Guidelines for Selecting Suitable Sites for Biogas Plants

This Report is addressed towards project developers such as SMEs, engineering companies, farming associations and individuals who strive to implement biogas plants in their home country. The Guidelines enable these target groups to undertake the necessary steps in order to define suitable sites for biogas projects in their region. The Report was written with the support of the European Commission and published in April 2008.

The full document from BiG>East is no longer available on that site; it has been mirrored on this site as Guidelines for Selecting Suitable Sites for Biogas Plants (PDF, 215 kBytes)

The following are two significant statements from that report:

The first step is to select suitable regions for biogas production. Suitable regions are defined by the availability of biomass. Due to the low energy content per volume and large quantities it is economically and energetically not useful to transport liquid agricultural feedstock further than 5 kilometres, and stackable energy crops more than 15 kilometres. Thus, a biogas plant should be located in a radius of less than 15 kilometres from available biomass sources. Also the digestate . . . . should not be transported further than 15 km due to increasing transport costs.

Bio-en has made it clear that it will accept materials from anywhere in the province of Ontario and from adjacent States. Publicity material issued in the press indicates that the significant waste disposal problem of Toronto region offers a tempting target. This makes a mockery of the above quote and it is clear that the project is only possible in the proposed location as a result of an extremely high rate of public subsidy. If the company were to be set up entirely with private funds, transportation costs would force it to find a location much closer to its feeder stock.

Possible neighbourhood conflicts: Emissions, particularly smell and noise emissions, can not be avoided.  Thus, the site has to be selected in view to possible conflicts with neighbouring areas.  Are there residential areas in proximity (this should be analysed in view to the prominent wind direction?)

Elmira is downwind of the proposed site.  The two statements speak eloquently for themselves.

2 Responses to Guidelines for Selecting Suitable Sites for Biogas Plants

  1. David Vuono says:

    This book needs to be translated better and it needs an English editor. Otherwise, its O.K. Not great but O.K. I have yet to decide if it was a waste of money, however I’m leaning to the waste of money side. Sorry.

  2. Pingback: Dear Friends | Stop The Stink in Elmira

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