Digital Biogas Laboratory

The planned research project investigates the potential for transforming Austria’s existing biogas plant infrastructure into decentralised green gas production facilities that harness energy, environmental and economic synergies through sector coupling. The aim is to evaluate the role of these plants as flexible balancing power stations in the future energy system and to optimise their integration into a carbon-neutral supply concept. The starting point is a comprehensive analysis of the existing biogas plant structure in Austria, supplemented by an assessment of the technological readiness level (TRL) of relevant key technologies such as power-to-gas, methanisation and CO₂ capture. Building on this, annual simulations of various expansion and market scenarios will be carried out to identify suitable technology mixes and system configurations. To manage the high complexity of the simulation data, a principal component analysis (PCA) is used to generate a reduced model. This model is intended to enable plant operators to determine the optimal expansion option for their specific conditions based on a limited amount of practical, readily available information. The nationwide application of the developed tool allows for a precise assessment of the potential for retrofitting the national biogas plant fleet and, at the same time, provides valuable insights into existing research needs in key technologies for green gas production and sector coupling.