Biogas prevents 20-million tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year

10.24.2017

In the context of figures published this week by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, according to which the federal government will not reach the climate objectives set for 2020, the President of the Biogas Association pointed to the climate-related performance of biogas plants.

He said, “Every year, our biogas plants prevent 20 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Due to the increase in the additional construction of small manure plants, this trend will continue to grow. If, as Chancellor Angela Markel ensures us, we should be doing everything we can to reach the climate objectives, measures for the future must be agreed upon now, after the parliamentary elections, which specify a clear path to preventing CO₂ emissions by using biogas.”

Biogas typically refers to a mixture of different gases produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen (O₂). Biogas can be produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste or food waste.

For this year 2017, the Biogas Assoiation is predicting a slight decrease in plant construction in Germany. Approximately 143 plants are expected, 130 of which are small manure plants. After subtracting the plants that were shut down, the association expects a net expansion of 137 new plants. In the existing plants, flexibility is increasing again, resulting in a predicted expansion in capacity of about 249 MW. Together with the new plants, this yields new installed capacity of 260 MW.

Article cited from: https://goo.gl/HfTTNi