Failing to do so would pose grave risks to our industries, communities and nature.<\/p>\n
However, almost every business sector is struggling to make the changes required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a difficult economic situation, especially hard-to-abate industries like shipping.<\/p>\n
A novel solution – using animal waste from farms – could play a key role in addressing these challenges and support long-term, clean growth for the sector.<\/p>\n
Dependence on fossil fuels<\/strong><\/p>\n Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine underscored and exacerbated Europe\u2019s long term energy security concerns, and those of its marine sector. In spite of moves to reduce dependence, Europe remains the largest customer of Russian pipeline and LNG gas (CREA).<\/p>\n In addition, the economic impact of EU\u2019s sanctions on Russia have begged questions over the feasibility of states and industries achieving their decarbonisation goals:<\/p>\n The European Parliament says that the EU now needs to move out of crisis management mode and focus on achieving energy security and tackling the climate crisis.<\/p>\n By adopting and producing alternative fuels domestically, European states and industry can reduce their dependence on Russian fossil fuels while mitigating carbon emissions: addressing these crucial challenges in tandem.<\/p>\n Adopting alternative fuels<\/strong><\/p>\n The marine sector currently accounts for around 3% of global CO2 emissions. However, without adequate monitoring and supporting measures, it could be responsible for 17% by 2050 (Carbon Trust). As ships are disconnected from energy grids, it will be one of the toughest sectors to decarbonise.<\/p>\n Alternative fuels are being touted as the solution, with many offering meaningful decarbonisation while requiring little to no modification to existing ship engines.<\/p>\n Cycle\u00d8\u2019s integrated green gas solution, for example, captures methane and the naturally occurring carbon emissions from agri-food, industrial and municipal waste and converts them into a carbon-negative fuel for ships and docks.<\/p>\n We will work directly with these off-takers to share or construct new facilities for handling green gas\u202fat the ports themselves and already have a framework agreement in place for the bunkering of biomethane as an alternative fuel for ships.<\/p>\n The ports are therefore able to ensure that their customers have access to biomethane, which has a negative carbon intensity, and will significantly reduce the emissions and environmental impacts of the marine and agri-food sectors.<\/p>\n Next generation green gas<\/strong><\/p>\n The positive impacts and benefits of this technology also go far beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy security. Its deployment creates new jobs, boosts economic growth and provides an additional, much-needed revenue streams for struggling farmers.<\/p>\n Produced locally from widely available feedstock (organic waste), green gas enables the marine industry to shorten its supply chains, which drives economic efficiencies and additional environmental benefits. It allows farmers to maximise their output too, benefitting all.<\/p>\n As an alternative fuel, green gas can help eliminate the need to use the earth\u2019s dwindling fossil fuel stocks to power the world. It also offers farmers the chance to generate extra income, reduce costs (associated with waste disposal), and reduce their sector\u2019s emissions by selling their agri-food waste to sustainable alternative fuel producers.<\/p>\n At Cycle\u00d8 we currently have more than 20 green gas plants in development in Spain, Italy and Ireland, with ambitions to deploy 50 plants across Europe by 2028.<\/p>\n Through benefitting people, planet and profit, this technology is poised to play a crucial role in addressing the perceived conflict between protecting the environment and driving economic growth, which lies at the heart of divisive political discussions and the farmers\u2019 protests in Europe.<\/p>\n Cycle\u00d8 localises its green gas plants to their feedstock, be that agri-food waste or other form of organic waste. This approach enables access to additional feedstocks and reduces transport costs, in comparison to centralised hubs. By partnering with agri-food producers to deploy these facilities, Cycle\u00d8 also unlocks additional benefits for the community and significantly contributes towards the growth of a circular economy.<\/p>\n Charting the course for other industries<\/strong><\/p>\n According to a recent report released by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the agricultural sector requires immediate attention to curtail its emissions. It is responsible for nearly half of methane, two-thirds of nitrous oxide and 3% of carbon emissions worldwide. Accordingly, it could be responsible for as much as 15% of current warming levels (Nature).<\/p>\n The European Commission says that in the EU, the industry accounts for more than 10% of the bloc\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n It is crucial to facilitate a smooth transition to net zero agriculture, to enable farmers to play a positive part in tackling the climate crisis without jeopardizing their incomes.<\/p>\n By adopting alternative fuels made from agricultural emissions, the marine sector can empower those working in the agricultural sector to also do so, reducing their environmental impact and gaining an additional revenue stream by producing green gas.<\/p>\n Calming stormy seas<\/strong><\/p>\n Policymakers across Europe need to act now to challenge the supposed conflict between economic growth and the environment and empower the marine and agricultural industries to meet their ambitious growth and decarbonisation targets. Alternative sustainable fuels represent vast socio-economic and environmental opportunities for both these sectors and the bloc.<\/p>\n Member states must enact tailored policy reforms and provide incentives to effectively facilitate and scale up production. With 678 plants injecting 12 TWh of green gas into its grid annually thanks to governmental policies and support schemes, France is a great example of what these kinds of changes can achieve (ODRE).<\/p>\n Among the most impactful policy shifts for the industry there have been the introduction of attractive feed-in-tariff schemes and a green gas (biogas) production certificate scheme designed to fast-track facilities. Critically, the French government also opted to cover 60% of the grid connection cost for green gas producers and grid operators.<\/p>\n In addition, policymakers there created contracts for difference for uninjected green gas (biomethane) to support anaerobic digestion facilities in rural areas, accelerating the sector\u2019s growth, which significantly benefits farmers.<\/p>\n Converting organic waste into green gas offers myriad benefits at all levels. From mitigating greenhouse gas emissions at the macro level, fostering energy security, and boosting economic growth, to creating jobs and improving air quality at the regional and local levels.<\/p>\n Sailing away<\/strong><\/p>\n As the demand for alternative, locally produced fuels continues to grow, so too does their potential to play a pivotal role in shaping a more resilient, greener future.<\/p>\n By adopting green gas, the marine sector can chart a course towards a better tomorrow \u2014 one where economic prosperity, energy security and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the EU confirming that the global warming threshold of 1.5\u00b0C has been continuously exceeded for 12 months earlier this year, the need to achieve net zero has never been greater, says\u00a0Laurence Molke\u00a0chief executive officer, Cycle\u00d8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,1376,22],"tags":[40,347,1454,539],"sponsor":[],"class_list":["post-4454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alternative-fuels-greenport","category-greenport-exclusive","category-products-services-greenport","tag-alternative-fuels","tag-carbon-capture","tag-cycleo","tag-port-infrastructure"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4454"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4456,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4454\/revisions\/4456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4454"},{"taxonomy":"sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sponsor?post=4454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n