Interview with Kees van der Leun, speaker about gas at the incoming European Utility Week: “Biogas production? Italy is a frontrunner with 2 billion cubic meters per year, 8 billion cubic meters per year by 2030”. The current and future direction of Europe’s energy policy, as well as the shape, size and mix of the energy network is a hot topic. There are many opportunities and challenges in designing tomorrow’s energy mix but it is important for role-players to understand the affordability of future energy solutions, along with the diversity needed to provide security of supply.
Gas playing a role in the energy transition
While solar and wind energy development is charging ahead and becoming competitive with fossil fuels, the role that the gas network can play in meeting the demands of tomorrow’s energy industry should not be undermined. This is according to Kees van der Leun, Director of Ecofys-a Navigant company who explained that gas can play a support role in the development of renewable energy.
Kees explains further: “Discussions around the development of renewables to reduce emissions have become very relevant for the gas industry as a whole. The Paris agreement has seen a number of ambitious targets being set and the gas industry has its own responsibility to think about environmental issues. Their discussions and plans should be in line with the rest of the energy sector.”
A transition fuel
According to Kees, Europe’s gas and biogas industries are currently in a state of rapid development as a result of the region’s changing energy system. He said that while the natural gas industry presents itself as ‘transition fuel’, there are still many discussions around what this means for the industry in the future. To comply with the Paris Agreement, it will need to come up with zero-emissions solutions, involving renewable gas, such as biogas or hydrogen from renewables. Then it can have great value in providing capacity when renewable electricity supply is tight.
Biogas is often viewed as limited in supply and potential when compared to natural gas but there are some interesting developments as far as supply quantities are concerned, explains Kees. For instance, in Italy, the Biogas Done Right model, actively fostered by the Italian Biogas Consortium CIB, is a sustainable and practical way to produce food, feed and energy while decarbonising the footprint of the agricultural sector. This model, based on sequential cropping, produces additional biomass while capturing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Sequential cropping can be a promising model to produce additional biomass without negative impacts on land use change or food production. Larger quantities will help reduce costs to improve competitiveness. When it comes to biogas production, Italy is a frontrunner with 2 billion cubic meters per year. The country aims to quadruple this figure to 8 billion cubic meters per year by 2030.
Building the case for gas
Biogas development is reliant on gas infrastructure which could be removed in the future energy sector, explains Kees.
He adds: “I think the role for gas should be retained as it can have a number of benefits for the energy transition. The gas sector will have to develop a clear view of how gas can play a role in a zero-emission energy system and this is what will drive investment and shape the future of gas.”
For more information: European Utility Week 3-5 October 2017, RAI Amsterdam
