This site is not supported by your current browser.
Please use one of these browsers.
USA Extends Renewable Energy Incentives & EU Wants to Increase Biogas/Biomethane to Meet Climate Goals
Here’s an overview of key biogas news.
GOVERNMENT POLICIES & LAW
LCFS pathways for biogas-based hydrogen filed with CARB
The California Air Resources Board has opened comment periods on several Low Carbon Fuel Standard Tier 2 applications for biogas-fuels in recent weeks, including those for facilities that plan to produce biogas-based hydrogen and renewable natural gas (RNG). An application by Air Liquid Hydrogen Energy US LLC was posted on Dec. 24. The company, in part, plans to produce gaseous hydrogen from landfill gas. Documents published by CARB explains that Air Liquide Hydrogen Energy aims to certify two pathways for gaseous hydrogen by stem methane reformation (SMR) produced onsite of the LAX hydrogen station using landfill gas and fossil natural gas, respectively.
United States: Senate Passes Tax Extenders Deal That Includes Extension Of Renewable Energy Incentives
The US Senate today passed a package of tax extenders as part of the year-end appropriations act that the US House of Representatives passed on December 17, 2019. President Trump is expected to sign the legislation before the end of the day tomorrow to avoid a government shutdown. The package includes a one-year extension of the production tax credit (PTC) under section 45 for wind and other technologies. It also includes limited extension of other energy tax incentives that were set to expire and a retroactive extension for some credits that had already expired in 2018.
EU plans ‘big increase’ in green gas to meet climate goals
Production of biogas, biomethane and “green” hydrogen will have to skyrocket by at least 1,000% over the next three decades in order to reach the EU’s climate neutrality objective for 2050, an EU official has said. In 2017, renewable gases already represented around 7% of renewable gross inland energy consumption in the EU, said Antonio Lopez-Nicolas, deputy head of unit at the European Commission’s energy department, making them “an important part” of the bloc’s energy mix. But with Europe now aiming to reach climate neutrality by mid-century that percentage will need to “grow substantially,” the EU official told a EURACTIV event supported by French utility ENGIE last November.
CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES
Wastewater biogas project begins operations in North Carolina, US
US-based meat processing company Smithfield Foods is now producing renewable natural gas (RNG) from the wastewater treatment system at one of its processing facilities. Working in partnership with Duke Energy and bioenergy project developer OptimaBio, the company is producing biogas via its pork processing plant to help power more than 2,000 local homes and businesses in North Carolina. The $14 million (€12.6 million) project is one of Smithfield’s largest renewable energy projects involving wastewater, and its first in North Carolina. It utilises a gas upgrading and injection system operated by OptimaBio, which leverages the facility’s 3 million gallon-per-day wastewater treatment system to collect and clean biogas through an on-site digester and convert it into RNG.
Wastewater biogas project begins operations in North Carolina, US
US-based meat processing company Smithfield Foods is now producing renewable natural gas (RNG) from the wastewater treatment system at one of its processing facilities. Working in partnership with Duke Energy and bioenergy project developer OptimaBio, the company is producing biogas via its pork processing plant to help power more than 2,000 local homes and businesses in North Carolina. The $14 million (€12.6 million) project is one of Smithfield’s largest renewable energy projects involving wastewater, and its first in North Carolina.
Read more on Bioenergy Insight
COMPANIES & ORGANIZATIONS
Integrated Biogas Alliance Platform To Derisk Biogas Projects
Four biogas technology companies joined forces on a nonexclusive basis in December to provide the global biogas industry with a “soup to nuts” suite of equipment and systems for production of biogas from organic waste streams. The Integrated Biogas Alliance’s (IBA) founding Members are Eisenmann Corp. (Chicago, U.S.), Entsorga (Milan, Italy), Greenlane Renewables (Vancouver, Canada) and Tietjen (Hamburg, Germany). For combined heat and power (CHP), IBA’s Partner is AB Energy (Orzinuovi, Italy). More recently, Symbiont Science, Engineering and Construction, Inc. (Milwaukee, U.S.) — an EPC contractor (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) focused on renewable natural gas (RNG) and renewable energy projects — and Clean Fuel Partners (Madison, U.S.), anaerobic digestion (AD) operations and maintenance (O&M) specialists, joined IBA as Partners.
10,000 tonnes of festive food waste expected at UK AD facilities
A UK renewable energy firm is expecting around 10,000 tonnes of Christmas food waste to be delivered to its facilities in January. Severn Trent Green Power will use the unwanted food waste from approximately 1.5 million homes to create biogas and electricity, using anaerobic digestion (AD). The company has eight waste plants across the Midlands, Oxfordshire, South Wales and London. Once the food has been processed, the waste – which would otherwise have been destined for landfill – will generate around 4,700-megawatt-hours, equivalent to renewable energy to power more than 1,000 homes for a year.
Read more on Bioenergy Insight
Financial close reached on 2MW bioenergy project in California
U.K.-based gasification company Eqtec plc announced on Jan. 2 that the company has reached financial close on a proposed 2 megawatt biomass project in North Fork, California. The project is known as North Fork Community Power LLC. Eqtec said it cooperated closely with its California-based partner Phoenix Biomass Energy Inc. to achieve financial close on the project. Phoenix Energy is also a shareholder in NFCP. The bioenergy project is currently scheduled to begin commissioning during the first quarter of 2021. With financial close now reached, Eqtec said the equipment sale and service contract with NFCP it announced in September has now been executed.
Greenlane Renewables wins biogas upgrading contract in California, US
Canadian biogas firm Greenlane Renewables has won an $8.3 million (€7.4 million) biogas upgrading contract for a landfill gas to renewable natural gas (RNG) project in California, US. The company announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Greenlane Biogas North America, secured the contract with the customer whose name has not yet been revealed. Engineering work will begin immediately on the project upon completion of permitting and approval of submittals by the customer, expected by early-to-mid 2020. The new facility is expected to process 1,600 standard cubic feet per minute of landfill gas to produce roughly 97% pure biomethane, or around 360,000 MMBTU annually of clean RNG, for direct injection into the local gas distribution network owned and operated by SoCalGas.
Read more on Bioenergy Insight
RESEARCHES & STUDIES
Renewable Sources of Natural Gas Supply and Emissions Reduction Assessment
Renewable natural gas (RNG) is derived from biomass or other renewable resources, and is a pipeline-quality gas that is fully interchangeable with conventional natural gas. The American Gas Association uses the following definition for RNG: Pipeline compatible gaseous fuel derived from biogenic or other renewable sources that has lower lifecycle carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions than geological natural gas. The primary objective of this report is to characterize the resource and economic potential for RNG as a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction strategy.
Read more on American Gas Foundation