Management, Communication and Dissemination

The work package covers all project specific management activities. Communications activities are described when essential for the management; generally they are described in WP 09.

Work Package 02

Technological and non-technological evaluation of heating, cooling and power generation from biogas

The problem of combining heat and power generation with cooling has been solved in technical/engineering terms. However, applications of this principle in connection with biogas usage are still rare. The reasons for this situation are often non-technological ones, but the roots of this situation are technological ones (e.g. the dominating energy carriers are oil and natural gas up to now). The work package 02 will focus on identification of technical obstacles and barriers at the various stages of the process which are the possible cause of non-technological obstacles Example: the heat generated by a CHP plant cannot used because a too low local heat demand (technological barrier). The administrative and technical authorities don’t approve the installation of the plant (administrative barrier). The mentioned various stages are biomass and biomethane generation, the on-site usage of none or partly upgraded biogas, the supply of micro heat grids or injecting into micro gas grids.

Work Package 03

Biogas production potentials, market chances, competitors and regulations

Biogas production technology including power generation with gas engines has become established in the market. It is suitable for converting solar energy accumulated in plants into a secondary source, as needed. In addition, it is environmentally friendly and sustainable because it relies basically on natural processes. Biogas is more efficient for conversion into electrical power, heating and cooling than liquid or solid biomass, because of their simple way of production, their properties for transportation and usage as well as the low emission in combustion processes. Therefore biogas technology has by far the largest potential for increasing the volume of energy from biomass provided that administrative barriers can be removed and reasonable legislative regulations are introduced. Biogas offers various applications in the fields of energy and materials. All of them are consistent with the efforts of the EU to enlarge the range of efficient uses for biomass.

Work package 04

Administrative biogas use barriers

The work package is directed to the detection of administrative (non-technological) barriers for the use of biogas. For the detection is taken into consideration, that there are two groups of non-technological barriers: a) non-technological barriers caused by technological barriers (objective WP 02, see overview WP 02) b) non-technological barriers for no apparent technological background.

Work Package 05

Biogas injection into the natural gas pipeline grid: framework; conditions, methods, barriers and demand for regulation

Most biogas plants for power generation make no use of the waste heat from off gas; only a small amount is used for internal heating purposes. An utilisation for cooling is very rare. So it can be expected that combined energy generation will increase the efficiency considerably, if the potential of biogas energy can be used at sites with a high demand for heating and cooling. These sites are mostly not situated in the surrounding of the biogas production sites.

Work Package 06

Benchmarking for increasing biogas injection

High quality of biogas is essential both for the efficiency of the numerous processes using gas and the safety of public gas supply. This fact will not and must not be changed by a substitution of natural gas imports by biomethane. However, all relationships must be examined to identify potential for biogas applications and use it to its best.

Work Package 07

Supply chains and market structures for biogas use

The chains of technological processes, from biomass up to polygeneration, must satisfy require­ments from various sides. They must be accepted as desirable by society, feasible in engineering, regulated in administrative terms and profitable in terms of economy. This needs chains of actors who share common interests. There are considerable differences in the development of the market structure for biomass in the member countries of the European Union. These differences exist at all stages in the utilisation chain of biomass but mainly in:

• Structure and potential of biogas production (agricultural and industrial biological wastes, biomass production for energy, competitors for biogas production from biomass) -> result of WP03-T1
• Demand structure of natural gas, infrastructure for natural gas distribution, demand for heating, cooling or combined power generation

Work Package 08

Proposals for the reduction of barriers and the creation of legislative instruments and regulations to increase the biogas use for heating, cooling and power generation

Since guideline 2003/55/EG of the EU took effect, biogas industry has been working to obtain a priority for biogas feed-in into the pipeline system, analogous to EEG in Germany. In Germany it is possible to feed biogas into the natural gas system. The necessary regulations are laid down in the amended energy law EnGW and DVGW guideline G 262 mentioned above. According to the report made by the legal expert Prof. S. Klinski for a study commissioned by German FNR, these regulations allow to move towards a priority for biogas feed-in, if legislature desires it.