American award

Danish company Xergi designed the biogas plant ‘Hometown BioEnergy’ which was one of three recipients of the ‘Municipal Biogas Project of the Year 2015’ award from the American Biogas Council. The plant is one of the largest municipal biogas facilities in the US so far.

Xergi has supplied the design, control system, and a range of key components to Hometown BioEnergy, located in Le Sueur, Minnesota. “We see this as an acknowledgement that the Xergi design principles for large-scale biogas plants can play an important role in the growing American market. As a result, we also see it as an important step towards ensuring a strong market position for Xergi in the US,” says Jørgen Ballermann, CEO at Xergi.

According to the American Biogas Council, Hometown BioEnergy sets itself apart by being considerably larger than similar municipal projects. The reviewers focused on the fact that the facility is equipped with a combination of gas stores and extra engine power, enabling the storage of gas and a higher electricity supply at times when energy tariffs are at the highest.

“As a starting point, the biogas plant is constructed to be able to produce four MW of electricity around the clock, but the gas storage option allows us to store gas for approximately 12 hours. At the same time, we have installed gas-powered generators that can produce eight MW of electricity. This allows the plant to produce electricity during that part of the day where the energy prices are at the highest,” explains Michael Kjølner Hansen, Sales Manager at Xergi.