23 July 2009

Global perspectives: Looking for fuel in Sweden

By Cris Whetton

In Sweden, end users are looking for fuel: Swedish Public Transportation Authorities and bus companies are searching for partners that can provide liquefied bio-methane gas (LBG) and dual fuel technology for buses.

The goal is to convert current diesel buses to operate primarily on bio-methane. The equipment should work for the following engines: Volvo B12 model 2002 and MAN OM 906 LA 111/4. The project aims to begin as soon as possible, initially by building knowledge, and then followed by a pilot test, installing the technology in eight buses in the city of Uppsala before the end of this year. If the tests are successful, the concept will continue on a large scale in Sweden and possibly other countries.

Swebus AB, a Concordia company with a fleet of approximately 2,500 buses, is one company intent on testing the new concept. In addition to Swebus AB, Gamla Uppsala Buss AB and several other companies are part of the project, potentially adding several thousand more buses to the project. The project will work in cooperation with the regional project Biogas Öst, which promotes the use of bio-methane in Sweden. Biogas Öst will provide the project with a large regional, national, and international network, which will offer successful and immediate dissemination of the project’s results.

Meanwhile, what may be the first plant that will produce electricity and hydrogen from a combination of wind and biogas began construction in Prenzlau (Brandeburg) in the east of Germany. According to the Enertrag company, the plant, costing $29.8 million (€21 million), will connect to the electricity grid within a year and will supply several hundred households. Heat will go to a district heating network, and hydrogen will go toward automotive fuel.

When winds are strong, conventional wind turbines often generate more energy than the network can accept. While the economics of the system are unclear, Enertrag said it is possible to produce hydrogen by electrolysis from wind-generated electricity, and this can then mix with bio-methane and used as a source of heat or electricity. The plant should be operating in 2010. It will add three 2 MW wind turbines to an existing installation and a 120 MW biogas plant. The 500 kW hydrogen plant will get surplus electricity from the hybrid plant. Enertrag said it hoped to add hydrogen storage at a later date.

Cris Whetton is InTech’s European correspondent.