ENERGY SOURCE: Carbon neutral methanes role in reaching net zero
Angus Rich | 26th September 2022The role carbon neutral methane can play in reaching net zero
Executive Directors, Jim Snow and Angus Rich wrote an article published by the Energy Source Magazine September/October 2022 online edition, overviewing a deeper dive into carbon neutral methane in South Australia.
The article reviews:
- South Australia as an example
- What does the 2022 ISP net zero forecast for SA look like?
- How does this future scenario work with a renewable drought?
- Diminishing return of renewable energy over build
Click this link for the magazine. Article is on page 32-33.
Oakley greenwood new modelling indicates that carbon neutral methane gases (biomethane and renewable methane) show major economic potential for integration in the transition to net zero.
The role of carbon neutral methane gases in the transition to net zero, within the existing gas supply and storage infrastructure in our modelling could be economically profound, with the potential of relatively small amounts of these gases to reduce the huge overbuild of the renewable electricity generation being forecast by some 30% or more and providing intra-state firming so the States do not need to become interdependent with respect to renewable generation diversity, and face associated outage risks. For example, the modelling indicates that adding just 10 to 15 PJ/year of carbon neutral methane into the existing gas supply system (for dispatchable power generation) in the case study using South Australian data can reduce the major overbuild of renewable generation in the 2022-ISP forecast for 2050 for South Australia by some 20 to 30% (4,700 MW), as can be seen in the trade off chart.
Influence of the use of carbon neutral methane and the renewable generation penetration.
Oakley Greenwood Renewable Gases Net Zero Paper
Read the Renewable Gas Economics Research Paper released in November 2021 here.
