Powering sustainability: Networked gas key to reducing heavy transport emissions

CNG, biomethane and hydrogen can all play a part in helping decarbonise Ireland’s transport sector.

Ireland’s road to net-zero transport

Transport currently accounts for 42 per cent of Ireland’s energy use, making it the country’s largest source of energy demand. It is also one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise.

In particular, heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and buses generate 30 per cent of road transport emissions despite accounting for just 4 per cent of vehicles on Irish roads.

Proven global technologies, such as compressed natural gas (CNG), and renewable gases, including biomethane and hydrogen, can all play a part in helping decarbonise Ireland’s transport sector.

CNG: Cleaner, affordable, and proven

CNG reliably delivered through the national gas network is key to driving sustainable supply chains and is the first step towards net-zero commercial transport in Ireland.

CNG involves the deployment of technologies which deliver gas that has been compressed to high pressures (over 200 bar). It is typically used as a transport fuel and is particularly suitable for use in commercial vehicles where electric solutions are not a viable option. The gas used can be either natural or renewable gas that meets the network specifications.

Studies show that switching from diesel to natural gas can reduce well-to-wheel CO2 emissions by up to 23 per cent compared to diesel (CENEX, 2019) and nitrous oxide (NOx) by up to 50 per cent (UK Department of Transport, 2018).

The highest emissions savings were achieved under specific conditions, loads and vehicles — in particular, long-haul and regional drive cycles — making natural and renewable gases the ideal fuels for decarbonising Ireland’s HGV and bus fleets.

Furthermore, fuelling commercial vehicles with natural gas can also reduce transport costs by up to 35 per cent (Cadent, 2016). A proven, reliable and affordable alternative to diesel, Ireland’s CNG vehicle numbers grew more than 50 per cent in 2020, as the number in Europe passed two million and the number worldwide exceeded 28 million.

Renewable gas in transport

While immediate carbon emissions reductions for commercial fleets can be realised by switching to natural gas today, more significant savings can be realised through renewable gases such as biomethane and hydrogen.

In 2019, Ireland began its journey to a net-zero carbon gas network, with the introduction of domestically produced biomethane into the national network in Cush, County Kildare, Ireland’s first renewable gas injection point.

Biomethane is a carbon neutral renewable gas produced from farm and food waste through a process known as anaerobic digestion. It is largely identical to natural gas and is fully compatible with the existing gas network and CNG vehicles.

A key feature of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy, the European Commission identified Ireland as having the most potential per capita to produce biomethane and enhance security of supply.

Establishing a renewable gas industry in Ireland will also support additional jobs and income streams in local communities. Planning permission for Ireland’s second renewable gas injection point near Mitchelstown in County Cork was granted in 2020.

This means that as the volume of renewable gas on the network increases, vehicles refuelling from the national gas network will increasingly reduce their carbon footprint without needing to change a thing.

Irish companies are now developing sustainable circular economies by purchasing renewable gas made from their own waste to power their operations and vehicles.

In 2020, VisionGreen Logistics Solutions Ltd, became the first logistics company in Ireland to make carbon neutral retail deliveries with trucks fuelled by renewable gas made from farm and food waste, while Kerry County Council became the first local authority in Ireland to trial a carbon neutral HGV powered by renewable gas, sustainably transporting road salt from County Tipperary.

Hydrogen in transport

Hydrogen is a carbon free gas that produces no CO₂ emissions and can significantly improve air quality in towns and cities.

Ireland’s gas network is one of the safest and most modern ‘hydrogen-ready’ gas networks in Europe. Blends of up to 20 per cent hydrogen could be transported on the existing gas network and used in existing appliances, technologies, and vehicles, with minimal disruption and upfront cost to customers. Pure 100 per cent hydrogen can be transported with some modifications.

Gas Networks Ireland has established a Hydrogen Innovation Centre in Dublin to ensure the safe transportation, storage and use of hydrogen on the national network, and is collaborating on a variety of hydrogen research initiatives to assess various applications for hydrogen, including its use in transport.

Hydrogen can be produced from renewable electricity and stored indefinitely, making it an attractive option to decarbonise energy systems and a strong example of how greater cohesion between our gas and electricity systems can drive a cleaner energy future for Ireland.

Ireland’s CNG refuelling network

Gas Networks Ireland has a critical role to play in decarbonising the transport sector and is actively rolling out a network of CNG refuelling stations nationally in partnership with Ireland’s forecourt operators and hauliers.

Currently there are CNG refuelling stations located at Circle K’s forecourts in Dublin Port and Cashel, with two more set to open in the summer of 2021 in Dublin and Limerick. There is a fifth station under construction in Cavan and a further eight in planning and development. Three private CNG stations are also in operation.

CNG Vehicle Grant Schemes

There is almost €5 million available to support Irish fleet operators in choosing a cleaner fuel option.

On 1 March 2021, Gas Networks Ireland launched a €2.9 million CNG Vehicle Grant Scheme to support the purchase of up to 400 new vehicles. This funding will help Irish fleet operators and hauliers to transition to new, cleaner CNG vehicles and support the decarbonisation of Ireland’s transport sector.

Co-financed by the EU’s TEN-T Programme under the Connecting Europe Facility as part of the Green Connect Project, the grants cover 20 per cent of the difference between CNG and diesel-powered vehicles with a maximum amount of €5,000 available to applicants per vehicle.

The maximum amount of financial support available to an applicant under the scheme is €60,000, supporting the purchase of up to 12 vehicles. Grants can be used towards the costs of vehicles registered from 2020 and is open to applications across a range of commercial vehicles including HGVs, buses and vans powered by CNG. Applications are now being accepted at www.gasnetworks.ie/cngvehiclegrant.

On 15 March 2021, the Department of Transport launched a €2 million Alternatively Fuelled Heavy Duty Vehicle (AFHDV) Purchase Grant Scheme, which will cover between 40 per cent and 60 per cent of the price differential, with a maximum 20 vehicles or €500,000 available to any one applicant. Grants can be used towards the future purchase of more sustainable vehicles, including gas and electric vehicles.

E: cng@gasnetworks.ie
W: www.gasnetworks.ie/cng
T: 1800 411 511