RVO Business case local manure fermentation

In 2019, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate commissioned Ecoras to make the concept of manure fermentation accessible to cooperatives in the Netherlands. As a consultancy, Ecoras has carefully researched central manure fermentation and created a computer model that can be used to calculate business models. By learning from this model we can help and support many initiatives.

Centralized manure fermentation involves the fermentation of manure from several farmers at one location. In Denmark, this way of fermentation is already applied and has become a workable principle. An initiative by Jumpstart cooperative (was created to help members obtain funding, permits and subsidies) has already started. Jumpstart’s modus operandi is to realize a manure fermentation plant on the farm. This is financially possible only for the larger farmers. Centralized manure fermentation makes it possible for the remaining smaller farmers to ferment their manure.

In Wijnjewoude, a pioneering initiative was started to develop central manure fermentation in the Netherlands. However, as The Netherlands and Denmark are not exactly the same, much can be learned from Denmark, but other parts will have to be researched on their own.

Wijnjewoude Energieneutraal has recently been working hard on the business case and the financing, in which Ecoras has provided support. This has resulted in the village recently being awarded a 4 million euro subsidy for the ‘Proeftuin Aardgasvrije Wijken’ (pilot project for gas-free neighbourhoods). This will enable Wijnjewoude to turn the plans from the business case into reality, through a combination of green gas from manure fermentation and energy savings in the built environment.

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