​Innovative solutions for managing the quality of biomethane

Objective of the call for projects:

Engie Lab CRIGEN is launching a call for innovative projects to identify analytic solutions for the biogas sector.

The goal is to identify solutions for analyzing biomethane to meet the technical requirements of distributors and transporters within the framework of the energy transition. The innovations may be technological, financial or commercial or have to do with business models. The biogas industry is booming in Europe. In France, 18 sites currently inject biomethane into distribution and transmission networks (2 sites for transport networks, 16 sites for distribution networks).

One of the critical points in the chain is quality compliance monitoring for biomethane so that it meets certain technical requirements before being injected into the network. These can be specific to the distributor and to the carrier. We need to identify solutions to meet the needs of the industry: high technical performance for low costs for both the solution and associated maintenance.

Deadline for applications: 30 September 2016

Rewards and benefits for selected projects:

• A testing ground in one of ENGIE Lab – CRIGEN’s laboratories, with access to testing facilities (hermetic climatic chamber, gas generators, experimental design software, statistical calculations, software for calculating the thermodynamic properties of gas) and the gas library (over 200 gas bottles for your reference)
• Get help from Engie Lab - CRIGEN in determining the gaps with respect to the technical requirements (and even defining action plans)
• Being promoted in national and international media by Engie Lab – CRIGEN

Detailed description:

Engie Lab CRIGEN is launching a call for innovative projects to identify analytic solutions for the biogas sector.

In the framework of the energy transition, the French environmental agency ADEME laid out a roadmap for developing biomethane in France: 1400 sites from now until 2030 (a non-binding scenario), meaning 30 to 100 new sites per year, with a compliance monitoring solution for each one. Other European countries are also developing their biogas sectors, including England: the country will produce 37 biomethane production sites in 4 years.

The development of green gas will ‘energize’ the various subsectors involved in gas analysis. Indeed, quality control for biogas is now a requirement for injecting it into the network. Few solutions are currently available on the market to meet the industry’s needs: the reliability and availability of measuring tools (including measuring low levels), measurement speeds, CAPEX and low and controlled OPEX (cost of analyzers and maintenance).

For technological solutions, analyzers will eventually be able to control the minimum levels mandated by the technical requirements of network operators. These and other basic conditions for being implemented on the network are specified in the attached document.

ENGIE Lab CRIGEN is active in the biogas sector and wants to identify and invest in tomorrow's solutions. This will boost the gas analysis sector and better meet the needs of the biogas industry.

The benefits expected from innovative solutions will include:

• Facilitating the development of biomethane for injection into networks
• Reduce the cost of quality control for biomethane to increase the profitability of the biogas sector
• Improve the monitoring of how biogas is injected (valve closed or opened depending on the line)
• For a technological solution, facilitate implementation and metrological checks for analyzers (reduce amount of time spent on installation and audits)

The solutions being sought should be innovative in the broadest sense and may include one or more of the following dimensions: analytical, numerical, organizational, financial, commercial and business model innovations.

If they are primarily technological in nature, they should be mature enough to be easily tested.

How to participate?

To respond to this call for projects, participants must fill in the attached excel file, give a brief description of their solution and their entity (profiles, industry, existing references if any).

Note: the reference methods are presented in the Excel file, but the technology explained in these standards are not mandatory.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Relevance to the topic
• Innovative nature of the subject
• Contribution of the solution to the development of the biogas industry
• Development feasibility /economic viability
• Maturity of project / solution must be testable in Engie Lab – CRIGEN laboratories
• Capacity of the solution to be implemented quickly
• Price/quality ratio

Selection Procedure:

• Shortlist established by the selection committee based on applications
• Pitch from finalists for the committee (15 min)
• Final selection of winners. (Semifinals if required).

Provisional timetable

• June 10, 2016: Launch of the call for projects.
• September 30, 2016: Deadline for submitting applications
• October 03 to 07, 2016: Analysis and selection of files
• November 04, 2016: Pitch sessions for the selection committee.
• Winners announcement.

Selection committee and project partners

Engie: Engie Lab - CRIGEN