Why biogas?

[Biogas plays a particularly important role in the field of renewable energies. It is versatile and makes an important contribution to sustainability and climate protection, the central goals of the energy transition decided upon by the German government.

Biogas is suitable for generating electricity and heat, as a fuel, and in the form of biomethane as a substitute for natural gas. Biogas plays an important role because it can be stored without loss and is flexible in its use. Wind and solar energy, on the other hand, are dependent on the time of day, weather, and season.

Flexibly deployed biogas plants complement the renewable electricity generation of fluctuating wind and solar energy. Biogas plants are already able to compensate for daily and weekly fluctuations without any problems.

The potential of biogas has not been fully exploited and is necessary to achieve the goals of the energy transition. The biomass potential for biomethane production is sufficient to cover 40% of Germany's gas demand, or at least around 13% (= 11.8 billion m³) under realistic assumptions. To date, only 232 of the nearly 9,200 biogas plants in Germany produce biomethane; this corresponds to about 1% of natural gas consumption in Germany in 2019.

Biogas plants can convert various types of organic waste into storable bioenergy in the form of biogas or biomethane: residues from food production, kitchen waste, or expired food are shredded in the biogas plant, sanitized if necessary, and converted into biogas. The remaining substrate is processed and can be sold as certified fertilizer for agricultural use. The fibrous components that are not converted into biogas can be used as substitute fuel or recycled.