IN ASSOCIATION WITH
AD 2010: POWERING THE WAY FORWARD
Renewable gas could meet
pipelines come through.” One solution, says Certificate (ROC) scheme. The news was
Gornall, as countries across Europe have little better for small-scale AD plants. It’s a
up to 50% of UK residential
already proved, is to generate renewable decision that goes against the Committee on
gas demand. So why did the
energy; 20% of Portugal’s energy is from Climate Change’s confirmation that the UK’s
such renewable sources. Given the UK figure emissions targets will not be met without AD
government announce a reduced
of 1.5%, Gornall finds it “staggering” that the and has left the Anaerobic Digestion and
level of support for AD within the
issue isn’t the major priority for politicians. Biogas Association “bewildered”.
“We are so vulnerable,” he warns. Gornall is equally baffled: “An awful lot
new renewable energy feed-in
One large-scale solution that’s receiving of work went into that document, but the
more attention of late, is the injection of government has just ignored it. That decision
tariff? David Burrows investigates. biomethane gas, produced predominantly has killed half the industry. The economics just
from waste, into the gas grid. don’t stack up at the moment.”
B
The process, known as BtG (Biomethane Indeed, in its 2009 paper, the National
to Grid), is already happening across Europe Grid highlighted how the existing RO scheme
ACK IN November, there was in places like Sweden, Switzerland and ensures that all renewable gas is used to
a catastrophic accident at a Austria. John Baldwin, CNG Services’ MD generate electricity, regardless of whether the
single processing plant wiping and the Renewable Energy Association’s waste heat is being captured and used (the
out stored gas accounting Biogas Group’s chair, says it’s a compelling efficiency levels of producing electricity are
for 80% of the UK’s supplies. The home vision: “Gas suppliers who already offer around 30%, compared to 90% if the gas was
secretary warned of a rolling programme of green electricity tariffs could also offer green injected into the grid).
power cuts “that would make the banking gas tariffs. Supermarkets could recycle their So, a better incentive is required. It’s
crisis look like a walk in the park”, unless green waste, turning it back into methane therefore unsurprising that all eyes are on the
a new supplier was found. Step forward, and run all their vehicles on it and tap into the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which comes
Tazbekstan. The price? For the gas - not premiums available for renewable biofuels.” into force April next year. The National Grid
much. The catch? They want to bump off Baldwin sees both routes as “attractive” wants the RHI to provide “enhanced returns to
a couple of their political enemies on UK and projects are beginning to spring up using the producer when the renewable gas is used
soil. Thankfully, a last-minute deal with the biomethane for transport and heating. more efficiently by injecting into the gas grid”.
Russians is brokered, sending the Tazbekstan Given what’s happened with the feed-in tariff,
politicians, and their henchmen, packing.
This didn’t really happen of course. It’s a
storyline from the BBC drama Spooks. Yet,
‘
That decision
it’s very much a case of ‘watch this space
(from behind the pillow)’ for those involved
in BtG.
ludicrous as it may appear, situations with a
similar theme, our energy security, have been
has killed half
Indeed, without such an incentive, many
projects could be scuppered. After all, when
alarmingly frequent in the past few years. it comes to BtG, connection costs are in the
In August 2008, the conflict in the
Caucasus set alarm bells ringing given the industry
Georgia’s pivotal role in the supply of
’
region of £200,000-£500,000 – so size matters.
The sites also require expensive kit in order
to add the 4% propane to biomethane so it
Central Asian oil to the West. While it has The latter was the subject of a paper matches the calorific vale of the UK grid gas.
no significant oil or gas reserves of its own, produced by National Grid last January So, what’s the bill for delivering the
Georgia is the only practical route for oil from assessing the potential of BtG in the UK. National Grid’s 50%?
the Caspian region destined for Europe and It concluded that renewable gas “has the £10bn – that’s £10bn over and above the
the US that avoids both Russia and Iran. potential to make a significant contribution cost of waste infrastructure that must be built
A few months later, Russian PM Vladimir to the UK’s renewable energy and carbon anyway to deal with reducing landfill capacity.
Putin told gas giant, Gazprom, to cut supplies reduction targets for 2020”. It would be a lot more, but the beauty
sent via Ukraine to Europe over allegations In the longer term, renewable gas of BtG is that the existing distribution
that Kiev was sneakily siphoning some off. could meet up to 50% of UK residential infrastructure could be used – in fact,
The UK imports less than 2% of its gas from gas demand. compared to most other countries, the UK
Russia, but it was another warning. That potential was the so-called ‘stretch network has a very dense coverage in many
Why is the UK
Then came the ‘big freeze’ in Britain, scenario’ which is a technical potential figure: parts of the country making it “very accessible
during which demand for gas in the UK hit a it’s thus dependent on every person and for biomethane injection and creating
new record high as people attempted to keep every business in the country sorting and advantages over other technologies” says
their homes warm. National Grid was forced directing their waste appropriately. This would National Grid.
into a ‘gas balancing act’ with big generators be a significant challenge. However, there Still, £10bn, it adds “compares well with
switching from gas to oil-fired power. are no insurmountable technical or safety the likely cost of delivering other large-scale
However, it was quick to assure the public barriers to delivering it: AD is an established renewables such as wind”.
that gas supplies will not run out. technology; gasification technology is It has been 12 months since National
not exploiting its
While they might not run out tonight, progressing; and the costs of cleaning the Grid’s paper on the ‘potential’ for BtG in the
tomorrow, or even next year, the fact is that gas before it’s injected are falling. UK. While just over 12 months from now the
our North Sea reserves are diminishing by To that end, the key to delivery will be Renewable Heat Incentive will come into force.
3-6% a year What’s more, the recession government policy and regulation, says For the moment, therefore, is BtG still just a
has put a dent in future production with less National Grid. Last month, the Department technology with potential?
companies exploring new reserves. for Energy and Climate Change announced “In terms of kit on the ground, we’re in a
“That picture won’t change,” says Dr Les a reduced level of support for AD within the similar place to where we were this time last
biomethane?
Gornall, an independent expert in anaerobic new renewable energy feed-in tariff for plants year,” explains Johnny Johnston, head of
digestion (AD) and waste processing, “which above 500kW of 9p/kWh. That incentive the sustainable gas group at National Grid.
means we are taking more and more gas is 2p less than the figure in last summer’s “However, there is plenty going on behind the
from other areas and with that comes energy consultation and less than the current trading scenes to get us ready for what could be, in a
security issues given the countries those value for AD under the Renewable Obligation year’s time, a very exciting time.”
RWW
Recycling
& WASTE WORLD www.recyclingwasteworld.co.uk March 11 2010 13
112-13 FUEL FOR THOUGHT.indd 132-13 FUEL FOR THOUGHT.indd 13 88/3/10 17:23:10/3/10 17:23:10
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