Ecofys Utrecht is looking for a Master thesis candidate ‘Outlook for green gas in Europe’
for our Unit Bio energy
Background
The production of biogas from fermentation of manure, energy crops and waste streams continues to grow in Europe. In the majority of the almost 6000 biogas plants in Europe the biogas is converted to electricity with an efficiency of around 40%. In the last years, upgrading the biogas to ‘green gas’ (natural gas quality) and injection into a natural gas grid becomes more popular. In addition to green gas from fermentation of biomass, the production of green gas from biomass gasification reaches maturity. Upgrading and injection decouples production and utilization and enables conversion processes with higher efficiencies.
The outlook for the green gas market is determined by a variety of factors, including technical developments,
infrastructural bottlenecks, sustainability issues, certificate systems and subsidy schemes. With an extensive knowledge of biogas production and utilization, Ecofys has an excellent position in the green gas market. To maintain and secure that position for the future, Ecofys is looking for a candidate to map developments and create an up-to-date overview of the European market.
The assignment
The final goal is to get a good understanding of the current and future market for green gas in Europe. Sub goals are:
• An overview of current green gas initiatives;
• Techno-economic evaluation of state-of-the-art biogas upgrading technologies, both for the fermentation and
gasification route;
• Identification of issues and solutions around injection of green gas in the natural gas network (making a
benchmark with current development for the introduction of LNG in natural gas grids, for example in
Rotterdam);
• Identification of bottlenecks in legislation, both national as on European level, including a summary of current
laws on gas grids and possible alternative sources;
• Opportunities for international green gas certificate systems;
• New green gas market prospects: for households, for industry, for transport, etc.
The regional focus will be determined at the start of the assignment. The countries that will be included at least are:
The Netherlands, Germany, the UK and France. European legislation, policies and developments need special attention.
You will execute the assignment from our office in Utrecht. Your supervisor will be a Senior Consultant from Ecofys
Bioenergy unit in the Netherlands. Possible, and in mutual agreement, you can execute part of the assignment in one of our international offices in the UK or Germany. The expected duration of the assignment is 4 to 6 months.
Your profile
If you are enthusiastic about the assignment described above and you meet the following criteria, then we would be happy to meet you!
• Final thesis candidate in relevant academic master (for example: Sustainable Energy Technology, Management
of Technology, Environmental and Energy Management);
• Wide interest in the combination of technology in its social context;
• Available for final thesis project on the short term (start preferably before September 2011)
• Fluent in English and Dutch
• Strong communication skills.
Working for Ecofys
With our deep know-how in energy-efficiency, renewable energy and climate change we develop smart policies and
concepts and bring them to life. We are a pioneer in sustainable energy, energy-efficiency and climate change solutions for sustainable energy projects worldwide. We have over 220 employees in offices in the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom and a worldwide network of specialists.
The bioenergy group is responsible for conducting strategic consultancy and realization of installations in the field of bio energy. Key elements of the bioenergy group are: biomass combustion and co-firing bio fuels (including second generation technology developments), anaerobic digestion, electricity and/or heat generation (CHP) and biomass supply chain sustainability. We service clients in the whole bioenergy project development chain: starting from helping our clients to determine their strategy evolution to support clients in realizing concrete projects.
Working for Ecofys means working together with inspiring colleagues in an informal company culture, with room for own initiative and growth. We offer you an attractive package of secondary employment benefits.
Interested?
For further information, please contact Charlotte de Jong, Human Resource Consultant, by +31 30 662 3969
To apply, send your CV and covering letter with the subject ‘Master thesis candidate ‘Outlook for green gas in Europe’ to the HR-department; jobs@ecofys.com.
