Advantages of Biomethane over Other Sources of Energy
Rapid depletion of non-renewable energy resources and the threat of global climate change have forced the energy sector to look for alternative sources of energy in order to generate enough energy and preserve the environment at the same time. Unfortunately, the technology for utilization of green energy remains very expensive or unable to satisfy the world’s need for energy, or both. There is, however, one alternative source of energy which has great potential when it comes to efficient power generation at acceptable cost – biomethane.
In contrary to fossil fuel derived methane which is available only in limited amounts, biomethane is a renewable source of energy. It is produced from organic waste (dead animal and plant material), sewage, manure, slurry, etc. which will never run out as long as there will be life on this planet. In addition to providing a renewable source of energy, biomethane can be produced just about everywhere in the world. The access to natural gas and other fossil fuels, on the other hand, is available only in a few parts of the world because the deposits are distributed very unevenly. In addition, they can be located in hard to reach areas such as deep beneath the ocean floor making extraction very expensive and dangerous for both the environment and people. Biomethane, on the other hand, requires only collection of organic matter which is easily available throughout the world.
Another great advantage of biomethane over fossil fuels is the fact that it does not harm the environment in any way. In contrary to fossil fuel extraction, production of biomethane does not require any dramatic interventions into nature and does not pose any significant risk of pollution or biodiversity loss. Even more, it helps preserve the environment from pollution as organic waste can be harmful to the environment as well in large enough concentrations. But the greatest advantage of biomethane over fossil fuels is the fact that it does not contribute to carbon dioxide emissions despite the fact that biomethane combustion produces this greenhouse gas as well. This is due to the fact that the utilization of biomethane is basically only utilization of energy which is released during the natural decomposition of organic matter. Carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere during biomethane combustion equals the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted during natural decomposition of manure for instance. Fossil fuel burning, on the other hand, increases the emissions of carbon dioxide because the gas would not be released into the atmosphere if it would not be extracted and utilized for power generation by humans.
In comparison to other environmentally friendly and renewable sources of energy such as wind power, wood burning stoves, solar power, tidal power, etc., biomethane has two important advantages – availability and usability. In contrary to biomethane which can be produced all over the world, the mentioned energy resources cannot be taken advantage by all countries as their utilization depends on geographical position and weather conditions of particular region or county. You can read a good guide here about Hetas approved stoves, carbon monoxide and smoke control in your area. The mentioned green sources of energy also have a limited usability and are typically utilized only for electricity generation. Biomethane, on the other hand, can be used to generate electricity and produce heat but it can also be used as fuel.