Biomethane
Future Biogas currently has a number of grid plants, collectively supplying around 3,000m3
of biomethane every
hour into the grid. Speaking at the recent ADBA National Conference in London, the company’s Head of Business Development, John Scott-Kerr, stated his belief that there will have to be a focus on driving down development costs in the future, with more plants also looking to capitalise on the biomethane certificate market. Future Biogas is one of a number of biomethane companies, along with Biogas Power, Air Liquide and Ecotrocity, to have signed up to Green Gas Trading’s Biomethane Certification Scheme. This enables generators to certify the biomethane they produce and trade the ‘green’ element of their gas separately from the physical commodity gas, maximising the value of their product. Buyers such as Marks & Spencer can then purchase the certificates to decarbonise their gas supply, helping to meet corporate social responsibility objectives.
John Scott-Kerr of Future Biogas at the ADBA National Conference 2016
Decarbonising the transport sector One consideration for policy makers, however, is how to maximise the benefits of biomethane. Unlike other forms of renewable energy, biomethane is also suitable for use as a transport fuel and there is debate over whether it is better to use it for heat or transport. “The emissions savings are broadly similar between use in transport or heat,” explains David Joffe, Team Leader, Buildings, Industry & Devolved Administrations at the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). “Our approach is not to be specific about the end use – producing and injecting biomethane into the grid (displacing natural gas) provides the main emissions reduction. Whether that gas then ends up in one sector or another is not very important, but as methane is a potent greenhouse gas, any leakage of methane in its use affects the overall GHG savings. For transport uses, there are concerns over some designs of engine that lead to methane leakage (so-called ‘methane slip’) that would be of concern if methane were to be used widely, so it will be important to ensure that the risk of methane leakage is minimised.”
David continues: “To the extent that there are further savings to be had from taking methane out of the grid and using it in transport, the case for this would need to be robust even if it were fossil natural gas being used. After all, for a given level of biomethane supply, any increase in demand for methane from transport will increase fossil gas consumption by an equivalent amount. Current estimates indicate a small GHG reduction from using fossil methane in transport relative to diesel. This saving, combined with wider benefits (eg air quality), would need to be sufficient to justify any costs of a switch from diesel to methane in heavy vehicles.”
In addition to reduction of carbon footprint, lower NOx and particulate emissions from gas vehicles are massive drivers for the use of biomethane as a transport fuel, according to Will Llewellyn of Red Kite Management. Will adds that the largest reduction of carbon footprint is achieved when wastes are used as the feedstock for making biomethane: “We are seeing an increase in the supply of OEM gas variants of a wider range of vehicles that can run on biomethane, and we expect increased uptake in the sub 7.5 tonne commercial vehicle sector going forward. The future is looking really positive, and Red Kite and its partners have demonstrated the effectiveness of a biomethane-fuelled fleet in meeting air quality targets. We are expecting strong growth in this sector,” he stresses.
Transport policy drivers For its part, ADBA is continuing to push government for greater recognition of the role biomethane can play in cutting transport emissions and improving air quality. “The Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) target to provide 9.75 per cent of the UK’s fuel supply from renewable sources by 2020, and to continue this to 2030, is positive and in our consultation response to the Department for Transport (DfT) we called for further ambition beyond this,” outlines ADBA’s Thom Koller. “Our response, to which a number of ADBA members contributed, made a strong case for the inclusion of biomethane from certain feedstocks as an eligible ‘development fuel’, for which a new sub-target obligation was suggested. Following the consultation, it remains to
Continued>>
Amur’s South Milford plant will supply 800m3
of gas to the grid
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