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35 min ago 3 min read
UK-based BiofuelAi has been awarded £1m ($1.3m) for AI-powered technology that could reduce carbon emissions by 293,000 tonnes per year.
The prize money was granted after BiofuelAi won the Manchester Prize – a government award designed to reward breakthroughs in AI for the public good.
The company’s technology is designed to meet challenges associated with the varying feedstocks entering anaerobic digestion facilities and their constantly changing biological conditions.
Because different feedstocks are used, the impact of what goes in may not become visible for long periods after the decision to add it was made.
“Green gas generation is more complex than traditional industrial processes, yet they often operate with far less predictive capability,” explained Professor Michael Short, Chief Technology Officer.
BioFuelAi uses a combination of machine learning and various models and algorithms to create a digital twin of each plant. This accounts for the conditions that make AD uniquely difficult to predict.
“The opportunity was to apply a whole-systems approach and give operators the same quality of decision support that has existed in other process industries for years,” said Short.
It also gives operators constant data on plant performance and predictive recommendations that could support better operational decisions, according to the team.
CEO and co-founder Alan Beesley explained that facilities capable of generating heat and power for thousands of homes are still largely managed through spreadsheets and operator experience.
“The biogas industry remains one of the least data-driven sectors in energy,” he said. “We believed operators deserved better tools.”
There are now over 750 AD facilities operating across the UK, processing around 36 million tonnes of organic waste each year.
Total output amounts to approximately 21 to 24 TWh generated either via combined heat and power units or upgraded to biomethane for direct injection into the national gas grid.
The win could boost Britain’s capacity even further, according to Science Minister Lord Vallance.
“The technology BioFuelAi has built could supercharge our mission to power Britain with clean, affordable energy, helping green energy plants produce even more power and cut carbon emissions,” he said.
Named in honour of the ‘Manchester Baby’, the world’s first stored-programme computer built in 1948, the initiative challenges innovators to develop AI solutions that tackle major societal and environmental issues.
The win will likely go towards BioFuelAi’s plan to onboard new commercial sites and expand partnerships across the UK renewable energy sector.
