Renewable gases. An emerging energy vector

Abstract

The European Union has set itself very ambitious goals for the year 2030 in its contribution to the fight against climate change; in addition, it is proposing a strategy for 2050 that leads to the almost complete decarbonisation of the economy. At the same time, it is searching for a way to achieve its objectives that is cost efficient and sustainable from the point of view of competitiveness and of the generation of jobs. With these aims, and given the difficulty of fulfilling them only through electrification, we find interest in renewable gases emerging once more. Whether biomethane, syngas or hydrogen, they are seen as an indispensable vector that is complementary to electricity, and have the added virtue of being able to use existing infrastructures to a great extent. This avoids costly and unpopular new facilities, as well as contributing to the processes of the circular economy through the management of certain types of waste, which is becoming more and more complicated to deal with. In this book, authors identify and describe in detail the existing technologies for the generation of renewable gases and for attaining from them a quality that can be equated to that of natural gas or the conditions in which mixing them is possible. They also assess the different possible uses of renewable gases and the most suitable distribution pathways. In short, the work evaluates both the potential of renewable gases in Spain and their economic viability, as well as comparing Spanish regulations with those in other EU countries. From all this, some proposals emerge to improve the development of renewable gases in Spain based on the experience of other countries that are more advanced in this field. The book confirms that renewable gases have important developmental potential in Spain, and that they can contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to waste management. There is undoubtedly still a long way to go in terms of technological development and reducing costs, but the potential exists and must be evaluated as a contribution to the objectives of the fight against climate change. This book aims to assist in that assessment.