What is AD?
Anaerobic Digestion technology has achieved great success on the continent and there are more than 4,000 AD plants operating in Germany alone.

AD mimics the inner working of a cow’s stomach to produce methane-rich gas – known as ‘biogas’ – which can be burnt in a generator to produce renewable electricity and heat. The end product of AD is a balanced, fibrous natural fertiliser called ‘digestate’ – which can be spread on land to provide a major proportion of yearly crop nutrient requirements. The AD process utilises normal farming techniques and equipment to provide the three main energy crops – maize, triticale and purpose grown grasses.

The biogas created is used to fuel a Combined Heat and Power unit to produce electricity which is then exported to the National Grid. Farmgen projects involve the creation of AD plants that are carbon-neutral.