Biogas Plant Repowering

Measures for improved plant efficiency

Most of the biogas plants in Germany and throughout Europe have been in operation for more than ten years and reliably delivered electricity and heat. Over the course of the past few years though, many processes and products have been developed to enable a more profitable operation of biogas plants. Let’s look into how you can make your plant fit for the future.

What does Repowering mean?

When speaking of repowering in the context of existing biogas plants, we refer to the adjustment of the plant to latest, technological developments in order to find and use unexploited potential. A typical repowering measure is e.g. the exchange of outdated mixers with innovative and sometimes twice as efficient systems, such as our PSM mixing technology.

Servicebox
Servicebox

Focus on the entire value chain

Whether you are planning small or extensive measures, it is important to always keep the entire value chain in mind. The above-mentioned example of converting to PSM mixers not only allows you to save up to 50% of your current energy costs, but also guarantees a continuous mixing of your fermenter and eventually improved gas yields. Additionally, the robust mixers enable you to change over from an expensive substrate like maize silage to cheaper but harder to mix substrates such as different types of manure.

Next to mixing technology, topics like optimized solids feeding or processing as well as larger double membrane roofs (with and without thermal insulation) are important elements of repowering measures. The experience of the past ten to twenty years has also shown that expensive roofs are best to be opened as little as possible. We therefore recommend the use of Service Boxes, which allow for a quick access to mixers and in general make the operation of biogas plants a whole lot easier.

Repowering
Repowering

Does repowering really improve the economic efficiency of your plant?

There is a wide variety of options to improve the efficiency of your biogas plant. When it comes to the question which repowering measure will bring the best return, the answer is all about the current state of your plant and how you want to use it in the years to come. Our experts are therefore developing individual solutions for each biogas plant to significantly increase the economic efficiency while taking your requirements as well as potential options of funding opportunities into consideration.

Specialized in repowering

We have planned, built and /or equipped more than 1,600 biogas plants with leading UTS plant equipment. In addition, we have implemented repowering measures in many projects in order to increase profitability through higher operating efficiencies and minimized emissions.

Repowering enables you to benefit from our state-of-the-art, mature plant technology, know-how and experience. We deliver exactly what you want and what will be profitable for you – from individual measures to a complete package including tank construction.

Our Repowering-Services

Optimized
mixing technology

Optimized pump technology, frequency converter control, alternative pump technologies

Optimized
feeding technology

Retrofitting of gas and substrate pipelines according to the German Water Resources Act (WHG)

Retrofitting of sensors according to German legislation on installations for handling substances hazardous to water (AwSV)

Supply and installation of gas cleaning systems including compressors and pipeline construction

Expansion of long-term storage facilities to comply with statutory provisions on the application of fertilizers

Gas piping
for flexible CHP units

and many more
Repowering-Services …

A more flexible use of your biogas plant

Together with TH Ingolstadt and Prolignis Energie Consulting GmbH, we have looked into the flexibilization of biogas plants more closely with the FlexFuture project for integration of biogas plants in networks with a high proportion of fluctuating electricity producers.

The research project’s result is a combination of extended gas storage, installing additional CHP capacity, and a control concept for the automated and distribution grid-oriented operation of the biogas plant. This is less complicated than it may sound. Our intelligent control system uses weather and irradiation forecasts, the price development on the Epex Spot electricity exchange, and the level in the biogas storage facility to create an up-to-date 32-hour schedule for when the plant should be producing energy and when it should not. This both serves to help stabilize electricity grids and to increase your revenues. You sell your electricity at the best possible price.

As part of the project, we tested a biogas plant in Zellerfeld/ Bavaria with a corresponding plant control system and the matching storage and CHP capacities in flexible mode. The result was utterly convincing. Fluctuations in the electricity grid could be balanced out while, at the same time, earnings increased.

Would you like to learn more about repowering of biogas plants?

We are happy to look into your plant concept and jointly develop ideas and measures to improve the efficiency and profitability of your biogas plant.

Peter Dieckmann
Peter Dieckmann Technical Service
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Repowering - Products

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