Alexandra Arndt
By Lidija Zelić
Serbian Biogas Association
When you work in a sector long enough, you begin to believe you know it well.
You know the market. You understand the technology. You know who the key players are, what the biggest challenges look like, and why some things change more slowly than we would like.
After years spent in the biogas sector, I had come to believe that I understood it remarkably well. There seemed to be little left that could genuinely change the way I looked at the industry.
And then I started exploring the story behind We Are Biogas.
What I expected was a story about communication, sector visibility, and the role of media in the energy transition. What I found instead was something far more interesting – an opportunity to see the sector I belong to from a completely different perspective.
Not through plants, investments, regulations, and markets that we discuss every day.
But through people. Through their stories, doubts, perseverance, small victories, and their sense of belonging to a community that extends far beyond the borders of individual countries, companies, and projects.
That is precisely why the story of We Are Biogas fascinated me so much. Not because it talks about biogas as a technology, but because it talks about the people who are building it. As I explored the platform and learned more about the vision behind it, I found myself increasingly captivated by the fact that people from completely different parts of the world could recognise themselves as part of the same community through the stories shared there.
More Than a Platform
It may be that the answer lies in the unique perspective from which the founder of We Are Biogas, Alexandra Arndt, first encountered our sector.
Coming from a background in marketing and communications, she spent years helping organisations tell their stories more effectively. When she first encountered the biogas sector, she was, as she puts it, “genuinely struck by two things simultaneously: how much was happening, technically, commercially, and politically, and how little of it was reaching the outside world in a way that felt human or accessible.”
In her view, the sector was full of “incredible engineers, visionary developers, dedicated farmers, and passionate advocates,” yet much of the communication remained either too technical for a broader audience or too dry to inspire people who were still on the fence about the industry.
That gap felt, in her words, both like an opportunity and a responsibility.
She wanted to bring the energy, enthusiasm, and conviction she encountered in conversations across the sector to a much wider audience. And so, We Are Biogas was born.
“I wanted to build something that put people at the centre of the story, not just the technology or the policy frameworks,” Alexandra explains.
Yet what makes the platform truly unique is not only the way it tells stories, but the way it builds community.
Very early on, Alexandra noticed that some of the most valuable knowledge in the sector was rarely found in reports, presentations, or technical analyses. Instead, it lived in conversations – at conferences, on project sites, and over dinner after long days of meetings.
As she observed, “The developer in Serbia, the project manager in California, and the policy advisor in Brussels were all grappling with similar challenges, but they weren’t necessarily talking to each other.”
That realisation inspired her vision for We Are Biogas as a bridge between people and experiences.
In many ways, that vision is reflected in her own words:
“I wanted We Are Biogas to become the bridge for that, a place where someone could hear directly from a practitioner on the ground in an emerging market, or understand the human story behind a landmark project, or simply feel that they were part of something bigger than their own corner of the industry.”
At its core, the platform was never intended to be just another source of information. It was designed to help people feel connected to a wider community and to the shared story of a sector that is still being built.
The platform’s greatest value lies not in the number of interviews it publishes, the news it shares, or the content it creates, but in the feeling that you are part of something larger than yourself.
A community where people can learn from one another, share their experiences, and realise they are not alone in the challenges they face.
“Community, for me, isn’t just a buzzword. It means people feeling seen, heard, and connected to a shared purpose.”
Maybe that is why, when reading stories from people on different continents, we often come away with the feeling that we are far more alike than we imagine. We celebrate similar successes, face similar obstacles, and despite operating in different markets and circumstances, we are all helping to build the same story.
That may be the most beautiful realisation this platform offers – in a global, young, and rapidly growing sector, nobody is truly building alone.
Stories That Change the Sector
As I spoke with Alexandra, it became increasingly clear that, for her, stories have never been merely a communication tool. They are a catalyst for change.
We often assume that markets are built through investments, regulations, and technology. And of course, without them, development would not be possible.
But no market emerges solely because of investments, legislation, or technology.
People first need to believe that something is possible.
They need to see that someone else has already succeeded. That a project is not just an idea on paper, but a real plant, a real farm, and a real community benefiting from it.
That is precisely where stories become so powerful. They transform possibility into something tangible. They turn an idea into something that already exists in practice, something people can understand, relate to, and believe in.
And often, a real-life example is far more convincing than any study, presentation, or statistic.
As Alexandra puts it:
“Don’t underestimate the power of telling your story well. The projects being developed in markets like Serbia today are the proof points that will shape policy, attract investment, and inspire replication elsewhere.”
Every new project, regardless of where it is developed, is far more than a local investment.
It becomes a reference point, an example, and a source of inspiration for others who are trying to build something similar in their own communities.
And sometimes, a single proof point is enough to trigger an entire chain of new ideas, investments, and projects.
Perhaps that is why We Are Biogas has become such an important voice within the global biogas community.
Closing Loops, Creating Value
One of the reasons biogas remains among the most misunderstood technologies of the energy transition is that many people still see it as a niche or experimental solution. Something that may become important someday, but not necessarily today. The reality, however, is quite different. Biogas and biomethane are already delivering tangible results in energy security, waste management, and decarbonisation. Yet one of the biggest challenges remains the fact that their role is often reduced to energy production alone.
Alexandra captures the essence of biogas perfectly when she says:
“Biogas isn’t just about producing energy; it’s about closing loops.” That single sentence may well explain why biogas can be difficult to describe to people outside the sector.
Because biogas has never been only about energy; it is about transforming waste into a resource, creating value from by-products, and turning environmental challenges into opportunities, while contributing simultaneously to agriculture, waste management, local development, energy security, and the circular economy.
That is why biogas does not fit neatly into a single category. And perhaps its greatest strength lies precisely in its ability to connect sectors, industries, and ideas that are too often treated separately.
New Voices in the Sector
One of the themes Alexandra returns to most often is visibility. Not the visibility of new technologies or emerging markets, but of people, particularly those whose contributions have long remained in the background. These include women leading projects in what has traditionally been a male-dominated sector, professionals working in communications, sustainability, and public policy, as well as individuals bringing new knowledge, experiences, and perspectives into the industry.
As Alexandra puts it: “One of the most rewarding things has been discovering just how many of these voices already exist – they simply haven’t always had the opportunity to be visible. These people are not new, nor have they suddenly appeared overnight. They have always been part of the story; the challenge was never their absence, but rather the fact that their work, expertise, and contributions were not always visible enough.
The energy transition is increasingly demonstrating that its future cannot be shaped by engineers alone. The challenges we face today are not purely technical, they are equally social, economic, regulatory, and political, which makes diverse perspectives more valuable than ever before. We need people who understand technology, but equally those who understand communities, can communicate complex ideas, connect them with finance, public policy, sustainability, and social change, and help bridge the gap between innovation and society.
Through the interviews and stories it publishes, We Are Biogas has helped shine a light on people whose contributions have too often remained in the background. In doing so, it reminds us that the future of this sector will not be shaped by a single profession, generation, or leadership style, but by people with different backgrounds, skills, expertise, and life experiences, all united by a common purpose.
The Future Will Not Be Built in Europe Alone
One of the most fascinating parts of my conversation with Alexandra focused on emerging markets. While the biogas sector is often associated with Europe’s success stories, she believes the coming years will reveal a much broader and more diverse geographic landscape.
As Alexandra puts it: “I think emerging markets are going to be far more central to the global biogas story than people currently appreciate.”
For that reason, the places that inspire her most today are not only Germany, Denmark, or other well-established markets. Increasingly, her attention is drawn to countries and regions where the sector is still in its early stages of development and where enormous untapped potential remains.
Despite their differences, many of these markets share remarkably similar characteristics: abundant agricultural resources, significant volumes of organic waste, and a growing need for greater energy independence and more sustainable models of development. It is precisely this combination that gives biogas the potential to play a role far greater than energy production alone, contributing at the same time to energy security, waste management, rural development, new income streams, and climate action.
What excites Alexandra most is the growing interest coming from the Global South, where she sees some of the most compelling stories of the next decade waiting to be told. What may be the most important message is that the future of biogas will not be shaped solely by the markets that currently lead the sector. Many of the ideas, business models, and success stories that will define the years ahead may emerge from places where the industry is only now taking its first steps.
The People We Don’t See
Perhaps the most emotional part of our conversation came when I asked Alexandra which moments had stayed with her most vividly during her journey with We Are Biogas.
Her answer was not about landmark projects, major investments, or technological breakthroughs. Instead, she spoke about people whose stories remained with her long after the interviews had ended.
“What tends to stay with me most are the conversations where someone shares something unexpectedly personal,” Alexandra recalled. She spoke about a farmer explaining what a biogas plant meant for his family’s future, an engineer reflecting on years of setbacks before a project finally came together, and professionals working in countries where the infrastructure and policy support that others often take for granted, are still missing, yet who continue moving forward because they are convinced their work matters. Perhaps no sentence captures the spirit of the sector better than Alexandra’s observation:
“Behind every project and every gigawatt-hour of renewable energy, there are human stories of perseverance and belief.”
Reading those words, I realised how rarely we talk about that side of the story. We are accustomed to discussing megawatts, investments, permits, markets, and regulatory frameworks, yet far less often do we talk about the people who invest years of their lives, their dedication, and their conviction, into something that never came with a guarantee of success.
That may be why these stories stay with us much longer than tables, statistics, and technical analyses. Not because they are more important than technology, but because they remind us that behind every technology stands a person, behind every project stands someone’s persistence, and behind every operating plant are years of work, sacrifice, and belief that something better could be built than what existed before.
Generosity as the Invisible Strength of the Sector
Towards the end of our conversation, I asked Alexandra what had surprised her most about the people she had met through the global biogas community. She could have spoken about their expertise, their innovative thinking, or their ability to find solutions to complex challenges.
Instead, she answered without hesitation: “The generosity, honestly.”
When she first entered the sector, Alexandra expected a far more competitive environment, where knowledge and expertise would be shared sparingly.
What she discovered instead was a community remarkably willing to help one another, share insights, and offer encouragement. Experienced developers openly discuss lessons learned from projects that did not go according to plan, technology providers recommend competitors when they believe another solution may be a better fit, and policymakers spend hours explaining complex regulatory frameworks to people they have never met before, simply because they want the sector to succeed.
What struck me about that answer was how familiar it felt. Generosity is rarely the first characteristic people associate with an industry, yet within the biogas community it often feels like a natural part of the sector’s culture. Time and again, people invest extra effort, share knowledge, make introductions, or support initiatives without expecting anything in return. When asked why, many simply say that they do it because it is good for the sector.
That mindset is best captured by one phrase Alexandra used: “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
In other words, when the sector advances, everyone advances with it.
That philosophy helps explain something many of us in the biogas industry have experienced firsthand: the success of one project is not necessarily the failure of another, a new investment is not a threat but evidence that the market is growing, and knowledge does not lose value when it is shared. Quite the opposite, it often becomes even more valuable.For many of us, that is precisely why biogas eventually becomes much more than an industry. It becomes a community to which we genuinely belong. In the end, that is what Alexandra understood so well when she created We Are Biogas – professional journeys may bring people into the sector, but a sense of community is often what makes them stay. That is why community was never just a buzzword.
