Environment
A clean source of energy
Environmental effects can occur on a local scale (noise, urban air pollution and changes in the landscape); on a regional scale (acid deposition); and on a global scale (potential global warming and ozone-layer depletion).
The use of natural gas, the combustion of which has lower emissions and can be used very efficiently,gives an important contribution to the reduction of these environmental effects.
Its use is growing for power generation and it is the fuel of choice for high efficiency cogeneration, providing significant energy efficiency and energy saving opportunities. Using natural gas can also improve urban air quality, including through use as a motor vehicle fuel, and reduce acid deposits. Natural gas can also be used in energy schemes in combination with renewable energy sources.
Green Gas Scenario
Eurogas base case analysis suggests that CO2 emissions will be higher than the level needed to meet the Kyoto commitments. But the green gas scenario shows that gas can play an important role in helping to fulfil the target. Environmental benefits are achieved through increased use of natural gas and slightly lower primary energy consumption.
Eurogas had previously developed a rule of thumb that increasing the natural gas share of the EU energy mix by 1% would reduce CO2 emissions by more than 2%. From the analysis we have developed for the next 20 years the reduction in CO2 appears to be 3% if natural gas use is increased by 1%.
Switching to natural gas improves efficiency thus lowering overall energy consumption and leading to further reductions in pollutants.
