Gas Industry’s Latest Survival Plan- Fuel Generation from Cow Poop

Bar Way Farm, Deerfield Massachusetts collaborated with Vanguard Renewables in 2014 to get a bio-digester installed to convert organic material such as cow poop into biogas by using specialized bacteria.

This fuel scores 10 on 10 in terms of versatility once purified. Post purification, this is called biomethane or renewable natural gas.  According to Jigar Shah, co-founder of Generate Capital Inc. one of the biggest renewable natural gas owners in the country opined that natural gas producers must keep themselves prepared for the obsolescence of the natural gas utility.

Bovine waste is usually stored in open lagoons. It is known for emitting methane which is a hazardous greenhouse gas. It is more than 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide would be over a period of 20 years. You must know that both methane and fossil fuel are mostly methane and although they burn more cleanly as compared to coal, yet emit CO2. Diversion of cow poop into biodigesters offers a ‘net climate win’ solution though. Biogas to bio cng plants across the world also believe the same.

Dominion Energy Inc.- a renowned utility giant based in Virginia believes that supplying 4 percent of its customers with biogas would suffice to reduce the emission, a logic Matt Vespa- an attorney for Earthjustice (a non-profit climate litigation group) chooses to disagree with. He opines that there are various other ways to address this concern rather than extending our dependence on fuels that pollute.

Earthjustice isn’t the only organization that has been vocal about the potential hazards. Mark Kresowik- the deputy director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, also firmly believes that RNG is a costly distraction which would just slow the energy industry’s transition away from hydrocarbons. According to him, the gas industry is aware of the fact that electrification is a superior choice by all standards. He adds that going down the dead-end route would just result in increased costs to consumers in the long run. The cost of a typical RNG project is about $17 million and can well touch the $100 million mark according to RNG Coalition.

California is the biggest market for renewable natural gas. Oregon has already finalized some rules to allow utilities to supply 30 percent of their gas customers with renewable natural gas by year 2050. Dominion Energy has also made an announcement that they will invest about $2 billion in RNG over the next 10 years. They will partner with Vanguard Renewables and Smithfield Foods Inc.- a pork producing giant.

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