Norvento will expand its self-consumption business for the the agricultural sector with wind power and biogas plants

• The nED 100 wind turbine, developed by Norvento, is designed for medium industrial consumption. It has been very well received on farms in the UK, where the company has already installed 23 wind turbines since 2014 and expects to install 500 in ten years.

• Bioplant biogas plants, also by Norvento, allow for the management of organic waste and are modular and adaptable to the needs of each client.

Norvento, a Spanish renewable technology company with comprehensive capabilities, has focused on wind energy and biofuels (biomass and biogas) for its expansion strategy in the agricultural sector, both in Spain and in international markets.

Their activities cover manufacturing technology, design, promotion, building, and operation of centrally generated renewable energy facilities (mainly wind farms), generation for distributed generation for industry, and ad hoc energy engineering solutions for customers.

Norvento aims for helping small and medium-sized livestock and agricultural farms to incorporate renewable energy production systems that are more efficient in economic terms and sustainable in the medium and long term. To that effect, the company has developed a wind turbine, called nED, and a biogas plant model for distributed energy generation. These can be used both in off-grid facilities (disconnected from the electricity grid) and connected to the grid. The wind turbine makes it possible to generate part of the electricity required by the processes of an agricultural facility on site, while biogas plants can provide heat as well as electricity.

Distributed energy generation, also known as industrial self-consumption, saves energy costs and at the same time contributes to environmental sustainability. Distributed generation is especially useful for the agricultural sector, as farms and livestock farms are sometimes located in isolated places with difficult access to the grid. 

nED wind turbines: a great start-up success in the agricultural sector of the United Kingdom

To make the most out of wind power, Norvento has developed the nED 100 wind turbine for medium industrial consumption, and whose characteristics make it particularly suitable for agricultural and livestock environments. This 100 kW wind turbine has been designed and developed to achieve maximum aerodynamic capture. nEd 100 achieves an annual energy production of between 200 and 400 MWh depending on wind conditions. In addition, it adapts to different wind regimes, which increases its mechanical and electrical efficiency. Its mechanism does not need any type of fluid for lubrication or cooling, which reduces its maintenance to a single visit per year. It can be monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year through a complete Smartphone application that includes all the data in real time.

Since 2014, Norvento has installed 23 units of this wind turbine in the United Kingdom, mainly in livestock cooperatives. Their experience in this environment has been very positive and expectations are for growth, as the company plans to install 500 units over the next 10 years. 

But wind energy is not the only natural resource that can help save costs and produce clean energy in the rural environment; biogas is another natural fuel that can be harnessed. 

Bioplant: tailor-made biogas plant for agricultural and livestock farms

The agricultural and livestock industry generates a high load of organic waste, so its use can be of great economic value to the sector. To this end, Norvento has designed Bioplant, a biogas plant that allows farms to manage organic waste by converting it into renewable gas, energy or both. Moreover, Norvento’s biogas plants are modular, so they can be adapted to each customer’s needs and existing infrastructure.

Biogas production is based on three phases. First, the waste is stored and undergoes specific pre-treatment. Then, it passes to the digester, where, thanks to the anaerobic digestion process, biogas is produced and stored in the gasometer. The biogas is then refined and sent to the boiler (for heat generation) or to the cogeneration engine (for power generation). Just like the nED wind turbine, Bioplant can be monitored in real time from a smartphone. The plants reach nominal outputs of between 50 and 150 kW of electricity, or alternatively, between 200 and 600 kW of heat output.

Biogas has multiple energy, environmental and economic benefits. In terms of energy, it is a versatile fuel (it can generate electricity, heat or both, as needed), stable, with high availability (up to 8,000 hours per year), and efficient, thanks to its high thermal efficiency. In terms of economic benefits, it not only leads to a reduction in energy costs, but can also provide additional income through sales to third parties or the commercialisation of heat, for example. Additionally, it is an environmentally friendly process that avoids contamination of aquifers and soil (as less fertiliser is used), reduces pathogens thanks to the processing of organic waste and also reduces methane emissions from the natural decomposition of organic matter. 

Manuel Pinilla, Sales Manager at Norvento, stressed that “industrial self-consumption is an unstoppable trend worldwide. Estimates suggest that around 530 GW of distributed generation will be installed by 2024. It is clear that we are heading towards a decarbonised and circular energy model in which renewable energies will play a preponderant role. Norvento is at the forefront of these technologies by putting products and services on the market that enable industries to join the new production, management, and energy consumption models.”

About Norvento

Norventois a Spanish renewable technologies company with a comprehensive capacity for action. Based in Lugo (Galicia), the company is 100% Spanish-owned and has been operating in the market for more than 35 years. The activities of Norvento cover manufacturing technology, design, promotion, building, and operation of centralised generated renewable energy facilities (mainly wind farms), generation for distributed generation for industry, and ad hoc energy engineering solutions for customers.

With an active presence in five international markets (the United Kingdom, Brazil, the United States, Poland and Italy), Norvento currently has 110 MW in operation in Spain and a pipeline of 597 MW at different stages of development.