Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
19.2
Feed-in capacities in Europe.
can choose between power generation (via the Renewable Energy Sources
Act, EEG), heating (Renewable Energy Heat Act, EEWa
¨
rmeG), motor fuels
(European Bio-fuels Quota Act) and, of course, the green gas product
market. The latter, however, is not subject to any governmental support
mechanism. The EEG is designed for specific development of the markets.
Smaller plants are supported with higher prices in order to support the
development of decentralized power generation. In contrast to some other
European countries, energy crops are explicitly supported in order to
establish a national source of biomethane.
The first feed-in plants started operation in 2006 (in Pliening, Bavaria and
Straelen, North Rhine-Westphalia), aiming for the support defined in the
EEG which became effective in 2004. Soon after this, a dynamic
development started that led to a total number of about 80 plants operating
at the end of 2011 (see Fig. 19.3). However, the low price for natural gas
undermined the support by biomethane feed-in tariffs for electricity in new
CHP plants around 2010. As a result, the sale of biomethane became more
and more difficult and the strong growth in the creation of new projects
decelerated dramatically. This decline is expected to become apparent after
2012, when projects initiated before 2010 are completed. The vehicle fuel
market is developing slowly at the time of writing this chapter, limited by the
number of NGVs and biogas station infrastructure. Only a few large
production facilities are dominating this market.
Since 2010, the EEWa¨ rmeG regulated the need to provide a regenerative
heating concept for new houses, which can also be fulfilled by heating with
biomethane. The possibility of supplying a larger part of already existing
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