The operator receives revenue from different sources, among others from the basic compensation according to the Renewable Energies Act or the flexibility bonus.
The 2021 Renewable Energies Act continues to subsidise flexible power stations. The flexibility requirements stipulate that flexible biogas plants must be able to provide at least 85 percent of their installed capacity at least for 1,000 hours per year (4,000 quarters of an hour).
Operators can choose one or more of the following gas refinement options:
The operator decides whether the gas is fed into the gas network or whether it is sold directly by trading the electricity at the exchange.
Another benefit for the operator is the heat utilisation afforded by a large buffer storage to supply electricity to the buildings belonging to the farm and other loads, such as complete heat networks for several households.
It is also possible to feed the generated electricity into the public power grid according to demand and thereby use peak tariffs.
Operators can use biomethane as fuel and save large amounts of CO2 compared to conventional fuels. The use of these low-carbon energy sources reduces the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Mineral oil companies can credit the CO2 which operators save on fuel in their own carbon balance by purchasing additional CO2 certificates.
The operator chooses whether to produce electricity or fuel or a combination of both (hybrid power plant).