October 7 (Renewables Now) - The expansion of the biogas sector in Germany is progressing at a slow pace despite strong demand in the heating segment with newly installed biogas capacity projected to be around 65 MW in 2022, according to the industry association Biogas e.V.
As many as 120 new biogas plants should be connected to the grid this year, but when excluding the capacity of those that will be shut down, the net new installations will come in at about 65 MW distributed among 100 plants.
Biogas plants across Germany are expected to produce 33.56 TWh in electricity this year and supply heat enough to meet the demand of 1.5 million households. This will offset about 21.2 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
Last year, the number of biogas plants across Germany grew by 138 to 9,770 with the installed capacity increasing by 194 MW to 5,860 MW. Gross electricity production from biogas totalled around 33.47 TWh.
Lower Saxony is a leader among the federal states in terms of available capacity with 1,451 MW followed by Bavaria with 1,362 MW.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the association's president Horst Seide described the development in the sector as "not great". The current figures show considerable uncertainty in the industry as the legal requirements and political uncertainties are making investors less willing to invest in the industry. A clear commitment from politicians and reliable prospects that go beyond 2024 are necessary now in order to tap the potential of biogas, Seide added.
The president called further for the immediate elimination of restrictions in the Renewable Energy Act (EEG). In his words, if these barriers are removed, the biogas industry will be able to make an important contribution to the electricity, heat and fuel supply in the country.
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