WHAT HYDROGEN CAN BRING TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT: REVIEW AND RESULTS OF ENTREPRENEURS SURVEY IN LATVIA

Biogas is an energy carrier (methane, hydrogen) produced by the fermentation of organic waste in an anaerobic digestion process and can be burned in a cogeneration plant to produce heat and electricity. Price of electricity from the grid, as well as price of fossil natural gas have been increasing recently, and farms are considering new scenarios for the economic use of produced biogas. As a possible scenario, it is desirable to consider incorporation of hydrogen that can be used for energy storage; fuel for farm electric transport and as renewable resource for the decarbonisation of agricultural processes. Researchers worldwide are working on the development of efficient microbial technologies to upgrade biogas by removing CO₂ with hydrogenotrophic methanogens and using external green hydrogen as electron donor. Selected case situations are analysed – renewable energy and hydrogen in the winery, hydrogen fuelled farm in future. The purpose of this article is to inform farmers through a survey about hydrogen as a local resource for energy management in farm. The article continues analyses of survey results, collected in 2021 with the aim to gather information and opinions from biogas producers in Latvia. Majority of producers is considering technology upgrades and confirm interest to follow achievements from scientific findings, but not so many cooperate with local scientists. Therefore, more proactive communication from research institutions and information availability is highly recommended by authors.