The world needs more alternative renewable energy capacity. We have enabled wind, solar and hydro power to generate electricity, and now we have all the means to produce localised, renewable gas that will reduce our dependence on gas imports. Despite the growing demand for biogas, business in this sector faces a number of challenges – from complex planning, to managing day-to-day processes, to successful teamwork. With this in mind, BioGASMAS, a state-of-the-art tool based on artificial intelligence, has been developed to manage the biogas business.
Linas Jurgutis, one of the team members and founder of the start-up BioGASMAS, talks about the possibilities of the solution and why it is worth taking advantage of them.
What are the biggest challenges facing green energy development today, and what are the drivers?
The world, and in particular the European Union, is currently facing huge challenges in terms of energy price and capacity shortage. Many scenarios and strategies are being explored in order to find the best possible solution, but the main objective remains the same: diversified, localised, decentralised renewable energy production.
Electricity generation capacity is being increased through the construction of solar and wind farms, and maximum efforts are being made to reduce dependence on fossil fuels such as coal and gas, and in particular on Russian products. In this context, we also emphasise that biogas is an alternative to imported naturalgas. Once biogas has been upgraded, it can be injected into the natural gas grid, thus directly replacing imported gas.
Of course, biogas production is also a relatively complex process, as it involves the collection of raw materials, their variability, and a complex technology that requires a large number of technological operations and specific technological know-how to enable it. These factors are the main ones that lead to the fact that the potential of biogas in Europe is still under-exploited. Today, in Europe, biogas cover about 4.5% of natural gas demand, against a potential of 40%. Nevertheless, according to the IEA (International Energy Agency), EBA (European Biogas Association) and Eurogas, the combined annual growth rate of this renewable energy type is projected at 8.3% until 2050. The clearest direction to go is to accelerate the use of biomethane as an alternative to fossil gas imports. Simply put, by 2050, the amount of biogas produced in Europe, and therefore this market, will increase more than 6-fold, and we are already developing a solution for this growing market.
Why invest in BioGASMAS and what are the main problems it helps to solve in the biogas business?
BioGASMAS solves a key problem in biogas production technology – it increases the teams‘ competencies while controlling the production process by enabling artificial intelligence algorithms. This means that the system provides a detailed understanding of the day-to-day operations of a biogas production business, the management of equipment, the chemical metabolism of the digestion of materials and the entire business management process. By observing the operational processes in place and assessing the future possibilities, we can confidently say that using BioGASMAS is a win-win situation: better management of business investments, improved business results, easier and more agile and smart work for biogas production managers, technologists and operators.
What are the most important changes BioGASMAS is driving in the biogas business?
The most important change driven by the BioGASMAS product is the growing awareness of this energy trend, growing expertise, more confident investment decisions and, we believe, a faster development of biogas energy capacities worldwide.
Our team’s system makes it faster, more accurate and easier to find solutions in biogas production – artificial intelligence algorithms continuously analyse incoming data and predict trends to control processes, avoiding process upsets, feedstock shortages or unplanned shutdowns of biogas plants. The results achieved with BioGASMAS are therefore better resource management and higher production output, reducing the ecological footprint of biogas plants and thus improving the environmental performance of biogas businesses.
Our team aims to encourage as many businesses as possible to adopt these practices in their operations and make a positive difference.
What are the most significant results that can be achieved through the system?
The most important result that BioGASMAS helps to achieve is the increased competence of the business management team in all areas: process coordination and implementation, equipment maintenance, team management and product efficiency. BioGASMAS allows you to increase the operational efficiency of your biogas plant, to produce more biogas, and to manage both business and technological decisions more easily, confidently and accurately. It will also help to reduce the biogas plant’s ecological footprint – approximately one standard 1MW biogas plant could reduce its ecological footprint by 55 tonnes of CO2 annually. In summary, increased team competence, more product output and less environmental pollution are the result of an enabled BioGASMAS system.
What do you see for the future of green energy, and how can BioGASMAS contribute to its successful development?
We can foresee a drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels in Europe, reducing dependence on imported gas in all ways, one of which is the development of the biogas business. As the world talks about alternatives to gas, we are promoting the use of biomethane and the development of the hydrogen sector – sustainable alternatives to gas that can be exploited efficiently. Biomethane is cheaper than hydrogen in terms of cost, the technology is known and developed, it just needs to be managed properly by increasing operational competences, which the smart BioGASMAS tool can contribute to improving.
Moreover, there is no shortage of resources, and the abundance of organic waste suitable for biogas production and the demand for the product will lead to a significant increase in biogas production capacity in Europe. We believe that BioGASMAS will be the key to the success of every biogas plant in operation – enabling artificial intelligence and digitalising operational activities will ensure the sustainable operation of every biogas plant.
