New technologies in - EnviTec Biogas

Issue 16
1 October 2011
ENvITEc BIOgas NEWSLETTER
EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
For several long months, the
amendment of the Renewable
Energy Sources Act (EEG) set for
1 January 2012 had been hanging
like a sword of Damocles over
the biogas sector. The first disclosed
draft laws stood in glaring
contradiction to the intention of
the German Federal government
of promoting the expansion of alternative
sources of energy in the
coming years. Luckily, the expert
advice of industrial organisations
such as Biogasrat e.V. was able to
incite some important amendments
among policy-makers in
Berlin.
While the new EEG 2012 still
offers room for criticism from
the vantage point of the biogas
industry, it also affords new opportunities.
Although from 2012
new plants will suffer a slight decline
in overall rates of compensation
for electricity generated
from biogas, they still ultimately
remain on an adequate level – especially
considering that we are
constantly developing new technologies
in order to enable plant
operators to produce biogas with
greater efficiency.
Jürgen Tenbrink
CTO of EnviTec Biogas AG
Market boom in Italy
Over 30 employees are
making EnviTec Biogas the
market leader in Italy.
................................................. Page 2
As an energy source, biogas
has a bright future – even under
the new conditions posed by
the Renewable Energy Sources
Act (EEG) valid from 2012.
That was the conclusion made
by what is now the 10th symposium
of EnviTech Biogas AG.
About 80 plant operators accepted
the invitation of EnviTec
at the beginning of September
to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The programme included a tour
of the innovative biogas plants
in Friedland and Güstrow and
several talks on current developments
in the biogas sector
held in a conference hotel in
Neubrandenburg.
The focus of the event was
on new technologies which
promise plant operators considerable
increases in revenue.
Martin Brinkmann, Managing
Director of EnviTec Service
GmbH & Co. KG, gave a
FORUM BIOgas
Press day 2011
Journalists visit a biogas
plant and the bioenergy village
in Lüsche.
................................................. Page 3
The programme of this year‘s EnviTec symposium covered current developments in the biogas sector.
talk on the latest generation of
walking floors, which can also
be installed into existing hoppers
and impress above all due
to their improved material resistance
to silage effluents and
their increased technical avail-
The EEG 2012 also offers
new opportunities to plant
operators.
ability. Jens Bischoff from the
EnviTech research and development
department reported on
innovations to increase the gas
yield. He presented the results
of new studies on the grinding
machines Kreis-Dissolver and
Gorator, whose optimal decomposition
of substrates leads to
considerable increases in gas
output.
Christian Ernst, Sales Manager
for Germany at EnviTec
Biogas AG, also tackled the
High customer satisfaction
An independent study proves
the high quality image of
EnviTec Biogas.
................................................. Page 4
New chances for operators
The 10th Symposium of EnviTec: New technologies in focus
subject of how to increase the
performance of biogas plants,
though his focus was rather on
the economic efficiency of available
technology. On the basis of
a calculation of profitability, he
showed how investments can
pay off for plant operators.
Micha Schulte-Middelich,
lawyer at the Law Office of
Paluka Sobola Loibl & Partner
and expert on legal questions
related to biogas, provided
helpful explanations concerning
the new Renewable Energy
Sources Act (EEG). Afterwards,
Olaf von Lehmden, CEO of
EnviTec Biogas AG, presented
new marketing opportunities
arising from the „market bonus
scheme“ for plant operators laid
out in the EEG 2012. The discussion
that followed gave the
participants the chance to ask
questions about the different
symposium topics.

FORUMBIOgas Issue 16
1 October 2011
Italy – A success story for EnviTec
over 30 employees are moving EnviTec Biogas Italia forward
Italy is one of the most successful
foreign markets for EnviTec
Biogas AG. Over 30
people are now employed
there, who work day by day
to expand operations. And
with success too: after only
three years on the market,
EnviTec Biogas Italia today
has over 50 plants with
an approximate output of
46 MW el in its portfolio,
with 17 of them in operation
and 7 under construction.
This makes EnviTec the
most rapidly growing company
in the biogas sector in Italy.
A few years ago however, there
was still no sign anywhere of the
current boom situation. The history
of EnviTec in Italy started
in 2005 with the goal of studying
the biogas market and its
development potential. At the
time, only 1.6% of the electrical
output of all renewable energy
sources was derived from
EnviTec Biogas Italia is
still very young, but we
have managed to overtake
all our competitors within
a very short space of time.
Zeno Mariani (39),
Sales Manager
biogas. In addition, the political
framework conditions were still
uncertain. Then the fi rst public
discussion of the feed-in tariff
began, with the suggested compensation
then amounting to ap-
Aosta Valle
d'Aosta
Torino
Piemonte
Sillavengo
Casalvolone
Crescentino
526 kWel Mortara
999 kWel 999 kWel 999 kWel Villanova d'Asti
Piovera
625 kW el
Codroipo
Briona Dairago Lombardia
Casaletto
Veneto
Pressana
Urbana
999 kWel Cormons
330 kWel 999 kWel Ceredano
999 kWel Milano
Volta
Mantovana
Pozzaglio Nogarole Rocca
ed Uniti
Foresti
999 kWel 999 kWel Teglio Veneto
Torviscosa
Gropello
Cairoli
999 kWel 249 kWel Lodi
Vecchio
Pieve
Fissiraga
625 kWel 999 kWel Stagno
Lombardo
Pressana
Venezia
999 kW
999 kWel el
526 kW 526 kW
el
el
526 kWel Carceri Cona
Sermide
999 kWel Pieve
Merlara Urbana
d’Olmi
526 kW
999 kW 999 kW 999 kW el el el
999 kWel el
999 kW Formignana
el 999 kW
Brazzolo
el
999 kW Fabbrico Bondeno
el
Baura
999 kWel 999 kWel Genova
999 kW 999 kW el
el
999 kW 999 kW
el
el
999 kWel 999 kWel 999 kWel 999 kW Ostellato
Rolo
el
Bentivoglio Galliera
San Pietro
in Casale
Emilia- 999 kW 999 kW
el
999 kW el
999 kW el
el
Medicina
Romagna
999 kWel Liguria
Sardegna
Cagliari
Collesalvetti
999 kW el
proximately
30 cents
per kWh. That was the best
in Europe and the starting signal
for EnviTec to tackle the Italian
market. Lars von Lehmden made
his way to Italy in August 2007 to
develop the business there.
EnviTec set up an offi ce in Romano
di Lombardia (Bergamo)
and pushed forward the setting
up of a team. A start was made
despite all the teething problems.
Initial awareness within the market
was gained from participating
at trade shows and conventions.
Zeno Marani (40), Sales
Manager at EnviTec Italia since
Trento
Trentino-Alto
Adige
Bologna
Firenze
Toscana
999 kW el
Lazio
Pistrino
999 kW el
Perugia
Umbria
Roma
Friuli-Venezia
Giulia
Latina
999 kW el
Palermo
Trieste
Ancona
Marche
L'Aquila
50 plants, 45.887 kW el
Abruzzo
17 in operation (14.244 kW el )
Molise
Campobasso
Campania
Napoli
7 under construction (6.619 kW el )
26 in authorisation (25.024 kW el )
Sicilia
2008, recalls
how it
all started: „The fi rst
EnviTec contract in Italy was
signed in June 2008. The biogas
plant in Casaletto Ceredano was
relatively small with 250 kW el
and also did not correspond to
the classic EnviTec standard.“
However, the next project – a
1 MW el plant in Volta Mantovana
– attracted attention to the
company. The construction work
began in January 2009 and the
Foggia
999 kWel 999 kWel Potenza
It is a very rare opportunity
in one‘s career to work
with such a professional
team with such a wide variety
of people.
Emilio Petrucci (33),
Site Manager
Puglia
Basilicata
Calabria
Catanzaro
Bari
plant went
on line in July
of the same
year. With its innovative
technology
and exemplary effi ciency,
the plant was soon to
become EnviTec‘s fl agship
plant in Italy.
In the meantime, the feedin
tariff valid since 18 December
2008 was raised in June 2009
from 22 cents/kWh to 28 cents/
kWh and guaranteed for a period
of 15 years. While this was less
than previously discussed, it was
still a strong enough increase to
fuel a boom. At the time, the statistics
revealed that 154 biogas
plants were operating in Italy
and 51 plants were under con-
A strong team: Over 30 employees now work at EnviTec Biogas Italia.
struction.
EnviTec Biogas was well prepared.
Farmers, investors and
companies relied on our technol-
We also set ourselves
difficult goals and do everything
we can to achieve
them. That‘s one of the
strengths of EnviTec.
Stefano Costanzo (32),
Lawyer
ogy and the benefi t to be gained
from acquiring a turnkey plant
from one company. „Even the
strong competition from German
suppliers and Italian competitors
that we now had to contend
with was no obstacle and if
anything it just spurred us on.
From then on, things started
happening very quickly“, Sales
Manager Zeno Marani recalls.
Marketing and Sales were intensifi
ed. The number of customers
and deals grew rapidly.
As a result, personnel constantly
had to be adapted accordingly. In
November 2009 there were just
6 employees, but this fi gure rose
to 31 by May 2010. As a precaution,
a move was made to a larger
offi ce in Sommacampagna near
Verona at the start of 2010 in
which the team quickly grew together.
Today, after three years in
operation, EnviTec Biogas Italia
can be proud of its record. As
of the end of September 2011, a
total of 50 plants with an electrical
output of approximately
46 MW were in operation, under
construction, or in the approval
phase. That was double
the amount there were a year
ago. The total revenue curve also
shows a steep upward trend. In
2008 the turnover was still under
EUR 1 million and in 2009
it was already more than EUR
3 million. The large jump then
came in 2010, when the turnover
Even as a young agronomist,
EnviTec gave me the
opportunity from the start
to offer guidance to large
agricultural companies.
Leonardo Addati (29),
Junior Agronomist
rose to around EUR 23 million.
The forecast for the current year
is a turnover of around EUR 40
million.
Meanwhile, our order backlog
has continued to rise. Companyowned
operations of EnviTec Bi-
EnviTec is in a position
to link the aspects of the
environment and energy.
Growth within EnviTec is
indeed sustainable.“
Gianandrea Ragno (32),
Project Developer
ogas is also gradually generating
enormous impetus in Italy.
There are now about 15 plants
in the approval phase with which
EnviTec would like to profi t from
the high compensation awarded
in Italy. The challenges are becoming
greater and greater, the
tasks are constantly changing.
Employees must equally adapt to
these changes. For example, the
development of customer service
is currently on the agenda in order
to perfect the scope of services
of EnviTec Biogas in Italy.
Zeno Marani is looking confi
dently towards the future.
„EnviTec Biogas Italia is still
very young, but with our united
strength we have managed to
overtake all of our competitors
within a very short space of time
and make a vital contribution towards
giving renewable energies
a solid future within Italy. This
future has only just begun. It is a
great feeling to be part of it.“
We have managed to
convince important Italian
customers that we are
Number 1 technologically.
Lars von Lehmden (33),
Managing Director
SHORT NOTICES
EnviTec organised
a press day to
inform journalists
Inform and discuss: EnviTec Biogas
AG organised a press day
for about 15 journalists to inform
them about the prospects of biogas
in the energy mix of the future.
The present and future political
framework conditions were
also discussed. „We would like to
use such events to provide information
about biogas, to talk about
our company and to give journalists
an opportunity for intensive
research“, CFO Jörg Fischer explains.
The central topic of debate
of the event was the future
energy mix in Germany. Journalists
visited an EnviTec biogas
plant in Lüsche (District of Vechta)
which supplies a large portion
of the town‘s households with
heat from the plant‘s co-generation
unit.
2 3

4
FORUMBIOgas
EXHIBITIONS
25. – 28. October 2011
Woodworking / BioEnergy 2011
Minsk, BY
26. – 28. October 2011
GreenExpo
Kiew, UA
27. – 30. October 2011
International Dairy Cattle Show
Cremona, IT
15. – 19. November 2011
AGRITECHNICA
Hannover, DE
22. – 24. November 2011
Rundvee & Akkerbouw Vakdagen
Gorinchem, NL
06. – 11. December 2011
AGRIBEX
Brussels, BE
02. – 05. February 2012
Fieragricola
Verona, IT
15. – 17. March 2012
BioEnergy Italy
Cremona, IT
High customer satisfaction
Nine out of ten customers would choose EnviTec again
For current and potential customers
of EnviTec Biogas, the
most important purchase criteria
are the high quality of the
biogas plants, the many years of
experience in plant construction
and the technology concept of
Reliable, innovative
technology is a decisive
purchase criterion.
EnviTec. This is the result of an
extensive survey of current and
prospective customers supervised
scientifically by Prof. Dr. Christoph
Kolbeck from the University
of Applied Sciences and Arts
Success in Great Britain
EnviTec Biogas UK realises flagship project in Wiltshire
In Wiltshire, EnviTec is building a plant from the operator of a dairy farm.
Several months ago, the first
EnviTec biogas plant on British
soil was put into operation in
Rogerstone, Wales. This wellreceived
project thus marks the
successful market entry of the
British subsidiary EnviTec Biogas
UK into Great Britain. A
lot has happened since: EnviTec
is currently building a biogas
plant with a rated electrical output
of 500 kW for the operator
of a dairy farm in Wiltshire in
the south of England. In addition,
four further biogas plants
(HAWK) in Hildesheim, Germany.
The independent study gave
EnviTec top marks. For example,
90 percent of the surveyed customers
said they would hire EnviTec
to build their biogas plant
again. According to a study by
the agricultural technology magazine
„profi“, the industry average
lies at 72 percent.
Once again, the study especially
highlighted the high quality image
enjoyed by EnviTec. For most
of the current and prospective
customers, the decisive purchase
criterion is the reliable and innovative
technology used in EnviTec
biogas plants. The susceptibility
to malfunctions also received an
for customers in Great Britain
are now in the construction
phase.
When commissioned, the
plant in Wiltshire will help to
reduce dairy production costs
for the farm operator, Stowell
Farms. In addition to the input
materials maize and whole-plant
silage, the operator intends to
utilise the slurry that accumulates
from its approximately 500
cows. The farm operator intends
to use part of the electricity
generated for its own power
overall very low rating.
Good grades were also awarded
in the survey for the different
steps leading to the smooth operation
of a biogas plant, for which
EnviTec provides its customers
with intensive support: The surveyed
customers expressed aboveaverage
satisfaction with the tendering
and approval phase, plant
construction, commissioning and
service. „We are especially proud
of this, as our business concept
emphasises providing optimal
support to our customers over
the entire process leading to an
economically effective plant“, explains
Olaf von Lehmden, CEO
of EnviTec Biogas AG.
Issue 16
1 October 2011
supply, feeding the remaining
energy into the public grid. For
this, Stowell Farms will receive a
total compensation of 16 pence
per kilowatt hour (approx. 18.6
cent). The farm operator plans
to sell the heat generated in the
co-generation plant at a favourable
price to a school and a recreational
centre, both located
nearby. The farming business
will derive further benefit from
fermentation residues: Thanks
to the biogas plant, the farm
will have to purchase about 400
tonnes less fertiliser in the fu-
Thanks to its biogas plant,
the farm operator will save
EUR 160,000 on fertiliser.
ture, which means a savings of
more than EUR 160,000. „The
project shows how farm operators
can profit from a biogas
plant in the long term“, says
John Day, Sales Manager at EnviTec
Biogas UK.
IMPRINT
FORUMBIogaS
Boschstr. 2
48369 Saerbeck
Tel. 02574 8888-0
pr@envitec-biogas.de
www.envitec-biogas.de
Publisher:
EnviTec Biogas AG
Chief Editor:
Thomas Bolte,
EnviTec Biogas AG
Concept and design:
Kreutzmann Unternehmens-
kommunikation, Hamburg
FORUMBIOgas is available
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even in part only
with approval of the editorial
staff.