Biogas Plant Economics: Feedstock Mix, Gas Yields, Methane Content, Electricity & Heat Output, Digestate, Feed-In Revenue and Payback
Run the numbers on a farm or community biogas plant. You will plan a feedstock mix with fictional gas yields, compute biogas and methane volumes, turn them into electricity and heat with a combined heat and power unit, value the heat and digestate, compare fictional feed-in tariffs with upgrading to biomethane, and test payback and sensitivity, with every cell checked as you go.
One-time payment · lifetime access · lessons, labs, exam and certificate included · no subscription.
About this course
In this course you run the numbers on a fictional farm biogas plant in a spreadsheet. You turn a feedstock plan into dry matter and organic dry matter, look up fictional biogas yields and methane shares with XLOOKUP and convert the methane into kWh. You check retention time and organic loading against a design range, compare three combined heat and power units on electricity, heat and full-load hours, and price electricity under a fictional feed-in tariff, heat sales and digestate. Then you cost feedstock, haulage, maintenance and staff, build 15 years of cash flows with payback, NPV and IRR, compare a biomethane option and finish with a tornado-style sensitivity chart.
Lessons
- The Feedstock Mix: Tonnes, Dry Matter and Organic Dry Matter Pro
- Gas Yields: Biogas per Tonne, Methane Share and Energy Content Pro
- Retention Time and Organic Loading: Will the Digester Cope? Pro
- CHP Output: Electricity, Heat and Full-Load Hours Pro
- Revenues: Feed-In Tariff, Heat Sales and the Value of Digestate Pro
- Operating Costs: Feedstock, Haulage, Maintenance and Staff Pro
- The Investment Case: Cash Flows, Payback, NPV and IRR Pro
- Biomethane Option and Sensitivity: Which Input Matters Most? Pro