Swedish Biogas Educational Tour

Swedish Biogas Educational Tour

Overview

On June 7 – 11, 2004, WestStart-CALSTART, with support from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), led a group of eight representatives from the California biogas industry on an educational tour of the Swedish biogas industry. The group represented a cross-section of business, university, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government officials, including a Commissioner from the California Energy Commission (CEC). The purpose of the tour was to learn from the experiences of the Swedish biogas industry, with particular emphasis on the use of biogas as a vehicle fuel, and determine which parts of the Swedish model could be applicable to the currently less advanced biogas industry in California and the rest of the US.

Over the last decade, Sweden has become the world leader in the usage of biogas as a renewable fuel for transportation applications. Sweden currently has approximately 4,500 natural gas vehicles (NGVs) including most municipal transit buses in the major cities. Today approximately 45% of the fuel for these vehicles comes from biogas and 55% comes from natural gas (NG). The refueling infrastructure currently consists of 24 biogas refueling stations and 20 NG refueling stations. While biogas currently accounts for less than 1% of the annual consumption of transportation fuel in Sweden, biogas production capacity, the number of vehicles operating on biogas and biogas refueling station infrastructure are all increasing rapidly. By 2020, there are projected to be approximately 200,000 vehicles operating on biogas and 150 biogas refueling stations. Estimates indicate that approximately 20% of Sweden’s annual transportation fuel needs could eventually be met by locally produced biogas.

During the course of the week-long tour through the southern part of Sweden, the group traveled to Göteborg, Laholm, Borås, Linköping, Stockholm and Uppsala. In total, the group visited five biogas facilities and met with many organizations representing various aspects of the Swedish biogas industry including:

• municipal authorities
• NGOs
• energy providers
• biogas technology providers
• biogas plant operators
• farmers
• waste haulers
• biogas distributors including refueling station owners and operators
• transit fleet operators
• biogas/NG vehicle and bus original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
• universities performing biogas research
• government agencies involved with energy, transportation and environmental protection.

The biogas plants visited encompassed a wide variety of technologies and business models including successful co-digestion of multiple types of organic wastes, multiple gas upgrading technologies and distribution options including injection of upgraded gas into the NG pipeline network. Briefings and presentations were held in coordination with site visits to biogas plants and other facilities to explain the technology, economics and other factors contributing to the success of the Swedish program as well as lessons learned from problems encountered during startup, etc. By examining the full range of biogas-related activities from production to consumption, the group gained a much clearer understanding of the coordination of activities necessary between diverse stakeholders in order for such a system to be effective and economically viable.

Download full seminar papers At
http://www.enjineer.com/forum