SL (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik), in charge of the whole of the Public Transport in and around Stockholm, operates more than 700 000 travels a day. As SL is concerned about environmental impact of its activity, it has run for quite a long time an environmental policy of CO2 emissions reduction. SL’s aim is important as by 2011, 50 % of the bus will have to be « green buses », while by 2025, this fleet will have to be entirely free from fossil fuel.

Thus, our Biogasmax partner introduced its first biogas buses by 2003, to reach lately the number of 52 units. During 2004, SL tested fuel cell buses: driven by hydrogen gas, the discharge consists of only steam. But, while it was an interesting environmentally friendly experience, it remains still too expensive to offer a realistic alternative to fossil fuel.

Today, SL uses the world’s largest ethanol bus fleet, which is made of 390 buses. It developped a set of strict sustainability criteria for the production to result in the smallest possible environmental influence, for exemple regarding the competition with world’s food production.

SL states as well that biogas is a first-hand choice as it is the cleanest fuel available today. Thus, it announces an expansion of the number of biogas buses: 80 (currently 50 articulated gas buses) by the end of that year, and, over the next four years, a view of 500 units. Today, these buses operate in the inner city of Stockholm, where air quality is the worst. But, as the number of these biogas buses increases, they will operate in the suburbs of Stockholm.

The expansion of the biogas buses depends of course on the local production capacity of biomethane. SL has secured the long term supply via agreements with Stockholm Water and Käppala Association.

Source: NGVA Europe