We consider biogas to be an essential part of any renewable energy installation.
Key benefits of biogas:
- Provides a reliable baseload
- Counters variations inherent in other sources such as solar and wind
- Creates jobs
- Entirely local: no reliance on imports, no currency fluctuations, no fuel price surcharges
- Zero waste
- Improves air quality
- Oxygen positive, carbon-negative
- No soil or groundwater pollution
- No noise pollution
The biogas process
Any organic material can be used to generate biogas. We generally use field crops such as Napier grass, also known as king grass or elephant grass, and energy maize (a carefully bred yellow corn for producing energy).
We maintain an inventory of six months’ feedstock supplies to cushion any hiccups in the supply chain.
The feedstocks are fed into digesters where anaerobic bacteria cause the decay of the organic matter and the production of biogas.
CHP (combined heat and power) units convert the biogas into electricity; the heat is used to dry the by-products.
The by-products are organic fertilizer and bio-pellets. Both capture carbon. The fertilizer is usually made available to local farmers (contract farmers enjoy priority) at no cost. This fertilizer goes back into the soil, completing the cycle. The wood-free bio-pellets have a high calorific value and can be used locally in place of charcoal or exported.
