PROJECT INVOLVEMENT

PIPE MASTERS

Matt Wright: Site Foreman

Levi Moller: Tradesman

Tom O’Brian: Apprentice

STIEBEL ELTRON

Bhawesh Singh

Jason Kerr

TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL

Juan Martinez

2E CONSULTANCY

Eddie Wall

AUTHOR: MATTHEW LOWE

The volume of renewable gases being piped into homes and businesses is set to increase considerably over the coming decade.

GasNZ, the peak body for companies in the sector, expects the transformation to include a move from natural gas and LPG to renewable natural gas made from landfill and agri-waste, and chemically identical to their fossil-fuel counterparts.

Renewable natural gas and natural gas can also be blended with hydrogen, and at up to 20 per cent hydrogen, the blend is expected to be immediately compatible with New Zealand’s existing infrastructure.

Janet Carson, Chief Executive of GasNZ, says cooking, heating and hot water will be the three main uses for renewable gas, although there will ultimately be scope to produce enough to use it for generating electricity and for making products that have traditionally used natural gas.

“Everything you can use gas for now is possible with renewable gas. If you look at bioLPG, for example, it has the same composition as regular LPG; likewise renewable natural gas is identical to natural gas,” she explains.

“Our pipes and appliances are already set up to use renewable natural gas. Kiwi homes will eventually be able to use renewable natural gas just by switching on the stove.”

Investment is imperative

Carson says the main challenge to accelerating the uptake of greener gases is supply—and it is imperative that investment is made now in order to meet the expected future demand.

She describes it as like “trying to build it before they come”, and according to Carson the right regulatory signals from politicians are encouraging the necessary investment to occur.

“The government is talking about renewable gases being part of the energy transition and that will give confidence to investors that it’s worthwhile pursuing renewables.

“Globally, we are seeing rapid development in terms of appliance research and testing and investments in renewable gas products and technologies. Production investment still needs to pick up pace in New Zealand, and around the world, to produce the quantities we want in the future.

“We believe that we’re going to see material quantities of renewable gas in the system by 2035. That feels a long way off but that’s what it will take to get that material amount in the system.”

However, she adds there will be a notable increase in the availability of renewable gas over the next two to five