Plant bundling: together strong, efficient and profitable
By bundling biogas plants and processing gas volumes centrally as biomethane, even smaller, decentralised plants can be operated extremely efficiently and profitably. As such, the biogas is collected via a low-pressure line and fed to a jointly used biomethane plant. From there it can be fed into the natural gas grid and distributed through it.
Biogas plants are usually operated where the biomass is generated. This means the logistics chain that provides the substrates and spreads the digestate as fertiliser on farmland is especially short and environmentally friendly. On the other hand, the operating range and the size of the plant is limited in principle.
By combining biogas produced in different plants in a collecting line and processing it centrally, it is possible to achieve positive economies of scale for each individual biomethane plant involved and reduce the direct operating costs. The operators in question remain independent entrepreneurs with their own business models and can still play their part in the biomethane market. Hybrid approaches are also possible. As such, the plant operators use the biogas themselves in a combined heat and power plant if it makes economic sense. If the production costs are higher than the current electricity price, the gas is fed into the grid.
This results in a win-win situation for plant bundling in every scenario. The increased security for the grid operator through a shared feed-in point is accompanied by a reduced risk in procurement and supply for the biomethane customer, as several producers feed biogas in.
The technical requirement for bundling is a biomethane plant that can respond flexibly to fluctuating biogas quantities and qualities. It also has to deliver consistently high quality biomethane under changing conditions. For this purpose, ETW with its smart cycle PSA technology provides ideal conditions in order to supply consistently high quality biomethane for a variety of feed-in quantities.
