Dusseldorf The gnashing of teeth can literally be read from the letter from the organic electricity and biogas provider Naturstrom to its customers: “The severe delivery bottleneck for biogas unfortunately means that we will have to significantly reduce the biogas share of your tariff from 100 percent to 10 percent in 2022,” it said recently. “At the moment, the market simply does not allow a higher proportion of biogas.”
This is not good news for environmentally conscious customers of the provider who have so far voluntarily paid higher heating costs for sustainable gas. In the future, you will be forced to use 90 percent conventional gas – and at a tariff that is just as expensive as before.
The most recent changes in tariffs for natural electricity, which the provider would have “very happy to avoid”, result from an aggravation of the situation: A legal change is fueling the demand for biogas – and could drive it even higher in the future. High prices, low supply: Florian Henle, managing director of the natural power competitor Polarstern Energie, also complains that the biogas market is under pressure: “We urgently need more biogas for the free energy market.”
The trigger for the tricky situation is an EU directive that is actually supposed to promote the expansion of renewable energies and thus serve climate protection: the “Renewable Energy Directive II” (RED II). First of all, it is stirring up the market.
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Because in order to implement them in German law, the federal government set new greenhouse gas reduction quotas in October. These quotas force fuel providers to reduce their carbon footprint – for example by also offering biomethane.
The fuel sector uses three times as much biomethane as in 2016
The consequences can be felt throughout the industry. The Vice President of the Biogas Association, Christoph Spurk, explains: “There is currently a strong demand for biomethane as a fuel on the market.” The use of biomethane in the fuel sector has almost tripled since 2016, but overall hardly more biomethane is produced than five years ago. It is therefore becoming more and more difficult for suppliers to procure biogas for heating.
Not all green gas providers react to this problematic situation in the same way as natural electricity. For example, Polarstern Energie only offers a 100 percent biogas tariff, which the company intends to offer new customers next year. However, it is questionable whether the small provider could withstand a large onslaught of natural electricity customers willing to switch. Because so far, the self-proclaimed company for the common good has relied on a small, convinced group of customers. Its number of customers is only in the middle five-digit range, not in the six-digit range as with Naturstrom.
The use of biomethane for the fuel sector has almost tripled since 2016, and hardly more is produced than it was five years ago.
(Photo: dpa)
The situation is similar with the Schönau electricity works (EWS Schönau), which currently only offer a pure biogas tariff. The managing director Rainer Sylla explains: “In terms of corporate policy, you have to answer the question: Do I want to reach as many customers as possible with a small amount of admixture with the limited amount of biogas, or do I want to offer the staunch supporters of climate-neutral heat supply a high-quality 100 percent biogas product? The EWS has decided on the second way. “
The decision of the large Hamburg green electricity and green gas provider Lichtblick to also introduce a purely biogas tariff in 2022 of all places should be a little more significant. So far it has only offered a tariff with a five percent admixture of biogas and offsets the conventional gas share – like natural electricity – through environmental projects.
An incentive for this decision: Biogas has become more expensive – but so has conventional gas. So much more expensive that biogas is more competitive in comparison. But Lichtblick does not expect to be able to buy the necessary biogas in Germany either. Instead, the provider relies on the European market.
39 percent of the new residential buildings are heated by natural gas
Suppliers like Lichtblick point out how important biogas is as a bridging technology on the way to climate neutrality. The company announces: “Biogas should replace natural gas where switching to electrical heating systems is still difficult or even impossible.” The number of gas heating systems in Germany is still high. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 39 percent of the residential buildings built in 2020 will be heated with natural gas.
Polarstern Energie’s managing director Henle points out: “These gas heaters will now be in place for at least 15 to 20 years.”
In view of the shortage in Germany, industry representatives would like the new traffic light government to stimulate the domestic market. There is not much in the coalition agreement on this topic. Christoph Spurk from the Biogas Association sees a small reason for hope in a short paragraph: “Bioenergy in Germany should have a new future. To this end, we will develop a sustainable biomass strategy. “
And in fact, Spurk is already seeing a surge in so-called feed-in requests for new biomethane plants. In addition to the 220 German biomethane plants currently in existence, 40 new inquiries have been received in the past few months. And he assumes that the number of biogas plants will also increase in the coming years.
Massively upgrading biogas production in Germany for the benefit of climate-conscious heating customers, however, hardly anyone considers it a smart solution. Udo Sieverding from the consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia says: “You should only use biogas where there is no other way. Instead of an expensive biogas tariff, consumers should invest in climate-friendly heating. “
The biogas providers also admit this. A spokesman for Naturstrom says: “The clear focus in the energy transition policy is on wind and photovoltaics, and that is also correct. Biogas is important, but the potential for expansion is limited. “And Lichtblick confirms:” The use of biogas should primarily take place where there are no adequate renewable alternatives. That will be the case in fewer and fewer areas in the medium and long term. “
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