Climate Impact Comparison of Electric and Gas‐Powered End‐User Appliances. Issue 2 (1st February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dietrich, Florian; Chen, Jia; Shekhar, Ankit; Lober, Sebastian; Krämer, Konstantin; Leggett, Graham; van der Veen, Carina; Velzeboer, Ilona; Denier van der Gon, Hugo; Röckmann, Thomas
• Is Part Of: Earth's future. Volume 11:Issue 2(2023)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2023-02-01
• Subjects: climate change -- methane -- carbon dioxide -- emissions -- carbon mitigation -- global; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences; Periodicals; 550
• DOI: 10.1029/2022EF002877
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2328-4277

Abstract

Abstract: Natural gas is considered a bridging technology in the energy transition because it produces fewer carbon emissions than coal, for example. However, when leaks exist, methane is released into the atmosphere, leading to a dramatic increase in the carbon footprint of natural gas, as methane is a much stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Therefore, we conducted a detailed study of methane emissions from gas‐powered end‐use appliances and then compared their climate impacts with those of electricity‐powered appliances. We used the Munich Oktoberfest as a case study and then extended the study to 25 major natural gas consuming countries. This showed that electricity has been the more climate‐friendly energy source at Oktoberfest since 2005, due to the extensive use of renewable electricity at the festival and the presence of methane emissions, particularly caused by the incomplete combustion and leakages of natural gas in cooking and heating appliances. By contrast, at the global level, our study shows that natural gas still produces lower carbon emissions for end‐user appliances than electricity in 18 of the 25 countries studied. However, as the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix steadily increases in most countries, the carbon footprint of electricity will be lower than that of natural gas in these countries in the near future. These findings from our comparison of the total carbon emissions of electric and gas‐powered end‐use appliances can help inform the debate on how to effectively address climate change. Plain Language Summary: Although natural gas is considered a relatively climate‐friendly energy source compared to coal, leakage of methane, the main component of natural gas, can significantly increase the climate impact of natural gas. This is because methane is a very strong greenhouse gas. In this study, we focused on methane leakage from end‐use appliances used for cooking and heating. Using the Munich Oktoberfest as a case study, we found that these end‐use appliances produce significant methane emissions. Therefore, we investigated at which leakage rates and which electricity mixes it would be better to use electric appliances for cooking and heating instead to reduce overall carbon emissions. We found that despite leakage rates, natural gas is still more climate‐friendly than electricity in most countries around the world. However, as the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix increases in most countries, electricity is becoming a more climate‐friendly energy source every year. With this study, we want to make people aware of how the climate friendliness of electricity compares to natural gas over time. Key Points: Methane emissions at Oktoberfest are measured and classified as natural gas‐based using isotopic analysis and the ratio of ethane to methane Oktoberfest could save 87% of total carbon emissions from energy consumption if all gas‐powered appliances were replaced with electric ones We aim to make people aware how the carbon footprint of electric and natural gas‐driven end‐user appliances compares and evolves over time