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Can green gas certificates allow for the accurate quantification of the energy supply and sustainability of biomethane from a range of sources for renewable heat and or transport?

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  • Long, Aoife
  • Murphy, Jerry D.

Abstract

Ireland has a significant potential resource to decarbonise natural gas through producing green gas for renewable heat and transport. Key resources for anaerobic digestion include food waste, slurry from farming, and grass silage. This paper establishes production pathways for consideration in a certification scheme. Certification is required to ensure guarantee of origin and sustainability. This paper also identifies potential challenges relating to sustainability and end use. Analysis in this paper shows that biomethane must effect 14.4 g CO2-eq/MJ for renewable heat and 32.9 g CO2-eq/MJ for transport fuel to be deemed sustainable according to the recast Renewable Energy Directive. A sample calculation for grass biomethane shows that the emissions criteria for renewable transport are significantly easier to satisfy compared to renewable heat. Grass biomethane can achieve an emissions saving of 76% for transport, meeting the 65% emissions saving criteria. For use as heat, the saving achieved is 66% against criteria of 80%. As such, these criteria push renewable gas production towards transport as an end use rather than heat. This will have implications for the development of the industry in Ireland.

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  • Long, Aoife & Murphy, Jerry D., 2019. "Can green gas certificates allow for the accurate quantification of the energy supply and sustainability of biomethane from a range of sources for renewable heat and or transport?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:115:y:2019:i:c:s1364032119305556
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2019.109347
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Bose, Archishman & O'Shea, Richard & Lin, Richen & Long, Aoife & Rajendran, Karthik & Wall, David & De, Sudipta & Murphy, Jerry D., 2022. "The marginal abatement cost of co-producing biomethane, food and biofertiliser in a circular economy system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    3. Wu, Benteng & Lin, Richen & Bose, Archishman & Huerta, Jorge Diaz & Kang, Xihui & Deng, Chen & Murphy, Jerry D., 2023. "Economic and environmental viability of biofuel production from organic wastes: A pathway towards competitive carbon neutrality," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    4. Bose, A. & O'Shea, R. & Lin, R. & Long, A. & Rajendran, K. & Wall, D. & De, S. & Murphy, J.D., 2022. "Evaluation of a biomethane, food and biofertiliser polygeneration system in a circular economy system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    5. Kolb, Sebastian & Plankenbühler, Thomas & Hofmann, Katharina & Bergerson, Joule & Karl, Jürgen, 2021. "Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of renewable gas technologies: A comparative review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    6. Keogh, Niamh & Corr, D. & O'Shea, R. & Monaghan, R.F.D., 2022. "The gas grid as a vector for regional decarbonisation - a techno economic case study for biomethane injection and natural gas heavy goods vehicles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    7. Padi, Richard Kingsley & Douglas, Sean & Murphy, Fionnuala, 2023. "Techno-economic potentials of integrating decentralised biomethane production systems into existing natural gas grids," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    8. Guerin, Turlough F., 2022. "Business model scaling can be used to activate and grow the biogas-to-grid market in Australia to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries: An application of entrepreneurial management," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    9. Ó Céileachair, Dónal & O'Shea, Richard & Murphy, Jerry D. & Wall, David M., 2021. "Alternative energy management strategies for large industry in non-gas-grid regions using on-farm biomethane," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    10. Sales Silva, Sara Talita & Barros, Regina Mambeli & Silva dos Santos, Ivan Felipe & Maria de Cassia Crispim, Adriele & Tiago Filho, Geraldo Lúcio & Silva Lora, Electo Eduardo, 2022. "Technical and economic evaluation of using biomethane from sanitary landfills for supplying vehicles in the Southeastern region of Brazil," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 1142-1157.
    11. Wang, Chao & Feng, Dong & Xia, Ao & Nizami, Abdul-Sattar & Huang, Yun & Zhu, Xianqing & Zhu, Xun & Liao, Qiang & Murphy, Jerry D., 2024. "A comparative life cycle assessment of electro-anaerobic digestion to evaluate biomethane generation from organic solid waste," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    12. Long, A. & Bose, A. & O'Shea, R. & Monaghan, R. & Murphy, J.D., 2021. "Implications of European Union recast Renewable Energy Directive sustainability criteria for renewable heat and transport: Case study of willow biomethane in Ireland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    13. Gray, Nathan & O'Shea, Richard & Smyth, Beatrice & Lens, Piet N.L. & Murphy, Jerry D., 2022. "What is the energy balance of electrofuels produced through power-to-fuel integration with biogas facilities?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).

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