Powering Progress: Biogas and RNG in America’s Growing Energy Ecosystem

By Zoë Astill, BiogasWorld

As the United States faces a rapid surge in electricity demand, driven by data centers, electrification, and AI, energy producers are under pressure to deliver more power, more efficiently, and more sustainably. According to recent estimates, data centers alone could account for up to 10% of U.S. electricity demand by 2030 (U.S. Department of Energy, 2025), underscoring an urgent need for reliable, renewable baseload energy.

In BiogasWorld’s recent webinar, “The U.S. Biogas & RNG Market: Navigating 2025 and Beyond,” industry experts from ABB, Ivys Adsorption, Mead & Hunt, and Fournier emphasized that biogas and RNG are uniquely positioned to fill this reliability gap, offering not just carbon reduction but energy stability in an increasingly volatile grid.

Biogas for Energy Stability

Among renewables, biogas stands out for its dispatchability, the ability to generate power on demand, unlike intermittent sources such as solar or wind. This makes biogas and RNG key contributors to grid stability and energy security, especially as the U.S. integrates more variable renewables.

When upgraded to RNG, biogas can directly replace fossil natural gas in existing infrastructure, providing low-carbon fuel for combined heat and power (CHP) units, microgrids, and backup generation systems.

ABB’s intelligent drive and automation technologies, highlighted in our earlier discussion on efficiency, are now being applied to optimize biogas power generation, reducing OPEX and improving plant uptime. Through advanced motor control, load balancing, and real-time monitoring, ABB systems can deliver up to 25% energy savings while ensuring stable power output.

This technical evolution transforms biogas from a waste management solution into a strategic pillar of the renewable power mix.

Data Centers and Industrial Energy Users

As digital infrastructure expands, data centers are emerging as major energy consumers, often requiring continuous, high-quality power that renewable intermittency struggles to provide. Here, RNG plays a unique role.

RNG can support on-site generation for hyperscale data centers, either through direct fueling of CHP systems or integration into microgrids. Unlike battery storage, RNG-based systems provide long-duration power with minimal degradation, making them ideal for backup operations or baseload supply in critical facilities.

Similarly, industrial manufacturers, especially those focused on wastewater treatment, food processing, and heavy industry, are leveraging biogas both as a fuel and as a means to reduce waste. By closing the loop between waste generation and energy use, these industries achieve lower carbon footprints and greater energy independence. When combined with domestic sourcing and modular plant design (as discussed in our previous article on BABA policy), biogas infrastructure can be rapidly deployed near industrial clusters, turning localized waste streams into decentralized, renewable energy hubs.

Efficiency, AI, and Smart Power Consumption

The future of biogas power generation depends on data-driven efficiency. Ivys Adsorption is pioneering new applications of AI security to protect and monitor these high-value assets in real time. Ivys emphasized that digitalization must evolve hand-in-hand with security:

These intelligent systems analyze feedstock variability, motor load, and gas composition to automatically adjust process parameters, maximizing uptime while minimizing emissions and power loss. For operators participating in carbon credit markets, this precision translates directly to better earnings. More efficient combustion and gas utilization mean lower carbon intensity (CI) scores, improving the financial performance of RNG projects while supporting ESG goals.

In short, smarter control systems don’t just run plants, they future-proof them.

Biogas as the Hidden Backbone of the Energy Transition

While solar and wind often dominate headlines, biogas quietly underpins America’s renewable future. It bridges the gap between energy production and waste reduction, offering a reliable, dispatchable, and locally sourced solution that complements intermittent renewables and strengthens the grid.

As the U.S. races to meet its growing energy needs, RNG and biogas will play an increasingly vital role, not just in generating power, but in ensuring that progress remains sustainable, stable, and circular.

At BiogasWorld, we believe this moment calls for collaboration between developers, policymakers, and technology leaders to integrate biogas into the broader energy ecosystem.

Join the conversation on the Biogas Community platform and help shape the future of clean, reliable energy.

Want more insights? Check out the webinar here: US Biogas & RNG Market: Navigating 2025 & Beyond

Coming next: In our next article, we’ll explore how regulatory uncertainty around PFAS and how innovation can turn digestate into a valuable byproduct market.

1. U.S. Department of Energy. (2025). Clean Energy Resources to meet data center electricity demand. U.S. Department of Energy Energy.gov. https://www.energy.gov/gdo/clean-energy-resources-meet-data-center-electricity-demand