POWER May 2021 - 7

GLOBAL MONITOR
uses relies largely on existing infrastructure,
thanks to the substantial reliance
on natural gas to meet heating and other
building energy needs in many regions of
the U.S. In the long term, this infrastructure
is likely to be gradually phased out
as electrification and efficiency efforts
move forward, " noted the WRI.
In recent years, meanwhile, an increasing
number of natural gas utilities-
a total of 15 as of September 2020-and
states had either active or under-development
voluntary RNG procurement programs
for residential, commercial, and
industrial customers. Industrial consumers,
which consume more natural gas
than any other sector for heating, onsite
power generation, or as an intermediate
feedstock for the production of fertilizers
and other chemical products, represent a
latent market, the WRI suggests.
Looking ahead, RNG may be used
to produce hydrogen, which may in
turn be used for fuel cell vehicles, for
combustion-based heat in stationary
applications, as a feedstock in industrial
processes, as a storage medium, or as
fuel for electricity. Bloom Energy and
California Bioenergy, for example, are developing
dairy projects to convert biogas
to power directly using fuel cell technology;
the power produced will generate
2. The Optima KV project in Duplin County, North Carolina, captures methane from the hog
waste of five local farms. The project injects the renewable natural gas into the Piedmont Natural
Gas system, which transports it to Duke Energy's Smith Energy Complex in Richmond County,
where it has been used to produce electricity since 2018. Under North Carolina's Renewable
Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard law, Duke must generate 0.2% of its retail
sales in the state from swine waste by 2024. Courtesy: Duke Energy
credits for California's LCFS. Bloom estimates
the technology could produce
320 MW of dairy biogas, which could be
used for onsite power generation or for
electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Stifel, notably, expects the proliferation
of LCFS programs and the growth of
EV demand to be game-changers. " Beginning
with policy, we expect the expansion
of LCFS programs across the U.S.,
with Oregon and Washington being the
next to implement programs formally, "
it said. " Regarding EV demand, Bloomberg
Intelligence forecasts [an estimated
22-fold] increase in gigawatts consumed
by EV chargers from 2020 to 2040. "
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POWER May 2021

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