Woodfuel is a cost-effective, secure, low-carbon and efficient energy solution. It is
particularly well-suited to applications with a constant heat
demand.
Large scale systems (500kW plus)
Wood fuel systems scale up well for many large commercial and
industrial operations. Here are some examples, giving costs and
savings:
Combined heat and power (CHP) plants
Combined heat and power (CHP) can be the single biggest way for
you to cut industrial or buildings-related energy costs. CHP
systems convert up to 90% of a fuel's energy into electrical power
and useful heat. (Source: Renewable
Energy Centre)
Woodfuel can be used to generate both electricity and heat,
using the steam produced by burning biomass to drive turbines which
generate electricity. Electricity generation alone generally has a
low conversion efficiency - around 30-45% whether for fossil fuel
or biomass. A significant proportion of the energy available in the
fuel is lost as 'low-grade' heat, unless it can be used, for
example in industrial facilities.
The Scottish Government strongly advocates the deployment of
biomass in heat-only or combined heat and power schemes, generally
prioritised in off gas-grid areas, at a scale appropriate to make
best use of both the available heat, and of local supply. Such
siting and scaling of development is vital if we are to stand any
chance of meeting our 2020 renewable heat target which depends
heavily on biomass.
Combined heat and power (CHP)
plants offer potential to provide local communities with
district heating and hot water as well as electricity. They are
generally relatively large scale and work well where there is a
large heat load. such as UPM Caledonian Paper in Irvine
(see Scottish Forest and Timber Technologies website for
info).
The Scottish
Renewables Forum publishes a regular update on all large-scale
renewable energy projects in Scotland and their status.