Further down is an article on Germany’s decision to build a lot of combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) to integrate with solar and wind in their quest to reduce coal dependency for electrical power.
Proponents for the use of more natural gas (NG) to aid the energy transition use the following arguments:
NG in combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) produces roughly 50% of the CO2 emissions as a coal-fired power plant with negligible particulate matter (PM2.5), negligible nitrogen and sulphur gases (NOx & SOx), and negligible amounts of a few other trace gases that are generated by coal combustion.
Compressed NG (CNG) vehicles are “off-the-shelf” conversions and have been used for 40 years, having helped cities like Beijing and New Delhi reduce pollution and particulate matter (PM2.5) that comes from alternative fossil fuels (gasoline, diesel). CNG taxi-fleets are mandated is some congested cities.
NG is far safer in terms of accidents and injuries than coal, doesn’t generate huge spoil piles that may exude acidic drainage, is low sulphur (so desulphurization is not needed), does not require train or ship transport (+ buffer stockpiles at both ends of the delivery chain).
CCGT systems can ramp electrical power up and down relatively quickly to meet almost all of the daily demand fluctuations in a grid, whereas a coal-fired electricity plant (and nuclear reactors) operates at “steady-state power output”.
CCGT systems, because they can ramp up and down, can be more easily integrated with variable and irregular renewable energy sources (wind, solar) and pumped hydro and compressed air energy storage.
NG delivery infrastructure is in place in most countries, and NG has many other valuable uses as well.
CCGT emissions can be reduced even further through the use of compressed air energy storage from renewable in appropriately designed turbines
NG in homes and buildings can replace wood, fuel oil, or coal, thereby further reducing emissions per unit of power (electrical power and heat power).
In many jurisdictions, there is no grid baseload alternative to coal except for CCGT (i.e., no hydro potential or nuclear plant possibility)
…and a few other things…
Opponents use the following arguments:
NG is a fossil fuel and we must wean the world off these fuels, so fostering NG as a transition fuel is evading the larger critical climate change issues, and we could be “stuck” with CCGT-dominated grids that will be hard to transition.
Fugitive CH4 emissions from the upstream and transportation NG sides have a large impact on climate change because CH4 is a much more powerful agent on the greenhouse effect, and these emissions are larger than widely admitted.
Energy storage projects and a commitment to wind and solar (and perhaps some geothermal) can revolutionize the grid quickly, but if we allow NG to enter the transition phase we will slow it down massively, reducing technical innovation rate, and exacerbating the climate change concerns. Electrification of everything we can (habitats, transportation…), quickly, is needed, and if the electricity still is partially fossil-fuel sourced, we have not gained enough.
NG development involves hydraulic fracturing (fracking), which is dangerous.
NG development leaves behind legacy wellbores that may develop leaks in the future, contributing to fugitive methane emissions, and the cost to clean these up will become “socialized” (governments).
NG itself presents health risks, and NG upstream development can contaminate aquifers and enter into domestic water well supply.
Alternatives exist and must be better understood, more aggressively promoted and adopted, including better thermal construction of buildings (see EVOLV1 at Waterloo -https://www.sustainablewaterlooregion.ca/programs/evolvgreen/evolv1/ ), geothermal energy, and more energy storage capacity to handle solar and wind issues.
…and a few other things…
So now this article below discusses another twist in the arguments. It suggests that their NG infrastructure build-out will be designed to be able to transition to mixed fuels (H2 + CH4), and thence to hydrogen as it becomes more and more available as an energy storage medium as the energy transition proceeds and a “H2-economy” emerges.
So, at your next cocktail party, you now have a nice subject and some talking points to liven the conversation.
Maurice
Germany to build 25GW of “hydrogen ready” gas plants to back up wind and solar
Julian Wettengel 10 March 2023
Landesbergen gas-fired power plant, Germany. Source: Flickr, Statkraft, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Germany will use auctions to ensure new gas power plants are built, which the government sees as necessary to secure supply at times when renewable energy does not deliver enough electricity, said economy minister Robert Habeck.
“We will build the power plants we need for the times when wind and sun do not provide enough electricity out to tender,” said the minister at the presentation of a report on the progress of the country’s transition to climate neutrality.
In recent years, Germany has used auctions to incentivise and control the expansion of wind and solar energy. Companies compete in these tenders to receive financial support for renewable electricity.
“There are already instruments that we can use — and we will create more — so that by 2030 we will have created about 25 gigawatts of additional alternative capacity to coal-fired power plants.”
These would be powered by natural gas, and later hydrogen “as soon as possible,” he said. His government would present a “power plant strategy” by the summer.
The government parties had said in their coalition agreement that several new gas power units are necessary to complement renewable electricity production, but Germany’s energy industry has long warned that companies have little incentive to build them.
The plants would only be used when renewable energies do not supply enough electricity at peak demand periods, or at times when wind and solar is not sufficient. Keeping gas plants ready would have to be paid, instead of only the kilowatt hours produced, the industry has said.
Overall, things are looking up for Germany’s transformation towards a climate neutral energy system by 2045, as the country has “passed through the valley” regarding the expansion of wind and solar energy, said Habeck.
“Solar energy is clearly picking up and I am sure that we can achieve the goals we have set ourselves,” he added. “With onshore wind, we can see a clear trend that it’s not yet at a sufficient level.”
The ministry’s report, titled “Renewing prosperity in a climate-neutral way”, says that the government had managed to act quickly in response to the energy crisis fuelled by Russia’s war against Ukraine and succeeded in securing supply, stabilising the economy and relieving the population.
The next step is discussing ways to renew Germany’s economic prosperity and protect the climate at the same time. Aside from renewable energy expansion, grid development, ramping up the hydrogen economy and the transition in heating, the government is laying a clear focus on decarbonising industry.
As part of an upcoming industrial strategy, it aims to introduce “climate contract” subsidies to help companies switch to less climate-damaging ways of production, and to help industry get better direct access to cheap renewable electricity.
This story was first published on Clean Energy Wire. Reproduced with permission.