Over half of America鈥檚 biogas is used for electricity generation, even as the share upgraded to renewable natural gas has nearly doubled since 2020, according to new data released by the American Biogas Council (ABC). The data reflects the current mix of how the U.S. biogas industry is putting captured methane from organic waste to work 鈥� producing renewable electricity, renewable heat, and renewable natural gas (RNG) for use in the nation鈥檚 natural gas system.
Biogas is a renewable methane-rich gas produced when organic materials such as manure, food scraps, wastewater solids and landfilled waste naturally decompose. Biogas systems capture this gas before it escapes into the atmosphere and convert it into electricity, heat, or RNG, while recycling the remaining nutrients into natural fertilizer products.
Approximately 53% of U.S. biogas is used for power generation, 46% is converted to RNG, and just over 1% is used to produce renewable heat, illustrating how different sectors use biogas to meet different energy needs.
Biogas generates electricity in the same way natural gas does 鈥� using gas turbines, combine heat and power generators, linear generators or fuel cells 鈥� but biogas-generated electricity is renewable. It can be used on-site at the biogas facility or added to the electric grid. Once on the grid, this renewable electricity powers homes, businesses, factories, and other users, just like renewable electricity from any other source. One of the key advantages of biogas-generated renewable electricity is that, unlike solar and wind power, it can be produced whenever needed because the fuel is available on demand.
RNG is mostly used in heavy-duty truck engines and has contributed greatly to decarbonizing and reducing air pollution from the transportation sector. A smaller portion of RNG goes to utilities who offer it to customers who want to aggressively reduce carbon emissions, or is sold by producers directly to commercial customers.
The way captured biogas is used has shifted significantly over the past five years. In 2020, only about one-quarter of captured biogas was upgraded into RNG. Today, that share has nearly doubled as new projects increasingly choose RNG as their primary energy product, reflecting changing market opportunities. “One of biogas’s greatest strengths is its flexibility,” said ABC Executive Director Patrick Serfass. 鈥淲hen America鈥檚 waste is converted to biogas, it can generate reliable renewable electricity, provide renewable heat, be upgraded into renewable natural gas, and other uses. That’s a unique advantage as America works to strengthen energy security while reducing methane emissions.”
The new data also shows that different sectors of the biogas industry use captured biogas in different ways. Farm-based digesters now direct nearly 80% of captured biogas to renewable natural gas production, while landfill gas projects continue to split production between renewable electricity and RNG. Food waste facilities increasingly support both end uses. 91仓库water treatment facilities present a different picture, with many continuing to use biogas on-site to generate electricity and heat that support plant operations.
The report also highlights significant regional differences. Texas currently converts the highest proportion of captured biogas into RNG, driven by large landfill gas-to-RNG projects. California 鈥� home to the nation’s largest biogas resource 鈥� continues to lead in renewable electricity production from biogas.
Looking ahead, the United States has significant untapped biogas potential. ABC estimates that developing the nation’s remaining biogas resources could support more than 17,000additional biogas systems. Depending on how the captured biogas is ultimately used, those future systems could generate enough renewable electricity to power approximately 23.7 million homes or enough RNG to meet the energy needs of approximately 27.4 million homes.