Biomethane Cluster Optimization

Initial situation

With the expiry of the EEG remuneration for electricity from biogas and the lack of future prospects in this regard, the number of biogas producers planning to upgrade biogas to biomethane and feed it into the natural gas grid is increasing. Distribution system operators (DSOs) are confronted with a large number of grid connection requests, which involve high investments, significant administrative effort, and long realization times.
A strategic solution is to connect several biogas plants via a common pipeline to central upgrading and injection facilities – a so-called biogas cluster (see case study on clustering).

Such cluster infrastructure must be economically viable in order to provide sustainable long-term solutions for the market. The aim of the project was therefore to develop a tool that, based on meaningful grid connection options, can identify economically viable biogas clusters in a network area, thus creating a basis for proactively engaging biogas plant operators and ensuring economically attractive biomethane injection.

Challenges

In developing the WECOM cluster tool, several conceptual and technical challenges were central:

• Conceptual challenges: What structure, number of plants, and production volumes make economic sense for a cluster? How can the highest possible share of the biomethane potential be exploited? How can robust clusters be identified whose success does not depend on the participation of individual plants?
• Integration of many different data sources: The data basis for cluster formation includes heterogeneous information from the German Market Master Data Register, the Energy Atlas of the relevant federal state, distribution grid data, and various topographical information, which must be reconciled and merged.
• Minimization of computation times: Due to the complex optimization algorithm, minimizing computation times was necessary to enable the utilisation of the tool in a live setting with changing input parameters.

Result

The modular tool for optimized cluster formation combines spatial programming with data-based modelling and can be flexibly applied to individual grid areas. Features include:

• Integration of different datasets
• Identification of all suitable “anchor plants” in the immediate vicinity of a gas grid
• Determination of robust cluster regions (“hot spots”) within the selected area (federal state, grid area, etc.), independent of the participation or withdrawal of individual producers
• Algorithm for calculating the optimal cluster connections (and thus the length of the raw gas collection pipeline)
• Calculation of optimal cluster participants under given constraints (e.g. maximum pipeline length, limitation of participant numbers, latest commissioning date)
• Derivation of requirements for biogas plant operators wanting to participate which are not originally included in an optimized cluster
• Multi-criteria selection logic to identify the most attractive clusters
• GIS-based visualization and export options

Example insight into the optimization process:

Benefits

The WECOM cluster tool offers many advantages:

• Efficient response to the high demand for biomethane injection
• Identification of economically viable clusters
• Support in decision-making for producer engagement & information events
• Reduction of infrastructure investment needs and shortening of planning times for DSOs
• Classification of biogas plants according to their contribution to cluster performance
• Proactive clustering enables targeted communication with biogas plant operators and the initiation of pilot projects in hotspot regions.