Michigan Propane Gas Association
629 West Hillsdale
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: 517-487-2021
Propane is a 3-carbon molecule, naturally low-carbon. It vaporizes when exposed to air with negligible effects on the ozone. Propane doesn't harm the soil and is not hazardous to drinking water or marine ecosystems. Propane is not mined like battery materials or extracted like oil. It is primarily manufactured from natural gas as a by-product of methane purification. Propane’s low carbon intensity is why it is an approved clean alternative fuel under the Clean Air Act.
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A renewable version of propane is ramping up. It's produced by converting plant and vegetable oils, waste greases, and animal fat into fuel. It delivers a high-energy conversion so BTU’s aren’t wasted, and is price competitive and carbon neutral, meaning no new carbon is added to the atmosphere when renewable propane is burned.
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The US Energy Star program gives propane a source site ratio of 1.01, compared to 3.03 for electricity from the grid. This means it takes 3.03 units of electricity to produce and deliver one unit of energy to a home, compared to only 1.01 for propane.
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Access to clean, affordable and renewable energy like propane ensures equity on the path to zero. Urban and rural low-income households, especially African American and Latino households, spend roughly three times as much of their income on energy costs as non-low-income households. In February 2021, EIA reported that electricity was 68% more expensive per million BTUs than propane. Energy should be affordable, so that no one has to go without, but the share of income that low-income households spent on electricity rose by 1/3 in the last decade. Everyone should have access to clean energy and home energy management tools, but utility programs that promote rooftop solar power, electric vehicles, and home energy storage are largely inaccessible to low-income households. Emission-free renewable energy isn’t free. Net-metering gives solar customers a credit on their bill when their rooftop panels generate excess power and the utility buys back the power. The power is paid for by other non-solar customers, including low-income households.
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Clean and renewable energy, like propane, accelerates Michigan's decarbonization efforts.
Decarbonization requires more cleaner energy options. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information says that large emissions reductions are achievable through a broad range of opportunities, including the use of low carbon alternatives like propane. The electric grid isn’t always the cleanest answer. Currently, propane-fueled medium- and heavy-duty vehicles provide a lower carbon footprint solution in 38 U.S. states when compared to medium- and heavy-duty EVs charged from the electrical grid. Michigan is propane country. Our state’s propane reserves are abundant and clean burning which is why numerous fleets including busses, trucks and city vehicles run on propane.
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