With the recently signed contract for the construction of a 99kW EnviFarm compact plant, the biogas all-rounder from Lower Saxony is once again looking to replicate its earlier success in the Italian biogas plant market.
The planned plant will make it possible for the two future operators, Antonio and Francesco Bressan (from Gradiscad’Isonzoin northern Italy), to exploit the decree on renewable energy that came into effect on 1 January 2013. The two new EnviTec clients run a pig farm and an animal feed manufacturing operation.
"The plant is scheduled to be operated with 13,000 tonnes of pig slurry and 900 tonnes of chicken manure", explains Zeno Marani, general manager (sales and marketing) of EnviTec Biogas Italia srl.
Considering the reduced proportion of maize in the input materials that go into biogas plants and the higher feed-in tariff for small plants, the Italian government has drastically changed the market situation, but EnviTec Biogas continues to score with established and intelligent plant construction processes – "especially with regard to the situation-oriented small plants that are associated with a range of 75 to 450 kW", explains Marani.
Future trend – biomethane
EnviTec’s proprietary method of building containers makes it possible for plants to be installed and activated in a short span of time – which is one of the reasons why EnviTec Biogas is one of the top 5 providers in the Italian market.
Since its market entry in Italy, the listed company has connected a total of 43 plants with a capacity of around 39 MW to the grid – another plant will make a decisive contribution to this success story in the near future: The first EnviTec biogas plant with a capacity of less than 100 kW is scheduled to be finished shortly.
The 99kW plant operated by Società Agricola BIANCHINI F.LLI s.s. in Flumignano di Talmassons (in the province of Udine) is a textbook example of a compact plant that has been completely integrated into the respective operations. 4,000 tonnes of slurry from 80 milk cows serves as biomass, and this is mixed with 900 tonnes of chicken droppings, which originate from the free-range farming operation carried out by a neighbouring organisation.
The heat that is generated along with electricity completely covers the in-house requirement.
In addition to the segment associated with small plants, Italy is also banking on biomethane. The upgraded biogas that is compatible with the level of quality associated with natural gas can either be fed into the existing natural gas grid or offered at petrol stations. Thanks to its innovative EnviThan technology, EnviTec Biogas is also well-suited for this particular market.
New 75 kW plant concept
In its domestic market Germany, EnviTec also relies increasingly on EnviFarm compact plants. "At the beginning of this week we will introduce a new concept for 75-kW plants" says CCO Roel Slotman. Just in time for EnergyDecentral, held in Hanover from 11th to 14th November, the allrounder exclusively presents the concept on site.
