Crown Oil leads the way with clean fleet
Northwest fuel supplier Crown Oil is now running its entire fleet on renewable diesel fuel as it commits to reducing its direct CO2 greenhouse gas emissions by 90 %.
The Greater Manchester business , part of the £ 420m-turnover Crown Oil family of companies , believes it is the first supplier in the UK to run all its oil delivery vehicles on hydrotreated vegetable oil ( HVO ).
Crown Oil , based in Bury , has now called on the UK government to introduce tax relief on fuels such as HVO to encourage greater uptake .
The family-owned business predicts a saving of around 3,080 tonnes of CO2 in 12 months from running its 85 delivery vehicles on HVO compared to standard diesel . To put this into context , one tonne of carbon dioxide is the average emission of one passenger on a return flight between Paris and New York .
Crown ’ s fleet is made up of HGVs , pickups , trailers and vans which are all approved to run on HVO fuel without technical adjustments or any reduction in vehicle performance . The fuel offers a fast and simple step towards net zero without the need for electrification or vehicle modifications , reducing net CO2 emissions by 90 per cent and nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 27 per cent .
Managing director Matthew Greensmith said it was important for Crown Oil to set the standard as it aims to become the UK ’ s leading alternative fuels supplier . The move showcases the fuel ’ s ability to perform faultlessly as a diesel alternative , he said , and will enable the business to significantly reduce its direct greenhouse gas emissions .
Matthew said : “ We can ’ t expect others to make a change without leading by example , and we ’ re proud to run our entire fleet on HVO . “ We believe we ’ re currently the first and only UK supplier to power our vehicles with the renewable diesel and we hope it encourages
businesses to go green with their fleets too .”
Since heavily investing in HVO in 2018 , Crown ’ s customers have saved 18,945 tonnes of CO2 by switching over to the renewable diesel . Crown HVO can be used in vehicles , commercial boilers ( running on gas oil ), tractors , generators , machinery and inland waterway vessels .
The oil supplier is pioneering change within the industry and has called on the UK government to follow the example of Sweden by introducing duty relief on fuels such as HVO to encourage uptake .
Matthew added : “ When it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions , we hope the government will adopt a multi-point strategy to include the use of high-content renewable fuels in addition to the development of the electric vehicle market .
“ In 2017 , the Swedish government passed a bill that enabled biofuels to be subject to tax exemption , which led to a 124 % increase in HVO sales in October 2017 compared with the previous year .
“ The UK government is planning to scrap red diesel duty relief for many sectors from 1 April 2022 to encourage the use of cleaner alternatives and we are calling for duty relief on fuels such as HVO to help encourage uptake .”
In another HVO first , Crown Oil partners with Kao Data
In another pioneering move , Crown Oil has partnered with Kao Data , specialist developer and operator of advanced , carrier neutral data centres for high performance colocation , as the company takes further steps towards its net zero ambitions . It will become the UK ’ s first data centre to transition all backup generators at its Harlow campus to HVO fuel . This move , made possible by the partnership , means Kao Data will eliminate up to 90 % of net CO2 from their backup generators and significantly reduce nitrogen oxide , particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions .
“ HVO fuel is dramatically better for the environment compared to traditional , mineral diesels . It is 100 % renewable , biodegradable , sustainable and non-toxic ,” said Simon Lawford , technical sales manager , Crown Oil . “ We ’ re proud to have worked with Kao Data to initiate a firstof-its kind project , which will be transformative for the data centre industry , and help point the way forward for significant reductions in industrial greenhouse gas emissions .” Today , Kao Data delivers one of the UK ’ s most sustainable colocation data centre campuses . Its existing initiatives include using 100 % renewable energy , utilising 100 % refrigerant-free indirect evaporative cooling technologies , and incorporating hyperscale inspired design to deliver a market-leading PUE of < 1.2 , even at partial loads . In line with its commitments as a signatory of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact ( CNDP ), the use of Crown Oil HVO fuel marks another significant step in the company ’ s plans to become a fully carbon neutral data centre operator by 2030 . The company will replace an initial 45,000 litres of diesel and switch to an HVO provision of more than 750,000 litres when the campus is fully developed .
Using HVO also offers a number of additional benefits in respect of infrastructure reliability . It eliminates microbial growth , which generates sludge that can contaminate fuel lines and potentially lead to engine shut down . HVO requires no modification to existing infrastructure and can be used as a direct replacement for diesel . It has a storage life that is ten times that of standard diesel and offers resilient year-round performance in both low and high temperatures . It is also easier to maintain , free from aromatics , sulphur and metals , odourless and completely biodegradable .
“ This pioneering approach to replace our generator ’ s diesel provision with HVO fuel , is a key step in the company ’ s efforts to become net zero , and a further demonstration of our leadership in the international data centre sustainability field ,” said Gérard Thibault , chief technology officer at Kao Data . “ This move effectively eliminates fossil fuels from our data centre operations and helps us reduce Scope 3 emissions in our customers ’ supply chain , while delivering no degradation to the service they receive . Most importantly , it shows how our industry can take a simple and highly beneficial step forward for the good of the environment , ahead of COP26 .”
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