More and more, the face of the energy sector in our society is changing. All over the world, governments and companies rely on renewable natural gas (RGN) and anaerobic digestion to accelerate energy transition of cities, states, and countries. These are among the most sustainable and economically advantageous alternatives in the energy sector. The Gas for Climate initiative recently published a study highlighting the importance of biomethane to meet climate targets in a cost-effective way. According to the European Biomethane Map 2018, the number of biomethane installations producing RNG in Europe has been considerably increasing; it went up 165 % between 2012 and 2016, reaching more than 500 installations today. Here is an overview of recent actions taking place all around the world to promote anaerobic digestion used for the production of renewable natural gas. Indeed, one of the latest decisions worth mentioning is the investment of €4.7 billion in Italy in this industry.
Ministry of Ecology Energy Transition established a working group on anaerobic digestion last February as part of Multi-Annual Programming Period on Energy (PPE). Last week, this working group issued 15 recommendations that aim to simplify and accelerate anaerobic digestion projects in France, to lower biomethane on-farm production costs and to help farmers to increase incomes. France wishes to catch up with Germany regarding the number of anaerobic digestion installations.
Recommendations include:
In March, at the 20th Alternate Meeting of the Premier of Quebec and the Prime Minister of France, Énergir, GRDF and GRTgaz signed a collaboration agreement to share best practices and researches in renewable energy development, fighting against GHG and promoting innovation and circular economy.
The planned annual meetings will especially focus on:
Gaz Réseaux Distribution France (GRDF), the main distributor of natural gas in France, is currently studying 48 potential projects for farm-based anaerobic digestion of green wastes. Their commissioning is scheduled in a year or two and would provide enough energy for the annual consumption of 50,000 homes. The GRDF has set the target of obtaining a 100% green gas by 2050.
SoCalGasCo, SDG & E, PG & E and Southwest Gas announced last January that they would start accepting proposals for pilot projects to capture and process biogas from dairy cows to produce renewable natural gas. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUP), the California Air Resources Board and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will select 5 of the most promising projects based on GHG reduction potential, environmental costs and benefits, among others.
These projects are part of the California Public Utilities Commission’s program to reduce methane emissions from agriculture in the state by 2030. In addition, the Department of Food and Agriculture plans to provide $ 75 million more in grant founding this year to support biogas development. They plan to set up 120 projects by 2022.
On March 22, Jay Inslee, Washington governor, signed a bill to increase the use of RNG, develop voluntary gas quality standards and promote production of renewable natural gas in Washington, DC, USA. This law will allow the state to reduce its methane emissions, use more renewable energy such as renewable natural gas, and promote rural economic development.
The law aims to:
All around the world, we are seeing a real accelerating movement towards renewable natural gas and anaerobic digestion. Those energies actually address a number of issues that companies, cities, and states face, among others. For example, we can mention the need to further develop waste valorization, strict government regulations for treating residual materials and existing national targets to reduce GHGs.
BiogasWorld’s mission fits perfectly in this way of seeing environmental issues. Our clients and their projects are located all over the world. You can also take advantage of these favorable circumstances for the development of anaerobic digestion projects. Check out our biogas project calculator or current anaerobic digestion and RNG bids. Do not hesitate to contact us to find out how we can help you realize your project!