The reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG or „carbon footprint”) is paramount for keeping the climate changes under control. Weighting 25%, the Energy production is the 2nd larges source of GHC within European Union. Renewable energy sources (such as hydro, solar, wind, or biomass energy) do not burn fossil fuels, thus do not release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as they generate electricity and/or heat. Of a particular interest is the transformation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) into energy as the benefits are two-fold: it reduces the amount of waste that is dumped into landfills and creates „green” energy.
Biogas is a such energy source. It’s produced when organic matter (such as food waste or livestock manure) is decomposed by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen, in a process called anaerobic digestion (AD). As the carbon remain trapped into the digestate that is the by-product of AD it is not released into atmosphere (each 1kWh of electricity generates on average 700kg of CO2). European Union is the 3rd largest GHG generator in the world (after USA and China)
Romania is a signatory of the United Nations Framework Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Accord, committing itself to participate in EU efforts to reduce by 2030:
- GHG emissions in ETS (Emission Trading System) sectors – such as energy production, oil refining, steel production, etc. by 43%
- GHG emissions in non-ETS sectors by 30%