Biogas operator Alter Biogas Jato has joined forces with Orcan Energy to recover and monetize heat that would otherwise go to waste and to produce additional electricity. The 2.1 MW biogas plant is located in the municipality of Sečanj, in Vojvodina, Serbia’s northern province.
Serbia-based Alter Biogas Jato and German cleantech company Orcan Energy have developed the project for the conversion of thermal energy from two Jenbacher J320 biogas engines, with a total capacity of 2,122 kW.
Orcan Energy has successfully commissioned its first project in Serbia, partnering with biogas operator Alter Biogas Jato, the German company said.
This is its second project in Eastern Europe, following one in Bulgaria.
Orcan Energy adds 6% to the capacity, bringing the whole facility to around 2,250 kWe
Developed and installed together with Nahtec, Orcan Energy’s local partner in Serbia, the project converts waste heat from two biogas engines into clean, dispatchable baseload electricity, boosting the facility’s overall output without requiring more fuel, Orcan Energy stressed.
Photo: Orcan Energy
Biogas engines, like all reciprocating gas engines, reject a significant portion of their fuel’s energy as heat, through exhaust gas and the engine cooling system.
Whenever the biogas engines run, Orcan’s eP 050.100 efficiency PACKs operate, as it is when waste heat is available. Orcan adds 6% to the capacity, bringing the whole facility to around 2,250 kWe.
Each efficiency PACK generates an additional 561 MWh per year
The plant produces biogas from organic biomass, including maize silage and slurry.
“Each efficiency PACK generates an additional 561 MWh per year, while avoiding 224 tonnes of CO2 annually. Across both units, Alter Biogas Jato is now producing significantly more electricity from the same biogas input and doing so with less strain on its engine cooling systems,” Orcan Energy stressed.
Zjajić: The plant is now generating significantly more electricity from the same fuel
Alter Biogas Jato Director Nataša Zjajić said that the installation was non-disruptive, the system runs autonomously, and the plant is now generating significantly more electricity from the same fuel.
“This is exactly the kind of improvement that makes commercial sense for a facility like ours,” she added.
According to Orcan Energy CEO Andreas Sichert, Serbia and the entire Balkan region are a strategically important market for the firm.
Sichert: Orcan Energy is looking forward to unlocking the full potential from energy intensive industries
“Biogas operators here have strong economic incentives to maximize electrical output, and our technology is purpose-built for exactly that,” he pointed out.
In Serbia as well as the wider Balkan region, Orcan Energy is looking forward to unlocking the full potential from energy intensive industries, Sichert added.
This project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the Renewable Energy Solutions Programme of the German Energy Solutions Initiative, according to Orcan Energy.