Spatial planning of biogas stations in Estonia

Abstract

Developing and implementing renewable energy systems such as biogas from anaerobic digestion process (AD), based on national and regional biomass resources, will increase the security of the national energy supply and diminish dependency on imported fuels. For Estonia, the EU Directive for renewable energy targets has been set to 25% by 2020. Data about the municipal biodegradable waste produced in Estonia during 2002-2012 were collected. The subject of the analysis was different types of biodegradable waste from landfills, biodegradable waste from food production companies, sludge from waste treatment plants as well as waste from livestock farms, trade companies, gardens and parks in Estonia. The wastes volumes, qualities, and their energy potential were estimated. The GIS (geographic information systems) model was applied for the spatial planning of biogas stations in Estonia.