- Technologically advanced large-scale plant and biogas power
stations are needed to meet the rising climate and environmental
standards in China
- IFAT CHINA + EPTEE +
CWS present innovations and solutions in the field of biogas
The production of biogas, in particular in
small, decentralized systems, has been common in China for decades. Last year around
one in ten families in the rural regions of China cooked with biogas. The
majority of this environmentally-friendly fuel was produced on a very small
scale in the 18 million independently operating domestic plants. A further 1.4
million households were supplied with biogas for cooking purposes by larger
systems via 700 distribution networks. This saved the atmosphere from the
emissions that would have arisen from over eleven million tonnes of coal
equivalent. The Chinese government is looking to further expand this decentralized
use of bio-energy. According to the national biogas-development concept, up to
70 percent of the rural households will be supplied with biogas by the year
2020.
For a number of years this
energy-rich waste product has been used increasingly also for generating
electricity. "Biogas power plants with a capacity of over 500 kW of
installed electrical output are particularly in demand," says the German
bio-energy expert Heinz-Peter Mang, who works for CIM (Centrum
für Internationale Migration und Entwicklung ) as a consultant for bio-energy
and sustainable sanitation management at the University
of Science and Technology in Beijing. The background is
the treatment of large quantities of waste, waste water and sewage, for example
from industrial animal husbandry, from local-authority sewage works and city
waste collection.
Large-scale biogas projects
in China
are being boosted by the focus on climate protection and the mechanisms for
worldwide emissions trading. In 2008 and 2009 so far four large biogas power stations
have been built, with an electrical output of between one and three megawatts.
According to Mang, 90 further projects, each with over one megawatt of output,
are currently either in construction or being planned. Long-term the market is
expected to grow to include 7,000 such plants.
However, there are still a
number of obstacles to be overcome for successful operation of biogas plants.
"One of the main problems is that the political authorities in China are not
yet giving enough support to making biogas plants cost-effective," said
Mang. "They are focusing on encouraging the construction of such plants,
but not so much on the really successful operation of systems to generate
renewable energy. As such there are few specific incentives for the production
and use of biogas and its residual products. Also, the whole product range
arising from biogas production – gas, electricity, heat and fertilizer – is not
being marketed in the best way. As for technology the Chinese biogas planning
and construction companies often don’t have the expertise and this is limiting
the innovations potential. Also, large-scale plant in particular is often being
equipped with short-term technical components and building materials, prompted
by the very tough competitive environment."
In general the development of
efficient and energy-optimized large-scale biogas plants is, according to Mang,
still seven to ten years behind the level of German technology. This opens up
many business opportunities for German and other foreign companies. The
prospects look particularly good, for example, for general services for plant
operators, suppliers of components, and measurement and control technology, the
development of highly efficient fermentation technologies, the introduction of
new materials for reactor construction and gas accumulators, components for
high-pressure biogas storage, co-generation plants with efficient use of
thermal energy, and training in technology development.
An excellent opportunity for finding out about the market for
environmental technology and in particular about the specifics of the biogas
business in China, is provided by the environmental trade fair IFAT CHINA + EPTEE
+ CWS, which takes place from 5 to 7 May 2010 in Shanghai.
Further information: www.ifat-china.com and www.eptee.com
About
IFAT CHINA
+ EPTEE + CWS Messe München International (MMI), the organizer of
IFAT CHINA, and Shanghai ZM International Exhibition Co., Ltd., the organizer
of China EPTEE + CWS Show for Water, Air, Waste, Energy and Recycling, are
putting on IFAT CHINA + EPTEE + CWS, a joint event taking place from 5 to 7 May
2010 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). IFAT CHINA 2008 attracted 362 exhibitors
and over 10,500 visitors. The proportion of exhibitors from outside China was again
very high, at over 50 percent. In 2009 EPTEE + CWS, a strong national trade
fair, hosted a total of 756 exhibitors and over 32,000 visitors. With the
strong international profile of IFAT CHINA and the strong national
importance of EPTEE + CWS, the two trade fairs complement each other very well
in terms of both exhibitors and visitors.
About
Messe München International (MMI) Messe München
International (MMI) is one of the world’s leading trade-fair organizations with
approximately 40 trade fairs for investment goods, consumer goods and new
technologies. More than 30,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, and
over two million visitors from more than 200 countries take part each year in
the trade fairs in Munich.
In addition, MMI organizes trade fairs in Asia, Russia,
the Middle East and South America. With six
foreign affiliated companies in Europe and Asia
as well as 66 foreign representatives covering 89 countries, MMI has a global
network. Environmental protection and sustainability are key priorities in all
MMI´s operations, at home and abroad.
Press contact: Sabine
Wagner, Senior Manager Communications IFAT
CHINA
Marketing
& Communication, Capital Goods
Fairs
Phone: +49 89 / 9
49-20246, Fax: +49 89 / 9 49-20249
e-mail:
sabine.wagner@messe-muenchen.de 04e/MarComGB1/sw
