Industries · Energy and environment

Bookkeeping for biogas and bioenergy

A biogas plant has few but large cash flows and many settlements from third parties. We post them so that every month you can see what electricity and heat actually bring in and what substrate actually costs.

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For operators of biogas plants and bioenergy companies, digitally and based in Hamburg

Month-end close for a biogas plantExample

Electricity revenue, direct marketerSeptember billing, volume reconciled

reconciled

Grid operatorAugust credit still pending

1 open

Heat supply3 customers, meter readings recorded

3 invoices

SubstrateManure and corn from 4 suppliers

12 receipts

CHP plant maintenanceService report and invoice matched

allocated

Example of a monthly overview. You can see pending credit notes in the client portal until they arrive.

Energy and environment:Biogas and bioenergyAll industries in the field of

Your industry

What sets your industry apart

Most of the revenue does not come from the company’s own invoices, but from settlements from the grid operator and, in the case of direct marketing, from the direct marketer. Added to this are credit notes, advance payments, and adjustments, which often arrive months later. Anyone who relies solely on bank statements to record these transactions will lose track of which quantities belong to which month.

Many facilities are operated by farmers or source liquid manure, solid manure, and energy crops from affiliated operations. These deliveries and the corresponding payments must be clearly separated and accounted for in a traceable manner so that no one has to ask later which operation covered which costs.

The facility itself is a major fixed asset consisting of engines, digesters, gas storage tanks, and equipment that is replaced at different times. Repairs, maintenance contracts, and replacement investments must therefore be accurately allocated. On top of that, there are subsidies and loans from development banks.

Heat is often supplied to neighbors, municipalities, or the company’s own operations, while some electricity is consumed on site. Each of these supplies has its own billing and may be subject to different tax treatment. The tax advisor handles this assessment; we ensure that the relevant quantities and amounts are fully available.

The remuneration also depends on reports and records, such as registration in the market master data registry, meter readings, and the input material log. If these are missing or submitted late, the grid operator may reduce or reclaim payments. As the operator, you are responsible for fulfilling these obligations, with support from a tax advisor or specialist consultants. However, we can spot early on in the billing statements if a month’s remuneration is unusually low and follow up before it results in a shortfall in the annual financial statements.

Attention to detail

What we pay attention to

Revenue from electricity: statements from grid operators and direct marketers are allocated to the correct month, and advance payments and final invoices are reconciled
Heat supplies: your own outgoing invoices to customers, with meter readings and prices clearly documented
Substrate: purchases of liquid manure, solid manure, and energy crops broken down by supplier, even for affiliated businesses
Fixed assets: new equipment components, engine replacements, and major repairs recorded separately
Maintenance and service: ongoing contracts, oil changes, analyses, and expert reports are treated as separate cost elements
Subsidies and loans: grants, principal payments, and interest clearly separated
Insurance, leases, and permits: recurring payments are recorded in full and on an accrual basis
Open items: outstanding credit notes and back payments from the grid operator kept in view
Liquidity: large one-time payments such as substrate at harvest time, insurance, and engine overhauls are visible early

Price

What it costs

Ongoing bookkeeping and payroll at a price on request. You’ll receive your quote after completing a short questionnaire. All prices are net, plus VAT.

Receipts

Which receipts we need

Statements and credit notes from the grid operator
Monthly statements from the direct marketer
Invoices for substrate, transportation, and application
Maintenance and service reports with invoices
Heat meter readings and outgoing invoices to heat customers
Bank statements, loan statements, and grant notifications

You can upload statements to the client portal or forward them via email; many grid operators and direct marketers send them as PDFs anyway. You also upload bank statements to the client portal.

Start

How we get started

To get started, we need the contracts with the grid operator and direct marketer, the heat supply contracts, the tax advisor’s fixed asset register, and the loan agreements. Using these, we set up accounts and open items so that each statement has its place. The tax advisor posts the opening balances from the most recent financial statements; we reconcile the open items and loans with these figures. If the fiscal year is already underway, we take over the entries made so far by your previous bookkeeper or catch up on the missing months.

With your tax advisor

We post the entries; the tax advisor decides the tax treatment

We set up the chart of accounts, record ongoing business transactions, run payroll, and prepare wage tax returns. Every month, we reconcile the accounts and pass the figures on to your tax advisor.

You hire the tax advisor directly, with your own contract and billing arrangement. If you don’t have one yet, we can put you in touch with our partner tax advisor, with whom we work closely.

Decisions on tax treatment are the tax advisor’s responsibility. We post entries so that they’re ready for the tax advisor to work with immediately.

How we work with tax advisors

The tax advisor handles the following on your behalf

Determining whether your activities fall under agriculture and forestry or under commercial activities
VAT and electricity tax on supplies and self-consumption
Annual financial statements including depreciation and provisions
Tax returns for the operating company
Structuring investments and new companies

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Do you also keep the books for plants owned by a farm?

Yes. We keep the books for the operating company and clearly separate deliveries between affiliated businesses. The tax advisor determines whether the activity is classified as agricultural or commercial.

How do you handle late statements from the grid operator?

We track outstanding statements as open items and allocate credit notes and additional payments to the correct month as soon as they arrive. This keeps the month-end close reliable.

Do you handle the depreciation of the plant?

We record acquisitions, replacement investments, and repairs so that the tax advisor can accurately track depreciation and maintain the fixed asset register in the annual financial statements.

Do you work with our current tax advisor?

Yes. We provide them with the accounting records in DATEV format. If you don’t have one, we’ll recommend a tax advisor we work with.

Do you also come out to our plant for the bookkeeping?

That is not necessary for the bookkeeping, which runs digitally through the client portal. As the operator, you record meter readings and evidence, and we record entries based on your documents. In Hamburg and the surrounding area, we’re happy to come by for setup and meetings.

We operate multiple facilities through different companies. Is that possible?

Yes. Each company gets its own set of books. We account for goods and services between the companies with a clear audit trail and reconcile them with one another.

Contact

Let’s talk about your bookkeeping.

During our initial consultation, we’ll determine what your business needs. Afterward, you’ll receive a binding quote via email.