The Regulatory Framework in Urban Biogas Plants to Define New Steps for a Common Development of Regulatory Guidelines in EU Member States

The importance of renewable energy exploitation is a main topic in European Union since the 2001/77/CE Directive publication, reaffirmed with the Directive 2009/28/CE on promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. Among the renewable energy sources, biogas is getting its space. Indeed Community has underlined the biogas role in 2006/208/CE Regulation, through the Community Resolution on biogas of 12 March 2008, and finally with the European Directive 2009/28 which restates the importance of biogas as renewable source for environmental advantages in terms of heat and power production. Especially the biogas urban nature concerns other European rules as the waste directive 2008/98/CE. Despite European guidelines, national independent receptions have generated several biogas regulations which have created different countries conditions to the biogas plants development. Nowadays few studies on European biogas regulatory are available. Authorizations, waste chain management, public incentives, emissions limits have been programmed and developed differently State by State, producing an irregular biogas diffusion in European Community.