Fredericton’s ANESSA is tackling sustainability issues in the waste management space with an innovative suite of products that optimize the use of organic and agricultural waste, converting methane that would contribute to greenhouse gas emissions into renewable natural gas (RNG) and renewable electricity.

Co-founder & CEO Amir Akbari says companies can leverage ANESSA’s products for their biogas project’s entire lifecycle. “First, we help them identify the best opportunities and de-risk their feasibility studies. From there, ANESSA helps with feedstock planning and real-time monitoring of fully functioning biogas plants,” he says. “Our AI-driven suite enables clients to continuously model, optimize, and monitor plant performance using predictive and reactive analytical models. Our proprietary software covers everything from the technical to the financial to the environmental side of these projects.” (Get a more complete product overview here.)

New Brunswick Solutions for Global Clients

Akbari says ANESSA is serving clients in the US and Canada, but the biogas sector is still less mature in North America when compared to European jurisdictions. Earlier this year, Gaz Réseau Distribution France (GRDF), the country’s leading natural gas distribution company, recognized ANESSA as a winning AI solution in its Call for Projects initiative. “GRDF has approximately 500 biogas plants connected to their network. ANESSA was one of two companies from around the world selected to work with them on optimizing their feedstocks and anaerobic digestion,” says Akbari. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with them on optimizing these plants, helping them produce more gas from the same amount of waste material. I hope that this project can serve as a model for similar projects in North America. Many energy companies and utilities on this side of the ocean are not yet as tapped into biogas projects as their European counterparts in terms of RNG/biogas utilization, but we’re moving in the right direction. Énergir Quebec, Quebec’s largest natural gas distribution company, announced last year that new connections will be supplied with RNG rather than traditional natural gas. Our local energy company, Irving Oil announced their first RNG project last year.”

Policy is Key

For many of ANESSA’s clients, biogas is a natural fit; large animal farms, fish or other food processing companies are prime examples. Akbari says policy changes are slowly helping companies in different sectors find their way towards sustainable energy solutions. “In Canada, for example, we have the federal Output-Based Pricing System (OBPS) and Clean Fuel Regulations, which incentivize emitters to reduce their carbon footprints. One pathway for these companies to ensure they’re in line with these obligations is RNG and biogas. Sustainability-focused policies have a big role to play.”

He also points to the US government’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program which calls for increased adoption of renewable fuels like biofuels, and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) aimed at decreasing the carbon intensity of the state’s transportation fuel pool.

He says ANESSA would like increased support for RNG and biogas in Canada, mirroring the strong support for other renewables like hydrogen and carbon capture technology. “Policy changes make all the difference; that’s why we are recruiting for an Environmental Policy Specialist,” he says. “Someone to keep updated on regulations and policy changes in Canada and abroad. We must stay on top of policies and regulations, so we can incorporate them into our assessments and product updates. Governments change; we need to stay agile and change with them.”

He says many potential customers have previously investigated biogas projects and were not sold on their utility, but times have rapidly changed. “We’ve talked to farmers that say they’ve looked at solutions like biogas, and it wouldn’t work. And that’s fair, it didn’t work 10 years ago, but times have changed, and technologies, policies, and incentives have changed with them. There are so many investors here, in the US, and in Europe that want to invest more money into these types of projects and assets. In most cases, it’s about educating the public and stakeholders on the benefits of these projects.”

Learn more at https://ANESSA.com/solutions.

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New Brunswick-based businesses beginning their sustainability journey can connect with ONB. Our team is ready to help.