In April 2021, there was a decision in the European Commission to adopt EU Taxonomy as a means to channel investment towards sustainable activities across the European Union. The decision was spurred by a recognition of biogas as a huge leap towards total carbon neutrality.
How Will Biogas Help Climate Change?
There is no doubt that climate change remains one of the biggest threats to the planet and this is caused by the emission of greenhouse gases, which can be a result of the burning of fossil fuels. The future of biogas, both in its production and conversion, would be helpful in combatting this given they enable emissions savings in agriculture, transport and waste management.
The regulation is also very supportive of using biogas in order to create renewable heat and power. This kind of process is what is currently being investigated by innovative energy companies such as Renovere Fuels, who are working on creating technology that can turn biogas into liquid fuel.
Though a lot of the means by which we burn fossil fuels are being converted so that they run on electricity, burning fossil fuels will still be required for the likes of travel by air and sea, not to mention, the mining of lithium batteries, which is required for electric vehicles. As such, if the biogas produced can be converted into liquid fuel, this would have a huge benefit on reducing the greenhouse emissions we produce. This is one of the main reasons why the regulation has been introduced, to facilitate the production of technology which can assist with the conversion of biogas.
The Downside to the EU Regulation
Whilst the regulation is promising in that it recognises biogas a means to achieve carbon neutrality, it is also problematic in its attitude towards biomethane. The new regulation confirms it will take the tailpipe approach towards measuring CO2 emissions and in doing so fails to recognise the benefits of using biomethane on the environment. This is because biomethane, based on lifecycle analysis, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100 percent. If the regulation recognised these benefits more, there could be a circular economy produced, due to the use of locally produced biomethane that would lead to better opportunities for farmers.
What Needs to Be Done for the future of biogas?
Though the EU Taxonomy is positive when it comes to recognising that the future of biogas is a means to achieving carbon neutrality, its restrictions should be considered way too strict when it comes to biomethane. Realistically, a lot of the available technology needs to start putting biomethane forward as one of the best solutions to decarbonising multiple modes of transport and segments.
Biomethane is an incredibly promising solution when it comes to reducing emissions, although this is not directly represented in its tailpipe test. As a result, what is a sustainable solution to combatting our production of greenhouse gases, will be penalised. This could subsequently jeopardise the development of low emission fleets in low-density areas, where both hydrogen and electric vehicles will be the most appropriate.
In order to rectify this, there should be more transparency in the elaboration of the next batch of the EU Taxonomy by the European Commission. It should look to include much more beneficial terms for both the biogas and biomethane sectors as these can be incredibly effective at reducing the amount of carbon we produce, even though they themselves do give off some emissions.
Conclusion
As of April 2021 the European Commission have decided to invest more into achieving carbon neutrality. Whilst they acknowledge the positive effects of biogas and biomethane, the tailpipe tests they insist on would penalise these methods, despite their benefits.
Moving forward and upon further consideration of these rules, there has to be more transparency in regard to these methods as work with biogas and biomethane can create sustainable energy. Consider the likes of Renovare Fuels who are currently developing technology which will allow for the conversion of biogas into liquid fuel, this innovative idea would be a huge steppingstone on the road to carbon neutrality, that the European Commission needs to ensure it is recognising.