Denmark’s Eurowind Energy expands into biogas market

Denmark's Eurowind Energy has thus far been primarily dedicated to supplying local and global renewable needs for renewable energy with electricity generated by wind turbines and solar PV. But the company said there is still a need for gas in industries that cannot be electrified.
It is therefore including biogas within its remit, as a new competence centre has been established, to complement its existing solar, wind and PtX competence centres.
“We see biogas as an important building block for our energy centres. We already have the power from our solar and wind parks. It makes sense to combine and let these elements work together in a closed system. That way we can reduce the strain on the infrastructure of both electricity and gas,” said Søren Rasmussen, deputy chairman of the board and one of the founders of Eurowind Energy.
Eurowind Energy is planning to establish large energy centres with various technologies, that will complement each other to support different needs.
The Danish energy company said its position on the use of biogas is clear: "it should not have a role in heating domestic houses or be used to generate power, but should be an alternative and necessary fuel for certain industries".
As of February 2023, Eurowind Energy has eight biogas projects under development in Denmark. However, its ambition is to develop a global pipeline of biogas projects, and construction on the first project is expected to begin in 2023/24. It is a logical next step for the company that already has the knowledge within the organisation.
The location of a local biogas plant will depend on the need of the offtaker and the local infrastructure. And, like the wind and solar parks, Eurowind Energy will develop biogas projects in close contact with local communities.
Eurowind Energy biogas projects will prioritise the use of straw and other biomaterial. By using straw, it ensures that nutrients are preserved and will be returned to the soil. Burning straw removes the nutrients completely and should therefore be minimised.
“We can’t keep on burning material to produce energy. It’s a waste of resources. In the future, we must think about energy production in a whole new way – as sustainable, circular, and locally produced,” said Søren Rasmussen.
The gas will be produced without excessive use of accelerators even though this could prolong the gasification process from 40 to 100 days.
The biogas facilities will produce oxygen, CO₂, biogas, and fertiliser, but the gases have the potential to be processed further, most likely in combination with hydrogen, to produce e-fuels, methanol etc. Furthermore, the gas can be processed into different products to be used in industrial production. The final products will depend, to a great extent, on the local offtaker.