Lynnfield's Alternative Fuel Company – GreenMan Technologies Inc.

The Lynnfield based company, GreenMan Technologies provides customers around the world with an environmentally-friendly alternative to diesel fuel. It's called Dual Fuel Technology and according to the company, it displaces up to 60% of high-emissions burning diesel gas with either natural gas, well-head gas, or bio-methane.

The CFO of GreenMan Technologies, Chuck Coppa, detailed his company's move towards Duel Fuel Technology in a recent interview with Lynnfield Patch.

“Prior to 2009 we operated several large scrap tire recycling stations in the U.S. and in November 2008, we sold this business for about $28 million and began our search for the next chapter of the GreenMan story.”

From here, Coppa and GreenMan went looking for a new green energy technology they could get behind, checking out everything from ethanol to solar wind. In June 2009, GreenMan acquired Iowa based American Power Group, Inc. which held the patent on Dual Fuel Technology.

“A Dual Fuel retrofitted system converts diesel engines and generators to function more efficiently and at a lower operating cost by seamlessly displacing 40%-60% of the normal diesel fuel consumption with compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, well-head gas or bio-methane,” explained Coppa.

The applications of Dual Fuel Technology are many. GreenMan has applied it to light and heavy duty vehicles like buses and delivery trucks as well as generators. Coppa mentioned that companies have reported a net fuel cost savings of 25 to 45 percent.

One example of where GreenMan has had great success with their Dual Fuel technology is with the Florida grocery chain, Publix Super Markets, Inc. Publix operates roughly one million square feet of cold-storage facilities and initially used their large CAT diesel generators – whose job was principally for backup power. American Power Group Inc. was hired to retrofit 8 of Publix’s generators to Dual Fuel which allowed them to run the generators as a primary energy sources - saving the company over $300,000 in annual diesel fuel costs. Given the cleaner burning nature of natural gas, the generators operated much cleaner, requiring maintenance once every other year, instead of the usual yearly check-up.

In an email, Coppa stated: “At a time when global oil prices continue to escalate, the ability for fleet owners, oil and gas rig operators, hospitals, data management centers and other critical care facilities to utilize plentiful domestic natural gas or inexpensive well-head gas as a supplemental fuel and reduce their toxic emissions (CO, NOX and Particulate Matter) by 50+% just makes good business and environmental sense.”

GreenMan has also sprung into the international market, teaming up with 7up and Coke in parts of Africa, and around the globe, in Australia, with the Wesfarmers Company. Domestically, GreenMan reportedly works with two of the top 10 refuse companies and two of the top 40 oil and gas exploration companies.

in the U.S. GreenMan also outfitted Pfizer's offices in Manhattan, along with a 2,800 unit condo complex in the same area.

Said Coppa: “It's really a unique opportunity and the best of both worlds for many.”