New Biogas Plant in Austria is an ElectraTherm Green Machine

ElectraTherm has installed its first Green Machine in Austria. The wonderfully-named power producing facility has been installed at a biogas power generation facility to increase electrical production at the site without adding fuel or emissions. The site produces biogas through the anaerobic digestion process to fire a 500kWe GE Jenbacher 312, generating electricity to power up the local grid while using heat to dry crops during harvest. With the addition of the Green Machine, we are told that the excess engine heat will now be utilized to generate additional electricity. This is claimed to be the first known application where an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is incorporated into a biogas facility to supplement this efficient use of renewable energy. Please click through to visit the original article for full details:

ElectraTherm's Green Machine generates distributed power from waste heat, and patent pending technology offers unprecedented efficiency and flexibility for biogas power plants with anaerobic digesters. Hot water enters the Green Machine at 190 degreesF (88 degreesC), where it heats a working fluid into a pressurized vapor, using ORC technology. The high pressure vapor expands through ElectraTherm's patented twin screw power block, spinning an electric generator and creating up to 65kWe. For the size engine and available waste heat at this site the power generated averages at 32kWe. Since its commissioning in September 2011, the machine has operated approximately 3,000 runtime hours.

The anaerobic digestion process requires heating of the anaerobic digester tanks, to keep the bacteria at the appropriate temperature to effectively decompose the biomass to create methane (biogas). The system is designed to recover as much waste heat as possible to sustain the anaerobic digestion process as well as produce fuel free, emission free electricity using the ElectraTherm Green Machine.

The Jenbacher 312 engine is equipped with an exhaust gas heat exchanger designed to combine both the heat available in the exhaust and the heat available in the jacket water into a single heat stream. The waste heat from the engine is used to heat the anaerobic digestion process, as well as dry maize after harvest. The excess heat not needed to optimize the anaerobic digestion process and the seasonal grain drying is utilized by the Green Machine to produce fossil-fuel free electricity 24/7 as required.

"In addition to increasing plant efficiency, the power generated by the Green Machine meets Feed-In Tariff requirements by the utility, which can pay up to 18.5 Euro cents per kWe," said Karl Leisch, President of WTI and project developer. "The value of the Green Machine provides a significant revenue stream for 20 years."

ElectraTherm is exhibiting at Bio Gas World 2012 in booth number C46. The event takes place February 21-25, 2012 in Berlin, Germany.

About ElectraTherm, Inc. ElectraTherm, Inc. is a renewable energy company headquartered in Reno, Nevada. ElectraTherm's product, the Green Machine, generates fuel-free, emission-free power from low temperature waste heat using the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and patented technology. Our machines are modular, robust power generators with an attractive payback. For more information on ElectraTherm and its clean energy products, please visit www.electratherm.com .

For More Information, Contact: Celeste Dodge Email Contact 775.398.4690

SOURCE: ElectraTherm, Inc.

http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=08E4580B25F527AF

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European Biogas Injection Moves on as GrDF Selects Elster to Provide Biogas Stations

We are pleased to be able to provide news on the further development of biogas use in national natural gas supply systems with the following posting.

ESSEN, Germany, Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Elster /quotes/zigman/616990/quotes/nls/elt ELT -2.51% announced today that Gaz reseau Distribution France (GrDF), the main gas utility in France and wholly-owned subsidiary of GrDF Suez that manages the longest natural gas distribution network in Europe, has selected Elster as the sole supplier to establish at least five biogas injection stations throughout the country. The first station will be delivered in the first quarter of 2012. 

(Above video creator and GrDF have no connection.)

The two-year agreement calls for the stations to measure the quality of biogas and inject it into GrDF's natural gas grid after it is processed by the producer through purification stations. Each station will be equipped with two Elster EnCal 3000 high-end process gas chromatographs, Elster rotary or turbine gas meters, electronic volume correctors and odorizing devices. All of the stations will be assembled in France by Elster.
Following the first tests of injections into GrDF's gas grid in Lille last July, this initiative marks the starting point of a new era for GrDF's natural gas grid. To enable use of this renewable energy source, the source biogas first needs to be cleaned and transformed into biomethane, which has the same quality and energy characteristics as natural gas.
The Elster stations will allow GrDF to assure the precise volume and quality of biomethane it injects into the grid.
"Biomethane is an important strategic priority for France and a real stake for GrDF as part of the overall effort to develop cleaner, renewable energy sources," said Cedric Aubry, head of biogas projects at GrDF. (Blog master Note: biogas is produced from the Anaerobic digestion process.)
"Elster has worked with GrDF for more than 60 years, deploying both residential and commercial and industrial measurement applications, and recently piloted its residential automated meter reading system," said Michael Calovini, executive vice president of Elster's international gas business.
"We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership with GrDF as the utility continues developing its innovative approach to managing natural resources and integrating renewable energy sources," Calovini added.

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First Biogas Plant for Electricity and Heat Generation by Enovos Luxembourg SA ... - MarketWatch (press release)

STRASSEN, Luxembourg, October 18, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Enovos Luxembourg is successfully expanding its activities in the field of renewable energy and takes a share in the Biopower Tongeren N.V.

100% owned by Enovos International S.A., Enovos Luxembourg is a part of the Enovos-International-group.

On Monday, 17 October 2011 at the industrial estate "Tongeren Oost" (Tongeren, Belgium), Enovos Luxembourg S.A. and its project partners NPG Energy N.V. and Pholpa BVBA celebrated the first stone ceremony of the largest biogas plant in Limburg. In presence of a.o. Jean Lucius, CEO Enovos Luxembourg S.A. and the Mayor of the City of Tongeren, Patrick Dewael, a tree was planted to symbolise that this biogas plant will be 100% CO2 neutral.

In August 2011, Enovos Luxembourg S.A. signed the contracts to acquire a 24.9% stake in the biogas plant. For Enovos Luxembourg, this represents the first investment in renewable energy in Belgium.

Located in a predominantly agricultural area, the biogas plant will mainly ferment corn that is grown in close cooperation with local farmers within a 15 km radius. The resulting environmentally friendly biogas is converted into electricity via a motor and is then fed into the local power grid. The heat resulting from the process is used to dry the fermentation substrates. These substrates are returned to the fields as low-odour, high-quality fertilisers, thus producing a closed cycle.

"With a capacity of approximately 3 MW, the amount of electricity generated corresponds to the annual consumption of 6,500 households and an annual CO2 reduction of 10,000 tonnes, thus achieving an important step towards further expanding renewable energies," says Daniel Christnach, Head of Renewable Energies & Cogeneration at Enovos Luxembourg. In cooperation with the project partners, the plant's capacity can optionally be subsequently expanded to 5.6 MW. The building licence for this already exists.

Jean Lucius, CEO Enovos Luxembourg highlights: "The participation in the Biopower Tongeren N.V. emphasises Enovos' consistent commitment to the field of renewable energy and we are pleased that with this first project we were able to assert this message on the Belgium market."

The plant start-up will take place in April 2012.

The project developers NPG Energy N.V. and Pholpa BVBA are involved as additional partners in the project company, Biopower Tongeren N.V., each with 47.6% and 27.5% respectively.

As energy supplier on the Luxembourg, German, French and - since 2011 - Belgian energy market, Enovos Luxembourg's mission consists of generating electricity, natural gas and renewable energy for municipal providers, industries and private households and in delivering it to them.

They are subordinate to Enovos International S.A., which is an operative holding company with its headquarters in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In addition to supplying energy, the parent company also acts as an umbrella for the management of the grid operator, Creos Luxembourg S.A.

Expressed in numbers, the Enovos-International-group currently consists of more than 1,300 employees, more than 280,000 points of delivery, over 8,700 km of electric lines and more than 3,600 km of gas pipelines.

In addition to its traditional core business, the company is expanding its activities mostly in the field of renewable energy.

25.44% of Enovos International S.A. belongs to Luxembourg State, 10.01% belongs to the state-owned investment bank SNCI and 8.00% belongs to the City of Luxembourg. ArcelorMittal owns 23.48%, RWE owns 18.36%, E.ON has 10.00% and Electrabel holds 4.71%.

Copyright (C) 2011 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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