TOPIC 'Bioenergy' on Feb 02, 2009 (CET)
Transform Industrial Sites In The U.K. Into Biomass Resource Sites
A recent study has determined that 100 sites now used for industrial purposes could exchange their fossil fuels for biomass to provide power. The research study was commissioned by Envirolink Northwest and found that Northwest England was quite possibly the “best biomass fuel supply chain in Great Britain,” largely due to the amount of woodchips that are accessible.
Manufacturers of products such as paper, food, textiles, and even chemicals could reach a demand level for biomass fuels that is equal to the City of Liverpool’s yearly gas consumption. Besides being large energy consumers, these manufacturing companies also inherently generate a vast amount of waste that could be turned into biofuel feedstocks.
The report estimated that if all 100 selected sites would convert to biomass power sources, the energy demand would constitute approximately 4,800 GWh per year. It would be a cheap fuel, perhaps costing only 0.5 p kWh, and this area of the country would be able to transport sizeable amounts of biomass material quickly and on a consistent basis.
Paper and board industries have successfully used this technology in the U.K. for many years. They have also learned to add waste from their industry processes into their fuel mix, thereby enhancing savings even further.
The difficulty in getting users to switch to power generated with biomass is basically perception. New technologies are always eyed with suspicion at first, and until they are proven at a local level to be sustainable and viable, it’s often a hard sell to get people to make the switch. Most concerns that companies have with changing to biomass technology include the risks involved (which come with anything new), ability of suppliers to be dependable and provide quality fuels, and the overall perception that it will be complicated to make the change.
Envirolink Northwest estimates that with the huge woodchip supply available in Northwest England, over two million tons of biomass material could be supplied for fuel use each year. The strategy now is to try and change people’s perceptions of biomass.
Sherry Irvin
on behalf of the
BascoTec Internet Limited
Technologie Park 13
33100 Paderborn
Germany
