dependent solutions.
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Through the Vision for Clean Air effort, the three agencies have been evaluating

pollutant reductions needed to meet overlapping air quality requirements for 2019, 

2023, 2035, and 2050. These reductions will depend on the integration of 

transformative measures and emerging technologies (including zero- and near-zero 

emission goods movement) with long-range planning and control strategies. Critical to 

the attainment of targets will be the evaluation of the potential policies, legislation, 

infrastructure, and efficiencies that will ensure that South Coast, the Valley, and 

California are prepared to meet the long-term goals.
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