Research on life-cycle based simulation of the integration of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses in the Philippine transport sector

• Main Author: Bersales, Lawrence M.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2011
• Subjects: Natural gas buses—Philippines; Compressed natural gas; Product life cycle; Mechanical Engineering
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/6598; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_masteral/article/12938/viewcontent/CDTG004889_P.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Increased awareness and concern for the environment has paved the way for the rapid development of green technology in almost all aspects of human living. Alternative and other renewable sources of energy are being harnessed to address the issue of supply security and response to climate change. Solutions are being proposed to reduce energy use, increase efficiency and limit the resultant emissions in all sectors of society. This resolve has tapped local and international organizations to push for research and development to continuously find ways to improve man’s way of life without compromising the surroundings. The trend in the automobile industry is the use of alternative fuels to minimize dependency on non-renewable fossil fuels. The industry is looking into bio-fuels, solar and even hydrogen power to replace the usual gasoline and diesel fuel pumped into all types of vehicles. With its increasing popularity, compressed natural gas (CNG) is now being integrated into the transport sector of multiple countries; some experiencing success while others still finding difficulties in implementation. The Philippines is part of the latter, with the Natural Gas Vehicle Program for Public Transport (NGVPPT) facing major issues and criticism from the public. Various reasons have been raised as to why this program has not taken off as expected, even with all of its perceived benefits. From a technical side, a major question is if the overall environmental impact of its implementation, particularly on buses, is significant enough relative to the current conditions of the country.