INTERVIEW WITH MINI GREEN POWER

Created in 2014, Mini Green Power has developed a staged combustion technology able to transform solid waste into low-carbon energy at the local level. It enables its clients (local authorities or industry) to gain energy autonomy, reduce their environmental footprint and better control the associated costs. 

This technology is based on the implementation of mini green power plants and dryers, autonomous and remotely controllable. They are installed as close as possible to the needs of the customers, in a short circuit logic. Thanks to its small-scale plants, MGP supplies its customers with pure heat or electricity and heat in cogeneration. 

Easy Engineering: What are the company’s main areas of activity?

Mini Green Power: The company offers both a solution to convert a wide range of landfill waste into low-carbon energy, and a solution to enable customers to become energy self-sufficient, at a competitive and contained price, independent of fossil fuels. 

MGP is also developing dryers designed to recover waste, with a moisture content of over 55% (algae, sludge, etc.).

E.E: What is the news about new products?

Mini Green Power: Our R&D studies have shown that the staged combustion of Mini Green Power plants allows the production of biochar when waste is converted into low carbon energy. 

Biochar is the best way to sequester CO2. Used in animal feed to reduce the production of methane from herds, as a fertiliser for soils or in the manufacture of cement or concrete, it is valued between €400 and €200 per ton depending on its quality. That significantly reduces the cost of the energy produced through the recovery of waste.

Deployed on a global scale, biochar would make it possible to avoid 1 to 2 billion tons of CO2/year, and 15 to 20% of the CO2 sequestration needs sought to limit warming to 1.5°C! 

An ecological and economical solution that is not very developed in France, but very promising!

E.E: What are the ranges of products?

Mini Green Power: MGP develops small green power plants with a range of thermal power from 0.5 to 10MW th and electrical power from 200kw to 1.5MWel. This range of power allows waste to be sourced in a short circuit, in the immediate vicinity of the customer. 

E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active ?

Mini Green Power: Environmental issues, changing legislation, the significant increase in the cost of energy and the treatment of non-recycled waste are making the transition to renewable energy increasingly relevant for industry and local authorities. The market is therefore growing and will continue to do so. The mini Green power plants are offering an effective solution to the energy and environmental crisis we are facing in the long term.

Since a year, we were applied for energy needs (heat sales, electricity sales or plant sales) or for dryers.

We have sold several studies since last December. The commercial process is a bit long due to the investment involved, but it should lead to power plant projects within a few weeks. 

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?

Mini Green Power: Solutions that offer an alternative to fossil fuels, which are becoming increasingly rare and expensive, have no choice but to continue to develop in order to meet the planet’s needs. All solutions will have their place. Mini green power plants are already a ready-to-use solution, one step ahead of what is available on the market.

E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?

Mini Green Power: MGP has designed the only automated biomass power plant that consumes biomass waste of varying quality (green waste, agricultural waste, wood / RDF (Refused Derived Fuel)). This is achieved through:

  • Extensive automation of our mini green power plants with a control system that was developed by our teams 
  • Wide range of input waste: our technology accepts up to 55% moisture and a particle size of up to 100mm 
  • The MGP proposal is the only competitive proposal on the market in the RDF range for the power range of 0.5 to 10MW. 

We have built and installed 4 plants in France and Europe: Wales, Sicily, Brittany and a demonstrator in Hyères. 

MGP is also one of the first companies to offer solutions combining renewable energy and biochar (carbon sequestration).

E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?

Mini Green Power: MGP hopes to quickly launch a fleet of power plants and become one of the first Unicorns of green energy production in France.

We plan to launch 3 energy sales contracts in 2023, and then continue to grow to a fleet of around 20 machines by 2030.

We want to deploy a fleet of power plants that we will finance through project companies. The energy customer will not need to invest in the plant, but will have direct access to the energy without financing the project. We will integrate external investors on each project to finance each project independently. The profitability of the project companies will be boosted by their eligibility for the carbon credit market and by the production of biochar.

Mini Green Power wants to position itself in the booming biochar market. MGP combustion technology is already capable of producing biochar.