The Effect of Agricultural Biogas Plants on the Quality of Farm Energy Supply

Agricultural biogas plants are among the renewable energy sources. While they have many advantages, they are less common than photovoltaic or wind power plants. One of the reasons for the lack of support for the construction of new agricultural biogas plants is the belief that biogas plants will affect the operation of consumers connected in its immediate vicinity through interference introduced into the grid. This article presents the possibilities a biogas plant built on a farm offers. The impact of an on-farm biogas plant on the voltage parameters of a farm specializing in barnless cattle rearing is analyzed in detail. As demonstrated by the authors' research in one of the agricultural biogas plants (with an electrical capacity of 40 kW), these plants do not introduce significant disturbances to the power quality into the grid. The most significant changes in the parameters of the voltage supplying the farm under study were caused by the operation of the digester mixer installed in the fermenter. Thanks to the research, it was also possible to identify a problem with the effect of the digester mixer on the energy parameters produced in the biogas plant. This problem has so far not been noticed or corrected by biogas plant manufacturers.

Automated summary

Agricultural biogas plants, although possessing numerous advantages, are less popular compared to photovoltaic or wind power plants. The lack of support for constructing new agricultural biogas plants can be attributed to concerns regarding their potential interference with the electricity grid connected to nearby consumers. However, research demonstrates that these plants do not significantly impact the power quality of the grid. Detailed analysis revealed that the operation of the digester mixer in the fermenter caused the most notable changes in voltage parameters in the studied farm specializing in barnless cattle rearing. Additionally, the study identified a previously unnoticed problem with the impact of the digester mixer on the energy parameters produced in biogas plants, which manufacturers have yet to address.