Natural gas as the key to the energy transition: expert opinion from our region

Natural gas as the key to the energy transition: expert opinion from our region

The energy future is a explosive topic that is becoming increasingly important. In conversation with energy expert Johannes Benigni, it becomes clear that fossil fuels will continue to play a central role in the near future, despite the urgent efforts to turn an energy. Benigni underlines the need for natural gas as a decisive bridge technology, while alternative energy sources, such as hydrogen and biogas, could also focus on.

An important change in the global energy requirement can be seen: In the past thirty years, demand has increased by around two thirds. Surprisingly, the proportion of fossil fuels remained almost constant. The decline of coal is expected because more Asian countries could increasingly switch to natural gas to reduce their CO2 emissions. Compared to coal, gas has a much lower CO2 emissions-only half-and burns significantly cleaner, which is particularly important in times of dark downs. On cold winter days, the gas content of electricity generation in Europe will often be 40% or more.

The role of hydrogen and biogas

hydrogen is a expensive good that can be used in Europe under difficult conditions. Benigni warns that hydrogen could quadruple energy costs, which would result in high inflation rates and economic consequences. Even biogas could be used sensibly, even though it is currently only 0.3% of the gas offer, but a market premium model needs to promote its production.

Another important point concerns the international climate targets. As part of the Green Deal, Europe has undertaken to become climate -neutral by 2050 and to make considerable progress by 2030. While other countries also announce goals, legal liabilities are often missing, which can lead to an unequal competitive landscape. This is where the topic of de -industrialization comes into play: an inadequate transition management could lead to Europe not only losing value creation, but also jobs.

The need for innovative solutions apart from the existing structures is becoming increasingly clear. In order to actually be able to achieve the climate goals, close cooperation with other countries is necessary. This is the only way to ensure that the change towards renewable energies does not lead to an economic disadvantage for Europe and acceptance among the population for sustainable energies increases. The whole interview with Johannes Benigni offers deeper insights into the challenges and possibilities of the current energy transition on www.wko.at .