Brussels, 29/11/2021 – The DiBiCoo EU project has launched an online platform to connect European technology providers with partners developing biogas projects in emerging countries, easily and without costs. Global leaders have committed to deploy higher shares of renewable energy, including biogas, in their countries as one of the measures to fight climate change during COP26. Europe is one of the biggest biogas producers worldwide. It has developed in the past decades valuable know-how and cutting-edge biogas technologies which can support the deployment of higher shares of renewable energy in Europe and beyond.
The Biogas and Gasification Matchmaking Platform can be used free of charge and serves to build successful and sustainable international business relationships. Innovative ideas from local project developers can use the networking platform to find suitable business partners for project realisation quickly, easily and under fair market conditions. European technology providers can expand their business and find interesting projects outside EU borders. Interested companies can create a dedicated profile, look for business opportunities, engage with other stakeholders active within the platform or download valuable reports and other materials about the sector. “This tool connects with one click technology providers and project developers around the globe, helping them save time and resources and supporting the further deployment of biogas and the energy transition at global scale.” Highlights Harmen Dekker, Director of the EBA.
In the past year, research undertaken within the DiBiCoo consortium identified technology and service needs for efficient and sustainable biogas production in different emerging countries which have considerable feedstock potential to produce this green gas. The partners also analysed the challenges and opportunities for the exportation of European biogas technologies and services. DiBiCoo successfully connects already 13 organisations from Europe, Argentina, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia and South Africa. The consortium envisages to expand this cooperation to other areas at global level. For this reason, the platform launched today will remain online beyond the finalization of the project with the support of the EBA and the German Biogas Association.
In order to support emerging countries in the deployment of biogas, experts from the DiBiCoo consortium have also analysed more than 50 biogas projects worldwide. The top five technically and economically promising projects can now be found in the platform and will receive advisory support in the implementation of their goals with the help of individual feasibility studies, advancing in their region as best-practice examples on a demonstration scale.
In Ethiopia, for example, DiBiCoo is supporting a collaborative project between Bahir Dar University and Lake Tana and other Waterbodies Protection and Development Agency. The project uses invasive water hyacinths from the water body as a co-substrate in anaerobic digestion to produce biogas. This will not only generate electricity sustainably for local power supply (1,600 kWe), but will also protect the natural biodiversity of the lake.
Other project developers use municipal or industrial waste, such as organic fractions, thin stillage and process waste water, to generate power, which is mainly used locally for self-supply of electricity. Biomethane itself can also be used and distributed directly by feeding it into local gas grids in other cases. A comprehensive overview of the demonstration projects and the selection process can be found on the project website: dibicoo.org.
Biogas can be converted into electricity, heat, gas or fuel.It therefore plays an essential role in the phase out of fossil fuels and the transformation of our energy systems and our economies at global level. This is in line with the COP26 climate negotiations, but also with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN), which include the promotion of “affordable and clean energy“. The matchmaking platform provides unique digital infrastructure to continue improving cooperation for the deployment of biogas and is thus a prerequisite for successful future renewable energy projects all over the world.
CONTACT
Angela Sainz Arnau : sainz@europeanbiogas.eu
EBA Communications Manager
About DiBiCoo
This EU project facilitates collaboration between European biogas industries & stakeholders from emerging and developing markets through the development and application of innovative digital and non-digital support tools, knowledge transfer and capacity building.