Biogas Plant in Eastern Germany Will Be the World’s Largest
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07.17.08
image: WELtec BioPower
The renewable energy industry is changing so rapidly that calling something the “world’s largest” is setting yourself up to be corrected only a few weeks later. In any case, as of today, a new biogas plant in Konnern, Germany can now claim that it is the largest biogas plant to feed gas directly into a national grid...when it begins operations at the beginning of 2009. Ah, qualifying statements. We’ll see if it gets one-upped before then, but here are the details, via Renewable Energy World:
Biomethane Fed Into Natural Gas Supply
This new plant, when operational, will feed 15 million cubic meters of biomethane into Germany’s national gas grid. Normally, biogas contains about 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide, but through filtering technology at the Konnern facility the CO2 will be filtered out so that the methane content of the biogas is similar to that of natural gas. Thus the biomethane can be put into the same pipelines that carry natural gas.
Corn to be Used as Feedstock
One environmental/social catch in this system is the source of the raw materials used to make the biogas. Apparently neither agricultural waste products not animal waste will be used in the system, rather thirty local farmers will be supplying 120,000 tonnes per year of raw materials, mostly corn, to the facility. This is sure to justly raise the question of the importance of using agricultural lands to feed people before our collective energy addiction.
Though it most likely won’t calm food versus fuel critics, Andrea Horbelt of the German Biogas Association says, “Research is just beginning to look at the many types of plants that could be used to produce biogas. We are confident there will be many alternatives to using crops such as corn.”
Smellier Solutions Could Calm the Food v. Fuel Debate
Given that human excrement has been been used in Uganda to make biogas, and cow dung is being used for the same purpose in California , I just can’t get the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome images out of mind. Tina Turner with a crossbow and Master-Blaster are just burnt into my brain.
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Corn to biogas that is equal to natural gas. ...
Questions ...
1 ) did they try non-food bio material?
2 ) What happens to the CO2 they remove from the biogas?
With the known problems of using food for fuels, and in fact the EU not continuing support for growth of liquid biofuels, this development is surprising and sad.
True that, JT. I wonder if they'll have the insight to split the CO2 and sequester the carbon?
In terms of source material, I think the market will dictate use of non food plants in due time. The thing has cost too much to construct to just bag it if public opinion goes south. There are better plants to use for this anyway.
Growing corn to feed this thing? That's insane.
These belong at sewage treatment plants or feedlots.
Hi Matt,
If they had this plant near Berlin or Frankfurt, they could possibly run it entirely on food waste. Konnern appears to be nowhere near a large city. Its own total population is a mere 8,000.
Food waste (or food grain for that matter, like corn) is an ideal feedstock for biogas. 40 kg of cow dung generates as much biogas in 40 days as 4-6 kg of food waste does in 2-3 days.. (Source)
London is going after biogas generation from food waste in a big way. They call it their largest and most attractive renewable energy resource.
Sooner or later we will reach a balance-point where we no longer can grow our way out of the demands of our life-style - then we must change our lifestyle. We can look at life-style changes now, and save a lot of time and trouble, but change is painful, or is it? Can we live differently and still be happy, or even happier! I think so.