Forget Solar: The Energy Breakthrough That Could Provide 10% of US Electricity

That headline is very much the essence of the big wake-up call issued by a US investment analyst this month. Yes. At last, the financial community is beginning to see the huge potential for energy from waste in the US, and because they are such big waste producers, it IS an enormous new investment area for investors to consider.

As they point out, there is "low hanging fruit" in the US as well, in the form of landfill gas extraction from existing and propose landfills.

The size of the opportunity for those wishing to invest in landfill gas can be seen, and is undisputable if their figure of only 1 in 5.7 landfills being equipped for LFG extraction and energy production is correct - and we have no reason to doubt it.

That opportunity has long since passed in Europe, but the US is wide open for new landfill gas projects. If the sites are remote from a big enough power line, then no longer is that a problem with the biogas upgrading equipment now available.

This means that the gas coan be cleaned up and used for vehicle use or injected into gas grid mains, and many can use it to run the refuse vehicles for a start, with plenty left over.

Please visit the original website via the link below, after you have read the excerpt below:

Today, I want to tell you about a true game changer in the energy industry. Up until a few years ago, this initiative would have seemed almost impossible. It would have been the subject of sci-fi movies. But don't worry, what I'm about to tell you is very real. In the past five years alone, some of the world's leading businesses have poured more than $18.2 billion into this unique idea.  I'm talking about turning trash into energy.

 Here's the story... According to Waste Management (NYSE: WM), the average person generates roughly four pounds of trash a day. That adds up to 227.5 million tons of "municipal solid waste" every year, enough to fill a line of trash trucks nearly 100,000 miles long, which would circle the Earth four times.

All of that trash has a pretty predictable profile. As the chart below shows, a good portion of it is recyclable: The glass, plastic and metal can all be reused.

But the majority of trash is organic material: Wood, food, yard waste and paper account for 62.5% of the trash Americans toss out. This adds up to 142.2 million tons of rotting material every year, just in the United States.

As much of that organic waste decomposes in the landfill, it emits gas... quite a lot of it too. Made up of about 60% methane, landfill gas is combustible. Enough so to create high-pressure steam that spins turbines to generate electric power in exactly the same way utilities burn natural gas.

Right now, there are more than 540 landfill gas-to-energy projects in the United States. Those projects are delivering 1,684 megawatts of electricity to corporate and government users, which is enough energy to power 1.7 million homes.

With only one landfill-gas site for every 5.7 active landfills, there is room for serious growth. Those untapped landfills are like having open wells bleeding gas into the air, where it vanishes, instead of into a pipeline, where it can be sold.

There are many companies out there that see that waste, yearn to harness that energy and might well make a fortune in the process. That's one reason market intelligence firm Pike Research expects this industry to at least double worldwide in the next decade.

The American Biogas Council estimates there are 12,000 undeveloped biogas sites in the wastewater (3,300), agriculture (8,200) and landfill (500) sectors. Using the energy created from these sites, biogas could replace up to 10% of the United States' electricity needs. We are, after all, already "making" all this gas. The opportunity lies in capturing and harnessing its power.

Right now, one of my favorite plays in this space is Tetra Technologies (Nasdaq: TTEK), a massive engineering firm that is always on the cusp of "the next big thing." That's one reason it has, in its history, delivered fully four times the Nasdaq's return.

As a member of the America Biogas Council, Tetra Tech is one of the few companies with the expertise and ability to build a commercial-scale turnkey biogas facility.

The company is also solidly profitable and well-run, as evidenced by its strong historical growth in equity. And, with a $1.73 billion market cap, it still has plenty of space to grow -- or the potential to be acquired at a substantial premium.

View the original article here

Wisconsin State Program Subsidy for Biomass and Biogas Installations

I find this article somewhat confusing as the figures don't seem to tally. The item says in the headline that "Wisconsin State Program allocates $750,000 for biomass, biogas installations", which at under $1million isn't much money at all! I presume that a decimal point must have gone missig here somewhere. On that basis I would hail this as another step forward in the rising trend in the US, where individual states are picking up on environmentally beneficial, and hopefully also "economically viable" opportunities and providing them with encouragement. If anyone reading this can shed more light on the overall budget figures involved in this inititaive, we would be delighted to receive your comments. Please visit the original article via the link below the extract provided below:

Wisconsin residents and businesses that install biogas or biomass-based technology can receive up to $250,000 through a newly formed renewable energy utilities program. The program, Focus on Energy, is accepting applications until August 29, 2012. William Haas, program director for Focus on Energy, said the newly offered programs will better serve utility rate payers while adding to a mix of other incentive programs already offered in the state.

Through the Renewable Energy Competitive Incentive Program, Wisconsin businesses can apply through a request for proposal (RFP) process that details the stipulations for funding. For the biogas RFP, the applicant may not request more than $2 million. The funding may go towards energy generating equipment and materials, but previously acquired equipment or materials will not qualify for funding. All biogas systems must have an electronic method of measuring and tracking energy production, as well as a data exporting or uploading system. The RFP for biogas projects also encourages the use of biogas cleaning systems, and, methane meters are required.

For the biomass funding, all projects may not exceed $2 million. Like the biogas funding opportunity, only energy generation equipment or materials will be considered as part of the total project funding. Demolishing a wall to install a wood burner where a natural gas furnace could be installed, the RFP document explained, would not be considered eligible for funding. All systems must have energy monitoring methods in place, and, records detailing the fuel source inputs into the system. To learn more please about the program see the Focus on Energy website. 

View the original article here

Biogas to Power RCVs from Food Waste Plant in Sacramento

My goodness, another Anerobic Disgestion plant installation "first" is claimed by the Californians! Gold River, a California based organic waste to energy facility contractor is the claimant, and no doubt they are correct in what they say! Their new plant will be both a "dry" process AD Plant and the biogas will be upgraded for transport vehicle use, and the company achiving this is to be Clean World Partners (CWP) and waste and recycling company, Atlas Disposal of Sacramento.

The partnership of these two companies has recently broken ground on a $13 million food waste to waste biogas processing facility.anaerobic digestion facility in South Sacramento. We are told that a recent report in local newspaper, the Sacramento Been, has explained that CWP was formed in January 2009 to develop further opportunities arising from a new anaerobic digester technology. This technology has been developed by Ruihong Zhang of UC Davis. Zhang's research collaborator/partner. Just like many others they are reported to have focused on reducing the amount of time needed to convert waste material into valuable gas products. Read our quote from the artcile and visit the original website for the full store, using the link below: 

According to CWP it was awarded a $6 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to increase the capacity of its Organic Waste Recycling Center at the South Area South Area Transfer Station - making  it the largest commercial-scale, high solids anaerobic digestion (AD) system in the U.S.

The center initially will convert 25 tons of food waste per day collected by Atlas Disposal Industries from local food processing companies, restaurants and supermarkets into renewable natural gas. 

The CEC grant will support expansion of the facility to handle 100 tons of waste per day by early 2013, which will make it the nation's largest such system.

"This grant will help us quickly expand our newest facility and keep more waste out of landfills while we produce renewable natural gas for clean transportation fuel and clean power," explained Wong.

CWP claimed that once complete the expanded facility will replace 1 million gallons (3.8 million lites) of diesel per year with biogas and produce 2 million kWh of electricity per year - enough to power 200 homes.

CWP and Atlas have also broken ground on California's first AD-based Renewable Natural Gas Fueling Station - the South Area Transfer Station - which is claimed to be the nation's first digestion based Renewable Natural Gas Fueling Station.

The companies said that the Atlas Disposal Industries facility will use natural gas produced by Clean World's digestion system to fuel the company's clean fuel fleet, as well as vehicles from area jurisdictions and agencies.

The two facilities are expected to create 16 long-term jobs in Sacramento and generate more than $1.1 million in annual combined tax revenue for the City of Sacramento, Sacramento County and the state.

Clean World's Organic Waste Recycling Center is based on AD technology developed at UC Davis to convert food waste, agricultural residue and other organic waste into renewable energy, fertilizer and soil enhancements.

View the original article here

eBay Data Center - Biogas from Waste to Power 6 MW Fuel Cells

The use of Anaerobic Digestion by large IT corporations is becoming a rising trend. Earlier this year there was  a stir at Apple's New Datacentre when the ground was cleared for a mystery construction project which tunred out to be a large Anerobic Digestion Plant. Here again we learn of another "dot com" company which as a substantial user of electricity and seeking to show its "green" credentials is investing in biogas technology.

How much these developments are driven by economic factors and how much by the need to be able to report their corporate responsibility when it comes to using power, can be questioned of course, but these corporations are hard headed enough when it comes to the bottom line to be sre that they won't lose money from these AD Plants.

Read more about it in our excerpt below, and please do visit the oirginal web site for the full article:

San Jose, California based eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) has set out the next phase of its plans to power its flagship data center using biogas from organic wastes and fuel cell technology to help make renewable energy its primary power source.

The internet auction giant is partnering with Sunnvale, California based fuel cell specialist, Bloom Energy to build what is claimed to be the largest non-utility fuel cell installation in the U.S.

According to Bloom Energy, renewable energy typically supplements the electric grid, but eBay is designing renewable energy into the core of its global commerce platform, incorporating 30 Bloom Energy servers into the new data center's energy architecture.

The company added that the electric utility grid will be used only as backup.

The new 6 MW Bloom installation is being designed and engineered into eBay's expanded data center facility in Utah, and is expected to be fully functional by mid-2013.

Each of the 30 Bloom Energy servers will generate 1.75 million kWh of electricity annually, and will be installed a few hundred feet from the center itself, which Bloom said would virtually eliminating traditional utility grid losses.

eBay will use the Bloom fuel cells - which the company said can generate on-site power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - to replace the large and expensive backup generators and UPS components that are historically utilised less than 1% of the year.

Bloom added that eBay's fuel cells will be powered by powered by biogas derived from renewable organic waste.

The Bloom servers will power millions of transactions by eBay's 102 million active plus users, who generate more than $69 billion in merchandise volume annually.

The data center also will power activity across eBay's other global commerce platforms, including PayPal and StubHub, which Bloom said would enable merchants, retail partners, buyers and sellers to do greener commerce.

The project will be eBay's fifth and largest renewable energy installation. It currently operates a 650 kW solar array and a 500 kW Bloom fuel cell installation at its San Jose headquarters, as well as a 100 kW solar array at its Denver data center.

In April of this year, the company also installed a 665 kW solar array spanning 72,000 square feet atop its existing, LEED certified Utah data center.

"We are embracing disruptive energy technology and designing it into our core data center energy architecture," said John Donahoe, president and CEO of eBay.

"Running our data centers primarily on reliable, renewable energy, we intend to shape a future for commerce that is more environmentally sustainable at its core," he added.

Read More

Apple to Build 5 MW Biogas Fuel Cell at Apple (NSADAQ: AAPL) has filed its plans to build the 5 MW fuel cell project in Maiden, North Carolina, that will utilise biogas to offset its natural gas use and qualify as a renewable facility.

View the original article here

Anerobic Digestion Ponds at Piggeries in Australia are Close to Completion

An innovative biogas creation technology, has been developed at NIWA Hamilton, which has support from the Australian pork industry. It provides a renewable electricity and heat energy source.

Watch our largely unrelated video, which nevertheless is highly innovatory. Is this the first flaoting biogas plant?

Returning to Australia: From this article, althougth the terminology of pond is novel, it sounds as if the design must be similar to many US agricultural AD systems. It should prove viable, although in Australia I have not heard that there were any govrnment incentives by the way of tax breaks or green power Feed-in tarrifs, so this designer will have to keeep costs down to an absolute minumum in order to achieve payback, and profit. The

The Australian pork industry association, Australian Pork Limited (APL), has collaborated with NIWA and several pork producers to design and build covered anaerobic pond based anaerobic digestion systems. So far, four systems are currently at various stages of construction.

NIWA worked in collaboration with the New Zealand Pork Industry Board and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) on the New Zealand prototype.

NIWA identified that anaerobic digestion in covered waste ponds holds significant potential to reduce odour and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while providing biogas as a local energy resource.

Australian pig farmers are incentivised to use the technology to reduce farm GHG emissions. The recently introduced Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) allows farmers and land managers to earn carbon credits by storing carbon or reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. These credits can then be sold to businesses with an emission liability, such as fossil fuel power plants or chemical processors.

"The system makes good sense," says NIWA research engineer Stephan Heubeck, who has driven the development of the technology. "Anaerobic digestion in covered ponds holds significant potential to reduce odour and greenhouse gas emissions from the farming sector. At farm scale, this energy resource can be used for heating and/or to generate electricity."

The first pond based biogas system that NIWA designed was a purpose-built 7000m3 covered anaerobic pond for Steve Lepper's piggery in Taranaki.

NIWA's simple and low cost design has proven effective and reliable over the last two years. At the Lepper piggery, the biogas is used for electricity generation and heating in a combined heat and power unit (CHP). As well as providing the majority of the piggery's electricity needs during daytime, waste heat from the generator is used in a reticulated hot water system for keeping young pigs warm.

Steve Lepper expects to recoup his $120,000 investment ($30,000 of which came from an EECA grant) within three years. The Lepper biogas system won the Small-Medium Business category in EECA awards in 2010.

NIWA is actively promoting new ideas and concepts that enhance New Zealand's economic and environmental performance. New Zealand's primary sector has much to gain from a bolder adoption of covered anaerobic pond based biogas technology. Stephan Heubeck will be at the Waikato Regional Council Effluent Expo, talking about these systems and showcasing how farms may benefit from biogas technology, as part of a workshop on pig effluent co-organised by the New Zealand Pork Industry Board. The event is being held at Mystery Creek Events Centre, in Hamilton on the 28th of February 2012.

View the original article here

ThyssenKrupp Nirosta Discusses Stainless Steel Tanks for Anaerobic Digestion Plants

I for one think of stainess steel as a premium cost material and have not considered it likely to be a cost-effective material for a large commerical biogas tank, and yet in the article that follows it is clear that this material is being used for biogas plants, and reportedly, very successfully. We have included much of the article below, but please also visit the original website.

In Szeged, around an hour south of Budapest, Weltec Biopower is currently building an ultramodern biogas plant with stainless steel from ThyssenKrupp Nirosta. The 1-megawatt facility, comprising two combined heat and power plants with an output of 600 kW/h each, will go into operation at the end of 2011. The organic waste substrate will be supplied by local farmers, who in return will use the digestate left over from the anaerobic digestion /biogasproduction process as fertilizer on their fields. The generated heat will be used to heat offices in Szeged.

At the heart of the plant are two stainless steel digesters. In addition, an external stainless steel gas storage tank with a capacity of 650 cubic meters will be installed on the site. The aim is to take advantage of electricity prices, which are twice as high during the daytime. The biogas will therefore be collected in the digester tank and the external gas tank at night and the two CHP modules will run under full load in the day time.

The two 3,000 cubic meter digesters are sealed with a double membrane roof, which means that each digester also has an additional gas buffer capacity of 1,016 cubic meters. Animal waste and energy crops are used as a substrate, with special bacteria being used for the fermenting process. During biogas production, waste products such as sulfur and ammonia are also formed. "These substances are very corrosive, placing high demands on the material for the digesters. That's why we use stainless steel exclusively for our plants," says Hajo Schierhold, head of sales and marketing at Weltec Biopower, whose sole supplier of stainless steel is ThyssenKrupp Nirosta.

In the past ten years ThyssenKrupp Nirosta has supplied around 1,500 tons of material for various projects carried out by the Vechta-based plant builder. Depending on the loading, different stainless steel grades are used, e.g. for the tank walls in contact with the liquid or gas. "The majority of our deliveries have been our standard sheet steel Nirosta 4301 specially optimized for these applications," says Martin Stöckl from the ThyssenKrupp Nirosta sales team.

"What's particularly important for us is the cold-worked condition, 2H. This means thinner steel can be used to build the digesters without any loss of stability. It also means a significant cost saving". Another advantage is the extremely smooth surface. "The dense surface of Nirosta 4301 2H gives aggressive substances no opportunity to attack the material," says Weltec Biopower sales chief Schierhold. "Bacteria have no chance to take hold, so corrosion is nipped in the bud, which is an important factor for longevity and efficiency."

View the original article here

PURPA Plus Can Be The Biogas Friendly Bill For The US?

PURPA Plus bill permits states to make their own calls about eco-friendly energy. Since the US's General Public Application Regulatory Act was passed in 1978, power resources have been needed to pay an "avoided cost" rate to particular kinds of tiny power production, cogeneration facilities and other kinds of qualifying facilities.

That rate is generally the price of the least expensive sort of power the use has in its portfoliousually coaland that could be a price with which little renewable power suppliers can't compete. More than twenty years after, PURPA is doing something it wasn't intended forlimiting individual states' capability to make their own choices about incentivizing little distributed clean energy.

A new bill introduced in the Senate Energy & Resources Board nonetheless, could change that. PURPA And , which is meant to inspire distributed generation of eco-friendly energy, would take away the evaded cost limitation and let states set their own costs, according to Patrick Serfass, manager of the North American Biogas Council.

In numerous cases, PURPA makes micro-scale green energy generation unfeasible. As an example, if a biogas producer has to turn on his facility's lights or use power for something else, he is doubtless paying a retail rate, Serfass says.

"If he's selling any power back, he's getting a little fragment of that rate, so he isn't even getting paid the same rate he is being charged. Mostly, they just need to pay you for the price of avoiding an identical quantity of electricity from coal."

PURPA Plus is a route for states to raise that price to incentivize distributed replaceable electricity generation.

"Generally in the energy industry it makes the most sense to supply your own electricity where you want it as it costs cash to move it some place," Serfass explains. "If you have got a hereabouts available resource, and folks who want energy regionally, why not produce and use it there? That is where distributed generation comes in.

If states need to inspire that, not only will it create business for those firms and roles, but also increases the quantity of electricity the state produces with no need to upgrade transmission systems." The most significant element of PURPA And is that it permits states a choice, and it's at no charge to taxpayers.

Serfass says.

“It’s a gateway for states to create more incentives, one of which could be a feed-in tariff. That would allow biogas projects to compete with other traditional energy sources on a level playing field.”

Though it’s less of a priority, the ABC would like to see PURPA Plus tweaked so that the cap is raised from 2 to 5 megawatts..

“Over half of current biogas projects are less than that, but a lot of larger projects in the works are between two and five,” Serfass says. “A slightly larger project could have a big impact on the industry.”

The ABC is urging its members to write their senators to request support of the bill.

“With the current Congress being focused on cutting our federal budget and reducing costs everywhere, this bill is important because it doesn’t cost taxpayers any money,”

Serfass reiterates.

“It’s a really valuable piece of legislation.”

View the original article here

Business Briefs - Biomass Power and Thermal

We hope you like the following roundup, (or should we say mash-up nowadays?) from Biomass Power and Thermal:

New Dealer for Continental Biomass Industries
Continental Biomass Industries Inc., a manufacturer of portable and stationary biomass processing and recycling systems, has announced that McCourt & Sons Equipment Inc. is an exclusive dealer for CBI’s product line and will provide equipment, parts and service for Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Established in 1997 and family owned and operated, McCourt & Sons has more than 65 years of combined industry experience.

Madison college receives grantfrom Thermo Fisher Scientific
Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wis., has received a $10,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inspire Grant to support student participation in Renewable Energy for International Development. The course, which is offered through Madison College and the Consortium for Renewable Energy Technology, examines energy and economics in developing countries with special consideration to renewable energy sources. The class combines eight weeks of online instruction with 10 days of study and hands-on work in Costa Rica. Students design and install working renewable energy systems that can be applied in developing countries. The Inspire Grant provides six $1,500 scholarships, as well as a $1,000 stipend that will be given to a program participant from Costa Rica to offset their expenses to attend related workshops in Madison.

GE introduces gas engine for small biogas projects

Please note that the video shows GE Jenbacher equipment, but is inluded as the closest model to the new Waukesha for which a video appeared to be available from GE.

Expanding the company’s lineup of biogas engines for a wider range of power outputs, GE has introduced its Waukesha 1-megawatt APG1000 gas engine that can utilize a broader variety of biogases, including from landfills, wastewater treatment plants and agricultural waste. The Waukesha unit’s expanded biogas capabilities are the result of an 18-month redesign and testing initiative that includes modifications to the combustion chamber, a new spark plug design, and a new fuel control system that simplifies engine start-up and operation. For example, the engine’s greater fuel tolerances allow it to handle fluctuations in the thermal quality of the biogas with little or no manual intervention. These modifications address the unique operational challenges of using biogases and were validated at both landfill and digester biogas-to-energy project sites.

Blythe takes over at B&W Mechanical Handling 
Andy Blythe was appointed managing director of U.K.-based B&W Mechanical Handling Ltd. He joined the company in early May succeeding Andrew Mitchell, who is focusing on his own consulting business but will maintain strong links with B&W. Blythe brings his vast experience in aggregates, minerals and the bulk handling industry with a proven track record in business expansion and strategic development. With B&W, Blythe’s initial focus is to improve the strong presence in the ports and terminals sector as well as expand into other high-end markets that need the same technologies.

Reliable Renewables joins CEA
Consumer Energy Alliance welcomes Reliable Renewables LLC as its newest affiliate member. Reliable Renewables develops owns, and operates modular biomass gasification power plants of 2 to 5 megawatts. The power plants are fueled by agricultural waste, pulp and paper waste, energy crops and refuse-derived fuel.  These power plants operate around-the-clock providing a consistent, sustainable flow of renewable energy. The biogas produced can be utilized to generate electricity in a GE Jenbacher, or a similar engine.  Alternatively, the biogas can be used to fuel incumbent processes such as kilns, fractionation towers or existing engines and turbines. Fuel cost is reduced or eliminated as the gasification plants are small enough to be located adjacent to biomass supplies.

Nortrax expands Morbark territory into eastern New York
Morbark Inc. has signed an agreement with Nortrax Inc., a Morbark forestry and recycling dealer, to expand its territory to include eastern New York State. The expansion added 10 New York counties to an already established Nortrax northeastern territory of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Nortrax has been a steadfast Morbark dealer for more than 20 years. With excellent product support, as well as an extensive equipment and parts inventory, the expansion of the Nortrax-Morbark partnership into eastern New York state will greatly benefit regional Morbark customers.

Morbark names new president
Morbark Inc., a manufacturer of forestry, sawmill and wood recycling equipment, announced the appointment of James W. Shoemaker Jr. as president. Shoemaker replaces Lon Morey who will remain as the chairman of Morbark’s board of directors. Prior to his appointment, Shoemaker served as Morbark’s vice president of operations and board member. He joined Morbark in 2003 as the manager of operations and has held numerous positions in the company. Prior to joining Morbark, Shoemaker served 25 years with the Jervis B. Webb Co. managing operations, accounting and supply chain.

Bandit Industries receives EPA award
Wood chipper manufacturer Bandit Industries received a National Partnership for Environmental Priorities achievement award from the U.S. EPA. The award was given to the company for efforts in reducing hazardous chemicals in the workplace, specifically with the reduction of mercury. Bandit was one of only three organizations in Michigan to receive the award. Bandit’s proactive replacement of mercury thermostats resulted in approximately three pounds of the dangerous metal being removed from the company grounds. The old thermostats were then securely packaged and sent to a recycling facility. These reductions were achieved as part of the NPEP program, a voluntary reduction program in which companies, municipalities, federal facilities and tribes partner with the EPA to reduce and/or recycle toxic chemicals. The NPEP program also works to identify environmentally preferable alternatives and fosters technology transfer. To date, NPEP partners have been successful in removing more than 40 million pounds of potentially hazardous material.

Rodman named to NECA's Renewables and Distributed Generation committee
Steve Rodman, president of Rodman & Rodman P.C., has been named to the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association's Renewables and Distributed Generation committee. NECA is a nonprofit trade association serving the electric power industry. Its Renewables and Distributed Generation committee is dedicated to increasing awareness of the benefits of renewable/clean energy and to facilitating growth of the industry in the Northeast. Rodman & Rodman is a CPA firm with a dedicated "Green Team" Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Practice, where Rodman is a client adviser and advocate in the provision of expert green energy tax advisory, accounting services, and business strategy for alternative energy producers and investors through all stages of their project and business life cycle. The Green Team offers its services for companies in the biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, landfill gasses, municipal solid waste, hydroelectric and hydrokinetic sectors of the renewable energy industry. They also assist startup projects with the Section 1603 program.

View the original article here

Biogas Plant Approved Near Diss Norfolk But Local Objections Remain

Campaigners have vowed to launch a judicial review after controversial plans to build a biogas renewable energy plant near their homes were approved. In this article from Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine, it is not clear why the local continue to object. Is this Nymby-ism at play or do they have a specific objection? I suspect that Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine must think not, or the article would contain that information?

(The video is not linked with the article, but we hope you find it interesting.)

Stephen Gordon, chairman of Kenninghall Parish Council, announced that objectors would not give up their 18-month fight following the decision by Breckland Council's planning committee yesterday.

About 30 residents from the south Norfolk village, near Diss, attended the meeting with placards and protest banners.

Greenshoots Energy Ltd had applied to build an anaerobic digestion unit on land off Garboldisham Road, which would be fuelled with locally grown maize, poultry litter and cattle slurry. The electricity created would be transferred to the National Grid. The plant would be linked to a combined heat and power (CHP) plant just over half a mile away at Crown Milling, off Heath Road, which would use the waste heat generated by the energy plant.

Both applications had been recommended for approval despite opposition from the parish council, North Lopham Parish Council and about 500 residents who had signed a petition.

James Alston, who runs Greenshoots Energy with fellow farmer Robert Gooderham, said creating anaerobic digestors helped farmers maintain the viability of their industry.

Copyright 2011 Archant Regional Limited
All Rights Reserved

View the original article here

Seeking Member Support for Biogas Tax Credit Bill - American Biogas Council

The American Biogas Council is encouraging its members to help support one of its highest legislative priorities—a bill that would create an investment tax credit for biogas.

Although not yet introduced, the bill is being considered by Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis. If passed, it would grant qualifying biogas (anaerobic digestion) projects parity with other renewable energy projects that already qualify for a 30 percent investment tax credit under Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986.

The bill defines qualified biogas property as comprising of a system that uses anaerobic digesters or other biological, chemical, thermal or mechanical processes (alone or in combination) to convert biomass into a gas, which consists of not less than 52 percent methane, and captures the gas for use as a fuel.

Besides the tax credit, the bill would also require the government to enter into an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to undertake a study of biogas. The agreement would require NREL to supply a written report to Congress within two years after the date of the enactment of the bill to address multiple issues, such as the quality of biogas and a comparison of biogas to natural gas and the identification of any components of biogas that make it unsuitable for injection into existing natural gas pipelines. Other issues the study would address include methods for obtaining the highest energy content in biogas, including the use of codigestion and identifying the optimal feed mixture, and recommendations for the expansion of biogas production, including an analysis of the extent to which increasing the methane content of biogas would result in its greater use and an analysis of how the expanded use of biogas could help meet the growing energy needs of the U.S.

Patrick Serfass, excutive director of the ABC, said one type of project that would benefit from the tax credit would be one that injects renewable natural gas into the gas pipeline, or uses the biogas to power cars and heavy duty vehicles.  "For example, this tax credit will help a dairy farmer who makes biogas from cow manure and then uses it to heat the buildings and power the trucks that deliver the milk," he said. "In another example, it would help a facility that takes food waste from area restaurants and grocery stores, turns their trash into biogas and then injects the renewable natural gas into the pipeline to be used by any natural gas customers."

Serfass said the idea of turning organic waste into usable, renewable biogas, is just taking off in the U.S. and it's something that should be encouraged. "Whether you've got rural farm waste, urban food waste or the sludge filtered out of wastewater, a tax incentive like this will create new jobs with every new project constructed that will put people to work turning garbage into green energy," he added.

The ABC is requesting that members write to their congressional representatives to make them aware of the legislation and urge them to support it. To view a copy of the bill, click here. 

View the original article here

Landfill Gas to Power Wewoka Brick Company's Kilns - NewsOK.com

WEWOKA — Most businesses probably wouldn't want to have a landfill next door, but it is working out well for Commercial Brick Corp.

The Wewoka Biogas Project was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from WCA Waste Corp.'s Sooner Landfill in Wewoka, while providing cheaper fuel to the nearby Commercial Brick Corp. plant. The annual reduction of greenhouse gases attributable to the project are about the same as:

Greenhouse gas emissions from nearly 6,800 passenger vehicles

• Carbon dioxide emissions from consuming more than 82,000 barrels of oil

• Carbon sequestered annually by nearly 7,600 acres of pine or fir forests

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's

landfill methane outreach program

The family-owned brickmaker is getting biogas from the WCA Waste Corp. landfill about a quarter mile north of its plant.

The Wewoka Biogas Project, which is providing methane to one of Commercial's four kilns, was dedicated Friday by a host of officials from the companies involved in making it happen.

William Brinker, operations manager of project developer Enerdyne Power Systems Inc., said the project grew out of a WCA initiative to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. That meshed with Commercial's quest to find a way to reduce its energy costs.

“It just makes economic sense because we're displacing other fossil fuels,” Brinker said.

Companies like eBay, Designtex and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters helped finance the project by buying carbon offsets.

Brinker said decomposing trash in the Sooner Landfill creates methane, the main component in natural gas.

It is collected by 14 vertical wells drilled into the landfill.

The gas is processed at an adjacent blower station to remove excess water and then sent over to the brick plant.

Commercial President Bob Hartsock said the company always is looking for ways to save money on fuel.

“This just made perfect sense,” he said.

Hartsock's company makes about 156 million bricks a year, running its natural gas-fired kilns nonstop, 24 hours a day.

Hartsock said companies often try to build brick plants near landfills to take advantage of available biogas, but Commercial had the luxury of having a landfill built about a quarter mile from its plant.

“All we had to do was retrofit our burners to accept the methane gas,” he said.

Hartsock said it is too soon to know how much the biogas project will save in fuel costs, but the arrangement will allow Commercial to remain competitive in a tough environment.

The deal means gas from the landfill always will be cheaper than natural gas.

“That's where it's really a home run for you,” he said.

Hartsock said he is looking forward to drawing more methane from the landfill over time.

“The more waste they get out there the more it will generate,” Hartsock said.

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Northern Ireland Opens New biogas CHP plant - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

A farm near Ardstraw in Northern Ireland is converting organic matter into biogas to provide sustainable heat and power on-site, as well as for local homes and businesses.

The 700-acre Greenhill farm biogas plant plant is only the second such plant in Northern Ireland. It works by ‘cooking’ animal waste from 600 cows at 40°C to produce methane gas.

The gas is then piped into two engines that drive generators to produce electricity. Hot water is also produced and is used to dry the plant’s residual, as well to pasteurise milk.

According to Alfagy, which supplied the biogas CHP, it has an energy efficiency of 86%, and represents a significant step toward in achieving an energy sustainable Northern Ireland.

The plant produces 430 kWh of power, which is sufficient to supply around 430 homes.

After the process of extracting methane from the manure and vegetation, farmers use the residual waste as a fertiliser to grow animal feed.

Alfagy says the project faced challenges in attracting funding from banks during the financial crisis.

“It is astonishing that more financial support isn’t directed at biogas power plants as they create eight times more value than other renewable technologies such as wind turbines,” says Peter Kindt, Alfagy’s chairman.

View the original article here

California bill a win for biogas - Biomass Power and Thermal

Anaerobic Digestion News

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Senate Bill 489, a law that allows small-scale biomass and biogas projects (1 megawatt or less) to qualify for the state’s Net Energy Metering program.

NEM allows a customer/generator to receive a financial credit for power generated by their on-site system and fed back to the utility. The credit is used to offset the customer's electricity bill. 

Previously, the NEM program applied only to wind and solar power generators. SB 489, or the Renewable Energy Equity Act, sponsored by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Calif., allows all kinds of renewable energy forms to qualify for NEM.

“The most important component of this bill is its name,” said Patrick Serfass, executive director of the American Biogas Council. “Parity among all renewables is extremely important to be able to compete fairly in the market place.”

Serfass said he believes the majority of biogas projects will now be eligible for NEM, particularly farm- and wastewater-based projects. “If you look at the number of farm-based digesters in California, the number is about 11, which is really small considering what is possible. Out of the three main biogas feedstocks in California—ag waste, municipal solid waste and wastewater—two are directly related to the population, and California has a lot of people. The potential is massive.”
 

There are at least 30 landfills in the state that don’t have energy projects on them right now, according to Serfass. He added that the ABC is still looking into the exact impacts the bill could have, but said that it would definitely help new projects get installed and  into service. “This is a step in the right direction,” he said.

View the original article here

Dong targets biomass-fired CHP in the UK - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

Denmark's largest power producer says it is looking at the UK as a potential location for power plants that convert household waste to energy.

The UK government has said it wants to see an expansion in waste-to-energy and anaerobic digestion plants and has recently increased incentives for on-farm biogas technologies.

But so far the industry has been taking a wait-and-see approach until the government reveals further details on the future structure of renewable energy subsidies before it commits to new waste-to-energy plants.

Dong has a history in the biomass market and currently produces heat and electricity at three waste-fired CHP plants in Jutland, Denmark.

Dong has also established a consortium to investigate the potential of bioenergy technologies and which is also tasked with converting an existing biomass-fired CHP plant to allow it to handle waste products from a bioethanol plant.

(Video is not reated to the article.)

The company is also looking at the possibility of constructing a waste treatment plant that will use enzymes to separate waste fractions for use in biogas production.

For more biomas news click here

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Elephant-poo power electrifies zoo - CNN

Zoo in Germany partially powered by electricity produced from animal dungAnimal waste fermented for 30 days generates "biogas"

Energy produced enough to heat 25 homes and power 100

(The video is not related to the article.)

Munich, Germany (CNN) -- At Munich Zoo you can watch the courtship rituals of the banded mongoose, hear the morning song of the scarlet ibis or visit the Indian elephants, who help keep the lights on with electricity generated from their dung.

They can do this because Munich Zoo has harnessed "poo power," energy stored in animal waste, which can be converted into a fuel known as "biogas."

It works like this: The zoo has built three large containers, each capable of holding about 100 cubic meters of animal waste -- that's around a week's worth of dung collected from all the vegetarian animals in the zoo.

Once inside the containers, it's mixed with warm water and the bacteria in the dung is left to decompose in an oxygen-free environment for 30 days.

The resulting biogas, mainly comprised of methane and carbon dioxide, rises naturally through vents in the ceiling to a corrugated hut on the roof where it's collected in a "big balloon," says park supervisor Dominik Forster.

The biogas is then fed into a gas-powered engine that's used to generate electricity. Forster says that the balloon -- which more closely resembles a small Zeppelin -- can store enough biogas to meet 5% of the zoo's energy needs.

By the time the food has been digested by the animal, a lot of the energy in it has been used up or burped out
Dr Geraint Evans, National Centre for Biorenewable Energy
"When you turn the biogas into electricity, it creates heat which we also store," says Forster. This is then used to warm the gorilla enclosure, "but could be used to heat about 25 homes," he adds.

Once the fermentation process that creates the methane is finished, the remaining solid matter, or "digestate" is used as an organic fertilizer for crops that will later be used as feedstock for the animals.

"We don't waste anything," said Forster, who claims that his is the only zoo in Germany to generate electricity in this way.

A mature elephant can eat about 100 kilograms of fruit, vegetables and pretzels a day, producing a mountain of dung and Forster says that all the zoo animals together create roughly 2,000 tons of the stuff every year.

This is enough to power about 100 Munich households -- a drop in the ocean when you consider Munich's population, which is 1.3 million, according to CIA World Factbook.

The problem is that dung alone does not produce all that much energy relative to its size, says Geraint Evans, head of biofuels at the UK's National Centre for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials.

"By the time the food has been digested by the animal, a lot of the energy in it has been used up or burped out," he said. "It's more efficient to just put the feed directly into the biogas generator." [See also http://anaerobic-digestion.com ] 

Even if the returns are small at this stage, Evans says this project and others similar are still worth it.

"It's really important that we change our mindset from dependence on one source of energy to many different complementary sources," Evans said. "Animal waste can create electricity, heat, fertilizer ... even clean water can be extracted from the solids to spray on crops ... So, it's emblematic of this very holistic approach."

In this spirit, Forster says there are now plans to install photo-voltaic solar panels on top of the animal enclosures over the coming year.

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EBRD Lends 5.0 Mln Euro to Croatia's Agrokor for Biogas Power Plant - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

ZAGREB (Croatia), September 15 (SeeNews) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on Thursday it is providing a 5.0 million euro ($6.9 million) loan to Croatian concern Agrokor to support the construction of a combined heat and power generation plant that will use biogas as primary fuel.

The proceeds of the EBRD loan will be used to purchase and install the biogas power plant, and sterilisation and water purification equipment, the EBRD said in a press release.

The project is expected to be completed by September 2012 and will be in full compliance with EU environmental regulations.

Located in Gradec, 40 kilometres outside the capital Zagreb, the plant will be fuelled by organic waste, by-products of Agrokor's food production process. It will have a generation capacity of 1.0 megawatts (MW) of electricity, which will be supplied to Croatia's power grid, and also a 1.0 MW of heat capacity.

The construction of the biogas facility in Gradec is the first step in Agrokor's strategic plans to develop similar projects, with a total generation capacity of up to 30 MW, the statement said.

The EBRD has a long-standing cooperation with the privately-held Agrokor, having previously supported a variety of the company's investments in Croatia and neighbouring countries. The biogas facility in Gradec is financed under the bank's Agribusiness Sustainable Investment Facility.

Since the beginning of its operations in Croatia, the bank has committed over 2.5 billion euro to the country's economy. The EBRD funds mobilised additional investment of 4.0 billion euro in various sectors of the Croatian economy.

($ = 0.7246 euro)

View the original article here

Research and Markets: Biogas Power in Italy, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 ... - SunHerald.com

DUBLIN -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4a2cea/biogas_power_in_it) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Biogas Power in Italy, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles" to their offering.

"Biogas Power in Italy, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles" is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information on the biogas power market. The report provides in depth analysis on global renewable power market and global biogas power market with forecasts up to 2020.

The report analyzes the power market outlook in country (includes thermal conventional, hydro and renewables) and provides forecasts up to 2020. The research details renewable power market outlook in Italy (includes wind, biopower and solar PV) and provides forecasts up to 2020. The report highlights installed capacity and power generation trends from 2001 to 2020 in Italy biogas power market. The research also showcases top active and upcoming plants in the country. A detailed coverage on renewable energy policy framework governing the market along with policies specific to biogas power development in Italy are provided in the report.

The research analyzes investment trends in the biogas power market in Italy and some of the major deals pertaining to the market are dealt in detail. The report also provides elaborate company profiles of some of the major market participants. The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by a team of industry experts.

Scope

The scope of the report includes:

Brief introduction and overview on global carbon emissions and global energy consumption. Historical data provided from 2001 to 2010 and forecasts until 2020. Overview on the overall renewable power market in the world, highlighting the fuel types - wind, solar PV, solar thermal, anaerobic-digestion and biomass. Detailed overview on the global global biogas power power market with capacity and generation forecasts to 2020. Power market scenario in Italy with capacity and generation forecasts to 2020, highlighting fuel types such as thermal conventional, hydro and renewables.

Companies Mentioned:

EnviTec Biogas AG Elettrostudio SpA MT-ENERGIE Italia Srl agriKomp GmbH

 View the original article here See also www.anaerobic-digestion.com

German Weltec Biopower completes fifth biogas project in Czech Republic - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

(SeeNews Renewables) - Sep 16, 2011 - German green energy solutions developer Weltec Biopower has finished its fifth biogas power plant in the Czech Republic, after four months of construction and approval by the responsible authorities.

The foundation was laid in March, followed by the installation of the 2,500 cu m stainless steel fermenter, the cogenerator and the 35 cu m vertical batcher. The biogas processing equipment came in May and the test operations started in June, when the plant also received regulatory approval.

The plant's 366 kW gas engine feeds electricity into the grid. The facility runs on agricultural substrates and manure from the nearby farms. The investors received financial support from the EU fund for both environmental issues and rural and agricultural development.

The Czech government sets top priority on green energy production and by 2015 biomass should provide the bigger share of it. This moves players from the country and abroad to invest in the sector. [ http://anaerobic-digestion.com ]

Copyright 2011 SeeNews.
All Rights Reserved.
www.seenews.com | www.world.seenews.com; e-mail: editor@seenews.com.

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Hungarian biogas CHP plant opens - Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine

Hungary’s largest biogas power plant was officially opened on 13 September in the city of Szarvas, where it will provide 4.2 MW of electricity and an equal amount of heat, supporting onsite operations and feeding the local grid.

(It is not clear whether this video is for the same power plant as in the article.)

German company r.e Bioenergie built the combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) plant, which features three Jenbacher J416 engines supplied by GE.

The plant is being run in close co-operation with the poultry processing plant operator Gallicoop Pulykafeldolgozó, which provides much of the raw biomass that is converted into biogas to power the Jenbacher engines.

The anaerobic digestion facility is about 4 km east of the poultry processing plant. To optimize the efficiency of the thermal energy, a special pipeline delivers the biogas from the digester facility to the Jenbacher engines at the processing plant.

The CCHP system’s thermal power is then used to supply on-site heating and cooling. Any excess electricity is fed into the local grid.

For more biomass news click here

View the original article here

Research and Markets: Biogas Power in Spain, Market Outlook to 2020 - Capacity ... - Business Wire (press release)

August 31, 2011 07:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time 
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c98ac0/biogas_power_in_sp) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Biogas Power in Spain, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles" to their offering.

“Biogas Power in Spain, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information on the biogas power market.”

"Biogas Power in Spain, Market Outlook to 2020, 2011 Update - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information on the biogas power market.

The report provides in depth analysis on global renewable power market and global biogas power market with forecasts up to 2020. The report analyzes the power market outlook in country (includes thermal conventional, hydro and renewables) and provides forecasts up to 2020. The research details renewable power market outlook in Spain (includes wind, biopower and solar PV) and provides forecasts up to 2020.

The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by a team of industry experts.

The Scope of the Report Includes:

Brief introduction and overview on global carbon emissions and global energy consumption. Historical data provided from 2001 to 2010 and forecasts until 2020. Overview on the overall renewable power market in the world, highlighting the fuel types - wind, solar PV, solar thermal, biogas and biomass. Detailed overview on the global biogas power market with capacity and generation forecasts to 2020. Power market scenario in Spain with capacity and generation forecasts to 2020, highlighting fuel types such as thermal conventional, hydro and renewables. Renewable power market scenario in Spain with capacity and generation forecasts to 2020, highlighting fuel types such as wind, biomass and solar PV. Spain biogas power installed capacity and generation trends to 2020 Major active and upcoming plants in the country. Deal volume and value analysis of Spain biogas power market. Deals analyzed on the basis of M&A, Partnership, Asset Financing, Debt Offering, Equity Offering and PE/VC. Elaborate profiling of some of the major market participants. Companies Mentioned:

Endesa, S.A. CESPA, S.A. CLP Envirogas Ltd entec biogas gmbh Turbomach SA

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c98ac0/biogas_power_in_sp

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager,
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

View the original article here