LPG & The Environment

Since the majority of the world’s Greenhouse Gas emissions are released in the form of CO2 burning from fossil fuels, our energy policies have to go hand in hand with climate change policy. Using LPG instead of other fossil fuels can make a real contribution to lowering the world’s carbon footprint, helping mitigate the effects of climate change.

LPG – A Lower Carbon Fuel

In comparison to most hydrocarbons, LPG has a low Carbon to Hydrogen ratio, which means it generates lower amounts of CO2 per amount of heat produced.

It has a comparatively high heating value, meaning it contains more energy per kilogramme than most competing fuels.

According to the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), LPG is not a greenhouse gas, meaning it is assigned a global warming potential (GWP) factor of Zero. The IPCC lists the GWP of CO2 as 1 (by definition as it is the equivalent measure of a carbon footprint) and methane as 25.

Source: Atlantic Consulting 2009

LPG – A Comparison with Other Fuels

In 2010, Defra found that LPG is the cleanest off-mains fossil fuel available. In comparison to Gas Oil, LPG produces 29% less CO2 emissions. There’s an even larger carbon saving to be made against electricity, with LPG producing 154% less CO2 emissions.
 
The table below demonstrates how LPG compares favourably against all the available off-mains fossil fuels.
 
% CO2 emissions against LPG
Gas oil
+ 29%
Electricity
+ 154%
Kerosene
+14%
Heavy Fuel Oil
+31%
Smokeless Fuel
+46%

LPG – AN ARRAY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES

  • A multipurpose, modern, clean, accessible and efficient energy source.
  • The cleanest fossil fuel available off the national grid
  • Limiting the impact of energy use to global warming due to its low CO2 emissions.
  • Promoting human health by limiting air pollution thanks to low particle emissions, low nitrous oxide emissions and low sulphur content.
  • Making a modern energy accessible to consumers out of reach of mains alternatives.
  • Accelerating the development of renewable energy by serving as a clean back up for intermittent renewables such as solar and wind.

The Combustion of LPG has almost no harmful impact on the environment and on human health, making it a clean low carbon alternative to other fossil fuels. It burns completely, efficiently and emits significantly less pollutants than most conventional fuels.