What is RNG?

We’ve all heard of farm to table, but what about farm to energy? That’s renewable natural gas, or RNG, – clean energy harnessed from our nation’s farms for the good of the climate, consumers and family farmers.

What is RNG?

Renewable energy comes from many sources – the sun, the wind and hydroelectric dams. But did you know it also comes from our nation’s farms? That’s right! Thanks to technological innovation, Dominion Energy and Smithfield Foods are turning methane from hog farms into clean, renewable energy for homes and businesses, power plants and even transportation vehicles. It’s called renewable natural gas, and it’s transforming the future by reducing emissions from our farms, providing clean energy for consumers and generating new income for family farmers.

How Does it Work?

When animal manure breaks down, it naturally produces methane gas. When released into the atmosphere, methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. By capturing this methane and converting it into clean energy, RNG significantly reduces emissions from our nation’s farms. In fact, developing RNG captures more emissions from the farm than are released when consumers use the gas. Better than zero-carbon, it’s actually carbon-beneficial! Here’s how it works:

Step 1

Capturing Methane from the Farm

As hog manure breaks down, it produces methane gas. Instead of allowing methane to enter the atmosphere, it’s captured in an anaerobic digester.

Step 2

Converting Methane to RNG

The methane captured from multiple farms is sent to a central conditioning facility, where it’s refined to 99% pure methane, the same as traditional natural gas.

Step 3

Delivering to Homes & Businesses

The RNG is then put into an existing distribution system to serve homes, businesses, power plants and other natural gas consumers.

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