Next month, Austrian energy company, Salzburg AG, will open its first cellulosic biomethane gas NGV station in Eugendorf, Austria. At that time, customers will be able to fill up their NGVs with a climate-friendly blend of 20 percent CO2-neutral biomethane and 80 percent natural gas at a price that beats all other transport fuels.
Salzburg AG built the first part of a new dedicated gas infrastructure
– a 1.25 mile pipeline — which feeds the biomethane into its existing
local natural gas grid. In 2008, the company will supply this
biomethane to 14 similar stations that currently offer natural gas in
the city and federal state of Salzburg. The regional energy
administration is the station’s first customer and will run its fleet
on the green gas.
The biomethane is produced from fermenting smooth meadow-grass (Poa
pratensis, known in the U.S. as Kentucky bluegrass), an important
meadow species found extensively in Austria’s grasslands, where it is
used by grazing livestock like cattle and sheep. The grass is grown and
harvested in a sustainable manner. This feedstock was chosen because
the species grows well with few inputs, and it allows the landscape to
be conserved. No new energy crops need to be planted. An added
economic benefit is that the residual output from the fermentation
process is organic fertilizer. One acre of crops can produce enough
biomethane to power an average car for 10,000 to 15,000 miles.
According to Salzburg AG, natural gas also has significant economic
advantages for consumers. For the same amount of money it would take
to drive 150 miles on biomethane, a diesel vehicle would only travel 96
miles and a gasoline vehicle only 73 miles.
Austrian regional energy administrator, Sepp Eisl said the next step is
to increase the biomethane share to 80 percent of the blend. “In the
future, we will pursue the goal of ensuring that 80 percent of all
driven kilometers are based on biogas. This fuel production pathway is
absolutely innovative and pollution free, for several reasons: the
biogas is produced without any inputs of synthetic fertilizers or
pesticides. It is locally produced and does not require any
transportation. Local jobs are created and secured, and regional value
is created because the project contributes to landscape conservation.”
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