BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 10
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Renewable gas can be even more competitive in the future as a result of production cost reductions, Trend reports with reference to the International Gas Union (IGU).
“Renewable gas is an emerging area in the production of low-carbon natural gas. Just as renewable generation integrated into a power grid provides a means of reducing the GHG emissions intensity of existing energy supply chains, so RG can enable emissions reductions through existing gas networks. While the market is small, and costs can be high at present, innovation and market developments are underway that demonstrate significant potential for production cost reductions. These should make RG even more competitive in the future,” reads the report jointly prepared by IGU and BCG.
RG begins with the production of biogas through either anaerobic digestion or thermal gasification.
“Both processes can use a wide range of organic material as feedstock. Anaerobic digestion typically employs enzymes for biological conversion, while thermal gasification uses partial combustion of organic material. In both cases, the output is a combination of methane and CO2, ranging from 40 percent to 60 percent methane content depending on the feedstock and process. Biogas can be used to produce heat and power or upgraded to biomethane to be integrated into natural gas infrastructure, once CO2 and other contaminants are separated,” reads the report.
When biogas is upgraded to biomethane with a concentration of 98 percent or more methane content, it can be integrated into existing gas pipelines and used in a blend with natural gas in gas combustion appliances or engines, said IGU.
Today, global production of biogas is small (at around 670 billion cubic meters per latest estimates) and is largely concentrated in Europe, which is the location for about 60 percent of production, reads the report.
“At present, most biogas is consumed in close proximity to power generation or in CHP applications. Only about 3 bcm of biomethane upgrading capacity exists globally, almost all of which is concentrated in Europe,” said IGU.
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