Together with agricultural representatives from the Wunsiedel region and the company ZENOB GmbH (ZukunftsEnergie Nordostbayern), Hof University of Applied Sciences would like to use agricultural residues to generate energy. To this end, the partners are working on an ambitious project to tap into the corresponding energy potential by building a large biogas plant. An information evening at the beginning of March attracted the first interested parties. However, in order to actually implement the project, one thing needs to be found and registered on a much larger scale: Manure and slurry.
A study by the Hof-based company BtX energy GmbH identified an untapped energy potential of around 150 gigawatt hours (GWh) from liquid and solid manure in the Hochfranken region. The use of this energy would not only be sustainable and regional, but also a realCO2 sink. Slurry and manure release methane into the atmosphere, which can be captured and used in biogas plants.
Many valuable tips from the agricultural sector
An information evening in the Great Hall of the Wunsiedel District Office at the beginning of March was intended to find out whether it is not only technically feasible but also economically viable. In the presence of District Administrator Peter Berek, State Secretary Martin Schöffel and Member of the State Parliament Kristan von Waldenfels, around 80 representatives of local agriculture gathered to hear about the project from Dr. Andy Gradel and Christian Fischer from the Institute for Hydrogen and Energy Technology at Hof University of Applied Sciences (iwe). The idea of a central biogas plant based on waste materials and an associated logistics concept were presented.
During the discussion, we were pleased to receive many relevant suggestions for a concrete implementation, which we were able to take into account in our planning in order to ensure a closed regional value chain.”
Dr. Andy Gradel
Waste materials sought
However, a survey of the residual materials available on the farms only identified around 45,000 tons of slurry, manure and grass due to the low response rate of just 15 reply forms. “This would only be enough for 5 gigawatt hours of biogas per year. That would be enough energy for around 250 households, but the amount would be too widely dispersed in the district to actually implement the project profitably,” says project manager Dr. Andy Gradel. Only when a threshold of around 20 to 30 GWh per year is reached or the deposits are reported in a smaller area would there be a chance of implementation, according to the researcher.
Online questionnaire
For this reason, the project is now looking for more farmers and farms who can contribute their waste materials to the project. The corresponding questionnaire can be found on the Internet at
Further information is also available via the contact
Christian.fischer.3@hof-university.de
available.
