Environment and SustainabilityLP Gas plays a valuable role in meeting the world’s energy needs. In the future LP Gas has the opportunity to enhance this role by also helping to combat climate change.
The clean burning nature of LP Gas makes it an ideal substitute for solid fuels in domestic cooking and heating applications. Household solid fuel use, overwhelmingly concentrated in developing countries, accounts for up to 30% of black carbon emissions worldwide according to some statistics. Switching to LP Gas could lower global greenhouse gas emissions as well as help to diminish deforestation thus preserving the trees needed to maintain a global climatic equilibrium and combat climate change
LP Gas used in combination with renewable sources can improve energy reliability while reducing the overall life-cycle costs. LP Gas is portable, making it a perfect complement to distributed renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and wave energy (and soon fuel cells), thereby reducing our reliance on centrally produced electricity
LP Gas produces lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional energy supplies in every application it is used, from stationary applications such as water heating, space heating, cooking and industrial boilers to transportation applications. Any industry can switch to clean-burning LP Gas as a means to meet greenhouse gas targets.
LP Gas can claim to be ahead of its time, for its clean-burning, low-carbon advantage is available at once, so that even using today’s technology, most industries can exceed Kyoto greenhouse gas reduction targets by switching to LP Gas. In most cases LP Gas can make major and immediate contributions to delivering real greenhouse gasses emissions reductions.
If you drive an LPG Autogas vehicle it’s good to know that, in addition to saving large amounts of money, you can also contribute to saving the environment.
- LPG Autogas powered vehicles emit significantly fewer greenhouse gases and other pollutants than petrol-powered equivalents.
- LPG typically has around 20 per cent less ozone forming potential (a measure of the tendency to generate photochemical smog), between 10 and 15 per cent lower greenhouse gas emissions and only one fifth air toxics emissions.
- LPG Autogas vehicles operate even more relatively cleanly when the engine is cold. Given that most urban-use vehicles are often used for very short journeys this means a significant reduction in “real world” emissions.
- LPG Autogas is also much cleaner than diesel. The dirty black smoke that we see coming from diesel vehicles is particulates – a known cause of sickness and deaths. By replacing a diesel engine with an LPG Autogas-powered equivalent, over 90 percent of this particulate matter would be eliminated.
LPG Autogas is also much cleaner during the refueling process. When refueling with petrol or diesel, chemical vapours escape into the atmosphere and can also be breathed in during the entire refueling process. Autogas refueling is a fully sealed process.
For more detailed information on the environmental benefits of LPG Autogas go to THE CLEAN TRANSPORT ALTERNATIVE an information paper produced for LPG Australia by fuels expert Peter Anyon.
