Waste to Energy technologies market is expected to have substantial growth during the forecasting period. With the increasing rate of waste generated per capita, pollution and CO2 emissions, many countries around the world are giving emphasis on reducing carbon emission. Using non-renewable sources such as municipal solid waste (MSW) to generate energy can help to stabilize the increasing carbon footprint. MSW is one of the waste forms that are mostly generated across the globe, and nearly 2 billion tonnes of this waste is generated annually. Waste to Energy technologies implies a set of technologies that treat MSW to extract energy in the form of heat and electricity. Uses of the technologies also help to obtain biogas as an alternate form of fuel. The factors driving the market include supportive government initiatives and efforts to reduce dumps and open burning of waste in both developed and emerging economies across the globe. However, the high capital and operation cost of WtE plants and the requirement of skilled staff to operate and to maintain the sophisticated technologies can act as a restraint to the market to grow in the future.

  • Waste generation is overgrowing with an increase in population. It is expected to have around 3.4 billion tonnes of waste by 2050. The direct relation between population and income level is expected to increase the waste volume. Moreover, daily per capita waste generation in developed and emerging economies is expected to increase more by 40%. Stabilization for future waste would increase the waste to energy technology in the coming years.
  • Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is one of the major waste to energy technology. During the year 2018, the technology nearly covered more than 40% of the total waste to energy installations around the globe.
  • Europe is one of the prominent regions to have waste to energy technology. During 2018, waste to energy plants in Europe can supply nearly 18 million inhabitants with electricity and 15 million inhabitants with heat.



Key Market Trends

Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) as a Prominent Technology

  • During the MSWI process, waste materials are burned inside a specific chamber by raising the temperature to around 850-1450 degrees celsius and adding oxygen to have a combustion reaction. A minimum calorific value of the waste is required for self-combustion of the trash.
  • During the process, exhaust gases called flue gases are created, which is cleaned up before exiting from the facility. This flue gas contains the heat energy that is utilized to generate electricity or for heating purposes.
  • The operation of MSWI is more complex than the operation of a sanitary landfill. It requires well developed technical and management skills to set and adjust the parameter for the effective operation of the plant.
  • During 2018, more than 2400 incineration plants are operating across the world. Annually the plants treat nearly 360 million tonnes of waste, and it is estimated to have almost 70 new plants per year until 2027.



Europe as a Significant Market

  • Europe is one of the prominent regions to have developed itself in waste to energy technology. During 2018, the area has more than 500 plants, with the maximum of the plants getting used for heating purposes.
  • On account of having colder weather, Sweden and Denmark have several combined heat and power (CHP) WtE plants like Aros, Vartan, Herning, etc. that generate more than 100 kilowatt electricity (kWe) of energy.
  • Europe is estimated to have nearly 330 waste to energy plants in the coming years, with a capacity of around 50 million tonnes annually. The addition of plants is expected to control the rising volume of waste in the region.
  • During 2019, European Commission has approved EUR 94 million for the construction and operation of a waste-to-energy cogeneration plant in Bulgaria. The plant is expected to have a recycling capacity of nearly 180,000 tonnes municipal waste and is expected to generate around 55 megawatt of heat and 19 megawatt of electricity.



Competitive Landscape

The waste to energy technologies market is moderately fragmented. The key owners/operators in the market include Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises Inc, Ramboll Group, Veolia, Babcock & Wilcox Volund A/S, Hitachi Zosen Inova AG, and Suez Environnement among others.

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