Bio-natural gas

E.ON Bioerdgas is responsible for the operation of large-scale biomethane plants. We produce biogas and feed it into the natural gas grid as so called biomethane. We also trade biomethane and have a comprehensive portfolio for all biogas/biomethane markets. In Germany, E.ON Bioerdgas operates five plants in close cooperation with local farmers. We produce biogas 24/7 from renewable raw materials including maize, grass and agricultural residues and store the gas in the natural gas grid. Our portfolio contains biomethane from organic waste which is particularly suitable as biofuel based on its high greenhouse gas savings. As such, our portfolio covers all biogas products, i.e. for the usage according to the Renewable Energy Act, as biofuel or for the renewable heat production. Established in 2007, we are one of the largest suppliers of biogas/biomethane worldwide.

Electricity from photovoltaic panels or wind power plants is produced when the sun is shining or the wind blows, respectively - regardless of the electricity demand. Biomethane, on the other hand, is energy that has already been stored – first as solar energy stored in biomass. Then as biomethane, which is produced 24/7, stored and transported in the natural gas grid - up until the point our customers take out when and how much they need.

We offer a wide range of biogas products from renewable raw materials or bio-waste, for use in accordance with the Renewable Energy Act, the Renewable Heat Act or the Renewable Energies Heat Act. This makes us a reliable partner for our customers – most of all utilities and trading firms.
No hassle: we carry out the certification of the biomethane qualities as early as possible via the quality-assured biogas register of the German Energy Agency (Dena) or the "Nabisy" system of the Federal Institute for Agriculture and Food according to customer needs.

Bio natural gas can be stored for years without losses. It can be converted into electricity and/or heat - or used as a fuel for road traffic. This means that bio-natural gas is the "joker" among renewable energies and it can offset the fluctuating production of electricity from PV panels and wind power. Our customers are domestic as well as international. They use biomethane mostly in cogeneration, e.g. for the production of electricity and heat in hospitals and swimming pools. Or as a replacement for fossil fuels in gas boilers. Or as a particularly environmentally friendly and inexpensive fuel in transportation.

The use of maize for biogas plants is controversial. We have therefore developed innovative concepts for plants which can manage with little or no maize. The cultivation of Szarvasi grass on 110 ha and cup-plants on 10 ha is particularly successful. Szarvasi has a particularly deep root and can grow well in increasingly changing climatic conditions. The cup-plant, on the other hand, is a flowering plant and provides nectar for bees. Our use of the chaff from hops cultivation at the Wolnzach plant in the middle of the Hallertau (the world's largest hop cultivation area) was awarded the biogas partner innovation prize by DENA (German Energy Agency). In addition, with an invention for gas management, we have been able to reduce flare stack losses from approx. 3% of the biogas to almost 0%. With further ideas in the field of power-to-gas, we ensure that our future energy system is clean and renewable.