Laholm: Energy Seasonality Issue

AD developments at Laholm, Sweden started in 1992 with the construction of a community biogas plant. The main reason for construction was to help remediate the eutrophication of Laholm bay, which was polluted mainly by fertilisers (Deublein & Steinhauser, 2011). Another reason was to produce biogas and biofertiliser to be used by the local community. The feedstock of plant was approximately 25,000 tonnes of liquid manure and 10,000 tonnes of other waste material including food from 15 different manufacturers, on annual basis (Smith, 2007; Deublein & Steinhauser, 2011). The methane content of biogas was 70%, with a total annual biogas production of 20-30 GWh which was used for CHP and to heat 300 local households. The main issue was with the seasonality of heat requirements. During period of low heat require, almost 40% of the produced biogas was burnt because it was needed.

 

In 2001, a preparation plant was commissioned which was able to change the quality of biogas for it to be used instead of natural gas, with 60-65% methane content (Deublein & Steinhauser, 2011). This came as a solution for the seasonality issue, because biogas was injected into the local natural gas network of Laholm, instead of being burnt. By the year 2003 the plant provided 30% of the gas distributed in Laholm (Smith, 2007).

 

 

Malmo: Ecological City of Tomorrow

Bo01 ‘Ecological City of Tomorrow’, was part of an exhibition built in Malmo’s west Harbour in 2001. The overall aim of the city was to provide 100% of its electricity from renewable resources. Waste was identified as a potential for creating energy and a reactor was built to produce biogas and fertilisers. The biogas is then sent back to the apartments through the gas main. It was estimated that energy generated from waste equate to 290 kW/yr per resident (Smith, 2007).

 

 

Linköping: Biogas Transportation

This example is aimed to highlight the biogas energy potential for the transportation sector. The Swedish city of Linköping currently has a municipal bus fleet of 63 vehicles, in addition to 132 other vehicles using biogas. The biogas plant serves simultaneously as a waste treatment facility and a producer of vehicle fuel and fertilisers (Smith, 2007).

 

 

 

Works Cited

Deublein, D. & Steinhauser, A., 2011. Biogas from Waste and Renewable resources: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Weinheim: WILEY-VCH.

 

Smith, P.F., 2007. Sustainability at the Cutting Edge: Emerging Technologies for Low Energy Buildings. 2nd ed. Oxford: Architechtural Press.