The natural gas industry is actively working to replace a portion of conventional natural gas with lower carbon gases. Renewable Natural Gas can be produced using waste streams such as animal manure and is a carbon neutral direct replacement for conventional gas. Hydrogen produces no CO2 emissions when combusted and there are multiple ways to produce environmentally friendly Hydrogen which can be blended with conventional gas to reduce the carbon intensity of the gas when consumed. In addition, the industry continues to reduce upstream emissions and is working to introduce lower carbon gasses through its existing infrastructure. Learn more about gas industry initiatives in this section.
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Lower Carbon Gases
/ Lower Carbon Gases
Lower Carbon Gases
/ Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)
Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) is methane that is captured and refined from biogases that would otherwise be released from a variety of decomposing organic waste material such as municipal waste, wastewater sludge, animal manure, food waste, biogenic feedstocks, agricultural residues, forest product residues, and energy crops. RNG is considered to be carbon neutral and is a direct replacement for conventional Natural Gas.
/ Hydrogen
As we transition to a low carbon, clean energy economy, hydrogen will play a key role as an emissions free energy source. In most applications, hydrogen can be delivered through existing natural gas pipelines and combustion equipment in blends up to thirty percent to lower the fuel’s carbon content.
/ Responsibly Sourced Gas
Responsibly Sourced Gas or Certified Gas is conventional natural gas that has been certified by a third party to verify that the highest standards and practices were used to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts. Certifications help ensure customers that their gas is sourced with minimal environmental and societal impacts, which mitigates Greenhouse gas emissions.
/ Power-to-Gas
Renewable electricity may produce more power than demand for electricity at certain times of day. Power-2-Gas (P2G) is the electrolytic conversion of this surplus renewable electricity into storable gaseous hydrogen. This hydrogen can be injected into existing natural gas infrastructure in amounts up to thirty percent, or it can be converted into clean fuels, such as synthetic methane.
/ Transition to a Low Carbon Future
North America’s natural gas infrastructure is a uniquely integrated network that can transport and distribute low to zero carbon fuels such as renewable natural gas and hydrogen throughout North America to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
/ Implications of Hydrogen Combution
Because hydrogen does not contain carbon, hydrogen combustion does not produce carbon dioxide. Hydrogen can be blended with natural gas which reduces onsite emissions. Natural gas operators limit hydrogen blends to the twenty to thirty percent range while they continue to study the impacts of higher blend percentages.