In recent years, European countries, such as Germany, that depend heavily on gas for their industry have sought new suppliers. Germany has historically relied on gas as a bridging technology because it was affordable, abundant, and initially considered cleaner than other fossil fuels.
While burning gas emits about half as much CO2 as coal does, its primary component, methane, poses a significant climate threat. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, escapes at various stages of gas production and transport, warming the atmosphere 28 times faster than CO2 over the long term. Despite this, global gas consumption continues to increase.
“In order to reduce the need for gas-fired power plants, we need better storage technologies, including for thermal storage, not just electricity. We also need to continue to expand the networks and catch up on our huge backlog in digitalization.” – Peter Schniering, Founder & CEO
Learn more about natural gas and how to reduce Germany’s dependency in the report here!