Solrød Biogas is driven by the vision of implementing CO2 neutral energy solutions, while solving important climate and environmental challenges in Solrød Municipality. Solrød Municipality is the sole shareholder in Solrød Biogas A/S.

Why and how

The idea to build a biogas plant in Solrød came mainly from two concerns; an odour problem for the community stemming from seaweed fouling the beach, and the municipality wishing to take action in the climate challenge by producing green energy.

Køge Bay is rich in nutrients and produces vast volumes of seaweed, washing up on beaches. Previously, decomposing seaweed covered large parts of the coastal area, the odour being a nuisance to both guests and residents.

In 2008, local resources got together and came up with an idea to use the seaweed to establish a biogas production in order to generate renewable energy and thus lowering greenhouse gases from both the use of fossil fuels and the degassing of organic by-products.

The project was included in the municipal climate plan in 2009. From this, the idea developed, and very soon, it became clear that local industries also had challenges with finding proper outlets for their by-products, why they found great interest in the project. This triggered a project that could benefit from numerous actors and interests.

Solrød Biogas was developed in close cooperation with Solrød Strandrens, CP Kelco, VEKS, Chr. Hansen and the agricultural sector. It is a powerful and convincing example of public-private cooperation and a project that all parties consider of great potential. Particularly, this close cooperation between the parties is key to the realisation of the Solrød biogas project and to meeting the requirements in order to obtain project subsidies from players such at the EU, Region Zealand and Growth Forum Zealand. Also, the coming together of numerous skills has been pivotal to the success of the project, and Roskilde University in particular has provided essential input to the project development.

After a long but focused course of development, the company Solrød Biogas A/S was formed in May 28, 2014. All contracts paving the way for establishing the plant were concluded on June 19, 2014, and the first sod of the construction phase was turned on September 17, 2014.

Main flow

Key benefits

The biogas plant has a number of benefits for the parties involved. Some benefits are very tangible such as reductions of transport costs, improved fertilizer, and zero carbon energy, whereas others are less physical but nonetheless still important. These include a rise in environmental awareness among citizens and politicians in the municipality and a chance for the parties involved to upgrade their environmental profile externally. In the citizens’ review from 2014 by the administration in Solrød Municipality, many citizens express their satisfaction with the removal of seaweed from the beaches and with the efforts to produce green energy from the seaweed.

In general, the key benefits of the plant include:

• Production of renewable energy from sustainable sources, which reduces dependency on fossil fuel, and foreign energy sources.
• A solution to a waste problem. Reduction of costs and insecurity connected to the transport and marketing of residues from the industry involved.
• Contributing to solve problems with aquatic pollution. Delivery on the target of the EU Water Framework Directive for nitrogen reduction in Køge Bay and the reduction targets for phosphorus levels.
• Knowledge-sharing regarding potential for improving seawater quality and recreational use of the maritime environment by collecting cast seaweed.
• Reduction of odours from the beach.
• Biomass treated in the biogas plant (digested biomass) can be used as biological fertilizer, which is a more efficient fertilizer than other non-treated biological fertilizers, and as substitute of chemical fertilizers on farmland in the area.
• Reduced leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus to the aquatic environment by using digested biomass as a more efficient organic fertilizer.
• Overall reduction of greenhouse gases at approx. 64.000 tons of CO₂ - annually.
• Local employment. Put together it is estimated that the construction will employ 90 people, the operation of the plant 4 people, and the transport to and from the plant 10 people, whereof the main part is employed locally.