AUTUMN 2025 DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 33
EV & EV CHARGING
Grid-ee green energy: How
off-grid biogas technology is
set to power the EV revolution
By Gilles Mayer, Director of Public Affairs, International Development & Corporate Communication, Bennamann
With less than 25 years for the
UK to hit its net zero target, two
seemingly separate challenges
have emerged: managing
agricultural waste effectively and
building suf昀椀cient EV charging
infrastructure. Bennamann, a
British biomethane innovator,
has developed a solution that
tackles both issues simultaneously
through an integrated approach
combining on-site biogas
upgrading with mobile, off-grid
electric vehicle charging. For local
authorities seeking scalable, lowcarbon charging infrastructure
and for policymakers driving rural
decarbonisation, this homegrown
technology offers a deployable
solution that bridges two of the
UK’s toughest environmental
challenges.
Turning waste into
transportable fuel
At the heart of Bennamann’s
approach is its biogas upgrader
technology, which transforms
anaerobic digestion (AD)
plants (facilities that break
down organic waste such as
food and agricultural waste to
produce biogas) into 昀氀exible
energy producers. The system
upgrades biogas on-site into
bio-compressed natural gas
(bio-CNG), creating a high-quality,
transportable fuel from agricultural
waste.
The company delivers this
through a system comprising a
biogas upgrader with integrated
compressor, bio-CNG gas storage
in transportable bundles and
fuelling stations for vehicles. The
environmental credentials are
particularly compelling. When
the biogas source is agricultural
manure, stored in slurry pits
on farms, the resulting fuel can
achieve carbon-neutral status.
And at a time when agriculture
is often seen as the enemy of
environmental progress, it is
an opportunity where farming
becomes part of the solution
on the road to net zero. Despite
its potential, in the UK only
around 3% of livestock manure is
currently processed via anaerobic
digestion (IEA Bioenergy Task
37), underscoring the untapped
capacity of biomethane and the
opportunity to draw on a wider
range of organic waste streams
for digesters.
Mobile charging: Grid-free
and 昀氀exible
Building on this biogas platform,
Bennamann is creating mobile
EV chargers powered by bioCNG bundles, with commercial
availability planned for 2026.
These off-grid charging units
represent a signi昀椀cant departure
from conventional infrastructure
approaches, offering deployment
in 24 hours rather than the
months or even years required for
grid connections.
The chargers occupy roughly
one parking space and can
simultaneously charge one to four
vehicles using AC connectors.
Powered by the same bio-CNG
bundles produced at AD plants,
each unit offers complete mobility,
昀椀tting on the back of a lorry and
therefore able to be relocated as
operational needs change.
For local authorities, this
昀氀exibility solves a persistent
challenge. Local authorities can
test charging locations and gauge
demand before committing
to expensive permanent
infrastructure. As well as this, the
units can be deployed temporarily
for events, moved to areas with
urgent 昀氀eet charging needs or
rotated through residential areas
to assess usage patterns. This
approach effectively de-risks
infrastructure investment whilst
accelerating EV adoption.
Public sector and industry
applications
The construction sector presents
particularly strong use cases
in rural areas. With increasing
requirements for silent, lowemission equipment in urban
environments, bio-CNG powered
charging offers a practical
alternative to diesel and HVO
generators. Construction sites can
access clean power for electric
machinery without depending on
grid availability, even in remote
locations.
Not only this but businesses
with large vehicle 昀氀eets can
bene昀椀t from the technology’s
scalability. Company depots can
adjust charging capacity as their
vehicle 昀氀eet composition changes,
without the constraints of 昀椀xed
grid connections. Meanwhile,
farms and AD plant operators gain
on-site charging for emerging
electric agricultural equipment,
from autonomous robots to the
next generation of electric tractors.
The technology also creates a
new economic model. Farmers
operating AD plants can generate
additional income by supplying
bio-CNG to local charging
infrastructure, whilst producing
fuel at costs below the heavily
subsidised red diesel (with red
diesel currently trading at around
70 pence per litre after tax). And
as the market price for white
diesel is currently around £1 per
litre, on-farm bio-CNG production
offers compelling economics for
many industries, not withstanding
its environmental bene昀椀ts.
Supporting national
decarbonisation
Beyond individual applications,
Bennamann’s integrated approach
addresses broader infrastructure
challenges. By providing charging
capacity independent of grid
connections, the technology
reduces pressure on electricity
network expansion, avoiding
both the extended timelines and
substantial costs associated
with upgrading distribution
infrastructure and access to the
grid.
The carbon credentials
outperform conventional
alternatives. Bio-CNG from waste
sources delivers much cleaner
electricity than the grid average
and surpasses hydrogen in
lifecycle emissions. By directly
addressing methane emissions
from agricultural waste, the
technology supports the Global
Methane Pledge, to which the UK
committed alongside other world
leaders at COP26 in Glasgow in
2021, whilst creating a circular
energy model: waste from farms
powers vehicles and equipment
that may ultimately serve those
same farms.
Bennamann began commercial
deployment of biogas upgraders
for AD plants in summer 2025.
The EV charging units are
currently undergoing validation
testing ahead of their 2026
commercial launch. By integrating
waste management and transport
decarbonisation into one circular
system, Bennamann’s technology
provides local authorities and
government agencies with a
cost-effective route to accelerate
net zero, deployable now, without
waiting for costly grid upgrades.
For more information about
Bennamann’s biogas upgrading
and mobile EV charging solutions,
visit www.bennamann.com
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL AUTUMN 2025
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