Canadian biogas experiences decade of rapid growth

Canadian biogas experienced a decade of rapid growth from 2011 to 2020, with an almost 50 percent jump in operating biogas projects across the country. That’s the key takeaway from the Canadian 2020 Biogas Market Report just released by the Canadian Biogas Association that provides a comprehensive analysis of trends in the production and use of biogas energy in Canada.

Canada now has 279 biogas projects from coast to coast. These projects are capturing waste methane from agricultural waste, landfills, green bin programs and municipal wastewater treatment facilities and turning it into a total of 196 Megawatts of clean electricity and 6 million gigajoules of renewable natural gas (RNG). That’s the equivalent of roughly 300 million square meters of solar panels or more than nine large hydro dams.

“It’s more important than ever that we tell Canada’s biogas story” says Jennifer Green, executive director of the Canadian Biogas Association, “Biogas can deliver reliable and clean energy while reducing Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions and driving economic development in both urban and rural areas. Biogas is a full package solution for Canada’s climate targets, and the good news is there’s opportunity for much more of it. Research says that Canada could efficiently tap more than eight times more energy from biogas and RNG, that is the goal that the CBA is dedicated to helping achieve.”

Canada’s biogas sector is poised for another decade of growth. The Canadian 2020 Biogas Market Report calculates that Canada is tapping only 13% of its easily accessible biogas potential. The 2020s will drive new biogas growth, with demand for RNG increasing rapidly thanks in part to climate and clean energy policies at the national and provincial levels, such as RNG mandates in British Columbia and Québec. Studies have shown that biogas and RNG could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14 million tonnes in 2030 and 62 million tonnes in 2050. The resource is there, commercially proven, and ready to be seized.

A full copy of the Canadian 2020 Biogas Market Report is reserved for Canadian Biogas Association members and government stakeholders. A summary of the market report in English and French is available by request.