Biomethane in the heating market

The Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWärmeG) came into force at the beginning of 2009 and was adapted to EU legislation in May 2011. According to the EEWärmeG, 14% of heating and cooling requirements (final energy consumption) in Germany are to come from renewable energies by 2020.

Key elements of the law are

• Mandatory use for new buildings
• Mandatory use for existing public buildings
• Exemplary function of public buildings
• Financial support in the form of funding programs
• Targeted promotion of the use of heating networks

Owners of newly constructed buildings are obliged to use a certain proportion of renewable energies for their heat supply or to provide evidence of replacement measures (e.g. CHP use or energy-saving measures). The obligation to use renewable energy for new buildings applies to all owners (private, state, business), although in the public sector, existing buildings are also covered in some cases. All forms of renewable energy can be used, even in combination.

If biogas is used, the obligation is generally deemed to have been met if 30 percent of the building's heating energy requirements are covered by biogas. The biogas must be used in a CHP plant.

If biomethane is used, the requirements set out in the EEG 2012 regarding efficiency and climate protection (methane emissions≤ 0.2 percent, electricity consumption max. 0.5 kWh per Nm3 of raw gas, process heat from renewable energies or waste heat from the processing or feed-in plant) and the requirements for the use of mass balance systems must be met when processing the raw biogas.

The German government currently intends to standardize the legal framework for efficiency requirements and the use of renewable energies in a Building Energy Act.
 

Building owners are obliged to use 65% renewable or unavoidable waste heat when installing a new heating system. Biomass and its derivatives are also an option here (Section 71 (3)). The requirement applies to both space heating and the provision of hot water. However, if space heating and hot water are separate systems, the requirement for hot water is deemed to be met in the case of electrification. Biomass heating systems are exempt from the obligation to be metered from January 1, 2025 (Section 71a (1)). In the case of a connection to the district heating network, the share of renewable heat in the network must also correspond to 65% from January 1, 2024. If construction of the grid begins before 1 January 2024 and the share of renewable energy in the grid is less than 65%, the grid operator must submit a transformation plan with the intention of achieving 50% renewable heat and unavoidable waste heat by 2030 and full carbonization by the end of 2044 (Section 71b).
 

Requirements for biomass

• A maximum of 40 % cereal grain or maize may be used.

Requirements for biomethane

• Methane emissions must not exceed 0.2% during gas processing.
• Electricity consumption per Nm³ must not exceed 0.5 kWh.
• Provision of process heat for the processing and production of landfill gas, sewage gas or biogas from renewable energies, mine gas or from the waste heat of the gas processing or feed-in plant without the use of additional fossil energy
• Recording in a mass balance system

Requirements for biogenic liquefied gas

• Capture in a mass balance system

Requirements for hydrogen

• Building owners are obliged to use 65% renewable or unavoidable heat when installing a new heating system. Green and blue hydrogen and its derivatives are also an option here (Section 71 (3)). 
   

Requirements for gaseous and liquid hydrogen

Recording in a mass balance system

The GEG is currently being revised and is about to be passed. This will fundamentally change the regulations on changing heating systems and the use of gaseous energy sources. Biomethane can therefore continue to be used in gas heating systems. Gas heating systems may be put into operation for the first time if they are operated with renewable gases such as biomethane or hydrogen. The GEG contains various regulations for new and existing buildings, which depend in particular on the existence of a municipal heating plan.

Status June 2023