Global biogas production expected to reach 2,141Bcf per year by 2024

Biogas remains a subsidy-dependent enterprise, high growth in short-term limited to regions where policy support already in place

BOULDER, Colo .- Widely utilized for onsite generation by industrial facilities and distributed customers, biogas offers reliable baseload power to the grid and benefits from favorable regulatory support in many national markets, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.

“Biogas feedstocks are available worldwide, but logistical challenges in collecting, transporting, and handling these feedstocks makes them viable in only a narrow set of circumstances,” said Roberto Rodriguez Labastida, senior research analyst with Navigant Research, in a press release.

Considered the cleanest renewable vehicle fuel in both the United States and the European Union, long-term growth of the biogas market will be dependent on a combination of technical improvements and an ability to develop untapped market opportunities.

“While projects using gas recovered from landfills are the cheapest source of renewable energy currently available, small-scale projects in more rural locations will need aggressive incentives to be competitive with other sources of energy,” said Labastida.

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According to the report, biogas remains a subsidy-dependent enterprise, and high growth in the short term will be limited to regions where policy support is already in place.

Breakthroughs in feedstock conversion rates and innovations in control systems will be necessary in improving the competitiveness of biogas and unlocking the potential of higher-cost resources.

The report, Market Data: Renewable Natural Gas, analyzes the global biogas market, focusing on four feedstock sources: waste, industrial, agricultural, and sewage. Policy issues and market drivers are detailed for each region.

The report also includes a discussion of key inflection points that will help shape the biogas market over the next several years. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.