The American Biogas Council (ABC) has introduced the Biogas Carbon Accounting Tool (Biogas CAT), designed to measure the full lifecycle emissions of biogas projects.
Developed in collaboration with EcoEngineers, the tool fills critical gaps left by existing carbon accounting systems, according to a statement by ABC earlier this week.
Biogas CAT enables biogas project developers to accurately quantify emissions data, allowing companies purchasing renewable energy from biogas to meet voluntary greenhouse gas reduction targets.
This precision helps voluntary buyers report their emissions reductions more reliably to stakeholders. Additionally, the tool enhances participation in carbon markets by ensuring fair valuation of biogas investments.
Biogas CAT builds on established compliance and voluntary carbon market (VCM) methodologies while adding project-specific details missing from previous models.
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“Thousands of companies, large and small, have already voluntarily committed to shrinking their carbon footprint,” said ABC Executive Director Patrick Serfass. “Now we have a common way to properly account for the full lifecycle emissions of biogas projects, each of which can vary substantially in how much methane and CO2 it reduces.”
Prior to Biogas CAT, the most widely used model was GREET, developed by the Argonne National Lab for California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
While GREET remains a gold standard, it primarily focuses on renewable fuels for transportation and does not account for other environmental benefits of biogas, such as reducing synthetic fertilizer use.
Biogas CAT expands on GREET’s strengths, filling in gaps left by tools developed outside the biogas sector.
Ben Gerber, CEO of nonprofit Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking Systems (M-RETS), emphasized the importance of such advancements: “Biogas CAT is another arrow in the quiver of voluntary producers and consumers to easily access the reductions that can be communicated to their supply chains.”
ABC and EcoEngineers plan to continue refining the tool, ensuring scientific rigor and transparency in biogas carbon accounting.
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