In Germany, commercial biogas plants are being built by private initiative. Using grain and waste as raw material, the plants send gas to central power generation and also produce biofuel and high-quality fertiliser.

This is no ordinary biogas plant but a real commercial venture. Several such privately run plants have been built in the town the programme visited, and two young friends, Pipa and Pape, run one of them.

They say it produces three products: electricity, gas and organic fertiliser. The electricity goes to the national grid, gas is supplied to homes within three kilometres, and the residue goes to farmers' fields as organic fertiliser.

Grain such as wheat is used as organic raw material for the gas, supplied by 60 farmers under contract with the plant. The owners say they started with little capital and later completed the plant step by step with bank loans. Building the plant on 3 hectares cost 2 million euros; finishing everything cost 4 million euros, and the gas pipeline cost a separate 900,000 euros.

Dependence on bioenergy is growing as Germany turns away from nuclear power for electricity. New investors are interested in these industries, and so is the government.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Hridoye Mati O Manush. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.