Anaerobic Digestion: Difference between revisions

Line 21:

* [[Sewage Sludge]]

* Crops (including maize, grass silage, energy beet and whole crop cereals).

AD plants tend to be broadly categorised into '''Food AD''' and '''Farm AD''' projects (the former being 'pure' [[Food Waste]] and the latter being either single stream (i.e. based on manures alone) or multi-streamed (i.e. based on a mix of crop and/or manure and/or [[Food Waste]]). [[Sewage Sludge]] doesn't tend to be blended with other materials and tends to be a dedicated AD solution in its own right - primarily as it becomes impossible to to deliver [[End of Waste Criteria|End of Waste]] compost with the introduction of [[Sewage Sludge]] as an input feedstock. In any event, where the process utilises [[Animal By-product Material]], it must comply with the [[Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2011]] requirements.

Where the process utilises [[Animal By-product Material]], it must comply with the [[Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2011]] requirements.

In addition, AD projects are required to report on their '''[[Biomass Sustainability]]''' under the [[ROC]], [[FIT]] and [[SEG]] schemes, which demonstrates sustainability of the [[biogas]] produced based upon:

Line 27:

Line 28:

* is made from feedstock which is waste (i.e. Food AD) or

* consists of both of the above (i.e. Farm AD that is multi-streamed).

===Feedstock Sectors===

AD plants tend to be broadly categorised into the following groups:

* Agricultural (often grouped simply into 'Farm AD')

* Mixed Agricultural/Food Waste (also often grouped simply into 'Farm AD')

* On-site Industrial (for example specialised applications for waste milk at a diary)

* Food Waste AD (often simply termed 'Food AD')

* Sewage (Sludge) AD

* Other

'''Food AD''' and '''Farm AD''' projects (the former being 'pure' [[Food Waste]] and the latter being either single stream (i.e. based on manures alone) or multi-streamed (i.e. based on a mix of crop and/or manure and/or [[Food Waste]]). [[Sewage Sludge]] doesn't tend to be blended with other materials and tends to be a dedicated AD solution in its own right - primarily as it becomes impossible to to deliver [[End of Waste Criteria|End of Waste]] compost with the introduction of [[Sewage Sludge]] as an input feedstock.

===Biogas===

Line 43:

Line 56:

==Growth in Anaerobic Digestion==

Whilst the introduction of the [[Renewables Obligation]] in 2002 started to stimulate growth in larger AD projects (including 'Food AD' and 'Sewage Sludge AD') it was only really with the introduction of The [[FIT]] scheme in 2010 that the AD market really started to grow, stimulating smaller projects and especially 'Farm AD' based on crops, [[Agricultural Waste]] and in some cases [[Food Waste]]. This was also enabled by investment tax benefits for investing in these projects ([[EIS]] and [[SEIS]] especially, which reduced in impact with changes to the schemes in 2015/16 leading to less investment stimulus.

With greater focus on the collection of separate [[Food Waste]] from 2011 onwards this also stimulated the market at the time by making materials available with gate fees payable. The roll-out of [[Food Waste]] collection, however, slowed and the stimulation provided by the [[FIT]] scheme was reduced in 2017, leading to projects relying on the creation of biomethane, which in turn relied on the [[RHI]] (for injection to the gas grid) and [[RTFO]] (for use in vehicles).

This has led to a slower growth in the market, and depending on the view taken on load factors in the market (i.e. the amount of power/gas production vs the plated capacity) there is presently an excess of AD capacity in relation to the feedstocks available to the plants, especially for separately collected [[Food Waste]].

An analysis of the data provided by National Statistics<ref>https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-small-scale-renewable-deployment</ref> for the monthly [[FIT]] commissioned installations over the period of the schemes existence shows an increase from 1 plant prior to 2010 to 427 plants by March 2019, generating 294.9MW of power.

{| class="wikitable"

Line 62:

Line 79:

|}

The table shows that by 2019, whilst the size of plants were relatively evenly distributed amongst the 3 bands of measurement/scales of plant, the larger scale projects had a disproportionally large installed capacity.

The table below is reproduced from table 4.3 in the Renewable Obligation Annual Report 2017-18 by [[Ofgem]] and shows the consignments reported by AD against the sustainability criteria required by the [[Biomass Sustainability]] reporting<ref>[https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2019/03/ro_annual_report_2017-18_final.pdf Renewable Obligation Annual Report 2017-18]</ref> :

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! !! !! AD Stations <1MW !! AD Stations>1MW !! AD Stations >25MW

|-

| Meets the Land Criteria || Yes || 111 || 134|| 0

|-

| -"- || No || 0 || 0 || 0

|-

| -"- || Exempt || 178 || 655 || 12

|-

| -"- || Unknown || 43 || 0 || 0

|-

| Meets the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Criteria || Yes || 12 || 204 || 0

|-

| -"- || No || 0 || 0 || 0

|-

| -"- || Exempt || 183|| 585 || 12

|-

| -"- || Unknown || 137 || 0 || 0

|}

==Number of UK Sites==

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 * [[Sewage Sludge]]
 * Crops (including maize, grass silage, energy beet and whole crop cereals).
-AD plants tend to be broadly categorised into '''Food AD''' and '''Farm AD''' projects (the former being 'pure' [[Food Waste]] and the latter being either single stream (i.e. based on manures alone) or multi-streamed (i.e. based on a mix of crop and/or manure and/or [[Food Waste]]). [[Sewage Sludge]] doesn't tend to be blended with other materials and tends to be a dedicated AD solution in its own right - primarily as it becomes impossible to to deliver [[End of Waste Criteria|End of Waste]] compost with the introduction of [[Sewage Sludge]] as an input feedstock. In any event, where the process utilises [[Animal By-product Material]], it must comply with the [[Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2011]] requirements.
+Where the process utilises [[Animal By-product Material]], it must comply with the [[Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2011]] requirements.
 In addition, AD projects are required to report on their '''[[Biomass Sustainability]]''' under the [[ROC]], [[FIT]] and [[SEG]] schemes, which demonstrates sustainability of the [[biogas]] produced based upon:
@@ Line 27: / Line 28: @@
 * is made from feedstock which is waste (i.e. Food AD) or
 * consists of both of the above (i.e. Farm AD that is multi-streamed).
+===Feedstock Sectors===
+AD plants tend to be broadly categorised into the following groups:
+* Agricultural (often grouped simply into 'Farm AD')
+* Mixed Agricultural/Food Waste (also often grouped simply into 'Farm AD')
+* On-site Industrial (for example specialised applications for waste milk at a diary)
+* Food Waste AD (often simply termed 'Food AD')
+* Sewage (Sludge) AD
+* Other
+'''Food AD''' and '''Farm AD''' projects (the former being 'pure' [[Food Waste]] and the latter being either single stream (i.e. based on manures alone) or multi-streamed (i.e. based on a mix of crop and/or manure and/or [[Food Waste]]). [[Sewage Sludge]] doesn't tend to be blended with other materials and tends to be a dedicated AD solution in its own right - primarily as it becomes impossible to to deliver [[End of Waste Criteria|End of Waste]] compost with the introduction of [[Sewage Sludge]] as an input feedstock.
 ===Biogas===
@@ Line 43: / Line 56: @@
 ==Growth in Anaerobic Digestion==
+Whilst the introduction of the [[Renewables Obligation]] in 2002 started to stimulate growth in larger AD projects (including 'Food AD' and 'Sewage Sludge AD') it was only really with the introduction of The [[FIT]] scheme in 2010 that the AD market really started to grow, stimulating smaller projects and especially 'Farm AD' based on crops, [[Agricultural Waste]] and in some cases [[Food Waste]]. This was also enabled by investment tax benefits for investing in these projects ([[EIS]] and [[SEIS]] especially, which reduced in impact with changes to the schemes in 2015/16 leading to less investment stimulus.
+With greater focus on the collection of separate [[Food Waste]] from 2011 onwards this also stimulated the market at the time by making materials available with gate fees payable. The roll-out of [[Food Waste]] collection, however, slowed and the stimulation provided by the [[FIT]] scheme was reduced in 2017, leading to projects relying on the creation of biomethane, which in turn relied on the [[RHI]] (for injection to the gas grid) and [[RTFO]] (for use in vehicles).
+This has led to a slower growth in the market, and depending on the view taken on load factors in the market (i.e. the amount of power/gas production vs the plated capacity) there is presently an excess of AD capacity in relation to the feedstocks available to the plants, especially for separately collected [[Food Waste]].
 An analysis of the data provided by National Statistics<ref>https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-small-scale-renewable-deployment</ref> for the monthly [[FIT]] commissioned installations over the period of the schemes existence shows an increase from 1 plant prior to 2010 to 427 plants by March 2019, generating 294.9MW of power.
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 62: / Line 79: @@
 |}
 The table shows that by 2019, whilst the size of plants were relatively evenly distributed amongst the 3 bands of measurement/scales of plant, the larger scale projects had a disproportionally large installed capacity.
+The table below is reproduced from table 4.3 in the Renewable Obligation Annual Report 2017-18 by [[Ofgem]] and shows the consignments reported by AD against the sustainability criteria required by the [[Biomass Sustainability]] reporting<ref>[https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2019/03/ro_annual_report_2017-18_final.pdf Renewable Obligation Annual Report 2017-18]</ref> :
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+!  !! !! AD Stations <1MW !! AD Stations>1MW !! AD Stations >25MW
+|-
+| Meets the Land Criteria || Yes || 111 || 134|| 0
+|-
+| -"- || No || 0 || 0 || 0
+|-
+| -"- || Exempt || 178 || 655 || 12
+|-
+| -"- || Unknown || 43 || 0 || 0
+|-
+| Meets the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Criteria || Yes || 12 || 204 || 0
+|-
+| -"- || No || 0 || 0 || 0
+|-
+| -"- || Exempt || 183|| 585 || 12
+|-
+| -"- || Unknown || 137 || 0 || 0
+|}
 ==Number of UK Sites==