Our analysis demonstrated that gas infrastructure will be invaluable for renewable and green gases in the future, so that we do not rely on electricity alone to decarbonise.

In the pipeline

The Association of German Gas Transmission System Operators (FNB Gas e.V.) asked us to determine whether there was a role for gas infrastructure in 2050, in the face of strict carbon protection targets. Pipelines in a chain We used a model of the system costs across all stages of the energy supply chain to examine the total costs of alternative scenarios.

The greening of gas

We showed that the existing gas infrastructure in Germany is able to make a significant contribution to achieving a comprehensive energy transition at lowest cost.

We found that the gas infrastructure, which today is used to transport and store natural gas, could be used for all sorts of carbon-neutral green gases, such as biogas or hydrogen.

This could save energy system costs of approximately €12bn a year in Germany alone.

We are now working with a group of European transmission system operators to see if there are similar benefits for countries across Europe.