National Grid deploys renewable methane and hydrogen to heat US cities

US utility giant National Grid on Monday unveiled plans to go fossil fuel-free for its heating systems in order to meet 2050 net-zero climate emission targets.

The company said it would achieve its “clean energy vision” by expanding the use of electric heat pumps and sourcing more renewable natural gas (RNG), to transform the way the gas utility provides heat throughout its New England territory.

National Grid plans to have New York and Massachusetts using 100 percent fossil-free gas by 2050, relying on a significant increase in use of RNG produced from farms, landfills, wastewater facilities and imports instead of conventional natural gas, the company said.

The utility said it was targeting 50 percent of buildings’ heating to come from electric heat pumps with energy sourced from renewable sources such as wind and solar. The other 50 percent would come from “fossil-free gas” and a hybrid of electric fossil-free gas systems, the company said.

Although New York finalised a US $220 billion budget earlier in April, the document failed to include a provision to ban natural gas and other fossil fuels in new construction, after companies such as National Grid argued that giving up on gas would significantly drive up consumer costs.

According to Stephen Woerner, Regional President of National Grid, the key to the utility's plan is using their existing pipeline distribution system but providing a different mix of gas. “We eliminate fossil fuels and we replace them with renewable natural gas and green hydrogen,” he told local media in Massachusetts.

About 57 percent of New York and Massachusetts building heating systems currently run on natural gas while 25 percent run on oil.