UK moves forward with renewable energy pledge

Anaerobic digestion is a hot topic in the United Kingdom these days when it comes to waste management. The Coalition government is forging ahead with its highly publicized plans to provide more anaerobic digestors to generate heat and electricity from organic waste.

According to an article in today’s BusinessGreen.com, ministers met with representatives across the industry to identify any barriers to the sustainable technology.

As reporter James Murray noted:

“The technology is fueled using biomass such as animal manure, sewage or food waste, which is digested by enzymes working in the absence of oxygen to produce methane. The methane is captured and can be burned off onsite to produce electricity and heat, converted into biofuel, or upgraded to biomethane which can be fed into the national gas grid. The resulting waste material can also be used as fertilizer.”

Anaerobic digestion is well suited to farms and businesses that produce large amounts of organic and food waste. As the article mentions, it also has the power to reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfills and can cut greenhouse emissions.

Roundtable discussions will tackle everything from the financial benefits and viability of using anaerobic digestion to ways the government can harness the power of biogas produced through this energy conversion technology.

If you were in attendance, what questions or concerns would you have? What would you most want to know about the addition of this technology on a much broader scale?

EESI briefs the public on the potential of renewable biogas

Last week, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute hosted a briefing at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington D.C. to discuss the benefits of capturing and using renewable biogas, generated from organic waste in landfills, coming from livestock and from wastewater plants.

Biogas has significant potential as a renewable energy source of heat, power and transportation fuel. The briefing, titled Renewable Biogas: Too Valuable to Waste, was held June 16 and brought together a panel of speakers, including:

Daniel LeFevers, Executive Director, Washington Operations, Gas Technology Institute

Chris Voell, Manager, AgSTAR Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Marisa Uchin, Manager, Federal Government Relations, Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Arne Jungjohann, Program Director Environment, Heinrich Boell Foundation

Wayne Davis, Vice President, Incentives and Regulatory Affairs, Harvest Power, Inc.

“Using renewable biogas allows us to offset our reliance on fossil fuels,” said Chris Voell, manager of AgSTAR.

How much do you know about biogas?

Do you know where it comes from? Most biogas that is captured and used in the United States today comes from landfills. Still, much of the methane escapes. There are more efficient ways to capture biogas, including the use of anaerobic digesters.

Do you know how safe it is? The California Air Resources Board has certified that when renewable biogas is used as a transportation fuel, it has the lowest life cycle carbon emissions of any biofuel available today.

Do you know how widespread it is in the U.S.? There are now 151 anaerobic digesters are operating in the United States today. All use livestock manure. There are no large scale urban anaerobic digestion systems operating in the United States using organic matter from the solid waste stream – yet.

Learn more from the speakers in this video. Refer to the EESI Web site for a full recap of the event. Did you attend? We’d love to hear your reactions.

Renewable Biogas – Is it too valuable to waste?

If you’re interested in the future of renewable energy and want to learn more about biogas and anaerobic digestion technology, your chance is right around the corner. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute will host a free, public briefing on capturing and using renewable biogas from urban and agricultural waste streams in an effort to help address our nation’s climate, energy, and resource management challenges.

The event is set to run from 3-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 16,  in Rooms 203/202 of the Senate Visitor Center, Washington DC.

Renewable biogas is generated from the natural, anaerobic decomposition of organic matter in landfills, livestock manure, and wastewater treatment plants.  The methane in biogas is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change, but it is also a potential renewable energy source for heat, power, and transportation fuel.

Those in attendance can learn about existing federal programs to promote renewable biogas in dairy and livestock operations.  Hear about anaerobic digesters, gasification systems, and other technologies that turn organic wastes into renewable biogas. Consider current challenges and potential policy solutions to developing this renewable energy resource.

Speakers for this event include:

• Daniel LeFevers, Executive Director, Washington Operations, Gas Technology Institute
• Christopher Voell, AgStar Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (invited)
• Marisa Uchin, Manager, Federal Government Relations, Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation
• Wayne Davis, Vice President, Incentives and Regulatory Affairs, Harvest Power, Inc.
• Arne Jungjohann, Program Director Environment, Heinrich Boell Stiftung

Today, most biogas is released to the atmosphere.  According to the most recent EPA data, in 2008, methane from landfills accounted for 126 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO₂e) of methane (22% of all U.S. methane emissions due to human activities); livestock manure management accounted for 45 MMTCO₂e (8%); and sewage wastewater treatment systems accounted for 24 MMTCO₂e (4%).  In terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, capturing all of this methane would be the equivalent of removing millions of vehicles from the roads.

As a renewable energy source, it could provide heat and power for hundreds of thousands of homes or provide the energy equivalent of billions of gallons of gasoline as a low-carbon, renewable transportation fuel.  Since our farms and cities already collect and concentrate so much organic waste, why not use it as a renewable energy resource and turn a waste stream into a revenue stream for dairy and livestock producers and waste management agencies?

The event is free and open to the public. There is no need to RSVP. For more information, contact Ned Stowe at  nstowe@eesi.org or call (202) 662-1885.

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