Editing Biogas (section)

=== Europe ===
[[File:Biogas station.jpg|thumb|Biogas fueling station in [[Mikkeli]], Finland]]
The level of development varies greatly in Europe. While countries such as Germany, Austria, Sweden and Italy are fairly advanced in their use of biogas, there is a vast potential for this renewable energy source in the rest of the continent, especially in Eastern Europe. [[MT-Energie]] is a German biogas technology company operating in the field of [[renewable energy|renewable energies]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.renewables-made-in-germany.com/no_cache/en/start/bio-energy/companies/technologie/biogas-2/unternehmen/mt-energie-gmbh-co-kg-1.html |title=Renewables - Made in Germany |access-date=13 April 2011 |publisher=German Energy Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706082020/http://www.renewables-made-in-germany.com/no_cache/en/start/bio-energy/companies/technologie/biogas-2/unternehmen/mt-energie-gmbh-co-kg-1.html |archive-date=2011-07-06 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Different legal frameworks, education schemes and the availability of technology are among the prime reasons behind this untapped potential.<ref name="SEBE Website">{{cite web|url=http://www.sebe2013.eu |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20141128141840/http://www.sebe2013.eu/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 November 2014 |title=About SEBE |access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> Another challenge for the further progression of biogas has been negative public perception.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bioenergie.fnr.de/fileadmin/bioenergie-beratung/hessen/dateien/archiv_veranstaltungen/konfliktmanagement_maciejczyk_12_2010.pdf |access-date=17 June 2016 |title=FNR: Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V.}} {{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In February 2009, the European Biogas Association (EBA) was founded in Brussels as a non-profit organisation to promote the deployment of sustainable biogas production and use in Europe. EBA's strategy defines three priorities: establish biogas as an important part of Europe's energy mix, promote source separation of household waste to increase the gas potential, and support the production of biomethane as vehicle fuel. In July 2013, it had 60 members from 24 countries across Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://european-biogas.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=4|title=European Biogas Association|access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref>

==== UK ====
{{As of|September 2013}}, there are about 130 non-sewage biogas plants in the UK. Most are on-farm, and some larger facilities exist off-farm, which are taking food and consumer wastes.<ref>The Official Information Portal on AD [http://www.biogas-info.co.uk/index.php/ad-map.html 'Biogas Plant Map']</ref>

On 5 October 2010, biogas was injected into the UK gas grid for the first time. Sewage from over 30,000 Oxfordshire homes is sent to Didcot [[sewage treatment]] works, where it is treated in an anaerobic digestor to produce biogas, which is then cleaned to provide gas for approximately 200 homes.<ref>Sewage project sends first ever renewable gas to grid [http://www.thameswater.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/corp/hs.xsl/10982.htm Thames Water] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209082747/http://www.thameswater.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/corp/hs.xsl/10982.htm |date=9 December 2010}}</ref>

In 2015 the Green-Energy company [[Ecotricity]] announced their plans to build three grid-injecting digesters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ecotricity announces third Green Gasmill |url=https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/our-news/2015/ecotricity-announces-third-green-gasmill |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=www.ecotricity.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

==== Italy ====
In Italy the biogas industry first started in 2008, thanks to the introduction of advantageous feed tariffs. They were later replaced by feed-in premiums and the preference was given to by products and farming waste and leading to stagnation in biogas production and derived heat and electricity since 2012.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Eyl-Mazzega|first1=Mark Antione|last2=Mathieu|first2=Carole|date=27 October 2020|title=Biogas and Biomethane in Europe: Lessons from Denmark, Italy and Germany|url=https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/mathieu_eyl-mazzega_biomethane_2019.pdfhttps://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/mathieu_eyl-mazzega_biomethane_2019.pdf|journal=Études de l'Ifri}} {{dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>{{As of|September 2018}}, in Italy there are more than 200 biogas plants with a production of about 1.2&nbsp;GW<ref>ANSA Ambiente & Energia [https://www.ansa.it/canale_ambiente/notizie/energia/2017/02/24/biogas-italia-vale-24-mld-metri-cubi-anno-quarti-al-mondo_f6ebe8ad-b85d-40da-bb1f-a3bb35f073ec.html Installed biogas power in Italy]</ref><ref>AuCo Solutions biogas software [https://aucosolutions.com/en/Biogas.html Biogas software solution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925220104/https://aucosolutions.com/en/Biogas.html |date=25 September 2018}}</ref><ref>Snam IES Biogas [http://www.iesbiogas.it/en/biogas-plants-italy/369 Biogas Plant in Italy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925220034/http://www.iesbiogas.it/en/biogas-plants-italy/369 |date=25 September 2018}}</ref>

==== Germany ====
Germany is Europe's biggest biogas producer<ref name="Eurobserv'er 2010">{{cite web|title=European Biogas Barometer|url=http://www.european-biogas.eu/eba/images/stories/biogasbarometer.pdf|publisher=[[EurObserv'ER]]|access-date=7 November 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425155411/http://www.european-biogas.eu/eba/images/stories/biogasbarometer.pdf|archive-date=25 April 2012}}</ref> and the market leader in biogas technology.<ref name="BMU 2011a">{{cite web|title=Biogas|url=http://www.renewables-made-in-germany.com/en/renewables-made-in-germany-start/bio-energy/biogas/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129183857/http://www.renewables-made-in-germany.com/en/renewables-made-in-germany-start/bio-energy/biogas/|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 January 2015|publisher=BMU|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref> In 2010 there were 5,905 biogas plants operating throughout the country: Lower Saxony, Bavaria, and the eastern federal states are the main regions.<ref name="Fachverband Biogas 2011">{{cite web|title=Biogas Segments Statistics 2010|url=http://www.biogas.org/edcom/webfvb.nsf/id/DE_Branchenzahlen/$file/11-06-27_Biogas%20Branchenzahlen%202010_eng.pdf|publisher=Fachverband Biogas e.V.|access-date=5 November 2011}} {{dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Most of these plants are employed as power plants. Usually the biogas plants are directly connected with a CHP which produces electric power by burning the bio methane. The electrical power is then fed into the public power grid.<ref name="IEA 2007">{{cite web|title=Biomass for Power Generation and CHP|url=http://www.iea.org/techno/essentials3.pdf|publisher=IEA|access-date=7 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103173849/http://iea.org/techno/essentials3.pdf|archive-date=3 November 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2010, the total installed electrical capacity of these power plants was 2,291&nbsp;MW.<ref name="Fachverband Biogas 2011" /> The electricity supply was approximately 12.8&nbsp;TWh, which is 12.6% of the total generated renewable electricity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Renewable Energy Sources |url=https://wastersblog.com/1653/examples-of-renewable-resources/ |access-date=6 June 2018 |date=2014-09-06}}</ref>

Biogas in Germany is primarily extracted by the co-fermentation of energy crops (called 'NawaRo', an abbreviation of ''nachwachsende Rohstoffe'', German for renewable resources) mixed with manure. The main crop used is corn. Organic waste and industrial and agricultural residues such as waste from the food industry are also used for biogas generation.<ref name="Wieland, P. 2003">{{cite journal|last=Wieland|first=P.|title=Production and Energetic Use of Biogas from Energy Crops and Wastes in Germany|journal=Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology|volume=109|issue=1–3|pages=263–274|doi=10.1385/abab:109:1-3:263|pmid=12794299|year=2003|s2cid=9468552}}</ref> In this respect, biogas production in Germany differs significantly from the UK, where biogas generated from landfill sites is most common.<ref name="Eurobserv'er 2010"/>

Biogas production in Germany has developed rapidly over the last 20 years. The main reason is the legally created frameworks. Government support of renewable energy started in 1991 with the Electricity Feed-in Act (''StrEG''). This law guaranteed the producers of energy from renewable sources the feed into the public power grid, thus the power companies were forced to take all produced energy from independent private producers of green energy.<ref name="IfnE et al. 2009">{{cite web |title=Erneuerbare Energien in Deutschland. Rückblick und Stand des Innovationsgeschehens |url=http://www.bmu.de/files/pdfs/allgemein/application/pdf/ibee_gesamt_bf.pdf |publisher=IfnE et al. |access-date=5 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406095722/http://www.bmu.de/files/pdfs/allgemein/application/pdf/ibee_gesamt_bf.pdf |archive-date=6 April 2012}}</ref> In 2000 the Electricity Feed-in Act was replaced by the [[German Renewable Energy Sources Act|Renewable Energy Sources Act]] (''EEG''). This law even guaranteed a fixed compensation for the produced electric power over 20 years. The amount of around 8{{nbsp}}¢/kWh gave farmers the opportunity to become energy suppliers and gain a further source of income.<ref name="Wieland, P. 2003" />

The German agricultural biogas production was given a further push in 2004 by implementing the so-called NawaRo-Bonus. This is a special payment given for the use of renewable resources, that is, energy crops.<ref name="Wieland, P. 2006">{{cite journal|last=Wieland|first=P.|title=Biomass Digestion in Agriculture: A Successful Pathway for the Energy Production and Waste Treatment in Germany|journal=Engineering in Life Sciences|volume=6|issue=3|pages=302–309|publisher=Engineering in Life Science|doi=10.1002/elsc.200620128 |year=2006|bibcode=2006EngLS...6..302W |s2cid=54685767}}</ref> In 2007 the German government stressed its intention to invest further effort and support in improving the renewable energy supply to provide an answer on growing climate challenges and increasing oil prices by the 'Integrated Climate and Energy Programme'.

This continual trend of renewable energy promotion induces a number of challenges facing the management and organisation of renewable energy supply that has also several impacts on the biogas production.<ref name="Kanning et al. 2009">{{cite journal|last=Kanning|first=H.|title=Erneuerbare Energien – Räumliche Dimensionen, neue Akteurslandschaften und planerische (Mit)Gestaltungspotenziale am Beispiel des Biogaspfades|journal=Raumforschung und Raumordnung|volume=67|issue=2|pages=142–156|display-authors=etal|doi=10.1007/BF03185702|year=2009|url=https://www.repo.uni-hannover.de/handle/123456789/4766|doi-access=free}}</ref> The first challenge to be noticed is the high area-consuming of the biogas electric power supply. In 2011 energy crops for biogas production consumed an area of circa 800,000 ha in Germany.<ref name="FNR 2011">{{cite web |title=Cultivation of renewable Resources in Germany |url=http://www.nachwachsenderohstoffe.de/fileadmin/fnr/images/aktuelles/grafiken/FNR510_Grafik_Anbau_2011_engl__300_rgb.jpg |publisher=FNR |access-date=5 November 2011}} {{dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> This high demand of agricultural areas generates new competitions with the food industries that did not exist hitherto. Moreover, new industries and markets were created in predominately rural regions entailing different new players with an economic, political and civil background. Their influence and acting has to be governed to gain all advantages this new source of energy is offering. Finally biogas will furthermore play an important role in the German renewable energy supply if good governance is focused.<ref name="Kanning et al. 2009" />