Alternative gas – what are the facts?
An interesting and thought provoking comparison between renewable biogas from AD and unconventional shale gas from fracking…
Shale gas received coverage in the Telegraph and the FT last week, following the release of an IoD report on its potential last week. We thought you should see the comparison between renewable biogas from AD and unconventional shale gas from fracking…
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Biogas from AD |
Shale gas from fracking |
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Could create 35,000 jobs |
Could create 35,000 jobs |
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10% of the UK’s annual domestic gas demand, every year. As long as we produce organic waste, AD will generate gas from it |
10% of current UK gas demand for 103 years if 10% of the reserves estimated by exploration companies are economic to extract |
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Biomethane worth £2-3bn to UK economy |
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Low carbon fuel with only 11g CO2 released per kWh |
Shale gas is still a fossil fuel which produces around half as much CO2 as coal, equivalent to around 400 g/ kWh |
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one of the few renewable options for gas vehicles and HGVs |
Can be used in gas vehicles and HGVs |
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Constant generation |
Unconventional fossil fuel (like coal-bed methane) with limited reserves |
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By-products: digestate biofertiliser and water which can be returned to the water courses |
By-products: wastewater and chemicals from the fracking process which cannot be recovered. |
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All risks managed under HSE and EA guidelines |
Risks: Pollution of aquifers, release of large quantities of methane gas into the atmosphere, low magnitude earthquakes |
Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive, ADBA:
“The government and industry should fully embrace biogas, a constantly generated, renewable gas, and one of the few renewables that could be scaled up and rolled out in time to meet our 2020 climate change targets.
“Going forward the UK will have to take a portfolio approach to energy supply in order to provide security. There is no one technology that can deliver all our energy needs, but renewable gas has significant potential and brings benefits above those that natural and shale gas can deliver. It needs to be the UK’s priority.”