Renewable natural gas (RNG), which raises many expectations to replace fossil energy and decarbonize Quebec’s economy, is perhaps not as abundant or as green as we believe.
This is the conclusion of a study carried out by Marc Dionne, a student in environmental sciences, and Éric Pineault, president of the scientific committee of the Institute of Environmental Sciences of the University of Quebec in Montreal.
“The available volume of RNG is uncertain and certainly much lower than the figures that have circulated so far,” the study concludes. It should be reserved for industrial uses for which there is no possibility of electrification.
In addition, its large-scale production of RNG from agricultural residues poses risks of deterioration of arable soils, the authors believe. RNG produced from forest biomass can also lead to the loss of areas of high ecological value and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions which would be offset much later in time by forest regeneration.
The authors of the study believe that there is a lack of knowledge on the production and use of a resource that has great environmental value and they question Énergir’s strategy, which wants to inject up to 10% of GNR in its network.
“Énergir’s current and medium-term business model does not involve prioritizing its industrial customers, for whom the supply of methane is critical because it is non-substitutable, but rather an indiscriminate distribution of RNG towards multiple uses. for which substitutes and alternatives exist,” say the authors
“We are moving headlong into major biomethanization projects like Énergir is doing without having all the knowledge,” says Éric Pineault. I understand that a company like Énergir wants to save its pipes, but there is not only a need for more knowledge, but also a public debate because there will be trade-offs to be made.”