The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said $18 million in grants is available to businesses, governmental entities, school districts and individuals that replace older medium- or heavy-duty gasoline or diesel vehicles with natural gas vehicles (NGV) or repower the older vehicles with natural gas engines. Applicants must apply for Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program grants through a participating dealer. A list of participating dealers is available at www.terpgrants.org. The predetermined grant amounts are 60-90% of the incremental cost of the NGVs and engines, and are based on the fuel capacity, usage and weight class of the grant-funded vehicles. Grant applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Projects must result in at least a 25% reduction of emissions of nitrogen oxides, and grant recipients must commit to operate the grant-funded vehicles in eligible Texas counties for at least 75% of the annual mileage for four years, or 400,000 miles, whichever occurs earlier. Applications will be accepted until May 31, 2013 or until all funds are awarded. For information call (800) 919-TERP (8377).

California-based global micro turbine maker Capstone Turbine Corp. said it is continuing to sell its clean technology small power-generating systems in the oil and gas patch, lining up additional orders for up to 2 MW of the micro turbines from two large North American oil/gas producers in the Eagle Ford shale play in Texas and a multi-use oil/gas pad in Alberta, Canada. Capstone said it sold one of its 1 MW (C 1000) turbines in the Eagle Ford and five 200 MW (C 200) small turbines to the Canadian producer. The C 1000 micro turbine was in addition to 12 micro turbines purchased earlier this year by the Eagle Ford producer for distributed electricity production in the shale play, Capstone said. The new C 1000 unit will power a central gas processing facility when it is installed later this summer. Targeting a late August installation, the Canadian producer plans to put in place the five C 200 units to provide prime power to the multi-well pad, powering ancillary equipment such as coolers, motors, pumps, compressors and lights.

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