Energy Vision/Argonne Analysis Shows Growth in US Renewable Natural Gas Industry

(Energy Vision) Expanding RNG Could Be a Key Strategy for Cutting Methane Emissions and Tackling Climate Change -- The sustainable energy NGO Energy Vision today released its latest assessment of the US renewable natural gas (RNG) industry, performed on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory. The assessment compiles a database of current and projected RNG production facilities. It shows rapid growth in RNG production nationwide.

That growth is evidence that RNG could be an important strategy for cutting methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The US and over 100 other countries have committed to cutting methane 30% by 2030 under the Global Methane Pledge.

Decomposing organic wastes (landfill, wastewater, animal manure, food waste) account for 30% of all anthropogenic methane emissions in the U.S. These wastes are the feedstocks for RNG. Energy Vision estimates that capturing and processing half of the existing feedstocks
into RNG would get the U.S. halfway to its Methane Pledge goal.

RNG, also known as biomethane, is made from the methane biogases which are emitted as organic wastes such as food waste, livestock manure and municipal wastewater decompose. Instead of allowing these biogases to escape into the atmosphere, RNG production involves
capturing the methane from landfills or in tanks called “anaerobic digesters” and refining it into the lowest carbon fuel available for transportation today. According to Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET emissions modeling tool, RNG produced from anaerobic digestion of food waste or farm manure is net carbon-negative over its lifecycle of production, transport and use; i.e., more greenhouse gases are captured in producing the fuel than are emitted by the vehicles burning it.

The new assessment finds the number of RNG production facilities in the U.S. that are operational, under construction or planned has increased by 33.5% year over year (from 313 in December 2020 to 418 by the close of 2021). That includes 230 RNG production facilities
now operating (up 46% from 2020), 108 projects under construction (up 42%), and at least 80 projects in various stages of planning.

The 230 operational projects can produce enough fuel to displace nearly 574 million gallons of diesel fuel – enough to power 63,800 refuse trucks per year (35% of the refuse trucks in the US). That represents a 24% increase in production capacity since 2020. And with 188 new
RNG projects under construction or being planned, rapid capacity growth should continue in the years ahead.