Italy: employees in the production of biogas from waste 2007-2030
Biogas from waste
Biogas is a gas that is obtained from waste through a process of anaerobic digestion. The latter refer to the action carried out by bacteria on organic matter, having as outcome the production of gas. Between 2013 and 2017, the number of biogas plants in Italy more than quadrupled. In 2017, there were 265 plants in the country. As a result, the biogas capacity peaked in 2016 and 2017 at 1,352 megawatts.
Waste-to-energy
The generation of biogas is an example of waste-to-energy cycle, in other words a process through which the disposal of waste gives as outcome the production of an energy source. In Italy, the gross energy production from biomass and waste reached 19,282 gigawatt hours in 2017.