Modeling and optimization of a biogas plant for a demand-driven energy supply

Highlights: • A new model based on only two parameters for biogas plants. • Experimental confirmation of the model. • Application in a demand-driven supply of a biogas plant. Due to the Renewable Energy Act, in Germany it is planned to increase the amount of renewable energy carriers up to $60\text{\%}$. One of the main problems is the fluctuating supply of wind and solar energy. Here biogas plants provide a solution, because a demand-driven supply is possible. Before running such a plant, it is necessary to simulate and optimize the process. This paper provides a new model of a biogas plant, which is as accurate as the standard ADM1 model. The advantage compared to ADM1 is that it is based on only four parameters compared to 28. Applying this model, an optimization was installed, which allows a demand-driven supply by biogas plants. Finally the results are confirmed by several experiments and measurements with a real test plant.