About: biogas
Europe rediscovers biogas in search for energy independence
The war in Ukraine has given renewable gas a new impetus, with the European Commission proposing to ramp up biomethane production to 35 billion cubic metres (bcm) by 2030, up from 3 bcm in 2020. In Europe, France has taken the lead, EURACTIV.fr reports.
Germany to use controversial biomass amid energy crisis
Biomass will be used to meet particularly high energy demands, according to the German government's so-called "Easter Package", which aims to use agricultural raw materials for energy production in response to the war in Ukraine. VideoPromoted content
REPowering the EU with biomethane
The renewable gas sector is ready to deliver, but coordinated efforts and investments will be required to reach those goals. Watch EBA's statement to learn more.
Commission doubles ambition for EU biomethane production from agricultural waste
The European Commission has doubled its objective for home-grown biomethane production to 35 billion cubic metres per year by 2030 as part of efforts to bolster the bloc against a looming energy crisis, according to a new communication.
Commission mulls new communication on impact of energy crisis on the agri sector
The European Commission is considering a new, separate communication on the impact of the energy crisis focused specifically on the agriculture sector alongside a broader communication on the energy crisis, according to sources.
10 measures the EU should adopt to reduce Russian gas dependency
The International Energy Agency has presented the EU with 10 measures to reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas within a year, without it having to abandon its environmental objectives set out in the Green Deal. EURACTIV France reports.
How Europe can rapidly reduce its gas dependency
The EU currently pays an estimated 360 billion euros a year to import fossil fuels – which in the case of gas ends up heating often inefficient and leaky homes, a sum equal to the need for clean energy investmentst to meet the EU's 2030 climate and energy targets, write Michaela Holl and Jan Rosenow.
LEAK: Commission banks on biogas to protect EU farmers from energy crisis
Biogas production has been earmarked as a key way to help fortify the EU's struggling farm sector against burgeoning energy costs, according to a draft of the European Commission’s communication on energy prices due to be published next month.
Gas wins recognition as ‘transitional technology’ to climate neutrality
The lower carbon intensity of natural gas – which produces half the emissions of coal when burned in power plants – and the emergence of new technologies like hydrogen are setting gas apart from other fossil fuels in the clean energy transition.
Germany should protect moors, consume less meat to reach EU’s new climate targets, say experts
In Germany, where agriculture is officially responsible for 6.3% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, around 14 million tonnes of greenhouse gases must be saved in order to reach the Paris climate goals. But now that the EU climate targets are to be raised, what contribution can the agriculture sector make? EURACTIV Germany reports.
Leave nothing to waste in agriculture: Spain’s race to top circular economy
The agrifood sector has no intention of staying behind in the race for leading the circular economy, in which everything, even the tiniest waste from crops and industries, can have an added value and help the economic, environmental and social sustainability. EURACTIV’s partner EFEAGRO reports.
Renewable gases bring European jobs that cannot be outsourced
Deployment of renewable gases will bring the local job opportunities the new Commission is striving for in the European Green Deal, write Wouter Terlouw and Thibaud Lemercier.
EU plans ‘big increase’ in green gas to meet climate goals
Production of biogas, biomethane and “green” hydrogen will have to skyrocket by at least 1,000% over the next three decades in order to reach the EU’s climate neutrality objective for 2050, an EU official has said.
Renewable gases: Where do they stand in the EU’s 2050 energy roadmap?
Widely accepted as a “transition fuel” until 2030 to help wean Europe from coal, gas is also positioning itself as a clean fuel beyond that date. But meeting the EU’s 2050 climate goals will require a deep transformation of the sector, amid growing competition from solar and wind power.
Bioenergy, forestry sectors jump on EU’s green finance bandwagon
Bioenergies, including wood, biofuels and forest-based industries, should be recognised under the EU’s draft sustainable finance taxonomy, in line with the recently-updated renewable energy directive, an industry coalition has claimed.
Gas industry storms into EU green finance taxonomy debate
Industry executives argue fossil gas should be considered green when it displaces coal in power generation, sparking fresh controversy around an upcoming EU sustainable finance taxonomy aimed at rewarding investments in clean technologies.
Calls grow for EU-wide certificates to boost market for ‘green gas’
The market for Guarantees of Origin (GOs) linked to renewable gas is currently in its infancy. But with demand building up, industry figures – and environmentalists – are now calling for existing certification schemes to be harmonised and made mandatory across the European Union.
Europeans confront biomethane cost reduction challenge
Biomethane production costs are expected to fall in the coming decade as more biogas plants come on stream. But analysts warn that massive cost reductions like in the solar and wind power sector are unlikely and policy measures will be needed to prop up this fledgeling renewable energy industry.
Academic: Higher carbon price needed to ramp up EU biomethane production
The price of CO2 credits on Europe’s emissions trading scheme needs to rise to around €50 per tonne in order to drive the long-term development of Europe’s biomethane industry, says Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega, a French researcher.
The future of biogas in Europe: it’s a local affair
The prospects for biogas in Europe look bright, with conservative estimates pointing to a tenfold increase in production by 2030. However, the industry will need to stay rooted in the local economy and come clean on environmental credentials if it wants to avoid a green backlash, analysts say.
Biomethane in the EU
Biogas production remains tiny at the moment in Europe, but the industry has big plans for the future, provided costs can be lowered and environmental issues addressed. In this special report, EURACTIV looks into the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
‘We need this dinosaur’: EU lifts veil on gas decarbonisation strategy
As the new European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen prepares to take office, one of its key priorities will be to deliver on a new market design for gas that will have EU decarbonisation objectives at its core. And natural gas of fossil origin will play a significant part, officials say.
Four energy storage projects that could transform Europe
A demonstration plant in Germany that converts wind electricity into hydrogen is probably the most emblematic of a series of pilot projects that could radically transform Europe’s energy landscape in the coming decade.