biomas energy s
When considering biomass heating as part of a carbon-cutting strategy it’s important to understand the implications relating to fuel supply, storage and delivery, as well as the potential issue of particulate emissions. Paul Haddlesey reports.
Cheap as chips? B
iomass is seen as a key component in the government’s carbon reduction strategy, and many organisations are now including this renewable fuel
source in their own carbon reduction strategies. But while biomass offers many potential benefits, it’s important to be aware of the practical differences between biomass heating systems and those using gas or oil. “When considering biomass, it’s
necessary to understand the heat loads, how to address them efficiently and how different boilers handle variable heating loads,” observes Simon Matthews, director of energy & sustainability with Cofely. “But it’s also important to look beyond the engineering aspects to evaluate other factors such as storage capacity for fuel, frequency of deliveries required in relation to predicted fuel consumption and access for delivery vehicles. There may also be planning issues relating to external fuel storage areas,” he warns.
Biomass fuels are derived from recently living plants, as opposed to the fossil fuels that formed from plants and animals that died millions of years ago. Currently in the UK, the most commonly used biomass fuel for heating is wood, either in the form of pellets or chips, though it is likely that bio oils derived from crops will become commercially viable in future years. Part of the attraction of biomass fuels is
that they are considered to be nearly carbon-neutral. Although burning them
Biomass fuels are derived from recently living plants, as opposed to the fossil fuels that formed from plants and animals that died millions of years ago. Currently in the UK, the most commonly used biomass fuel for heating is wood, either in the form of pellets (below) or chips (above).
Renewable Heat Incentive
In order to encourage people to invest in renewable heating technologies, the government is introducing the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) from April 2011. This pays a tariff to any organisation (or individual) using renewable heat technologies such as biomass. Depending on the size of the installation, the tariff paid for using biomass can range from as little as 1.6p/kWh for very large installations up to 9p/kWh for installations below 45kW. The RHI will
www.pm-select.co.uk l september 2010 l Property Management Select l 43
emits carbon dioxide (CO2), this is CO2 that was removed from the atmosphere and fixed by the plants through photosynthesis only a few years earlier. Consequently, the carbon footprint of biomass fuels relates only to the carbon emitted during harvesting, processing and transportation. In contrast, when we burn fossil fuels we are releasing CO2 that was fixed over a period of millions of years within just a few hundred years, thus altering the carbon balance.
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