Biomethane has multiple benefits.
It is a renewable gas resulting in high GHG savings due to the short carbon cycle of biomass feedstock. It is fully compatible with the existing gas grid, can improve waste management, supports rural economies and has the ability to generate negative emissions.
Biomethane is scaling up rapidly at decreasing costs.
A new report published by the Gas for Climate reports a 15% growth in grid-transported biomethane in 2018 alone, with now 65% of biomethane produced from biowaste and bio-residues, while production costs are starting to decrease, and grid injection levels are increasing.
Biomethane can substitute natural gas.
Across demand sectors through physical demand or it can be virtually allocated in specific sectors through an appropriate GoO system. Biomethane and natural gas have similar chemical compositions. They consist primarily of methane – a potent global warming gas if it escapes — and can be used interchangeably in boilers, stoves and in engines. At the tailpipe of a vehicle, they produce the same emissions. Far lower in air-pollution than all alternatives.
With the worldwide emphasis on the reduction of carbon emissions, biofuels will serve as an important alternative to conventional fuels.
One of the best biofuels is biogas when it is made from waste materials and upgraded to become biomethane.
The use of biomethane as fuel for vehicles (buses, cars, trucks, ships) to substitute the use of fossil fuels such as diesel allows not only the reduction of emissions of CO2 but also of other pollutants such as fine dust, nitrogen oxides which are drastically reduced. In the early 2020s, developments will focus on scaling up biomethane production to increase supply in Europe from approximately 23 TWh in 2018 to 300-370 TWh in 2030.
Biomethane has a variety of advantages including:
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SUSTAINABILITY
By reducing the need for firewood, helps preserve the forests which in turn helps lower concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as the trees absorb carbon dioxide while releasing pure oxygen. The use of organic matter for biomethane production also improves hygienic conditions and quality of life in the rural areas, and reduces the risk of water pollution.
Biomethane offers great potential as an alternative source of energy, especially to fossil fuels. Despite the fact that its usability is known for quite some time, production of biomethane started only in the recent years as a result of the rising prices of natural gas and high electricity prices other fossil fuels as well as the threat of global climate change.
Biogas and biomethane are already available and they are also cost-competitive, if we consider all positive externalities generated by the production of these renewable gases. Europe is the largest producer of biogas and biomethane in the world today, and it will be essential to scale up production of these renewable gases in order to meet renewable energy demand by 2030 and achieve climate targets in 2050. Its multiple applications include heat and power supply for our buildings and industries, and renewable fuel production for the transport sector, especially heavy-vehicles and vessels.