The Advanced Transportation Technology and Energy Initiative (ATTE) plays a primary role in the transportation and energy arena across California and is instrumental in helping local entrepreneurs and small businesses develop the precise skills, knowledge and contacts to successfully compete in the marketplace.
In the alternative fuels arena there can be a number of years between any initial product concept to an actual return on investment. This was the case with San Diego-based New Leaf Biofuel (NLB) which produces an alternative fuel known as biodiesel (a substitute for diesel fuel), from restaurant waste grease. NLB has a two-part mission- to be recognized in the greater San Diego area for its high quality fuel that enhances the performance and life of diesel engines while greatly reducing associated diesel toxic emissions, and to partner with local schools, universities, and other organizations to educate the public about biodiesel and its many benefits.
NLB started in 2008 and sought the technical assistance of the ATTE Center in San Diego to locate and nurture relationships with fleet managers to purchase its products. Based on its knowledge of biodiesel and the available diesel fleets in the region that could benefit from using the alternative fuel, the ATTE Center leveraged its partnership with the San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition and provided local fleet managers with an overall technical introduction to the attributes and uses of biodiesel fuel. A key part of this overview included the introduction of the NLB as a provider of this new "green" fuel. NLB began with a production capacity of 1 million gallons per year, in 2008, and with the on-going support of ATTE and its many partners, they successfully completed an expansion that allowed them to more than double their output to 2.5 million gallons a year later, to meet this demand.
The ATTE Center has also supported NLB in achieving the second component of its mission. For four years, the ATTE Center and NLB staffs have worked with the SciTech Program at San Diego High School to teach students how to make biodiesel fuel from waste grease. This program creatively integrates both academic (chemistry) and vocational (automotive) education to promote the awareness, knowledge and skills needed to advance the alternative fuels industry.
For information on the ATTE, contact Peter Davis at (619) 473-0090 or pdavis@cccewd.net or go to www.ATTEColleges.org.
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