Increased use of renewable liquid gases such as bio-LPG would not require the same level of investment as electrification, writes Efcharis Sgourou
Renewable liquid gases (RLGs) including bio-LPG could play a vital short-term role in the EU's energy transition on the path to net zero, industry experts and policy makers said at an event held by European LPG association Liquid Gas Europe (LGE) at the European Parliament in Brussels on 6 May.
The speakers highlighted that RLGs could support the transition at a relatively low cost provided an adequate regulatory framework is in place. They could also be scaled relatively quickly to help rural off-grid homes that might not be suitable for electric heat pumps and autogas vehicle owners to transition. Such households account for around 30pc of the EU total, while 350,000 autogas cars were sold in the EU last year, attendees heard.
"Across Europe today, [LPG is used in] 7mn households, 70,000 businesses and 84.5mn vehicles," LGE general manage Ewa Abramiuk-Lete said, adding that the established distribution network for rural areas could be leveraged for RLGs.
The EU's Renewable Energy Directive has established transport sector renewable fuel targets. Member States must achieve either a 14.5pc reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity or a 29pc share of renewable energy in the overall transport fuel mix by 2030. This framework could support the uptake of renewable LPG to reduce emissions. But the heating segment has yet to benefit from a comparable policy approach, raising concerns about the long-term viability of RLGs in this sector. This has prompted distributors such as DCC and the UK and Irish LPG associations to call for renewable heat obligations that support RLG adoption.
Renewable LPG such as bio-LPG can be a drop-in replacement for LPG, making it an ideal near-term solution by avoiding the need for costly system upgrades or equipment replacement, speakers said.
