Natural gas although a cleaner alternative to other fossil fuels due to its cleaner combustion is still a fossil fuel. It is mainly made of methane (CH4) and usually has trace levels of CO2, nitrogen, and other elements. It is colorless and odorless, and odor is typically added for safety, and to detect leaks.
Natural gas is quite flexible as it can be burned for heating and cooking but also for electrical generation. In Europe, several countries rely heavily on natural gas to stay warm in winter and to produce electricity when renewables are not available.
European countries bet on natural gas as a way to reduce emissions and pollutants. According to the EIA, coal produces 78% more CO2 per unit of electricity generated than natural gas, it also avoids significant emissions of NOx, SO2, and particulates. Natural gas is still a fossil fuel and has negative impacts. There are leakages in the extraction and transport, which lead to the release of methane into the atmosphere (CH4), a more which has a higher Global Warming Potential (GWP) than CO2.
In 2021, the EU’s natural gas import dependency rate was 83 %.
Dependency on energy in Europe is a significant issue. In 2013, the European bill for external energy amounted to €400 billion.
Alternatives
Biogas is a more sustainable alternative that can allow the utilization of existing infrastructure to reduce the reinvestments required. It is a renewable fuel, made of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and other elements. Biogas is produced from biodegradable waste, such as agricultural waste, manure, sewage, and food waste in anaerobic digesters. After biodegradable waste produces the biogas, the output of the process is digestate which can be used as a fertilizer.
The biogas can be used directly for the production of low-carbon heat and electricity, but it can also be upgraded to produce biomethane. In this process, CO2 and other impurities are removed so the methane contents reach over 96% allowing the injection into the gas network and replacing natural gas. For example, in 2021 Denmark reached a 25% biomethane share of the total gas consumption according to the danish grid operator (Energinet). Denmark expects that 75% of the gas consumption can be biogas by 2030.
Other alternatives are hydrogen, although it requires modifications in the infrastructure and requires other renewable energy sources for its production.
Biogas benefits
One of the benefits is that the upgrading process separates biogenic CO2. The CO2 is then used as a feedstock to create biofuels. One option is using CO2 to produce Methanol. Maersk, one of the biggest transport and logistic companies has a project to generate methanol for their ships based on biogenic CO2 collected at a biogas facility.
In addition, anaerobic digestion facilities provide a solution to the methane release in agriculture to enable the Methane pledge.
At home
You can also help at home. First, reduce energy consumption, increase the thermostat in summer and lower it in winter. Replace any gas boilers with heat pumps and install solar PV and thermal panels. The actions of an individual alone will not solve the issue, but it is a small step in the right direction.
Discuss with friends, neighbors, and politicians to ensure energy security and independence is high on the agenda.
