In this study, the European biogas market and its potential are analyzed. The four countries with the biggest biogas production and potential, namely Germany, Italy, France, and the UK, are studied in detail. Particular attention is paid to their agricultural characteristics (livestock population, average number of cattle per agricultural holding, number of farms), as well as their policy and market conditions (feed-in tariffs, average biogas investment costs). A financial model is built and used to compare the four countries, based on the net present value as the performance indicator. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are considered as a more efficient alternative for valorizing agricultural-derived biogas, which, at the moment, is vastly done with cheaper conventional engines. After an analysis of the economic merits, target farm sizes are recommended for each country. It is shown that the low valorization of manure-derived biogas in Europe offers a big opportunity for the commercialization of SOFCs and for a push toward mass production. Considering the high installation costs, it is still primordial that policy-makers incentivize the installation of biogas plants throughout the EU.
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August 2018
Research-Article
Taking Advantage of the Vastly Underused European Biogas Potential: Break-Even Conditions for a Fuel Cell and an Engine as Biogas Converters
Samuel Majerus,
Samuel Majerus
GEM Group,
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Sion 1950, Valais, Switzerland
e-mail: samuel.majerus@almuni.epfl.ch
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Sion 1950, Valais, Switzerland
e-mail: samuel.majerus@almuni.epfl.ch
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Dirk Lauinger,
Dirk Lauinger
Centre d'Energie & Risk Analytics
and Optimization Chair,
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
and Optimization Chair,
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
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Jan Van herle
Jan Van herle
GEM Group,
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Sion 1950, Valais, Switzerland
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Sion 1950, Valais, Switzerland
Search for other works by this author on:
Samuel Majerus
GEM Group,
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Sion 1950, Valais, Switzerland
e-mail: samuel.majerus@almuni.epfl.ch
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Sion 1950, Valais, Switzerland
e-mail: samuel.majerus@almuni.epfl.ch
Dirk Lauinger
Centre d'Energie & Risk Analytics
and Optimization Chair,
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
and Optimization Chair,
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
Jan Van herle
GEM Group,
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Sion 1950, Valais, Switzerland
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Sion 1950, Valais, Switzerland
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received June 8, 2017; final manuscript received January 2, 2018; published online April 9, 2018. Assoc. Editor: Jacob R. Bowen.
J. Electrochem. En. Conv. Stor. Aug 2018, 15(3): 031006 (7 pages)
Published Online: April 9, 2018
Article history
Received:
June 8, 2017
Revised:
January 2, 2018
Citation
Majerus, S., Lauinger, D., and Van herle, J. (April 9, 2018). "Taking Advantage of the Vastly Underused European Biogas Potential: Break-Even Conditions for a Fuel Cell and an Engine as Biogas Converters." ASME. J. Electrochem. En. Conv. Stor. August 2018; 15(3): 031006. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4039045
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