AbstractProduction of biogas using bioresources of agricultural origin plays an important role in Europe’s energy transition to sustainability and to a climate-neutral economy. The usage of some substrates like maize has been increasingly denounced in the last years and there is currently an active discussion about future subsidies to biogas producers depending on the substrate used. The aim of this study is to compare and rank different substrates for biogas production considering their economic feasibility, substrate efficiency and environmental aspects. During the research, eight substrates were evaluated: cattle manure, pig manure, poultry manure, straw, wood, maize silage, waste, and sewage sludge. In order to reach the research goal, multi-criteria analysis using TOPSIS methodology was applied to objectively determine which of the substrates considered would be the most suitable for biogas production in Latvia. The results obtained showed that pig manure is the most suitable raw material for biogas production in Latvia, while poultry manure was ranked second, with little difference in value from pig manure.

Latvia, like many other European Member States, faces major challenges in achieving climate goals within the Paris Agreement – emission reduction for 50–55 % by 2030 and net-zero emission economy by 2050. Decarbonization of the energy sector is one of the main aims and sustainable use of biogas is one of the ways to reach these targets. Although the biogas sector in Latvia is now mainly based on the production of electricity and heat in cogeneration plants, often using specially grown energy crops, and payments of the mandatory procurement component have expired, biogas plants are preparing for reconstruction for the production of biomethane with the help of European fund investments. It means that the biogas sector is moving towards a completely different operating model, based primarily on the management of agricultural waste as a feedstock, the conversion of biogas to biomethane and it is used mainly in the transport sector, but its implementation in practical terms faces various challenges. In this context, this article offers a clear vision of the development of the biogas sector in the next decade in Latvia. It uses a sustainability SWOT analysis to clearly reflect the sector’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

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In the light of the Green Deal and its ‘Farm to Fork’ and ‘Biodiversity’ strategies, the EU aims to find new ways to decrease GHG emissions through the EU Carbon Farming initiative stating that farming practices that remove CO2 from the atmosphere should be rewarded in line with the development of new EU business models. The Carbon farming initiative is a new approach and concludes that carbon farming can significantly contribute to climate change mitigation. As European Commission acknowledges that carbon farming is in its infancy and there is a lot to be addressed, in the years towards 2030, result-based carbon farming plots and schemes should be settled by the Member States and local governments; therefore, the existing solutions for reducing emissions through improved farming practices should be defined for each region. The research identifies carbon farming solutions in the agriculture sector – minimal/zero tillage, carbon sequestration in soils, biogas and biomethane production, perennial plant growing, and agroforestry and described.