Polish Institute for Renewable Energy Showcases U.S. as a Leader in the Biogas Industry

10 March 2010

Kim Valdes-Dapena, Franz Kirchmeyer,and Karol Malek

U.S. Embassy Economic Officer Kimberly Valdes-Dapena presented on U.S. policy and current biogas projects active in the United States at the second International Biogas Seminar on March 4, hosted by the Polish Institute of Renewable Energy, IEO (Instytut Energetyki Odnawialnej) in Warsaw.  She highlighted the Methane to Markets program, an existing international public-private forum for biogas project development and technology sharing, of which Poland is a member.  The organizers and participants of the conference view the U.S. as a leader in the biogas industry, due to both state and federal policies and incentive programs.  Franz Kirchmeyer of the European Biogas Association outlined the challenges that the European industry faces, but noted that the agricultural sector in Poland is a niche opportunity for growth.  Polish experts will visit methane capture sites in the U.S. in April to assist them in developing best practices guidelines for Poland.