Description
The typical simple payback for a biogas plant may be about seven years as long as the existing government incentive program is available and biogas energy is produced continuously without interruption except for scheduled regular maintenance. Some experiences in North America show that biogas energy production is often interrupted due to unforeseen maintenance and process related issues. Even though anaerobic digestion is a century-old process, the adaptation of this process successfully on the commercial scale for producing energy is still evolving. Frequent interruptions in the process show that the technology and process related knowledge still have room to improve. Despite these drawbacks, the potential for carbon trading and increased consumer awareness regarding practicing environmentally sound and sustainable agricultural production methods will certainly add to the benefits of continuing to work with this technology.