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Date Published:
31 May 2015

Volume 6, Issue 3


New wave

Feature
In the UK today, there are approximately 170 anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. Around 150 of these are owned by single plant owners. This trend is beginning to change, however, as the construction of individually operated AD plants dramatically slows down. Tamar Energy, a UK-based renewable energy company focusing on AD, believes the future of the UK’s AD sector lies in multi-plant networks.... [read more]

Industry stalling

Feature
The UK has enjoyed a remarkable growth of biomethane production plants in the last three years which has taken the industry from a single-unit starting point in 2012 to a current structure of 28 developments with an additional 10-15 units expected to be completed by the end of 2015. As a result, UK output capacity is estimated to be already operating at more than 1.5TWh a year with the best... [read more]

Long road ahead

Feature
Where next for biomass in the UK? It is a big question for the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Amber Rudd as she begins to translate the UK government’s renewable energy vision into affordable reality. Despite the progress achieved to date on combined heat and power (CHP) generation from biomass, both domestic and non-domestic, there is a mountain still to be climbed if... [read more]

A perfect fit

Feature
‘Brewing a better future’ is the name of Heineken’s sustainability initiative. The Brewery Göss, one of the most important breweries of Brau Union Österreich, Austria and part of the Heineken family, is opting for ‘green’ beer production. More than 10 years ago the Gösser brewery began working to develop an energy independent process. Over time, the... [read more]

Two is better than one

Feature
The UK can implement an affordable transition to a low carbon energy system by 2050 but the decisions taken in the next decade will be critical. Bioenergy and carbon capture and storage (CCS) both have enormous potential. The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a publicprivate partnership between global energy and engineering companies and the UK government, has published a number of reports... [read more]

Event preview: Digesting ADBA

Feature
Exceptional innovation and entrepreneurship have enabled the anaerobic digestion (AD) industry to flourish over the past five years, with a 622% growth outside of the water sector, and efficiency improvements inside the water sector increasing energy generation from sewage gas by more than a quarter. With almost 100 new AD plants having opened last year alone, the industry now has an electrical... [read more]

From food residues to bioenergy revenue

Feature
Many food and beverage companies are ignoring an unexploited source of renewable energy — their own production effluents and discards. These residues can include wash waters, unused ingredients, by-products and reject products, and represent a growing overhead — not just in terms of disposal costs, but also as an untapped source of potential revenue. On-site anaerobic digestion (AD)... [read more]

Using AD heat wisely

Feature
Optimal anaerobic digestion (AD) plant performance can be achieved by fine-tuning the feedstock mixture and retention times to maximise biogas production, as well as regularly servicing the combined heat and power (CHP) engine to maintain electricity generation. But some aspects are overlooked, such as the waste heat from the engine. Some plants use it for digester heating or pasteurisation,... [read more]

Maximum potential

Feature
Today, producing biogas in the most environmentally friendly way possible is of the utmost importance. However, it is a common perception that developing a sound environmental solution while maintaining profitability can be difficult. Yet it is possible for these two requirements to work together, if: • The organic components in the waste are fully utilised • The substrate (bio-pulp)... [read more]

A better boiler

Feature
Sonoco Products Company (Sonoco) is an industry leading consumer packaging producer. Its plant located in Hartsville, South Carolina, was faced with some challenges regarding its Circulating Fluid Bed (CFB) boiler due to shortcomings with the existing CFB boiler design and fuel handling system. The boiler burned mostly coal with the remaining fuel mix made up of biomass, and some mill generated... [read more]

Changes afoot

Feature
There are early signs of storm clouds brewing on the horizon of the UK biomass heating industry. The government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) has given the sector a great deal of momentum but the very high tariffs offered have meant that most of the low hanging fruit has already been picked. So far 9,072 biomass installations have been accredited under the non-domestic scheme and 4,800... [read more]

Uniting Unity

Feature
Sullivan County in New Hampshire, US had been interested in utilising biomass for quite some time in order to reduce its reliance on foreign fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions. After much research by facilities director John Cressy and his team, the County purchased a Hurst biomass boiler district heating system with a backpressure steam turbine/generator to serve the local nursing home,... [read more]

Warming up

Feature
The Finnish town of Kemijärvi is located north of the Arctic Circle and home to around 8,600 inhabitants. It also attracts many tourists a year. In 2010 a new power plant was built in the region which supplies 15MW of baseload renewable thermal energy to the municipality’s district heating system, and 5MW of electricity to the national grid. Due to the high thermal demand of the... [read more]

Bioenergy project challenges

Feature
Developing and executing a project in the bioenergy space is especially challenging. There are many pieces that need to be pulled together with several of the areas requiring specific expertise or background in order to effectively evaluate the risks and plan appropriately. As an engineering design firm, US-based Hunt, Guillot & Associates (HGA) is often involved early in the life of a... [read more]

Unlocking investment

Feature
When evaluating potential investments, the bioenergy industry faces considerable uncertainty over the availability and price of suitable sustainable feedstock. While the potential market for UK biomass is estimated at around £1.6 billion (€2.2 billion) by 2020, investment in biomass power plants is being held back because of uncertainty over whether farmers will produce enough... [read more]

From start to finish

Feature
During the early development of the bioenergy industry, investors focused on various conversion technologies. Throughout the years, key questions such as ‘Does the technology work?’, ‘What are the conversion rates?’, and ‘Is it economical?’ have dominated the conversation. However, as technologies continued to develop and the industry evolved, the investment... [read more]