Abstract

Natural gas is considered a bridging technology in the energy transition because it produces fewer carbon emissions than coal, for example. However, when leaks exist, methane is released into the atmosphere, leading to a dramatic increase in the carbon footprint of natural gas, as methane is a much stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Therefore, we conducted a detailed study of methane emissions from gas-powered end-use appliances and then compared their climate impacts with those of electricity-powered appliances. We used the Munich Oktoberfest as a case study and then extended the study to 25 major natural gas consuming countries. This showed that electricity has been the more climate-friendly energy source at Oktoberfest since 2005, due to the extensive use of renewable electricity at the festival and the presence of methane emissions, particularly caused by incomplete combustion of natural gas appliances. Further, our global study shows that using electric appliances for cooking and heating would be more climate-friendly not only at Oktoberfest but also in several countries around the world, depending on the energy mix used and the leakage rate of natural gas. With this study, we demonstrate one way in which countries with a high renewable share in power generation, in particular, can reduce a significant amount of carbon emissions in the future.