Given the abundant supply of natural gas under our feet we must ask ourselves, how should we use it?  One answer to this has always been as a fuel source for vehicles, but availability of fueling stations is currently limited in Pennsylvania. IGS Energy is a company working to correct this problem.

The continuing development of shale gas throughout most of the United States raises a serious question; how do we best utilize this bountiful resource?  A clear answer to this question is natural gas fueled vehicles. Many operators within the shale play regions are installing their own fueling stations to utilize the very resource they are developing. This shift to natural gas powered vehicles is bringing us closer to energy independence and greener energy.  While operators switching to natural gas vehicles is a good start, what about the general public? While the incentive for us to convert our vehicles lies in cheaper fuel prices, we still need readily available stations to make this conversion a smart decision.

We are faced with an infrastructure problem that makes it impossible to fuel our vehicles on natural gas (NG) when traveling long distances, even as natural gas becomes our transportation fuel of the future.  The map below from the Alternative Fuels Data Centers shows that although there are many fueling stations already in operation across the U.S., there are many areas including Pennsylvania and Ohio where there are very few fueling stations, and West Virginia has none.

CNG fueling stations (Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia)

IGS Energy

IGS Energy has a CNG division and one of their services involves the building of CNG fueling stations. The company has announced plans to build a $10 million dollar corridor of CNG fueling stations along Interstate 79 in West Virginia.  The company will also focus on the Pennsylvania and Ohio areas as well.

IGS Energy believes in achieving an energy-independent United States through the use of environmentally responsible energy resources.  As part of this vision, we founded CNG Services to provide compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle solutions for our customers.  Natural gas offers a cheap, abundant and environmentally friendly alternative to using gasoline as a vehicle fuel.  Our customers are able to take advantage of IGS’ 20 plus years’ experience in the natural gas industry, through a number of our CNG products and services offerings. – IGS Energy

IGS Energy is stepping up to the plate to correct the issue of not having fueling stations readily available to the public.  This classic what comes the first the chicken or the egg situation is finally getting answered by companies like IGS Energy who are making stations available to the public.

Home Fueling

Another service IGS Offers is home fueling systems. These systems allow you to fill your CNG car much like an electric car allows you plug in at home. As long as you have a NG supply to your house you have an unlimited amount of fuel right there for your use. This would be a viable option now for people who use their cars on short trips since you need to stay near a fueling source.  Once more compressed natural gas (CNG) stations are built, consumers will have the option to travel further while still being able to refuel at home whenever needed.  Although these in home systems aren’t cheap, the fuel cost savings will pay for itself over time.

Home CNG Fueling Unit

These services offered by IGS, and other companies like them, are another big step forward towards energy independence from foreign oil – using our own abundant supply of cleaner burning natural gas that just happens to also be more environmentally friendly.