Pacific Gas & Electric Company to research large-scale biomethane resources for its customers
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), one of the largest combination natural gas and electric utilities in the United States, announced that it has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to identify partners for a potential project to demonstrate technologies that could cost-effectively produce significant quantities of biomethane - pipeline-quality, renewable natural gas. The demonstration project is part of PG&E's commitment to increase the amount of clean energy it provides customers throughout its northern and central California service area. The company created an online biomethanation forum where interested parties can meet.
Biomethane is pipeline-quality gas derived from biomass as defined [*.pdf] by the California Energy Commission (CEC), which includes any organic material not derived from fossil fuels, including agricultural crops, agricultural and forestry wastes and residues, and construction wood wastes, among others. Biomethanation, also called anaerobic digestion, is the biochemical process of converting biomass to biogas via microorganisms. Alternatively, a thermochemical pathway based on the gasification of biomass can be used to yield socalled synthetic natural gas (called 'bio-SNG' or 'greengas' in Europe).
Renewable biogas is then purified and upgraded to pipeline quality and can be blended with natural gas in existing pipelines. This is done in Europe on an increasingly large scale. In the U.S., the first such project was announced only recently (previous post).
According to energy experts, the highly efficient gaseous biofuel holds a large potential across the world. In Europe, a comprehensive study showed that biogas can replace all of the continent's Russian gas imports by 2020. The EU could generate around 500 million cubic meters of biogas per year, sustainably. Estimates of the potential for China and the U.S. are even larger (previous post). PG&E is aware of this potential.
Emerging biomethanation technologies and processes may increase conversion efficiency, expand the range of usable feedstock, and improve the quality of biomethane products. To accelerate the commercial availability of these emerging biomethanation technologies, PG&E is seeking partners to develop and operate a facility that will demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of emerging technologies for developing significant quantities of biomethane:
energy :: sustainability :: natural gas :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: biogas :: biomethane :: biomethanation :: anaerobic digestion :: bio-SNG :: California ::
Through the proposed biomethanation demonstration project, PG&E intends to promote viable biomethanation technologies that convert CEC-approved sources of biomass into biomethane that could be injected into PG&E's gas transmission system and delivered for high-value uses such as dispatchable power generation.
PG&E will hold a networking forum on March 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its San Francisco headquarters to answer questions about the RFI and provide an opportunity for potential project partners to meet. Parties interested in attending the forum must register online by February 22, 2008, here [*.pdf]. For more information about the RFI, or to participate in PG&E's online biomethanation RFI forum, please visit: www.pge.com/rfi.
PG&E is a leader in utilizing biomethane. The utility recently received approval by the California Public Utilities Commission of its gas purchase agreements with Microgy, Inc. and with BioEnergy Solutions to deliver up to 8,000 MMBtu per day each of pipeline quality biomethane captured from cow manure.
PG&E currently supplies 12 percent of its power from qualifying renewable sources under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program. PG&E continues to aggressively add renewable electric power resources to its supply and is on target to exceed 20 percent under contract or delivered by 2010. On average, more than 50 percent of the energy PG&E delivers to its customers comes from generating sources that emit no carbon dioxide, providing among the cleanest energy in the nation.
References:
PG&E: Pacific Gas and Electric Company Seeks to Research Biomethane Resources for its Customers - January 24, 2008.
PG&E: biomethanation forum.
Biopact: Germany considers opening natural gas network to biogas - major boost to sector - August 11, 2007
Biopact: Market study tracks global boom in biogas, Germany technology leader - July 13, 2007
Biopact: Report: biogas can replace all EU natural gas imports - January 04, 2008
Biopact: A first for the U.S.: company feeds biomethane into natural gas pipeline - January 22, 2008
Biopact: EU research project looks at feeding biogas into the main natural gas grid - April 08, 2007
Biopact: Schmack Biogas and E.ON to build Europe's largest biogas plant, will feed gas into natural gas grid - July 18, 2007
Biomethane is pipeline-quality gas derived from biomass as defined [*.pdf] by the California Energy Commission (CEC), which includes any organic material not derived from fossil fuels, including agricultural crops, agricultural and forestry wastes and residues, and construction wood wastes, among others. Biomethanation, also called anaerobic digestion, is the biochemical process of converting biomass to biogas via microorganisms. Alternatively, a thermochemical pathway based on the gasification of biomass can be used to yield socalled synthetic natural gas (called 'bio-SNG' or 'greengas' in Europe).
Renewable biogas is then purified and upgraded to pipeline quality and can be blended with natural gas in existing pipelines. This is done in Europe on an increasingly large scale. In the U.S., the first such project was announced only recently (previous post).
According to energy experts, the highly efficient gaseous biofuel holds a large potential across the world. In Europe, a comprehensive study showed that biogas can replace all of the continent's Russian gas imports by 2020. The EU could generate around 500 million cubic meters of biogas per year, sustainably. Estimates of the potential for China and the U.S. are even larger (previous post). PG&E is aware of this potential.
There is a tremendous opportunity in California to utilize biomass, which would otherwise go unused, to contribute significantly to meeting the state's climate goals. With this request for information, we hope to identify promising biomethanation technologies and understand what the market needs for support. Biomethanation is the latest example of how PG&E is planning for the future by exploring innovative technologies to produce and deliver clean energy. - Fong Wan, vice president of Energy Procurement for PG&ECalifornia and the western region of North America contain large quantities of biomass, which could meaningfully contribute toward the state's renewable energy requirements while simultaneously providing other benefits, including greenhouse gas emission reduction, fire prevention, improved local air quality and landfill disposal reduction.
Emerging biomethanation technologies and processes may increase conversion efficiency, expand the range of usable feedstock, and improve the quality of biomethane products. To accelerate the commercial availability of these emerging biomethanation technologies, PG&E is seeking partners to develop and operate a facility that will demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of emerging technologies for developing significant quantities of biomethane:
energy :: sustainability :: natural gas :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: biogas :: biomethane :: biomethanation :: anaerobic digestion :: bio-SNG :: California ::
Through the proposed biomethanation demonstration project, PG&E intends to promote viable biomethanation technologies that convert CEC-approved sources of biomass into biomethane that could be injected into PG&E's gas transmission system and delivered for high-value uses such as dispatchable power generation.
PG&E will hold a networking forum on March 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its San Francisco headquarters to answer questions about the RFI and provide an opportunity for potential project partners to meet. Parties interested in attending the forum must register online by February 22, 2008, here [*.pdf]. For more information about the RFI, or to participate in PG&E's online biomethanation RFI forum, please visit: www.pge.com/rfi.
PG&E is a leader in utilizing biomethane. The utility recently received approval by the California Public Utilities Commission of its gas purchase agreements with Microgy, Inc. and with BioEnergy Solutions to deliver up to 8,000 MMBtu per day each of pipeline quality biomethane captured from cow manure.
PG&E currently supplies 12 percent of its power from qualifying renewable sources under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program. PG&E continues to aggressively add renewable electric power resources to its supply and is on target to exceed 20 percent under contract or delivered by 2010. On average, more than 50 percent of the energy PG&E delivers to its customers comes from generating sources that emit no carbon dioxide, providing among the cleanest energy in the nation.
References:
PG&E: Pacific Gas and Electric Company Seeks to Research Biomethane Resources for its Customers - January 24, 2008.
PG&E: biomethanation forum.
Biopact: Germany considers opening natural gas network to biogas - major boost to sector - August 11, 2007
Biopact: Market study tracks global boom in biogas, Germany technology leader - July 13, 2007
Biopact: Report: biogas can replace all EU natural gas imports - January 04, 2008
Biopact: A first for the U.S.: company feeds biomethane into natural gas pipeline - January 22, 2008
Biopact: EU research project looks at feeding biogas into the main natural gas grid - April 08, 2007
Biopact: Schmack Biogas and E.ON to build Europe's largest biogas plant, will feed gas into natural gas grid - July 18, 2007
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