Nature Energy

As 2024 draws to a close, I’m taking a moment to reflect on a year of meaningful progress. From advancing Renewable Gas and Sustainable Aviation Fuel to achieving milestones in Carbon Capture and Storage and Hydrogen, this year has been about turning ambition into action. I’m proud of the work our teams and partners have done to accelerate the energy transition, and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together in 2025. I’ve shared my reflections and vision for the year ahead in this article — have a read.

DECEMBER And time for put up the christmas tree. If you could have one wish, what would you ask the Biogas-Santa-Claus for in order to keep Low Carbon Solutions moving forward?

GROUNDBREAK While excavators have been preparing the site for the construction of a new, large-scale, and modern biogas facility for a while, we never miss a chance to celebrated the mandatory milestone groundbreak for a greener future. The facility is located on the island of Lolland, which was recently connected to the Danish gas grid to support the ambition of having 100% biogas on the grid by 2030. This way, the 450,000 tons of organic waste we annually turn into biogas at Lolland will benefit the whole energy transition, especially within the hard-to-abate sectors. The list of benefits is too long to fully enumerate, but the following must be particularly highlighted: 💡 It works out of the box. Today. 💡 We have the infrastructure, the feedstock, and the needs and offtake. 💡 It offers stable production 24/7, supporting the security of the supply of locally produced energy. 💡 It is easy to store for later use. 💡 It gives us easy access to biogenic CO2 for CCUS. In the picture from the left: Mayor of Lolland Kommune, Holger Schou Rasmussen, Chief Construction Officer Jesper Bundgaard, Chairman of the committee at Lolland Kommune Tine Vinther Clausen and deputy mayor Henrik Jacobsen. Big thanks to the crew on site for letting us disturb the construction! And Jesper Blæsild for the shot!

BIOGAS – SO MUCH MORE THAN CH4 Last week European Biogas Association successfully put biogas on the agenda with a week of insights, discussions, and networking on how biogas plays a key role in the energy transition by turning waste into value. We handed in two pictures for the annual photo contest. Take a moment to dwell on them and read the description: EYE OF THE BEHOLDER To embrace the full potential, you have to comprehend that there is more than meets the eye. MEET THE METHANOGENS When you place a small drop of organic waste and residue under a microscope, you can get a glimpse of some of our little helpers in the green transition. The methanogens.   Just how much help they can offer depends on understanding how they behave and react, and their preferences.   This knowledge tells us how to create the best environment in the digester tank to get the most value from the waste. There are so many molecules just waiting to be captured. We are still just scraping the surface of designer manure and how to take care of limited resources like phosphorus.   It is not manure – it’s biochemistry at its finest.    That’s why biogas is so much more than just CH4. 💡  💡  💡 Congratulations to SYSADVANCE for winning this year's photo contest! Thank you Søren Kuhn for the great shot and thank you Lars Ole Lykke Bundgaard for letting us in on your home turf - our world-class laboratory - and for being a tremendously good model and for being the face of this. 

SHARING IS CARING If you have been to a modern biogas plant, what was your biggest surprise?   If you haven’t – what are you curious about?   Every year we welcome hundreds of visitors to our modern large-scale biogas facilities.   They arrive in small and larger groups domestically and from abroad to learn more about the Danish way of producing biogas. Some visits are organized by the The Trade Council, some by regional governments like the Provincie Overijssel, and some by NGOs and schools.   This fall is no exception.   Among others, we had visitors from participants at the Fortes Media Group European Conference Biogas PowerOn, technical staff from Evida, Energinet, Greater Copenhagen EU Office, and Region Sjælland.   Standing out is a Group of 100 students at ZBC - Zealand Business College spending a whole day getting to our Facility in Glansager to see and learn about our Power-to-Gas-technology and afterward bring it into the classroom.   We just love to give guided tours at our modern biogas facilities. Sharing perspectives, thoughts, worries, and solutions is caring by sharing.   Time-consuming? Yes!   Worth every minute spent? Absolutely!   By keeping an open mind on how different energy sources and technologies can be each other’s dance partners and not competitors, we keep getting better at decarbonizing.    

Det her er det første anlæg i verden af sin slags. Og man kan sparke dæk på det. Røre ved det. Tænde og slukker efter behov. Og det virker. Klar til at blive skaleret ved behov.

One year ago, our first molecules of e-methan were put together by CO2 from our biogas plant and Hydrogen made from a surplus of renewable energy.   That calls for a celebration!   The Power-to-Gas plant is one-of-kind. Not only do we increase the production of biomethane based on waste and residues – the production of e-methane also helps to balance the energy system when there is more green electricity being produced than consumed, ensuring that the green power is not wasted ☀️ This is possible due to a unique partnership with energy and fiber network company Andel. They own and operate the electrolysis plant that converts surplus electricity from solar and wind into e-hydrogen, fed into Nature Energy's methanation plant. When the e-hydrogen meets the biogenic CO2, e-methane is created. It is a great example of how different energy sources, technologies, and competencies can make a difference when combined as each other's dance partners. Not competitors. The energy transition needs this kind of collaboration. That’s how we pave the way for a more sustainable future.

After the inauguration follows new construction.   Recently Secalia, the largest methanization unit in France, was inaugurated. A project developed in close collaboration with 150 local farmers within the pioneering cooperative Dijon Céréales.   At the same time, the construction of another methanization unit on the island of Lolland begins.   Biomethane is surely circular.

Sharing knowledge and inspiring each other drives development forward. That's why we at Nature Energy are always excited to showcase our facilities and efficient biogas production model 🌱 This time, we had the pleasure of hosting 16 students from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. “The students all hold bachelor's degrees in various engineering fields and have at least two years of relevant work experience in their home countries, where they typically work in energy-related sectors. Additionally, they are pursuing an international Master's degree in "Energy and Environmental Management" at Europa-Universität Flensburg, one of Germany's oldest programs in sustainable energy and development cooperation, says Professor Bernd Möller from the Europa-Universität Flensburg. Therefore, it was also a great pleasure to show them our newest power-to-gas facility, a joint investment with Andel. Here, the students could experience how our Power-to-Gas facility turns biogenic CO2 and H2 into CH4 and how our plant contributes to decarbonization and nutrient recycling throughout the dairy value chain 🚀 "The Power to Gas plant visit is exciting because I am taking a bioenergy module this semester. Seeing the process and production of biogas firsthand provides valuable insight, allowing me to compare what I have learned in class with industry practices. In particular, I gain knowledge and a sense of the operation scale, the operator's relationships with farmers, modern facilities, and highly automated biogas production processes. Specifically, observing the pioneering large-scale process of producing biomethane by directly mixing hydrogen with biogas offers valuable knowledge for students like me to understand renewable energy utilization's current and future development," says Agus Samsudin from Indonesia. Thank you very much for the visit, Energy & Development at Uni Flensburg - And just take a look at the professors big smile listening to our own Jeppe Bæk telling the group of students about the Power-to-Gas ☀️ #knowledge #inspiration #innovation #energy #ptx #biogas #biomethane #natureenergy #turningwasteintovalue

Our recent visits from both an American and an Irish delegation to our Danish facilities underscore the significant interest in the Danish biogas model, a testament to its global relevance and impact 🚀🌱   We were pleased to welcome a North American delegation organized by The Trade Council of Denmark in North America - Energy and Environment to explore Denmark's journey toward more sustainable energy and agricultural sectors. They visited our facility in Glansager, a shared investment with Andel, where our Power-to-Gas facility is turning biogenic CO2 and H2 into CH4, to see how our plant contributes to decarbonization and nutrient recycling throughout the dairy value chain.    We also had the pleasure of hosting a delegation from Ireland with the Irish Bioeconomy Forum members. Thank you, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, for organizing and visiting us.   The focus of their trip was around the topic of the bioeconomy and they visited various biorefinery and bioenergy facilities in Denmark, from research and pilot scale to commercial scale, including Nature Energy's facility in Korskro.   Witnessing the growing interest in the Danish model for creating a greener future is fascinating, particularly in the biogas sector, where Nature Energy has extensive knowledge and experience. Our collaboration with the agricultural sector exemplifies a fully circular model—turning waste into value.   Biomethane is crucial in the green transition, ensuring energy and fertilizer supply security and helping agriculture reduce emissions. The share of biogas in the Danish gas system was nearly 40% in 2023. By 2030, Danish gas consumption is expected to consist of 100% biomethane—making Danish gas consumption the greenest in Euro☘️ #biogas #biomethane #natureenergy #knowledge #innovation #turningwasteintovalue #ptx