Newly-released data from the American Biogas Council (ABC) indicates that 2023 was the third year of record growth across the US biogas industry, with nearly 100 new projects coming online last year, representing $1.8 billion (€1.6 billion) in capital investments. ABC expects this growth to continue into 2024, with more than 100 new projects already projected to go into operation this year.
最新统计数据显示2023年美国新建100个沼气项目，投资额18亿美元，创美国沼气工业领域第三个年度增长纪录。美国沼气协会预计在2024年将继续保持增长势头，已知的将有100多个新的沼气项目在本年度投入运行。
Landfill gas leads both investment dollars and biogas output
Landfill gas (LFG) continues to dominate in terms of both total investment and biogas output.
The US currently has 566 LFG projects, including 23 new projects added in 2023.
This growth accounts for 57% of 2023 capital investments and a corresponding 67% of new US biogas production capacity.
填埋气继续在资金投入及沼气产出量上领先。目前美国有566个填埋气项目，其中包括2023年新增的23个项目，占2023年新增沼气投资额的57%及新增沼气产量的67%。
Significant gains in agriculture, food waste
While the growth of the landfill gas sector was voluminous last year in terms of both dollars and biogas production, 2023 saw only 4-5% growth in that sector.
In comparison, agricultural sector experienced 13.4% growth, or nearly three times greater. Seventy new farm-based projects came online in 2023, contributing 21,000 SCFM of additional biogas output and resulting in capital investments exceeding $700 million (€653.9 million).
Renewable natural gas (RNG) cluster projects contributed most to this growth and to lowering the cost per project.
Cluster projects are generally characterised by multiple farms with at least one anaerobic digester linked together by one common, central gas processing and conditioning facility to turn the biogas into RNG.
Three new stand-alone food waste biogas projects became operational in 2023, adding an extra capacity of 996 SCFM, bringing the total nationwide to 107. Ten more facilities are scheduled to launch in 2024.
虽然填埋气在新增资本投入及新增沼气产量上占据主导，但年增长率只有4-5%。
与之相比，农业领域增长13%，是填埋气增长率的近3倍。2023年有70个新建农场沼气项目投入运行，投资额超过7亿美金，新增沼气产量21,000SCFM (~35，000立方/时)。一系列再生天然气（RNG）新建项目为主要贡献并降低了每个项目的投资成本。
再生天然气运行模式多为在多个相邻的农场建至少一个厌氧处理并设一个集中的沼气处理和提纯系统。
三个新建独立的食品废弃物沼气项目在2023年投入运行，新增沼气量996 SCFM（~1700立方/时），至此全国范围已建107个类似项目，2024年计划新建10多个食品废弃处理沼气工程。
Renewable electricity from biogas remains dominant, but growth is in RNG
沼气发电依然占据主导，到再生天然气为主要增长
While power projects that make renewable electricity from biogas account for 69% of all biogas produced in the US, RNG projects represented 91% of all new projects that came online in 2023.
This mainly stems from policies such as the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which promote using renewable fuels to replace fossil transportation fuels and to eliminate emissions in natural gas vehicles.
The inability for biogas projects to participate in the RFS when fueling electric vehicles continues to suppress growth in new power projects.
美国沼气发电依旧占据沼气应用量的69%，但2023年再生天然气占新增沼气应用量的91%。主要的驱动力来自于联邦可再生燃料标准(RFS)及加州低碳燃料标准（LCFS）所鼓励采用再生，低碳燃料替代传统化石燃料。由于RFS没有将电池充电纳入，限制沼气发电项目的发展。
While impressive growth in the US biogas industry continues, only roughly 20% of possible projects across the country have been built.
The collective impact encompasses several benefits, including carbon reduction, improved water quality, soil health enhancements and reliable, renewable energy.
美国沼气协会基于美国人口及畜禽养殖数量的预计，全美国至少可以建设15，000个沼气利用项目。到目前为止，也只有2251个项目投入运行。
因为沼气行业持续发展，经济，环境，能源的良好效应已凸显出来，包括碳减排，提高水质，改良土壤及可靠的再生能源供应等。
"As the biogas industry expands, so, too, does our capacity to capture methane emissions that would otherwise be emitted from organic waste. We can simultaneously use that captured methane to displace other emissions from fossil fuels that are used for energy and making fertiliser. It's a double win that often results in negative carbon emissions. Most other renewables can only get to a carbon intensity of net zero."
最后，美国沼气协会执行董事 Patrick Serfass 总结，这种可直接减少甲烷排放的新能源的增长是非常激动人心的，随着沼气产业持续地发展，可以不断利用捕捉利用有机废弃物排放的甲烷来替换传统化石能源的甲烷排放，同时还可以生产有机肥。其他再生能源只能做到零排放，而沼气行业提供负碳运行。
