Renewable gas key to net zero: Eneraque

Waste Management Review

There’s an untapped bounty of renewable gas that has the potential to help Australia reach its decarbonisation targets, while offering a practical – and lucrative – way to manage waste. 

Existing landfills and wastewater treatment plants across the Asia-Pacific region are already producing biogas – a fuel source that can be used to provide heat and power to sites, or be upgraded to renewable natural gas (RNG) and injected back into the gas network. 

It’s that fuel source that Jeremy Pringle, Director of Eneraque Renewables, wants to unlock to improve waste management and drive down emissions as Australia aims for net zero targets by 2050. 

“In many cases, biogas is simply flared off,” says Jeremy. “Instead, we can collect and extract the gas and treat it to remove impurities like H2S and other contaminants, before using the cleaned gas to fuel gas engines or turbines, or create heat and power through cogeneration.” 

In Europe and the United States, biogas usage is common and mature, but Australia and New Zealand have been slower to adopt the technology.

“We’re all racing for net zero,” Jeremy says. “We’ve got this readily available fuel source that can be quite simply turned into power or renewable natural gas and reduce reliance on the grid.

“The technology is there we just need an aggressive uptake. There’s up to $350 million in shovel ready projects in Australia ready to go.” 

In October 2021, the then Federal Government released a technology-driven Long Term Emissions Reduction Plan, which sets a path to net zero by 2050. 

At the time, the government’s $20 billion investment in low emissions technology was tipped to unlock an $80 billion investment in green technologies including energy storage and carbon capture. 

In an address to the Clean Energy Council in July 2023, Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, said Australia won’t reach its emissions target without aggressive uptake of technologies.

Jeremy says waste-to-energy is a quick way for industries to decarbonise. Those that could benefit the most include food and beverage, agriculture, wastewater treatment plants, landfill sites and meat processing facilities.

The rule of thumb is that anywhere that generates about 14,000 tonnes of waste per annum can put it to use. 

“Anywhere there’s a waste, gas can be produced,” Jeremy says. “The big ones to benefit will be the agriculture industry – feedlots, abattoirs, dairy farms – they’re the big emitters and generally in a good position to put power on the grid.

“The industry is making steps to change. It knows it needs to decarbonise and there is a fuel source that can be used. Eneraque Renewables can give them a performance guarantee on emissions reduced, power provided or renewable natural gas, flow rate and quality.”

For the past four decades, Eneraque has predominantly worked with clients behind the meter – designing, engineering and manufacturing equipment to turn wastewater and landfill gas into heat and power for utility clients. In August 2023, the company launched Eneraque Renewables, a new division with a focus on the role renewable gas will play in achieving decarbonisation targets. 

Eneraque will continue to have a team for traditional projects, as well as a new team focused on renewable energy projects.

The company delivers turnkey projects that include complete design, engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance. On project completion, clients can choose to manage and operate the site internally, or access the company’s five or 10-year maintenance plans.

Solutions can range from anaerobic digesters and gas scrubbing or storage, through to complete biogas plants. The technology used is designed on a project-by-project basis considering feedstock and location. 

To produce a renewable natural gas requires a gas pipeline close by so that biomethane can be injected into the network. Industries close to an electricity source and connection can clean biogas and put it into the power grid or use it behind the meter to reduce their own power usage and emissions.

Eneraque Renewables uses a simulator tool to analyse the best product fit for a project. It will analyse what opportunities are available in power production, or thermal energy, for a site and provide a return on investment “guarantee”.

“It gives clients comfort that they can look at all options and work out where they want to invest in order to recoup their Capex costs in the shortest time frame,” Jeremy says.

“We’re offering a free audit and some high-level desk top numbers for clients across the region. That’s giving them some comfort and more interest to take their investment to the next level.”

Jeremy says the technology continues to evolve and Eneraque Renewables is doing what it can to stay on the front foot to adapt emerging technologies for the APAC region without compromising standards and quality.

“We all know we need to get to net zero. We’ve asked how is Eneraque going to support the Asia-Pacific region to get there?” Jeremy says.

“With an increased number of projects in the renewable space, that’s where we feel we’ll be putting in the investment.

“We’re excited about the industry and we’re doing everything we can to support the client base in their decarbonisation targets and their journey.”

With the launch of the new division, Jeremy wants Eneraque Renewables to be front of mind in the renewable natural gas and waste gas to energy space.

“I hope that if there’s a waste and it needs to be producing power, Eneraque Renewables is there,” Jeremy says. “If there’s waste to renewable natural gas, Eneraque Renewables is the one people turn to.”