Optimisation for the sustainable expansion of biogas production and use in Germany

© Wolfgang Jargstorff Fotolia

Supported by measures like the Renewable Energies Act, the use of biogas has become increasingly relevant in recent years. However, despite the fact that both production and use of biogas are associated with many ecological and economic benefits, there may be cases of conflict with other sustainability goals, such as nature conservation.

Based on these observations, the project “Optimisation for the sustainable development of biogas production and use in Germany” was funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). A project team chaired by ifeu analysed different options for biogas production and use in Germany, considering ecological impacts in the context of economic and legal framework parameters. Based on these assumptions, a number of measures and specific recommendations for actions for the increased future use of biogas production and use in Germany were issued. These measures and recommendations included ecological, economic and social aspects of sustainability as well as the integration of increased biogas use into the existing German energy system.

Participation and involvement of all relevant stakeholders was encouraged throughout the entire project to promote maximum consensus on matters of debate and ensure optimal implementation of project results. For these purposes, a number of meetings, hearings and specialist workshops were organised.

Project workshops

A number of meetings, hearings and specialist workshops are part of this project. Past workshops include (German only):

• Workshop „Nichttechnische Hemmnisse„
• Workshop „Auswirkungen des Nutzungswandels auf den Naturhaushalt„
• Workshop „Genehmigungsverfahren„
• Workshop „Basisdaten Flächennutzung“

For the final workshop, the following presentations are available (German only):

• Dr. Guido Reinhardt, Projektvorstellung
• Dr. Volker Appel, Agrarstatistik
• Gitta Schnaut, InVeKoS-Daten
• Jaqueline Daniel, Energiepflanzenanbau für Biogas
• Florian Schöne, Grünlandumbruch
• Dr. Gerd Höher, Maisanbau Niedersachsen
• Nina Buhr, Wechselwirkungen Raumnutzung
• Sönke Beckmann, Energiepflanzenanbau Schleswig-Holstein