Biogas 101

About your trainer

Thomas M. Hintz Thomas M. Hintz is a partner in SeaHold LLC, a business development consulting firm. Currently, he is facilitating and implementing projects that unite the local biomass producers with the energy buying entities in order to provide solutions using biomass as a source for renewable energy and to reduce the greenhouse gases, while identifying potential carbon offset credits and other valuable revenue streams for project stakeholders to invest in the sustainability of the environment.

Thomas helped to inaugurate "cow gas" in California by delivering it to the natural gas grid. He is most recently working with the "Western Riverside County Agriculture Coalition" to provide a "waste to energy" conceptual solution path for the dairies in the San Jacinto watershed basin. He begin developing "cow power" while developing a three 100 Megawatt solar thermal project that included a 90,000 head "dairy condominium" project in the Harper Lake area in 2003. This "dairy condominium" would be a truly 100% "green" project in that the electricity needed by day to run the dairy operations would be provided by solar sources, and the electricity needed at night, by the biomethane gas generated from the digestion of the dairy manure waste.

Thomas is also working with key entities in the Central and Northern California areas, for conceptual projects utilizing various forms of biomass. He is also consulting with providers in Washington State for expanding facilities there.

About Green Power Academy

Green Power Academy exists to provide the quality, impartial, informative and enjoyable training needed to increase and distribute knowledge and skills to green energy industry professionals. Whether you are new to the industry, have recently changed jobs or simply wish to refresh your knowledge, our training should become a key part of your personal or company professional development programme.

Key Biogas and Energy concepts

• Biomass sources, including variations in their energy contents and suitability for biogas.
• Calculating the energy content, resource potential (and limits) of biogas.
• Understanding the main units of measurement, for resource and economic evaluations
• Biogas applications, markets and case studies

Biogas Processes and Energy Pathways

• Pathways from feedstock to biogas, in particular anaerobic digestion and landfill gas: the basic chemistry of the processes
• Comparing and contrasting biogas with natural gas and with other biomass products (including syngas through gasification)
• The impact of different conditions on the chemical composition, energy content and utility of biogas products

Biogas Production, Collection and Conversion Technologies and Facilities

• The basics of biogas conversion technologies and supply chains.
• The main features of biogas facilities; from small-scale, distributed to large-scale, grid connected
• Power generation and CHP solutions
• Gas-to-fuel and gas-to-grid applications
• Biogas cleaning and optimisations

Economic and Competitive issues for Biogas Energy

• Feedstock availability and usage competition
• Economic, sustainability and other pros - and cons - of biogas as an energy and/or power fuel (a comparison to its competitors)
• Policy and market interventions (subsidies, credits, carbon markets etc.)
• Integrating biogas into existing energy infrastructures, such as the power grid or gas grid and associated markets (supply and demand)
• Levelised electricity cost as a method for comparing power technologies: how it is calculated, which factors affect it; and how biogas compares to other sources

NB. Agenda details are subject to minor change, as and when this improves the value or relevance of the course and its learning outcomes.