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Turning Organic Waste into Energy with Renewable Natural Gas

Turning Organic Waste into Energy with Renewable Natural Gas

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When you think of cows, you probably picture expansive green pastures, not natural gas pipelines. But at a dairy farm in Stanley, New York, gas made from cow manure is now being injected into the NYSEG natural gas delivery system that provides energy to our customers. A production facility was placed into service in October 2021 and there are plans for similar facilities across the state in 2022.

NYSEG is working to provide customers with safe, reliable energy while exploring opportunities for utilizing low-carbon fuels as a portion of our energy supplies. Right now, the transition is just beginning – many households in New York State rely on conventional natural gas for heating and cooking at an affordable monthly rate. Incorporating renewable natural gas (RNG) into the natural gas distribution network helps to provide that same safe, reliable service NYSEG customers expect, with a lower carbon footprint.

Here’s how renewable natural gas works:

When organic matter (think everything from food scraps to lawn clippings) decomposes, it releases methane gas. When animals produce waste, the organic matter in their manure immediately begins to decompose, releasing methane – the primary component of natural gas. The methane in conventional natural gas is anthropogenic, meaning humans have harnessed it from its original form. RNG technology is a way to repurpose waste using the methane emitted from cow manure, as well as the waste of any other animal or human, instead of consuming conventional natural gas. While the sources differ, the methane molecules are exactly the same and can be safely used in customer gas appliances.

Using equipment called an anaerobic digestor, the waste is broken down into gas and solids. The solids may be used as fertilizer and animal bedding, whereas the gas is typically released into the atmosphere as methane.

Turning animal waste into clean, renewable natural gas occurs by sequestering the methane emitted from the decomposition process, removing impurities and then injecting it into the existing natural gas distribution network, where it displaces conventional natural gas and reduces the greenhouse gas emissions of agriculture. Renewable natural gas is generally considered carbon-negative, meaning RNG production removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it creates. The facility in Stanley diverts more than 52,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year—comparable to taking 10,400 cars off the road every year.

But the process doesn’t end when the methane is created and captured from the animal waste. At this phase, it’s considered raw biogas – not yet ready for use. This raw biogas contains impurities that need to be removed or upgraded before it is injected into the natural distribution network.

Once upgraded from raw biogas to RNG, the product can be used in existing natural gas infrastructure without the need for any retrofitting, and NYSEG can maintain a high level of safety for our customers, as well as employees of NYSEG, the farm and the biogas facility.

The farm in Stanley generates about 6,000 standard cubic feet of RNG per hour – enough to heat about 100 homes. It takes the waste of seven cows to create one cubic foot of RNG, so there is still a need to rely on conventional natural gas. However, manure isn’t the only potential source of RNG; it can also be produced from landfills, food waste facilities and wastewater treatment plants, among others. AVANGRID continues to research and develop innovative technologies that foster and promote the use of low-carbon fuels that provide sustainable and affordable energy for the benefit of our customers and the environment. This project represents the first of many and is a significant step forward in our journey to be a leader in the energy transition for decades to come.

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