Greentech Lead America: Global biogas power cumulative installed capacity is expected to reach 22,040 MW by 2025, increasing at a CAGR of 7.2 percent, according to the latest report from Global Information Inc. (GII) Research.
This growth is less compared to the previous years, however.
Between 2001 and 2011, global biogas market showed considerable growth with the cumulative installed capacity increasing from 2,388 Megawatts (MW) in 2001 to 8,377 MW in 2011 at a CAGR of 13.4 percent.
Germany, the U.S. and the U.K. contribute to more than half of the biogas installed capacity. Germany leads the global biogas market with a capacity share of 28.1 percent as of 2011, followed by the U.S and the U.K with respective shares of 17.9 percent and 15.5 percent.
In Germany, biogas power also contributed around 3.7 percent to the country’s renewable power capacity in 2011. Germany installed around 2,247 MW between 2001 and 2011. These capacity additions can be attributed primarily to the strong policy support provided by the German government in the form of tariffs for biogas electricity producers. The government has been instrumental in developing the biogas electricity market in the country through the development and operation of agricultural methanization plants.
In the U.K, landfill gas accounted for 33.7 percent of total biopower installed capacity in the country in 2011, and sewage sludge gas accounted for a 6 percent share of the U.K’s total biopower installed capacity in 2011.
In the U.S, the main feedstocks used for biopower generation are wood waste and MSW. Landfill gas accounts for a 15 percent share in U.S biopower generation. There are 76 biogas plants generating power in Finland, of which 76 biogas plants are powered by gas recovered from landfills, which accounted for around 63.3 percent of global biogas power generation.
In the wake of increasing energy security and environmental concerns, support mechanisms in favor of biogas and related technologies are expected to be strengthened in most nations. This is expected to drive the global biogas market to continue its growth momentum in coming years.