Biogas: Introduction by Anne-Lorène VERNAY

Thanks for joining us again in our MOOC “New Energy Technologies”. My name is Anne-Lorène Vernay, Postdoc at Grenoble Ecole de Management. And I am very happy to introduce the topic of this week which is biogas. Just a few years back, I wrote a PhD thesis about how we can close local cycles of material and energy. Biogas played a central role there because it is what I called a systemic energy carrier. As you will see during this module, it can be produced from various sources and have multiple types of usage. This makes it a very flexible form of renewable energy and I think it will play an important role in greening our energy mix.

With this new topic you will meet new experts and learn about this technology and the market issues.

More precisely, at the end of this week: - you will know what biomass energy is; - understand what anaerobic digestion is and what is meant by methanisation; - you will know what the different usages or applications of biogas are; - have an overview of the biogas market in France and in Europe; - you will know who the main actors are on this market; and - finally, you will know what are the ongoing innovation projects in this field. Six of our experts have worked on these questions.

So you will have the opportunity to meet: - Mathieu LEFEBVRE, CEO of Waga Energy; - René MOLETTA who retired from the National Institute of Agronomical Research and who is now chairman of “Moletta méthanisation”; - Lucille CADIC, a biogas product manager from Air Liquide Advanced Technologies; - Delphine GARNAUD, a biogas business developer also from Air Liquide Advanced Technologies; - Valérie BORRONI, a project manager in Rhônalpénergie-Environnement; and - Ingrid MILCENT, who is in charge of Innovation & Partnerships and International Relations within the Tenerrdis Energy Cluster. Have fun!