French renewables developer Arkolia is currently building three anaerobic digestion units in France.
At one of the sites, in Ludiès, southern France, the company has commissioned a new kind of anaerobic digestion unit linked to a 100 kWp photovoltaic system. Designed entirely for self-consumption, the PV array will continuously power the anaerobic digestion and biogas purification process, which the company said will improve the profitability of the installation.
“In 2018, we wanted to find an alternative and make our farm more sustainable, and we wanted to store manure in winter,” said Maxime Durand, a spokesperson for SARL Ariège Biométhane. “With an approach for sustainable agriculture approach, we have chosen anaerobic digestion, as we wanted to reduce our dependence on nitrogen fertilizers and also control weeds.”
The plant produces 83 Nm3/h of biomethane by injection, supplied by 45 tons of agricultural deposits per day. The company operates another 93 KW rooftop PV array to power a building used for the storage of manure.
