The Conference of European Biogas Association, organized by the European Biogas Association (EBA) based in Belgium, will run for the second time between 30 September to 2 October.
Biogas is produced from any organic matter, which is then broken down by anaerobic digestion. The raw material source can come from crops like maize, household waste; residue from the agriculture and food industry, animal manure, sewage sludge and it is produced naturally in landfills.
The conference will host various speakers from EU countries to discuss the role of biogas and natural gas in the European market, the EU strategy and legal framework for biogas production and also technological developments in the biogas industry.
According to EBA's Proposal for a European Biomethane Map published in 2013 - an independent study on the potential of biogas as a renewable energy resource, currently the total biogas production in Europe corresponds to about 14 billion m3 in natural gas equivalent. The level of total biogas production foreseen for 2020 in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans is about 28 billion m3 (in natural gas equivalent).
The 2020 projection suggests that the fuel has the potential to contribute at least 1.5 percent of the EU’s primary energy mix and 5 percent of the EU’s natural gas consumption.
In EBA's study, biogas' potential for 2030 is foreseen to be able to produce at least 50 billion m3 which corresponds to 2-4 percent of the EU’s electricity needs and take a 15-30 percent share of the methane market. The United Kingdom, Germany and France are countries which have the most biogas potential respectively, according to the study.
There are 13,800 biogas plants in Europe with Germany ranking as the country with the most with 8,400.
One aspect of EU's project is to shift its energy away from fossil fuel dependence towards renewable resources, and biogas seems to be a significant resource along with solar, wind, hydro and thermal power in this aim.
The first conference was organized in 2012 in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia.
By Nuran Erkul
Anadolu Agency