How Renewable Energy and Natural Gas Can Work Together
By Christopher Flavin & Saya Kitasei
One of the more encouraging developments of the past year is
growing evidence that renewable energy and natural gas could be the
cornerstones of a low-carbon power sector-and sooner than many
experts had thought possible.
Wind and solar resources are abundant and can be converted into
electricity using technologies that emit no greenhouse gases.
Natural gas, as Worldwatch’s
target=”_blank”>Natural Gas and Sustainable Energy Initiative
has reported on
year, offers a cleaner alternative to coal that can deliver sharp,
immediate reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from the power
sector-if new supplies can be produced responsibly.
A new Worldwatch report,
target=”_blank”>Powering the Low-Carbon Economy: The Once
and Future Roles of Renewable Energy and Natural
Gas, examines the synergies between renewable
energy and natural gas in the power sector. The report concludes
that four key mechanisms can enable the combination of renewable
energy and natural gas to displace coal and provide needed
reductions in power-sector emissions.
First, air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide,
and mercury must be tightly regulated. Second, a cost must be
attached to emitting carbon dioxide. Third, electricity system
operators should allow wind and solar plants to balance their own
output with on-site resources.
And finally, the markets on which system operators purchase
electricity must be highly responsive, allowing them to react to
fluctuations in electricity supply and demand as rapidly as
possible. Working together, renewable energy and natural gas can
accelerate the decarbonization of the world’s electricity system
and form the foundation of tomorrow’s low-carbon economy.
We are pleased to note that Deutsche Bank agrees with our
conclusion. In a
target=”_blank”>report released in November, the global
investment bank proclaimed natural gas to be the “low-risk
approach” to a low-carbon future for the United States. The report
concluded that switching from coal to natural gas in the power
sector is key to achieving the Obama administration’s goal of
cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2030.
According to Deutsche Bank, the natural gas share of U.S. power
generation can be raised from 23 percent in 2009 to 35 percent in
2030, while coal’s share is cut from 47 percent to 21 percent. Like
Worldwatch, Deutsche Bank also sees gas-fired power generation as
providing the flexible power supply needed to facilitate a growing
role for clean but variable power sources like wind and solar
energy.
The new Worldwatch report was released at a symposium on “
of Natural Gas in a Low-Carbon Economy,” hosted by the
International Gas Union and Worldwatch as a side event at the
December Cancún climate conference. At the symposium, speakers from
governments, NGOs, and the natural gas industry discussed the
contribution that natural gas can make to international greenhouse
gas mitigation efforts. Presentations and video footage will be
available soon.
Natural gas can and must improve clean
energy access around the world, whether by displacing coal,
facilitating the growth of renewable energy, or replacing dirtier
fuels in transportation and buildings.
At the symposium, panelist Kandeh Yumkella, Director General of
the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO),
reminded participating speakers and delegates that access to clean
energy remains a key public health, environmental, and development
challenge.
In its second year, Wordlwatch’s Natural Gas and Sustainable
Energy Initiative will focus on the potential for natural gas to
enhance clean energy access in the developing world, while
continuing its work on the environmental challenges and
opportunities that natural gas presents.
Source: blogs.worldwatch.org
