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international news

ORGANIC WASTE- HYDROGEN NEEDS MULTI-BILLION
DERIVED BIOGAS COULD DOLLAR SUBSIDIES TO MAKE IT COST

MEET 20% OF GLOBAL EFFECTIVE, SAY RESEARCHERS
GAS DEMAND, SAYS IEA

THE FALLING COST OF producing
BIOGAS AND hydrogen from renewable power offers
BIOMETHANE a promising route to cutting emissions,
derived from but governments need to step in and
organic waste provide $150 billion of subsidies
have “huge over the next decade to scale up the
untapped technology, according to research from
potential” to provide clean Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).
energy globally, according to the Renewable hydrogen can be made
International Energy Agency (IEA). by splitting water into hydrogen and
A new report by the IEA, released oxygen, using electricity generated by
on 19 March, claims the world’s cheap wind and solar power.
biogas and biomethane resources The technology to do this is
could cover 20 per cent of global gas currently funded by companies, but
demand while reducing greenhouse BNEF estimates that if governments
gas (GHG) emissions. worldwide were to provide $150 billion
The organisation claims that vast (£120.7 billion) in funding over the next
amounts of organic waste such as 10 years - less than half the amount
agricultural residues, food waste currently spent on subsidies for fossil
and animal manure could be used fuel consumption - that would help HYDROGEN PRODUCTION AT
HELLISHEIDI GEOTHERMAL
to produce biogas and biomethane, halve the cost of producing hydrogen POWER PLANT, ICELAND
providing clean energy sources for from renewable energy sources.
the world. The BNEF Hydrogen Economy The cost of electrolyser technology to
“Biogas and biomethane can play Outlook said that usage of carbon-free make hydrogen from renewable power
major roles in a sustainable energy hydrogen is currently small and costs has fallen by 40 per cent in the last five
future,” said Dr Fatih Birol, the are high, slowing the deployment of years in Europe and North America,
IEA’s Executive Director, “but for hydrogen production, storage and while Chinese-made systems are 80 per
the moment we’re missing out on transport infrastructure, which could cent cheaper than those in the West,
this opportunity to cut waste and help industries decarbonise. according to BNEF.
cut emissions. “This needs policy coordination This has encouraged industries
“A push from governments can across government, frameworks for such as steel, heavy vehicles,
give biogas and biomethane the private investment and the roll-out shipping, cement, fertilisers and
necessary momentum, with benefits of around $150 billion of subsidies power generation to explore measures
across energy, transport, agriculture over the next decade,” said Kobad to replace natural gas usage with
and the environment.” Bhavanagri, Head of Industrial hydrogen, to cut carbon emissions
Decarbonisation at BNEF. under climate targets.

CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN GIVES EUROPE 24%

DROP IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS in scenario run of our pan-European
Europe will drop 24.4 per cent in 2020 power model on some early signs
because of the coronavirus lockdown, of demand decreases observed
according to a new analysis. in member states affected by the THE PANDEMIC HAS SEEN
The projection by Marcus lockdown,” writes Ferdinand, Head A GLOBAL REDUCTION IN
HARMFUL EMISSIONS
Ferdinand of Independent Commodity of ICIS’s European Carbon and
Intelligence Services mirrors a 25 per Power Analytics. “Further, we based entered lockdown on 24 March and
cent drop forecast for China by the assumptions for industry and airline other EU member states have placed
Centre for Research in Energy and demand on news reporting of planned strict measures in place.
Clean Air. Europe can expect to emit measures and the potential impact on In March, Italy halted or nearly
388.8 million tons less of carbon than it production and aviation emissions.” halted automotive and steel
did before COVID-19, Ferdinand writes Italy went into lockdown on 9 March; production and closed non-essential
in ICIS’s Early Impact Assessment. Spain, France and Belgium followed factories, resulting in reduced power
“We have based our first COVID-19 in mid-March. The United Kingdom demand, reports Forbes.

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News.indd 6 16/04/2020 15:42