Project Description

BiG>East promotes the production and use of biogas as a secure and sustainable energy source in several target countries of Southern and Eastern Europe. This is achieved by knowledge transfer from biogas experts of Western Europe to farmers, biogas plant operators and decision makers in Southern and Eastern Europe.

The BiG>East initiative involves a set of work package activities with the aim to gain and transfer knowledge about biogas production and utilization in Eastern and Southern Europe.

The flow chart on the right side provides an overview of the BiG>East work program.

Activities envisaged in Work Package 1 are related to the general process of project management and coordination and accompanying measures

One of the first core activities within BiG>East will be Work Package 2 with a study on biogas production potential in each target country. Project partners will elaborate potential studies which include assessments of existing biogas installations (number, size, location), feedstock availability (waste, energy crops), agricultural structure (farm size, distribution), possible connections to the natural gas grid, waste reduction potential, use of biogas (electricity, heat, CHP), and biomethane production.

Work Package 3 describes current policies in each target country and detects barriers for the introduction of biogas plants in Eastern Europe. Thereby, the actual legal and economical framework will be described.

In Work Package 4 a Master-Handbook in English for training farmers will be elaborated. The content of this Master-Handbook will include all issues for setting up and maintaining biogas plants. It will demonstrate technologies for producing and using biogas, which are most promising in Eastern Europe. It will also show how biogas can be used for energy purposes, such as heat and electricity generation, combined heat and power generation (CHP), as well as purification of biogas to biomethane. The Master-Handbook will be elaborated and revised by experts in the field of biogas production and utilization. In a second step this Master-Handbook will be translated into national languages of the target countries. This will enable to conduct high quality training courses work package 5. The Master-Handbook as well as the translated national Handbooks will be disseminated in hard copy and electronically.

Using the training material developed in WP 4, training courses for farmers and biogas plant operators will be prepared and implemented in Work Package 5. Course syllabus will be elaborated which include all requirements for implementing courses in a sound and effective manner. Each syllabus will be adapted to the national situation in the target countries. The training course will be organized by the project partners of the target countries in cooperation with several important institutions and/or training providers.

Work Package 6 is the preparatory activity for WP 7. In Work Package 6, most promising sites for the set-up of new biogas plants will be defined in all target countries. For each site, a Show Case will be elaborated. These Show Cases will be promoted in WP 7 to decision makers. They include biomass availability, energy demand, suitability of the site, organisation structure of the specific site, and the most promising technologies. These Show Cases will be prepared in an attractive way in order to convince decision makers to invest in and realize biogas plants.

The Show Cases will be promoted to decision makers, such as municipalities, utilities, environmental NGO’s, project developers and SME’s in Work Package 7. This will be done by the implementation of Mobilization Campaigns for decision makers in all target countries.

Finally, Work Package 8 “Communication and Dissemination” and Work Package 9 “Common Dissemination Activities” will disseminate activities of the BiG>East project.