Page 24 - European Energy Innovation - Autumn 2016 publication
P. 24
24 Autumn 2016 European Energy Innovation
COMMUNICATION
Dialogue for Climate Change:
Lowering CO2 emissions with
natural gas
By Gerald Linke (pictured)
The Paris UN summit on Natural gas emits the least CO2 of all
climate change once again existing conventional energy carriers
emphatically emphasised that when burned, and thus can help reduce
a fast and efficient reduction large amounts of CO2 emissions in a
of CO2 emissions is essential if we want very short time.
to effectively limit global warming. We
should consume no more than 565 HIGHLIGHTING THE POTENTIAL OF
billion tons of CO2 by the middle of this NATURAL GAS
century. But, how can we achieve this The most important thing now is to
goal in view of a constantly growing use good arguments to explain that
population and the general demand there is no better alternative if we
for mobility and comfort? Researchers want short-term success in climate
have made huge progress in recent protection. After all, natural gas can
decades, paving the way for innovative be used in a wide variety of ways from
technologies designed to increase generating heat and power through
energy efficiency and the use of to mobility. In Germany, for example,
wind, solar and renewable energies; there are millions of out-dated boilers.
while these developments are most The replacement by 2020 of 10 million
promising they cannot, on their own, of these boilers by modern natural
reduce CO2 emissions to the gas technologies such as, for instance,
required level. micro-CHP systems or gas heat pumps
would help save 20 million tonnes of
Natural gas combined with renewables CO2 per annum. This measure would be
can, by contrast, provide a basis for a more efficient from both the property
sustainable and efficient energy supply. owners’ and the national economy
Being the cleanest of all fossil fuels, points of view than the energetic
natural gas yields the highest amount refurbishment of buildings.
of energy content per unit of carbon
burnt. This is the decisive criterion What is more, natural gas is available
that we must focus on to achieve the in abundance, accompanied by an
2-degree climate target. Natural gas excellent supply infrastructure that
has to take a dominant role among the permits the storage of surplus energy
traditional energy carriers in the energy if sunny and windy days produce more
mix if it is to contribute efficiently to power than the grids can handle.
global climate protection. For example, The keyword here is “power-to-gas
when burned, natural gas emits only technology”: Electrolysis produces
about half as much CO2 as lignite or hydrogen and, in a second step,
black coal, and about one-third less methane from water. Both products
CO2 than crude oil. In other words: can be fed into existing gas lines for
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