402 tonnes CO2e

Global institutions, including the EU and United Nations, addressed the raft of policy shifts that are creating an enabling environment for renewable energies and particularly green gas.

The World Bank and International Energy Agency revealed the latest thinking on investment and cost-competitiveness of biomethane. The former spoke of how investors were getting out of oil and gas for fear of being left with stranded assets, and available mechanisms to support the development of anaerobic digestion. The International Energy Agency showed how the costs of producing biomethane are falling dramatically. The UN Climate Technology Centre & Network detailed funding avenues available.

US Congresswoman Chellie Pingree presented her Agriculture Resilience Act which places biogas at the heart of the fight to save America’s soils, farming businesses and food security, while tackling climate change. The rationale and measures proposed are a global roadmap.

Speakers from India outlined the market potential in the country in line with government policy to deliver 5,000 biogas facilities, to tackle air pollution from stubble burning and decarbonise heat and transport. Brazil presented a roadmap for how it can meet 36% of the country’s renewable electricity demand through biogas. Denmark presented its blueprint for achieving 100% biomethane in the grid by 2040. California detailed the how it can achieve carbon neutrality at a cost of 0.5% of annual GDP by deploying biogas. And how achieving 20% renewable natural gas in the grid could deliver the same reduction in GHG emissions as the 100% electrification of all domestic housing.

Craig Jamieson who is pioneering rice straw to biogas technology in the Philippines revealed how the process could be the key to addressing GHG emissions from rice cultivation – which at 1bn tonnes globally is greater than annual aviation emissions.

There were a host of presentations on new technologies and advanced biorefining processes, including power-to-gas and creating transport fuels from biomethane to replace diesel fuel.

Last year the WBA produced its landmark report on the Global Potential of Biogas. They key finding: anaerobic digestion has the potential to reduce global GHG emissions by 12% by 2030. At the eFest its conclusions were not only confirmed but advanced. But most critically it provided a platform for the industry to share the support, mechanisms and strategies they have employed to make this happen. And that knowledge exchange about how to deliver was perhaps what was most valuable legacy of the event.