In "How to avoid a climate disaster", published in 2022, Bill Gates highlights the need for technologies supplying renewable energy alongside wind and solar power. That same year, while large parts of Europe were struggling to find new suppliers of natural gas, Denmark moved away from dependency on imported, fossil gas. Strategic investments in new technology made it possible for Denmark to provide a growing share of national gas consumption with biomethane, a non-fossil gas made locally from waste.

Biogas Academy was founded to educate policymakers and business trendsetters on the many advantages of biogas technology, allowing 24/7 production of a non-fossil energy that can be stored in huge quantities in infrastrucure operational today.

Our ambition: to support biogas technology becoming a part of energy production and waste recycling in every city, region and country. With investments in biogas/biomethane snowballing in the US, Europe and Asia our vison is now becoming reality.

This website bears witness to this development and explains why it is so beneficial. For all of us.                                    

“This €1.5 billion scheme will support the production of sustainable biomethane in France. By reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels, it will contribute to the achievement of the EU’s strategic goals. This measure is an important step in the transition to a net-zero economy, while protecting the level playing field in the Single Market." 
Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy.    

According to an article in Energy News April 25th, French production of biomethane saw an increase of 31% in 2023 in spite of a 2020 drop in feed-in tariffs. Asking for an improved economical production framework, a new national system of "biogas production certificates" that aims to financially support new production plants with capacity of 25 GWh or more was announced following the EU Commission grant.  
On the EU Grant.    On the biomethane production certificates.                                        Image by freepik.com

 

Please try this at home!
Denmark is a European leader in green energy transition and the share of biomethane in the national grid is growing at a record pace. Just how fast and other interesting info including "the Danish Biomethane Experience" is available at energinet.dk.  

In August 2023 the share of biomethane reached an impressive 39,4 %. The monetary value of Denmark´s biomethane production during the first eight months of 2022 was USD 500 million. Millions that remain in the Danish economy instead of paying for imported Russian gas.                               Link to article in danish

“The Italian aid measure will help Italy meet its emission reduction targets, reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels and improve its security of gas supply while limiting possible distortions of competition.”                     Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President EU                                                                                Link to article

Our two minute film about EU´s plans to support biogas/biomethane production and about Hagelsum Biogas,  where government support has been key in making magic. More on Hagelsrum "In practise/making biogas".

Two weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine the EU Commission presented its plan for making the EU independent of Russian gas. The plan includes covering 20% of gas consumption by a fast increase in biomethane production within the EU member states.                                                                                            Link to article

From the alliance Biomethane Declaration, December 7th 2021:

"Biomethane has a long-term role to play in the future climate-neutral energy system, to meet the “Fit For 55” reduction targets for GHG emissions (55% by 2030). Furthermore, biomethane contributes to sustainable agriculture, rural jobs that are hard to displace and recovery of waste streams. Biomethane therefore should be scaled up rapidly across the EU."

"Biomethane finds use across the economy and has a particularly high energy system value in:

• industry (for high temperature heat that cannot be electrified, or for biogenic carbon feedstock);
• power (to balance the grid with storable and dispatchable energy);
• transport (for long distance heavy transport and maritime that cannot easily be electrified);
• buildings (in existing buildings with gas connections through hybrid heat pumps)"  

There is a lot rotting in Demark
Europe´s largest producer of biogas/biomethane is Natural Energy. Expanding to France and North America, the company has attracted interest outside Denmark and in November 2022 Natural Energy was acquired by Shell for close to 2 billion USD. CEO Ole Hvelplund: "If we (= Denmark) want to politically, by 2027 we could substitute 100% of the natural gas Denmark is consuming with biomethane from waste."

Ahead of Europe
The Biogas2.0 investment boom we are now seeing in the EU started in California, USA. With a projection of 140 production facilities up and running within the state by 2024, August 2020 saw investments surpassing USD 1 billion, 77% of this coming from private equity.                                                                 Link to article

Our advisors include:

Potentials, substrates, anaerobic digestion

Pål Börjesson, Professor Environmental and Energy systems, Lund Instititue of Technology

Thermal gasification, potentials, substrates

Henrik Thunman, Professor Thermal chemical conversion, Chalmers Institute of Technology

Sectorial/economical synerigies, energy systems

Mats Eklund, Professor Environmental Technology & Management, Linköping University

Biomethane as vehicle fuel, regulatory mechanisms, emissions

Björn Fredriksson Möller, Senior advisor, st1, Sweden
Ellenor Grundfelt, expert, Swedish Gas Association

Biomethane as maritime fuel, regulatory & market mechanisms, practical use, logistics

Lars Höglund, CEO and captain, Furetank Shipping
Marcus Jacobsson, Terntank Ship Management