The flexigas simulator : a decision support system for biogas chains

Abstract

Biogas produced through co-digestion of biomass can play an important role in our future renewable energy mix. However the optimal design, planning and use of a biogas production chain is a daunting process. When designing a biogas production chain one must take into account the financial aspects, the biomass availability, the energy demand, quantity and location and the needed machinery and infrastructure. Also there are social, legal and environmental factors to take into consideration. In our presentation we introduce a software tool, called The Flexigas Simulator. It links together the geographical, financial, environmental and time dependent factors to determine the viability of converting biomass into biogas, and biogas into other forms of energy. The tool is an interactive system with a multi-touch interface which facilitates the decision making process of various stakeholders. The tool offers an effective and efficient way of running multiple what-if scenarios – by changing some model parameters – in order to optimize the processing chain.