TransBio
Despite its high added value, anaerobic digestion in Flanders as a base technology still has a high investment and operating cost and is dependent on financial support for renewable energy technologies. TransBio wants to optimize the baseline business model for anaerobic digestion plants in the Flemish region by focusing on knowledge and innovation, the basic values from which the sector was able to grow in the past. By doing so the business model should become more profitable and less dependent on variating governmental support mechanisms.
Starting from the built-up knowledge, market surveys, follow-up on progress in neighbouring countries and targeted stakeholder interaction a number of scenarios are identified that can induce a significant cost reduction or revenue increase.
The scenario analysis is used to determine the most meaningful transitions where potential administrative and legal issues are identified and tackled. Then, the selected scenarios are further investigated for effective market introduction through training, demonstrations, symposia and general platform activities (including dedicated working groups).
The categories for scenario analysis, can be divided as follows:
- reduced costs for raw materials through development of supply chains of current unexploited biomass (grass verge, roadside and nature management cuttings, organic waste, crop residues, alternative crops).
- increased revenues from electricity that is produced by more intelligent approach to intra-day variation in energy prices and the use of biogas plants as "net balancing units" that can operate as a buffer for more weather dependent and inconsistent forms of energy (such as wind and solar energy).
- market diversification by upgrading biogas to biomethane and introduction to the trading market as a green fuel.
- recovery and reprocessing of mineral constituents to high quality mineral fertilizers (N/P/K) which can act as fossil based fertilizer substitutes.
Visit the project website (in Dutch)