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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
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