The invasion of Ukraine has shown the importance of making countries less dependent on fossil fuels. Also, Europe has been facing rising energy prices for several months, but uncertainty about oversupply has exacerbated the problem.
The reduction of European dependence on fossil fuels can be achieved before 2030. To make it, the Commission proposes to create a REPowerEU plan, which increases the resilience of the energy system at the EU level by increasing the volume of production and import of renewable biomethane and hydrogen.
Decarbonized fuels are the future
Oil and natural gas must have been replaced by decarbonized or carbon-neutral alternatives. Therefore, it is essential to identify the origin of the fuels and the emissions generated in their process in order to use only those without a carbon footprint, such as biogas and biomethane.
Organic origin or renewable fuels
- Biogas is a decarbonized gas since the emissions produced during its combustion process are lower than those avoided by letting the organic material degrade naturally.
- The biomethane is obtained through a biogas cleaning process, from which CO2 and other impurities are removed to obtain the purest methane, which is similar to natural gas.
Biogas and biomethane have a possible use as fuels for local use near the place of production since their transport is pretty expensive.
- Green hydrogen (green H2): the water molecule is broken down using electrolysis created with 100 % renewable electricity to obtain hydrogen. This process does not generate CO2 emissions, and the resulting hydrogen is a totally decarbonized gas.
Iberdrola is spearheading the development of green hydrogen with over 60 projects in eight countries (Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and the United States, among others) in sectors such as industry and heavy transport.