On the way to a 100 per cent renewable electricity system, all sustainably available resources must be used. In addition to wind and sun, the more limited available biomass must especially be used with the best possible benefit. This means that the advantage of flexible use for electricity generation must be applied to the utmost extent.
In recent years, both the park for biogas plants with on-site electricity generation and that for decentralised biomethane CHPs have already been made gradually more flexible. However, the potential here, which the energy system also urgently needs, is far from being fully exploited. For this, biogas and biomethane must be better taken into account in the political target concepts.
Due to the current geopolitical upheavals and the emerging shortages of fossil gas, the topic of biogas/biomethane is becoming even more important. Against the background of the usable substrates (energy crops, liquid manure, other residual materials), the researcher evaluations within the project "Biogas-Flex" the extent to what extent the existing biogas plant park can be optimally further developed as a substantial building block for the electricity system. A possible competition with hydrogen has also been examined – with the result that both renewable gases can be used complementarily to each other. The relevant characteristic data will be collected and compared over the dynamic course of time.
The work is carried out in the following work packages:
- Status quo of electricity and heat generation from biogas and biomethane (DBFZ)
- Current energy policy framework conditions and objectives (DBFZ)
- Biogas and biomethane as flexibility options in the electricity system (Wuppertal Institute)
- Expansion potentials for electricity generation and controllable generation capacity from biogas/biomethane (DBFZ) as well as from hydrogen (Wuppertal Institute)
- Qualitative discussion of the impacts on the energy policy target triangle (DBFZ/Wuppertal Institute)
The project is carried out in cooperation with the German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ) and on behalf of energy2market.