What is biogas, and how does it work?

The future of renewable gas in Aotearoa, made simple. 

Gas is changing. But don’t worry, your hot showers, quick-cooking stovetops, and cosy evenings won’t be going anywhere. 

Here’s the lowdown on biogas, a renewable gas that’s helping pave the way to an improved energy future in Aotearoa. 

So, what is biogas? 

Biogas is made when organic waste like food scraps, wastewater and landfill waste breaks down. You know the smell when something rots? That’s biogas being released. 

The clever part? We can capture biogas before it escapes into the atmosphere and clean it up by removing things like carbon dioxide and water to make something called biomethane. A renewable gas that’s nearly chemically identical to natural gas. 

That means it works with the same pipes, appliances and systems we already use in our homes. No appliance upgrades, no fuss. For example, if we were to start using 100% biomethane in the gas network tomorrow you wouldn’t need to do a thing. No network changes, and your appliances currently energised by natural gas would run as usual. 

Initially, biomethane will be blended with natural gas until we can move to 100% biomethane.

Why does it matter? 

Natural gas already has a smaller carbon footprint than some other energy sources. But biomethane takes things further, offering a way to keep the convenience of gas with the resulting biomethane emissions being what was going to occur anyway while avoiding additional emissions from the equivalent use of natural gas while reducing emissions Biomethane is considered carbon neutral because the emissions from using it are the same as what would naturally come from the organic waste it’s made from, like landfill rubbish. This means that when biomethane is used instead of natural gas, it doesn’t create any extra emissions. 

With nearly 300,000 Kiwi homes powered by natural gas, using renewable gas blends like biomethane with natural gas will be a big step forward, and The Gas Hub, alongside our parent business Powerco, is working on making it happen.  

The bottom line 

Biogas is just another example of how everyday energy is evolving and how the future of gas can be more sustainable and just as reliable. 

Same comfort. Smaller footprint. 

Find out more about biomethane and the future of gas.