Download full report - Green Gas Grids

National Feed-In Info Day in the course of the Intelligent Energy Europe Project
GreenGasGrids
Report on 2nd National Feed-In Info Days held in all partner countries
June 2013
Compiled by the Austrian Energy Agency
Deliverable 4.2 WP 4
The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect
the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EACI nor the European Commission are responsible for any
use that may be made of the information contained therein.

The reports of the national feed-in Info Days were contributed by the following
project partners:
Austria
Alfred Schuch
Herbert Tretter
AEA
Croatia Robert Fabek EIHP
France Olivier Théobald ADEME
Germany Alexandra Lermen dena
Hungary
Kornel Kovacs
Attila Kovacs
University Szdeged
EBA
Italy Lorenzo Maggioni CIB
Netherlands
Matté Brijder
Matthieu Dumont
Agentschap NL
Poland Maria Dobrowolska KAPE
Slovakia Pavel Starinský SIEA
United Kingdom John Baldwin CNG Services Ltd
Page 2 of 34

Table of Content
Introduction ................................................................................................ 4
Aim of National Feed-In Info days .................................................................. 4
2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Austria ........................................................ 5
2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Croatia ........................................................ 8
2nd National Feed-In Info Day in France ....................................................... 11
2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Germany ................................................... 14
2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Italy .......................................................... 17
2nd National Feed-In Info Day in The Netherlands ......................................... 22
2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Slovakia .................................................... 30
Page 3 of 34

Introduction
The role of biomethane in the European energy market is about to change. Energy
from biomass makes a significant contribution towards reaching the EC targets for
renewable energies by 2020. And the field of application can still be expanded. As
biomethane features the same characteristics as natural gas the possibilities of
usage are many. At the moment the development in this field is slow or in many
European countries still has to be initiated.
The GreenGasGrids project aims to support the biomethane market, help ‘starter’
countries to establish the technology and thereby increase the European
biomethane production. Accordingly, throughout the duration of the project the
following measures are undertaken:
Hand-on know-how transfer to ‘starter’ countries
Support finding solutions to market barriers
Bring together potential business partners
Promotion of biomethane in the countries with high potential but few
activities.
Aim of National Feed-In Info days
In course of the GGG project a total of two national feed-in Info days will be held in
each of the partner countries. The aim of the Info Days is bring together national
stakeholders of different areas of expertise and to inform them about the
opportunities the biomethane production presents.
For the forerunner countries (Austria, Germany, France, The Netherlands, United
Kingdom) these Info Days present the opportunity for business match-making,
bringing together stakeholder and discussion of the current and future situation of
the national biomethane market.
For the starter countries (Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia) the Info Days
have the aim to provide decision-makers with technical and legislative advice for
the implementation of biomethane projects. Further the occasion should be used for
knowledge transfer from experts of forerunner countries to the stakeholders of the
starter countries.
By XXXX 2013 the second National Info Days – based on the experience of the first
National Info Day and taking the progress of the project into consideration - were
carried out in each of the partner countries. The main topics - dealt with at the
second National Info Days - result from the ongoing work and the thereby
upcoming issues. Of course technical progress or upcoming new technologies – if
given – are taking into account as well. The following report gives a summary of
each event and presents the results and conclusions obtained.
The programme of each of Info Day, the presentations held and the list of
participants can be downloaded in the respective country section of the project
website www.greengasgrids.eu.
Page 4 of 34

2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Austria
Introduction
The Austrian 2 nd National Info Day took place on 11 June 2013, starting at 9:00 am
to 5:30 pm. The Info Day took place – like the 1 st National Info Day - in a
conference room of the Arcotel Wimberger in Vienna.
More than 40 people were registered for the Info Day. 42 people attended the
meeting. Very similar to the 1st National Info Day, besides the speakers, several
operators, other stakeholders like lawyers specialized on biogas/biomethane,
experts from the financing industry, consultants, marketing experts etc. attended
the meeting and contributed to interesting discussions.
All in all 12 experts contributed as active speakers and/or round table participants -
including representatives of all four Austrian Social Partners attended, public
authorities (federal ministry of finance), a representative of the European Biogas
Association, producers of biogas upgrading plants, experts dealing – among otherswith
related certificates etc., thus contributing to a successful 2nd National Info Day
in terms of substance as well as in terms of networking activities.
Through the wide area of expertise presented by the various speakers topics of all
interests were covered and a detailed insight into the market situation obtained.
The conference was held in German.
Page 5 of 34

Programme
The programme of the Info Day was based on presentations of experts in the
biomethane sector, which stimulated lively discussions. In the late afternoon an
open debate took place in the framework of a round table discussion – in which
high level representatives shared their views and the potential pathways ahead. Of
course this discussion included the audience as well. Likewise the breaks were
intensively used for network activities and for the recognition of potential business
activities.
The Info Day started with the welcome of the participants by the CEO of the
Austrian Energy Agency opening the second National Info Day. The programme
consisted of four main parts:
The first part focused on sustainability issues, like the ongoing discussion in
the ILUC process and the availability of sustainable substrate.
The second part was dedicated to activities on European level in terms of
harmonization efforts dealing in particular with trade and technical
standards – whereas
The third part concentrated on different topics which do have or will have
an impact on the biomethane sector, like the proposed directive dealing
with infrastructure for alternative fuels or on progress of technologies which
enable a higher specific biogas earning per ton substrate input.
The fourth part consisted of a round table discussion which mainly dealt
with incentive mechanism needed to boost the biomethane sector. Of
course the framework was more or less provided by the 20/20/20 goals,
taking the latest German developments into consideration concerning. The
discussion was not restricted to the topic electricity generation by RES but
was extended to all energy carriers – taking socio economic impacts into
account.
The main results of the discussion are summarized below identifying the conclusion
drawn in the course of the Info Day.
Page 6 of 34

Of course opportunities for business match making were offered/given. Business,
authorities and other stakeholders had the chance to connect and exchange
opinion.
Conclusions of the event
In relation to the outcome of the round table discussion it can be concluded that the
most urgent hurdles for the realization of plants are – from the viewpoint of the
debaters – as follows:
Enhanced legal provisions in relation to sustainable feed in tariffs are
needed; lessons learned from the deployed system have to be considered;
Potentials of the role of the public (government, authorities etc.) as model
should be exploited and at the same time credibility of the commitments to
lower greenhouse gas emissions could be strengthened;
Regulatory risks have to be diminished as much as possible;
The investment sentiment has to be increased in relation to
security/guarantee for long term investments subsidies;
Unstableness in relation to tax treatments (biogas plants are investments of
long term nature) has to be avoided, since investors need a stable longterm
“tax” framework for such investments;
R&D activities in relation to the 2 nd and 3 rd generation biofuels/biogas
generation processes need to be intensified.
Page 7 of 34

2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Croatia
Introduction
Due to its advantages, biomethane is becoming more important on the political
agenda and also as a business opportunity in various EU Member States. Despite
the high interest and willingness of policy-makers and market actors to increase
bio-methane production, developments are slow and support is still highly needed.
The GreenGasGrids project addresses the most hindering barriers for biomethane
market deployment and thus leads to a direct increase in biomethane production. It
aims to substantially change the EU market situation for biogas feed-in to allow
enfolding its full potential.
Know-how transfer and implementation of project results on national level are some
of the most important tasks of the Project. Biomethane feed-in info days on
national level are one of defined ways for informing national stakeholders about the
opportunities GGG provides to them and to disseminate the project results on the
national level.
This report provides an overview of the second Croatian biomethane feed-in info
day, which was held in Zagreb, addressing the authorities responsible for energy,
environmental and agricultural sector as well as gas industry and project
developers. It was held as a joint event with Bio-methaneRegions and Biomaster
projects.
The biomethane info day in Croatia was organised by Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar.
Page 8 of 34

Programme
The 2 nd Croatian feed-in info day for ministries, regulators, state agencies, gas
industry, plant constructors, project developers and other participants interested in
bio-methane production was implemented on May 28, 2013, at the Energy Institute
Hrvoje Požar. It was organized as a joint event with Bio-methaneRegions and
Biomaster projects.
The program of the info-day is divided in three sections.
First section comprised information about biogas projects and promotion policy in
Croatia, contribution of biogas to EU 20-20-20 targets and socio-economic aspects
of biogas projects.
Second section covered experiences related to biomethane market development in
forerunner countries. There were presented best practices for integration of biomethane
into markets for policy makers and best practice guidelines for market
actors as well as information on national biogas activities. A final version of
Croatian bio-methane roadmap which was previously discussed with the
stakeholders was also presented.
Afterwards, biomethane production technologies, financial aspects of biomethane
production and technical aspects of injection of biomethane into the natural gas
grid where presented.
Invitations for the biomethane feed-in info-day were sent to all relevant national
and regional administrative bodies, including Ministry of Economy, Labour and
Entrepreneurship (MINGORP), Croatian Energy Market Operator, Croatian Energy
Regulatory Agency, Ministry of Environmental and Nature Protection (MZOP),
Ministry of Culture - Directorate for Nature Protection, Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Rural Development, Paying Agency for Agriculture, Fisheries and
Rural Development, and all other relevant bodies in Croatia.
Response to the invitation was very good, so that representatives of almost all
relevant bodies and institutions took part at the event. More than 50 people were
registered for the Info Day and 41 people attended the meeting.
Page 9 of 34

Conclusions of the event
2 nd biomethane feed-in info-day in Croatia comprised an overall overview of the
biogas/biomethane projects and promotion policy in Croatia as well as experiences
in market development, permitting procedures and financing options in EU
countries.
The event continued with the presentation on the biomethane production
technologies, financial aspects of biomethane production and technical aspects of
injection of biomethane into the natural gas grid.
A draft final version of Croatian bio-methane roadmap was presented and discussed
with all participants.
In relation to the outcome of the discussion it can be concluded that the most
urgent hurdles for the realization of new plants are as follows:
Lack of legal provisions in relation to feed in tariffs;
Incomplete technical standards applied to biomethane injected into the gas
grid;
Page 10 of 34

2nd National Feed-In Info Day in France
Introduction
The second French Info Day took place on 21st February 2013 during the great
event on Renewable Energy in Lyon and his specialized zone, “Expo Biogaz”,
completely dedicated to biogas. 160 people, so slightly less than 2102, attended
the 2nd National Feed-In Info Day in France.
Most of the participants came from France and at a lower number from Germany,
Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands and Tunisia.
83 firms, 33 associations, public institutions, universities etc. attended the event.
The recent decrees and ordinances, published at the end of 2011 and during the
first semester of 2012, have created a big interest for the injection of biomethane
into gas grids. Nearly 400 projects of injection are today in instruction by the grid
operators (distribution and transport networks). 2 units are in operation and one
plant is in the construction phase.
Four different workshops were organized and animated by the French Biogas
Association-Club Biogaz. One out of the four workshops focused on biomethane and
the injection in the grid, and the CNG use.
Attendees of the biomethane workshop had the possibility for face-to-face
encounters with representatives of gas suppliers, grid operators, cars and trucks
manufactures, engineering offices, investors and administration.
The programme focused on two issues: conditions of injection and feedback
experiences (morning), and CNV offers (afternoon); please find below more details.
Wed. 21st of February morning
Opening session (SOLAGRO)
Strategy for biomethane in a rural area (Rhône Alpes Energie Environment)
Regulations and laws on injection ; Technical and economic conditions,
costs, delays, feed-in procedures (Gaz réseau Distribution France)
Manage the production to respect the contract (Naskéo)
Gas cleaning : technologies and solutions by a French supplier (Air Liquide)
Page 11 of 34

Example on the on-farm project “Bioénergie de la Brie” (French Association
for AD Farmers)
Particularity of injection from the Strasbourg WWT unit (réseau GDS,
Degrémont and Lyonnaise des Eaux)
Suppliers offers (Total Energie Gaz and GDF SUEZ)
The presentations are made in the context of increase of the French biomethane
market.
Grid operators have emphasized the following point: the number of projects is
continuously increasing, as well as distribution or transport grids.
A focus was made on the WWT biomethane injection project in the east of France :
Strasbourg.
Injection of biomethane from WWT sludge is still forbidden; this project intends to
change the perspective on this. The Strasbourg unit will serve as a good example
for elaboration of two studies, namely on sanitary and physic-chemical aspects,
which are the main reasons to refuse injection of WWT sludge biomethane into the
grid yet. This operation received subsidies from the UE program Life+
(www.biovalsan.eu).
The second main topic dealt with was the Bioénergie de la Brie unit; this is the 3rd
injection French project in France which will inject biomethane into the grid;
operation is envisaged in the second part of 2013. The responsible of the project
spokes stressed the following strategic points:
Technologic innovation (membrane)
Seasonality of bio-methane production
New rules
Gas analysis and THT odorisation
This project will process 12.000 t/y from agricultural and agro-food industries
activities. The injection capacity will be 100 Nm3/h.
Main discussions
Questions were asked in relation to the minimum size of such projects in order to
become economically viable. In other words, is there a minimum size for injection
projects?
Related to distribution grids one can say that there are basically no rules related to
the required size but assessment has to be done on a case by case base, since
constraints might be different for each project. An upgrading supplier argued that
the minimal size is around 40 Nm3/h of biomethane.
In transportation grids, an operator mentioned 100 Nm3/h as a limit, while others
argued for higher capacities like 200 to 800 Nm3/h, depending on the geographical
location of the project.
Wed. 21st of February afternoon
Opening session (GrDF)
Mobility: ADEME-GrDF agreement for 2013-2015: action plan to develop
CNG? (ADEME)
Page 12 of 34

French market for CNG and LNG vehicles and perspectives (IVECO)
Status quo for CNG filling stations (GNVert)
Status quo for LNG : feed-back on the US and Canadian experiences
(WESTPORT)
Feed-back on SYDEME AD plant (SYDEME)
Focus on CNG filling stations and bio-CNG vehicles (GREENFIELD)
Post equipment on a Renault vehicle (RM GAZ)
Enhance the performances of CNG buses Euro 2 and 3 (CRMT)
How to develop CNG and bio-CNG in a rural area (GrDF)
The excellent CO2 balance and the absence of emission of particles and NOx are
clearly in favour of developing CNG and bioCNG infrastructure on local level.
The equivalence – in term of quality – between bioCNG and CNG was highlighted.
2012 was stressed as a remarkable year in relation to extended application of CNG
and bioCNG, since in the future, the demand for CNG and bioCNG will increase, in
parallel with the apparition of LNG vehicles.
Conclusions of the event
The second Info Day on biomethane in France was very successful as the first. The
event was organized to give an overview of the biomethane situation and
perspectives in France as well as in neighbouring markets. The topics focused on
new rules and regulations, technical projects and development of new technologies
for the fuel market (bioCNG and bioLNG).
In the near future, some tasks or works must be started or continued like:
The large consultation which started in 2009 – launched by the ministry for
Ecology and Energy - and which continued from 2010 onwards under the
responsibility of ADEME and the main gas distribution system operator
GrDF. This working group is very active and efficient in the promotion of
biomethane (www.injectionbiomethane.fr).
Preparation of the French ROADMAP on biomethane – based on the
contributions of the relevant stake holders, namely DSOs, TSOs, upgrading
technologies experts, gas suppliers, engineering offices, consultants,
federations of cities, French biogas association, etc.
Page 13 of 34

2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Germany
Introduction
On April 18th 2013, the second German GreenGasGrids bio-methane info day took
place at the Altes Rathaus Hannover (Lower Saxony). Organised by the German
Energy Agency (dena), around 50 interested market actors and stakeholders
discussed the actual situation and future development of the German bio-methane
market. Actual numbers showed a significant growth of plants and capacity: By
April 2013, 116 plants were feeding into the natural gas grid with an hourly feed-in
capacity of 70,000 cubic meters of bio-methane. Currently a growth up to 187
plants with 110,000 cubic meters per hour is planned. This growth, steep also in
comparison with other European countries, is at least in part a direct consequence
of past and ongoing changes of the political framework in Germany.
Statements summarizing the info day results
The bioenergy potential is limited – Bioenergy is the all-rounder among
the renewables. But: its potential is finite and needs to be used efficiently.
Bio-methane injection offers a very efficient field of application.
There is no competing for land due to bio-methane production – In
contrast to current discussions bioenergy production is not the source of
famine and rising food price. On the contrary: agriculture in the industrial
nations produces a surplus which is being exported to developing countries.
Versatile input material is important – Energy crops currently are the
dominant choice for bio-methane production. Still, bio-methane is already
being generated from a growing part of waste material and a varying mix of
plants. This share will further increase in the future.
The bioenergy potential is limited
Biogas is generated via fermentation of varying input material such as waste or
energy crops. In Germany, 2.1 million hectares of energy crops have been grown in
Page 14 of 34

2012, representing an 18 percent share of the total 11.8 million hectares used for
agriculture. Many studies see a growth potential for the coming decades that will
not interfere with the supply of food. The majority of these studies expect 2.5 to 4
million hectares to become available, allowing 23 percent of the German primary
energy consumption in 2050 to be met with domestic biomass, assuming a strong
reduction of energy consumption.
Despite these potentials expanding bioenergy production from energy crops is
limited in terms of land capacity, environmental aspects and other uses of biomass.
No competing for land due to bio-methane production
In Germany there is ongoing debate about competition between food and fodder
production on the one hand and bioenergy generation on the other, in Germany
and especially world-wide. The sources of famine, though, are poverty, civil wars
and the effects of climate change, above all. In addition, agriculture in industrial
countries produces a surplus of food being exported to developing countries where
it interferes with local agriculture and increases famine.
In Europe, already today big amounts of foodstuffs that are thrown away are being
used for bioenergy production instead of going into a waste treatment path. Thus a
lot of biomass is available in a non-competitive manner. Still, changes in
agricultural policy and consumer behaviour can help to seize untapped potential.
Page 15 of 34

Versatile input material is important
In most German bio-methane plants energy crops are used, such as maize,
beetroot and grass. There have been controversial discussions about these
contributing to monoculture and a rise of rent for fields. For Germany and Europe
this cannot be confirmed: Only in a few areas e.g. maize is grown more than 50
percent and this is due to fodder production. A rise of rent could also be seen only
in a small number of regions. Here, reasons are rather loss of land due to street
construction, industrial areas, water protection and an increasing demand of land
for livestock husbandry.
Concerning bioenergy production, constant increases of harvesting efficiency and
the use of fallow land are leading to better agricultural efficiency and to a decrease
of conflict potential. Additionally, bio-methane plant owners put a lot of effort into
using waste material from fodder production such as manure, as well as household
waste. Feeding bio-methane plants with so far unused material is expected to
increase further in the future.
Page 16 of 34

2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Italy
Introduction
The Italian 2nd national feed-in info day was held on Friday 05 May 2013, starting
at 9:30 am to 6:00 pm.
The info day took place in Milano, within the setting of “The Innovation Cloud”1, the
new exhibition platform which includes all the innovative energy technologies:
photovoltaic and renewable power generation, energy storage and smart grid,
sustainable mobility, renewable heat generation and energy efficiency. A multitechnology
concept envisaged to encourage and promote all possible synergies over
the entire spectrum of new energy technologies. A significant part of the exhibition
– within the sector b>>energy - was devoted to biogas respectively bio-methane.
The conference, entitled “Second bio-methane day – The European projects
SEBE and GreenGasGrids”, was organized by the following important institutions
and organizations, which cooperate in the field of renewable energy, agriculture and
environmental protection, namely:
Consorzio Italiano Biogas - CIB 2
CRPA 3
Environment Park 4 .
All in all 14 experts, including four representatives of foreign countries and of
European Institutions (O. Panic - University of Stuttgart; A. Kovacs European
Biogas Association; J. Del Alamo's NVGA; M. Dumont - NL Agency) contributed as
active speakers.
The topics, dealt with by various speakers, covered a wide area of expertise, thus
all of the interests were coped with and a detailed insight into the market situation
could be obtained.
One of the main focuses of the conference was the idea to combine in one event
two different EU-funded programmes, namely the:
project.
GreenGasGrids 5 and
SEBE 6
The "SEBE" programme, financed by Central Europe Programme, is a project that
encourages transnational cooperation in order to improve innovation, accessibility
and the environment in Central Europe and to enhance the competitiveness of its
cities and regions. "SEBE" aims at a coordinated further development of biogas
utilization, technology and transnational competence knowledge. The various
operating environments (legal, economical and logistical, technical), shortages on
qualified and specialized human resources (planning, operation, support and
maintenance) as well as several regional factors (e.g. available resources, logistics,
1 http://www.innovationcloud-expo.com/
2 www.consorziobiogas.it
3 www.crpa.it
4 http://www.envipark.com/
5 www.greengasgrids.eu
6 http://www.sebe2013.eu/home/about
Page 17 of 34

or failed biogas plants from past projects) throughout the member states in the
CENTRAL area form a challenging environment to work in.
By using a transnational approach the project consortia establishes a common
understanding of possibilities, policies and frameworks (legal, economics, finance,
technical, R&D, logistics and human resources) throughout the programme area,
coordinates these frameworks and research via the Transnational Knowledge
Management (TKM) tool. On top, the transnational approach establishes guidelines
and a transnational strategy for future education and training on the biogas sector
as a whole. Regional developments - based on consulting and guidelines, selected
pilot actions and recommendations on policy developments for stakeholders on the
transnational/national/regional level - will complete the package.
Outcomes such as the political concept paper, action plans and strategy papers, the
TKM tool, the CKC, pilot actions in specialized research areas and feasibility studies,
policy recommendations, framework descriptions for each partner country, cooperations,
technology & know-how transfers, regional development consulting,
draft explorations of potential research paths, specific educational programs in
combination with common project dissemination tools - such as project website,
newsletters, national and transnational conferences, energy fairs, brochures,
booklets, study results - will form the sustainable core elements of our project.
The chosen partnership covers the CENTRAL program area, consists of partners
with complementary and diversified core competencies, aims at the sustainable
development of biogas within Europe, has good relationships to
transnational/national/regional networks, key players and stakeholders and
establishes a communication and operating environment - able to last beyond the
project
The conference was held in Italian and English
89 people (operators, other stakeholders like lawyers specialized on biogas/biomethane,
experts from the financing industry, consultants, marketing experts)
attended the meeting.
Page 18 of 34

The second Italian info day
The lunch break during 2nd Italian info day
Page 19 of 34

Programme
The programme 7 of the “Second bio-methane day – The European projects SEBE
and GreenGasGrids”, (second Italian info day) consisted of two main parts.
The first part of the conference was opened by Sergio Piccinini (CRPA), who
characterised the Italian situation related to biogas (at the end of 2012 about 1,000
biogas plants with an installed electrical power of >750 MWe were in operation).
The subsequent presentations of the first main part dealt with SEBE, the situation
and future prospects of the sector biogas / bio-methane in Germany (Olga Panic,
University of Stuttgart) and the regulatory framework for the biogas sector in Italy
(by Sofia Mannelli - President of Green Chemistry Bionet).
The President of the Italian Biogas Consortium, Piero Gattoni, concluded with a
speech the first part of the conference and introduced the discussions on the
contents of the morning.
The second part of the conference focused on the project GreenGasGrids. The main
topics dealt with were the state of art of bio-methane in Europe with particular
attention to its use in the transport sector.
Lorenzo Maggioni (Italian Biogas Consortium), opened with a presentation on the
project GreenGasGrids the second main part of the 2nd National Info Day in Italy -
followed by speeches from some partners of the GGG project, namely Attila Kovacs,
representative of European Biogas Association; Jaime Del Alamo, NGVA Europe and
Mathieu Dumont, NL Agency.
The presentations and speeches lead to discussions about the opportunities for biomethane
as transport fuel (Paolo Vettori – Assogasmetano and Flavio Merigo – NVG
System) and about applied technologies in a successful purification of biogas to bio
methane process (Lorenzo Spada – Air Liquide Italia).
The second Italian info day was concluded with the presentation of the operator of
the first Italian upgrading plant (Chiatra Gamberini – SAFE).
The conference was moderated by a famous journalist who is an expert on the
renewable energy sector.
Throughout the conference, there was the possibility for open discussion among the
participants and with the speakers.
Conclusions of the event
For Italy, the Consorzio Italiano Biogas estimates a demand potential of 7-8 billion
nm 3 of bio-methane per year – which is equal to the production of natural gas in
Italy.
In relation to the outcome of the round table discussion it can be concluded that
bio-methane is a great opportunity for Italy because of:
Environmental reasons
Greenhouse gas emissions by vehicles and electricity/heat generation in the
urban area can be reduced in terms of maximum reduction at the lowest cost
in relation to avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions and in terms of
7
http://www.innovationcloud-expo.com/files/convegni/convegni-eseminari/2013/Innovation%20Cloud%202013_CIB-CRPA_Biogas%20e%20biometano.pdf
Page 20 of 34

mitigation of environmental impacts of conventional agricultural practices
(reduction of synthetic fertilizer, livestock manure management);
Economic effects
Construction and operation of bio- methane plants could have a significant
impact on the economic sector of the country, both in agriculture and
industry;
Consumers benefits
The production of bio- methane could drastically reduce the expenses on
natural gas imports and the biomass technologies could be improved even
more. In addition, bio-methane could provide an alternative fuel, at
competitive prices, in particular in the transport sector.
For these reasons it is important that the Italian Government publishes new
decrees (economic incentives and technical parameters) for the production of biomethane
provided by Legislative Decree 28/2011.
Page 21 of 34

2nd National Feed-In Info Day in The Netherlands
Introduction
In accordance with its Sustainability theme, the NL Agency programme entitled
‘Sustainable Energy in the Netherlands’ collaborated with the Green Gas
Netherlands Foundation to organise the ‘Green Gas Symposium 2012 in Fort
Voordorp in Groenekan, on 14 December 2012’: ‘Innovative technology for biogas
and green gas’. This was prompted by a “National Info day” within the Green Gas
Grids project.
Attracting around 230 visitors, the symposium was a great success and many
positive comments have since been heard during networking moments.
The purpose of the symposium was to inform all visitors about the situation
concerning innovative technology for the production of biogas and green gas. Part
one of the symposium provided an overview of the current-day technology, which is
now already available. Part two dealt with the innovations supported by the top
sector policy for gas. The plenary part of the afternoon programme paid attention
to the role played by the top sector for gas in the innovations for development of
green gas. In subsequent parallel sessions, attention was paid to the presentation
of new projects which enjoy financial support from the top sector for gas.
Programme
The symposium was kicked off with a presentation by Jeroen Althof ‘Could the grass
be greener on the other side?’ This was followed by a presentation by Ulco
Vermeulen on the TKI Gas (Top consortium for Know-how and Innovation) and the
innovation contracts, in the hope of stimulating those present to enter into an
innovation contract themselves. A variety of interesting workshops were organised
throughout the day. The presentation of each workshop was subsequently posted
on the Green Gas Netherlands website for anyone interested in reading the
information at a later date.
The workshops given were:
Round I: ‘Currently Available’
• Pretreatment of biomass
• Biogas upgrading
• Digestate processing
Round II: ‘Ready for the Future’
• Fermentation
• Gasification
• Measuring technology and Gas network access
The following pages give a brief impression of the
workshops.
Page 22 of 34

Workshop on pretreatment of biomass
Robert Bakker – WUR – Summary of pretreatment of biomass
Mr. Bakker gave a summary of the various methods for treatment of biomass, prior
to fermentation. This preprocessing is also aimed at treating high lignin
/lignocellulose biomass in such a manner that the biomass output from the digester
is increased and the residence time shortened. Besides treating the digester
feedstock, the same techniques can be applied to treat biomass between the
fermentation and post-fermentation processes. He discussed:
1. Mechanical preprocessing;
2. Base / alkaline decomposition;
3. Weak acid decomposition;
4. Thermal decomposition;
5. Enzymatic decomposition.
The conclusion was that the alkaline, weak acid and
thermal decomposition processes require great heat,
which can possibly be provided via the residual heat of
CHP plants. Alkaline and thermal decomposition processes
seem the most suitable for increasing the biogas output of
a digester.
Lex van Dijk – Sustec BV – Thermal pressure hydrolysis and recycling
Sustec has developed a system called Turbotec, which uses thermal pressure
hydrolysis technology. This is intended to increase the biogas output of the digester
feedstock. When heat and pressure is applied to biomass (active sludge, for
example), it decomposes, thus increasing the contact surface area and speeding up
the process by which anaerobic bacteria can produce biogas. In this case, the
residence period was reduced from 20 to 12 days. The residual product proved to
have a dry matter content of 35%, and to contain 2.5 times as much nitrogen as
the active sludge feedstock. The first Turbotec plant was built in Venlo, for the
processing of sewage sludge. The payback period of the plant is less than five
years. Turbotec is also involved in a project for struvite production at the RWZI
Industrial water treatment plant in Apeldoorn. This plant is currently under
construction.
Klaas de Jong – Greenmove – Production of enzymes using Greenstep
Mr. De Jong presented Greenstep, a system for the production of enzymes for the
fermentation process. The enzymes are produced by a cocktail of various moulds
which compete with each other. Tests have been conducted together with the WUR
and E-kwadraat in Goutum (Leeuwarden), which showed the enzymes to increase
the biogas output of the digester by 20 to 30%. BioClear from Groningen has
validated the system. Greenstep introduced the system on the market at a biogas
plant in Holwerd early in December 2012, and results are expected in two weeks'
time.
Benefits mainly lie in the hydrolysis phase of the fermentation process, due to
enzymes being required for digestion of cell wall material (cellulose).
Consequently, the residence period of the biomass is considerably reduced. The
greatest profits can be booked in the fermentation of cattle manure, pig manure,
roadside grass and green waste, which have a relatively high cellulose content. The
feedstock of such biomass comprises 1 to 2% enzymes.
Page 23 of 34

These enzymes are added automatically, which limits the work to 1 to 2 hours per
week. Once the enzymes have been depleted, they are decomposed in the digester
and converted into biogas.
The system costs approximately € 120,000 per MW unit annually. On top of this,
approximately € 15,000 of nutrients must be purchased annually as a growth
medium for the mould.
Biogas upgrading
The great interest in the workshop is a sign of
the increasing importance of this component of
the green gas chain. Three companies presented
their solutions for biogas upgrading. They each
chose a specific solution, and it was clear that
technological developments were still very much
underway.
Coen Meijers – DMT- The biogas upgrading plant
in Poundburry
Coen Meijers of DMT-ET provided insight into the pilot plant which is operational in
the UK. It is an example of the success enjoyed by Dutch companies abroad.
Despite many years of experience, or perhaps precisely for that reason, the plant is
still able to improve its efficiency.
Mathieu de Bas – GTS - Future Energy – flexible products from biogas upgrading
plants
Their patented gas freezing system allows GTS and Future Energy to upgrade
biogas at a low cost price. The energy consumption of this upgrading technique is
around 3%. As far as further development of the plant is concerned, they
particularly recognise advantages in greater flexibility of the process. This will
provide a solution to variations in the biogas feed, which was originally the case at
waste dump sites but nowadays is also increasingly applied at plants which process
fluctuating biomass flows.
Niels den Heijer – Pentair Haffmans- Turning biogas into bio-methane and green
CO2
Niels den Heijer of Pentair Haffmans demonstrated how a completely different
sector can become involved in the biogas world. The Haffmans company roots lie in
the recycling of CO2 from beer. This sector has developed membrane technology to
such an extent that it is now successfully applied in biogas upgrading. CO2 issues
are becoming ever more important from an environmental point of view. A positive
side effect is that there is great demand for technical solutions.
The general conclusion of the workshop was that plenty of technological progress is
still being booked in the Netherlands. Ongoing technological innovation is essential
due to the limited margins in most biogas business cases. In this workshop, three
successful companies proved how much perspective lies in biogas upgrading.
Digestate processing
Fridhof De Buisonjé – WUR – Digestate, the pros and cons
De Buisonjé explained one of the main problems to be the requirement expressed
by the biogas and cattle sector that "digestate be regarded as a replacement for
Page 24 of 34

artificial fertilizer". Regarding digestate as a fertilizer, waste product or compost,
regardless of its composition, is seen as being a restriction to its application. Our
manure surplus is first and foremost a phosphate surplus, which must be exported.
De Buisonjé provided a summary of the techniques used for digestate separation
and drying, and how these can be achieved using the heat from bio CHP or
industrial residual heat. A dried fraction rich in phosphate has a monetary value.
The CHP from combined fermentation generally only produces enough heat to dry
the thick fraction. When industrial residual heat is applied for example, the thin
fraction can also be dried. The system of using dried pellets is mainly seen outside
of the Netherlands, as arable farmers generally have a free supply of slurry on their
land. The increased price for artificial phosphate fertilizers offers opportunities for
the sale of phosphate pellets. The price band for these dried pellets varies greatly,
depending on their quality. Another option for digestate processing is the export of
the complete digestate, following cleaning, with heat from the bio-CHP.
Gijs van Selm – Waterstromen – Digestate, the situation
Gijs van Selm demonstrated how Waterstromen efficiently processes and increases
the economic value of industrial waste water at four production locations. Biogas is
converted into electricity and heat in a CHP plant, and part of the biogas is supplied
directly back to the industry. Phosphor and a small percentage of the nitrogen is
recycled as struvite and exported as a fertilizer. A member of the audience
remarked that the Dutch agriculture sector requires 90% water soluble phosphate,
for which struvite is not suitable. Waterstromen sales have not been affected by
this, as it is a specialty market so far. The company is positive regarding the
application in arable farming. Digestate must be pasteurised, according to the
European regulations on animal by-products. The digestate may be exported
following pasteurisation.
Wim Kuster – BiogasPlus – Pasteurisation and drying of digestate
Wim Kuster of BiogasPlus gave a summary of the company's modular
pasteurisation system, in 15m3tanks. BiogasPlus also has an innovative solution for
evaporation and drying of the digestate. The evaporator works according to a
concept of vertical belts picking up a thin layer of digestate, which is subsequently
air dried. The evaporator (up to 80-95% dry matter) comprises two stacked
horizontal drying belts, the product falls from the first belt onto the second belt.
The drying process takes place using hot air. Sensor technology ensures that the
product does not leave the belt until it has reached the required degree of dryness.
The conclusion is that there are interesting technical solutions for processing
digestate to produce suitable fertilizers. There are restrictions to their use in Dutch
arable farming due to legislation, and competition from manure slurry. While there
are still plenty of export opportunities, De Buisonjé is quoted as saying: “Digestate
is a challenge”.
Page 25 of 34

Afternoon programme with an explanation of the role played by the top sectors
policy for gas in the development of the green gas market in the Netherlands, by
the Chairman of TKI gas (Top consortium for Know-how and Innovation in Gas), Mr.
Ulco Vermeulen.
Fermentation
Arjan Prinsen – Groot-Zevert - Increasing the economic value of nutrients
The Groot-Zevert biogas plant supplies 600 kW units (via the former MEP
Environmental Energy Production subsidy scheme). The feedstock used is
independently sourced. The company works in short, regional cycles and makes use
of locally available biomass rather than food products. Groot Zevert operates on
95% manure, which guarantees the sale of digestate to the farming community.
The target is to quadruple the current capacity in order to be able to produce for
66ct/Nm3. This is not yet possible, hence the need to increase the economic value
of manure and/or nutrients. Fermentation of all manure is essential in order to
realise the full potential. This can be achieved using an open ring for gas or an open
ring for manure, along with centralized upgrading of biogas to bio-methane.
Increasing the economic value of nutrients: Protein from duckweed has been
improved from 21% to 40%. The mineral-rich thin fraction can be processed into
fertilizer. The low-mineral thick fraction can be used for improving soil structure.
Jan-Evert van Veldhoven – De Dommel water board- RWZI as a logistics centre
The water board has conducted a survey of the manure processing possibilities in
the region. One of the conclusions is that there is considerable leaching of minerals
to surface waters. Improvements in this nitrogen leaching situation can only be
achieved if all manure in the region becomes processed, and this will be
unsuccessful if only the surplus manure is treated. The survey also considered how
a water board can contribute to processing manure in a region. Until now, there is
little added value to be achieved when processing manure at RWZI industrial waste
treatment plants. Business cases are being studied however, to determine whether
a combined effort is worthwhile. Sewage slurry and other biomass flows could be
Page 26 of 34

combined at the front, for example, and the residual flow jointly used in utilities.
The Energiefabriek (energy factory) project is already underway at the RWZI plant
in Tilburg. A further 2 hectares of land is available there, directly adjacent to the
Attero production location, for a manure processing initiative.
René Cornelissen – CCS - Small-scale biogas production
There is great interest in small-scale fermentation, at the individual farm level.
Generally speaking, the generation of electricity (in a CHP plant) is not attractive
unless you can utilise the heat. Moreover, small-scale fermentation entails
considerable investment. This project looks at ways of reducing these costs.
Injection and quality control are relatively expensive, especially for smaller
volumes. The main advantage of the small scale is that the manure remains within
the farmyard, thus dispensing of the need for disposal (transport). The question in
hand is: How to develop a small-scale and economical biogas upgrading
installation? The result? A combination of pressure-free H2S and removal of CO2.
The process therefore requires little energy but part of the gas produced is
necessary for the heating process. All in all, it yields € 50,000 per annum. The
payback period will be 7 to 9 years, depending on the use of fiscal instruments.
Gasification
Gerton Smit – Gensos - Super-critical gasification of wet waste flows
Gensos has been working on the development of a super-critical gasifier since
2006, and has concentrated on the gasification of manure right from day one.
Minerals which cannot be separated from the manure in a "dry" process, can be
reclaimed in this gasifier. The company is now also exploring opportunities for
gasification of sewage slurry and algae. The gasification process results in a
conversion rate of more than 95%. A pilot plant is currently under construction,
and expectations are that the initial results from that plant will be available by early
2013.
Marten Alkema – Synvalor - Synvator® direct gasification for green gas production
Synvalor introduced an application for gasification of poultry manure in the late
1980s, and has been concentrating on torrefaction of biomass since 2006. Attention
has now been turned to a fluidized bed gasifier in order to produce syngas, from
which heat and electricity can then be generated via a CHP plant. A Synvator
gasifier has been built in Vlissingen (3.5 MW) utilising wood as feedstock. The
installation has few problems with large volumes of ash: reeds, straw, manure,
slurry and digestate can all be gasified. The pyrolysis gas is recirculated in order to
provide the required heat and generate sufficient vortex. Natural gas is therefore
only required during the start-up process.
Herman Klein Teeselink – HoSt - En route to greater efficiency
There is enough grain straw available in Europe to produce biogas equivalent to no
less than 350 billion m3 natural gas. Ninety percent of this straw is currently only
used for ploughing into the soil. HoSt advocates gasification, as this results in a
greater volume of gas than fermentation for this type of feedstock. HoSt is also
involved in small-scale upgrading of biogas to form bio-methane, through the use
of membranes.
The HoSt gasification technology could also be deployed for the production of
ethanol, for example. Direct fermentation only gives one-third of the conversion
rate which can be achieved using gasification. Less oxygen is added to the gasifier
Page 27 of 34

system, resulting is considerably less flue gases, which therefore no longer need to
be removed before emission.
In the gasification system, 20-25% of the energy is converted into heat. The main
bottleneck lies in the reliability of the system, which is currently around 6000 hours'
availability, whereas HoSt plans to improve this to 7800 hours.
Gasification is particularly suitable versus incineration when a fuel cannot be easily
placed on the grid, when the emission will be too costly or when an incineration
permit cannot be easily obtained.
Measuring technology and Gas network access
This popular workshop was opened by Mathieu Dumont of NL Agency, who sketched
the importance of the innovation contracts for the themed influences, of which a
number of examples were presented in this workshop.
Arthus Scheffer – Adsensys – Biokeep
The workshop was kicked off by Arthur Scheffer of the Adsensys company, which is
working on small-scale biogas applications under the Chempat label. Within the
framework of TKI Know-how and Innovation in Gas, the company is working on
development of a "cheap" monitoring system for quality control of the green gas
feedstock in the network grids. The use of gas chromatographs renders the
conventional systems relatively expensive in both purchase and operation for smallscale
injection into the grids. Adsensys expects to be able to develop a monitoring
system which will cost less than € 50,000, and which is also much less expensive to
operate than the conventional systems, thanks to the lack of GC. They believe this
can be achieved thanks to a modular system design, with gas analysis based on a
hybrid of various measuring techniques and sensors. Monitoring of the odorization
level of the gas will also be part of the system, while the use of a PLC and web
portal will give the network companies and the suppliers insight into all the
necessary information. Another question concerned the OPEX, which have not yet
been calculated but are expected to be low. The issue of whether the monitoring
process should become the responsibility of the network company remained
unanswered, this currently lies with the supplier and there are no signs of this
changing. Mr. Scheffer concluded with the comment that the TKI is a nice stimulus
for Adsensys to develop the Biokeep system more extensively.
Leo Brummelkamp and Gideon Blij – Bionet – Central heating on biogas
Leo Brummelkamp of Alliander and Gideon Blij of
ATAG gave a combined presentation. They are
working jointly on a concept of "BioNet, the next
step". As owner of a large regional gas network,
Alliander is all too aware of the developments in gas
production, the decline of the Slochteren gas field
and the establishment of sustainable energy
projects. On the one hand, they see more and more
producers of biogas/green gas, and on the other
hand devices (gas engines, for example) being
converted to make them suitable for combustion of
alternative gases. Liander wishes to use a BioNet to
demonstrate that it is possible to tailor energy
consumers to an available source, and that not only
Groningen natural gas but also gases with a
different Wobbe index and caloric value can be
Page 28 of 34

distributed and calculated. In their planned pilot, a residential neighbourhood will
be provided with a biogas/natural gas mixing station, adapted condensing boilers
and an alternative system for price calculation. The pilot also includes the basic
design for the mixing station and the development of a pricing system. The
independently developed technique will be brought together, in order to
demonstrate that the entire system can operate as a chain. If this is successful,
there are no longer any technical restrictions to the network company offering the
BioNet product to newly built residential neighbourhoods. With regard to the
question of how to tailor the capacity of the biogas producer to the consumption, a
field test was chosen which included a large-scale user as the basis for gas
consumption. Hot items are the odorization of the gas and the caloric pricing for
customers in the region. Alliander believes that these challenges can be met. The
potential of the project is that when applying a Bionet biogas, it is not always
necessary to upgrade to the full G-gas quality, and the existing infrastructure can
be used.
Atag Heating Corporation was represented by Gideon Blij, who began by describing
the background of ATAG as a global player in the field of heating systems such as
condensing central heating boilers, heat boilers, solar boilers, heat pumps, etc.
They foresee a diversity of gas types being introduced on the basis of supply
surety, market effect and increased sustainability. Their contribution in terms of TKI
is the development of the ATAG Multi gas boiler. This Multi gas boiler is a
condensing boiler which functions well regardless of the available gas composition
(from biogas to extremely high calorie gases). The solution was found in the
relationship between the burner temperature and the ratio of gas/air to the burner.
The company's participation in the BioNet project with a test location in Eerbeek in
which the boilers could be installed in the households, resulted in an ideal pilot test
which combined the network company's experience of an alternative type of gas
with the actual consumption of that gas. One of the reasons for the application of a
BioNet is that the use of biogas also contributes positively to the EPC (energy
performance certificate) value of the houses in the region.
The conclusion was that this workshop gave effective insight into the field of
measuring techniques and gas network access, and that TKI is a good instrument
for preparation of the parties involved in the green gas sector for the future
situation.
In accordance with its Sustainability theme, the NL Agency programme entitled
‘Sustainable Energy in the Netherlands’ collaborated with the Green Gas
Netherlands Foundation to organise the ‘Green Gas Symposium 2012 in Fort
Voordorp in Groenekan, on 14 December 2012’: ‘Innovative technology for biogas
and green gas’. This was prompted by a “National Info day” within the Green Gas
Grids project.
Attracting around 230 visitors, the symposium was a great success and many
positive comments have since been heard during networking moments.
The purpose of the symposium was to inform all visitors about the situation
concerning innovative technology for the production of biogas and green gas. Part
one of the symposium provided an overview of the current-day technology, which is
now already available. Part two dealt with the innovations supported by the top
sector policy for gas. The plenary part of the afternoon programme paid attention
to the role played by the top sector for gas in the innovations for development of
green gas. In subsequent parallel sessions, attention was paid to the presentation
of new projects which enjoy financial support from the top sector for gas.
Page 29 of 34

2nd National Feed-In Info Day in Slovakia
Introduction
The aim of this info day was to present the actual status of the GreenGasGrids
project, provide information on the current status in the field of biogas and
biomethane, their potential, prospective, production and utilization in Slovakia. Also
it was intended to give information about possibilities to use biomethane as a fuel
in the transport sector, indications of barriers for the usage of biomethane in the
transport sector as well as to provide information on the 2nd draft of the National
Road Map for Biomethane and incorporation of last notices.
Invitations were sent to stakeholders involved in the biogas/biomethane/gas sector
(representatives of public bodies, biogas producers, research institutes,
universities, servicing companies, consultants, gas industry, distribution system
operators, regulatory office, developers and other stakeholders from the biogas
market) according up-dated stakeholder list. Altogether 80 stakeholders were
invited to attend the second Info Day.
The chosen information/dissemination channels were evaluated as satisfactory,
because total 62 people have signed up for the Info Day and the real number of
attendees was 46 - including speakers. Moreover the event attracted attendees
from other business areas as well (heat producers, companies dealing with new
technologies, energy service companies, renewable association). As these
companies were not contacted directly, this can be regarded as interest in the
further development process of the biogas/biomethane sector.
Page 30 of 34

Programme
Speakers were chosen in accordance with the requirements of the scope of the
GreenGasGrids project as well as the target groups. The seminar was divided into
three main parts – following the lines within the scope of the GreenGasGrids
project.
The first part was dedicated to the actual biogas/biomethane situation in
Slovakia - embedded in the general context of renewable energy policies –
in particular the RED targets in the transport sector - and in the context of
the forthcoming large amendment of the Act on the promotion of renewable
energy and high-efficiency cogeneration which should come in to force from
Jan. 1st 2014.
In addition the deliverables of the GreenGasGrids project were to be
discussed and explained.
The second part was dedicated to the utilisation of biomethane in transport
as a biofuel taking the economics of biogas production (initial investment,
planning-feasibility study, substrate preparation, technology of the BP,
installed power of the cogeneration unit) – into account and emphasizing
the complementarity needs of CNG and CBG;
The Third part dealt with the progress and the related input to the drafting
process of the National biomethane Road Map.
Page 31 of 34

Page 32 of 34

Conclusions of the event
Generally, the 2nd feed-in Info Day can be considered as successful, because of
quite high attendance and their positive and active approach. Very important was
the participation of relevant authorities, namely the Ministry of Economy, who are
responsible for preparation of the new amendment to the Act on promotion RES
and high efficient CHP. The same authorities are also active in preparation of the
National Road map.
In relation to the outcome of the round table discussion it can be concluded that the
most urgent hurdles for the realization of plants are – from the viewpoint of the
debaters – as follows:
Page 33 of 34

The intention of the Slovak government is to focus on lowering the fixed
prices for electricity produced from RES, thus shifting biogas/biomethane to
other sectors like the space heating and transport sector, taking the
available potential for biogas/biomethane in Slovakia into consideration;
The New Legal Act in the context of the forthcoming large amendment to
the Act on the promotion of renewable energy and high-efficiency
cogeneration - which should come in to force from Jan. 1 st 2014-
intends to support construction of small agricultural biogas plants, in order
to also support rural development;
Energy from RES must substitute 10% of energy used as petrol, diesel and
biofuels consumed in road and rail transport and electricity used in all forms
of transport by 2020 while the share of energy from biofuels produced from
cereal and other starch rich crops, sugars and oil crops shall be no more
than the final consumption of energy in transport by end of 2011 in 2020 or
5% of the energy used in transport in 2020, respectively;
The Development of the CBG market is not possible without development of
the CNG market. As CNG market is not very well developed (11 filling
stations of which only 8 ones are public and about 1 500 vehicles of which
300 are buses – Urban transport), it creates one of the barriers for the CBG
market development;
High initial investment costs for biogas/biomethane production facilities,
missing long-term feedstock availability with predictable prices, insufficient
effective national legal frameworks and policies and support schemes on
both national and regional level, missing harmonised EU standards for
biomethane use in transport and for injection into natural gas grids,
missing mutually recognised guarantees of origin and procedures for
international trade of biomethane are the main hurdles for further
development of the biogas/biomethane market;
There is a need for further constructive input concerning the development
of the National Road Map in Slovakia;
The final version of the National Road Map for Biomethane will be sent
together with GGG Guide for decision makers to all decision makers on both
national and local level.
Page 34 of 34