The recent laws (end 2008-beginning 2009) on renewable electricity (EEG), on the access to the gas grid (GasNZV), on the remuneration of he gas grid (GasNEV) and on the renewable heat (EEWärmeG) set a new legislation which will certainly give a strong impetus to biomethane as a vehicle fuel and its injection to the grid.

In the aim to increase energy efficiency of biogas systems, these new laws seek to generalise the use of biogas in the energy sector (including fuel and heat) and not only for electricity production. The most environmental friendly substrates are encouraged. To this regard, some substrates can not get anymore some dedicated financial aids (such as "NaWaRo bonus") ; a "positive" list has therefore been published. Moreover, dry fermentation has been removed from the innovation bonus list (about a third of substrates used for biogas production are energy crops).

When biomethane is bought or used in CHP, customers can access to feeding in tariffs applied on biogas. Technology bonus exists for high performance upgrading process : CH4 emissions can not exceed 0,5% of the whole biomethane production, electricity consumption has to be less than 0,5 Kwh/m3 of biomethane, use of renewable heat or mine gases...

Both laws on renewable heat (EEWärmeG) and on the access and remuneration of gas grid (GasNZV et GasNEV) complete the biomethane support frame. The former sets a minimum thresholds rate of renewable heat for new buildings. If biomethane is chosen as a renewable energy, 30% of the heat needs of the building has to be met with biomethane together with a CHP system. In Baden Württemberg, for renewal projects on buildings, biomethane can be used in classical boiler (up to 10%).

Both laws GasNZV and GasNEV have fixed technical, financial and organisational modes of the grid injection (acountabilities, share of costs, security measures...).

Upon this new legal framework, biomethane sector has been developing. Projects have been carried out mainly by grid gas operators who are also suppliers of gas (Eon, Stadtwerke..), as they have been increasingly interested in offering a « green » gas supply, the latter being mandatory since the new laws were set up. New actors have appeared such as companies specialised in upgrading of raw biogas or the so called « biogashändler » who sell and transport biomethane.

Presentations on line on "Downloads" section, "(Technical reports" subsection): http://www.biogasmax.co.uk/downloads/