American Biogas Council releases new state-by-state data of biogas potential

In Washington, American Biogas Council (ABC) has released new data showing, on a state-by-state basis, the energy production and waste recycling benefits that a full build-out of potential biogas systems could provide.  The data — provided via an interactive map — includes the number of existing and potential biogas operations in each state, the current and potential biogas energy production capacity, and the resulting climate and economic benefits.

Biogas is energy captured from organic materials like manure, food waste and wastewater solids as they break down. It can be used to power and heat homes, fuel vehicles, and generate electricity. Biogas is often purified to nearly pure methane, which is then called renewable natural gas (RNG) and used as a replacement for natural gas. In addition, the process produces nutrient-rich organic fertilizer that offers a sustainable alternative to synthetic soil additives.

The newly released data indicates that if potential capacity is fully realized, the U.S. biogas industry could generate 255 billion kilowatt hours of renewable electricity annually.* That’s enough electricity to power 23.7 million homes, or nearly all households in Texas and California combined. Similarly, a fully built-out biogas sector could provide enough fuel to supply 40.4 million vehicles a year—or all the passenger vehicles in California, Texas, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania combined. All of this energy would be generated each year from 30 million tons of farm animal manure and 12 million tons of municipal wastewater biosolids (sludge) produced in the U.S., along with 74 million tons of surplus food including 24 million tons of inedible food waste sent to landfills each year.