BIOMASS ENERGY

Wood fuel for space and water heating

Ed Suttie
BIOMASS ENERGY
Wood fuel for space and water heating
Ed Suttie
ii BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
1hls vork has boon lundod by kL 1rust. Any vlovs
oxprossod aro not nocossarlly thoso ol kL 1rust. Whllo
ovory ollort ls mado to onsuro tho accuracy and quallty
ol lnlormatlon and guldanco vhon lt ls llrst publlshod,
kL 1rust can tako no rosponslblllty lor tho subsoquont
uso ol thls lnlormatlon, nor lor any orrors or omlsslons lt
may contaln.
1ho mlsslon ol kL 1rust ls 1hrough oducatlon and
rosoarch to promoto and support oxcollonco and
lnnovatlon ln tho bullt onvlronmont lor tho bonollt ol
all. 1hrough lts rosoarch programmos kL 1rust alms to
achlovo.
a hlghor quallty bullt onvlronmont
bullt lacllltlos that ollor lmprovod lunctlonallty and
valuo lor monoy
a moro olllclont and sustalnablo constructlon soctor,
vlth
a hlghor lovol ol lnnovatlvo practlco.
A lurthor alm ol kL 1rust ls to stlmulato dobato on
challongos and opportunltlos ln tho bullt onvlronmont.
kL 1rust ls a company llmltod by guarantoo, roglstorod
ln Lngland and Walos (no. 3282856) and roglstorod
as a charlty ln Lngland (no. 1092193) and ln Scotland
(no. SC039320).
koglstorod Clllco. ucknalls Lano, Carston, Watlord,
Horts WD25 9\\
kL 1rust
Carston, Watlord WD25 9\\
1ol. 01923 664743
Lmall. socrotarybrotrust.co.uk
vvv.brotrust.org.uk
kL 1rust and kL publlcatlons aro avallablo lrom
vvv.brobookshop.com
or
lHS kL lross
Wllloughby koad
racknoll kC12 8l
1ol. 01344 328038
lax. 01344 328005
Lmall. broprosslhs.com
koquosts to copy any part ol thls publlcatlon should bo
mado to tho publlshor.
lHS kL lross
Carston, Watlord WD25 9\\
1ol. 01923 664761
Lmall. broprosslhs.com
lrlntod on papor sourcod lrom rosponslbly managod
lorosts
f 36
Copyright Rf 2011
first pubIishcd 2011
lSN 978-1-84806-198-9
1ho publlshor accopts no rosponslblllty lor tho porslstonco
or accuracy ol UkLs rolorrod to ln thls publlcatlon, and
doos not guarantoo that any contont on such vobsltos ls,
or vlll romaln, accurato or approprlato.
iii CONTENTS
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 BIOMASS TECHNOLOGIES AND OPTIONS 2
2.1 1ho tochnologlos 2
2.1.1 Souces o| o|onass 2
2.1.2 keoe.ao|e eoegj. sca|e o| ootuo|tj |o |oest-oaseo o|onass 2
2.1.3 !jes o| .ooo |ue| 4
2.1.4 Caoe, .ooo sec|es aoo no|stue cooteot 5
2.2 lntogratlon lnto bulldlngs 5
2.2.1 |o||e tjes 6
2.2.2 Su|j c|a|o 6
3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS 8
3.1 Commorclal bulldlngs uslng blomass onorgy 8
3.2 lubllc and oducatlonal bulldlngs uslng blomass onorgy 16
3.3 Domostlc bulldlngs uslng blomass onorgy (local and dlstrlct) 21
4 ECONOMICS AND FUTURE OPTIONS 25
4.1 1ho llnanclal landscapo 25
4.1.1 kegu|at|oo aoo o|.es 25
4.1.2 |cooon|cs 26
4.1.3 Costs o| o|onass oo||es aoo sto.es 27
4.1.4 Caots 28
4.1.5 Staooaos 28
4.1.6 kegu|at|oos aoo |aoo|og 29
4.2 lomass onorgy and carbon 29
4.3 Strongths and voaknossos ol blomass onorgy 30
4.4 A look to tho luturo 30
5 CONCLUSIONS 31
6 REFERENCES, FURTHER READING AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION 32
iv BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
1 1 INTRODUCTION
1 INTRODUCTION
lomass ls a grovlng sourco ol onorgy ln tho Ul
(llguro 1). 1ho hlorarchy ol onorgy uso shovn ln llguro 2,
lndlcatos that tho adoptlon and utlllsatlon ol ronovablo
onorgy tochnologlos lor spaco hoatlng and vator hoatlng ls
an attractlvo optlon. Ul onorgy gonoratlon ls oxpoctod to
contlnuo to bo dlvorso and ronovablo onorgy ls oxpoctod
to mako an lncroaslngly valuablo contrlbutlon.
Currontly, tho Ul obtalns loss than 1 ol hoat lrom
ronovablo sourcos and thls vlll nood to lncroaso to
approxlmatoly 12 ll targots sot by tho Ul Covornmont
lor 2020 aro to bo mot. konovablo tochnologlos prosontly
aro not capablo ol bolng tho comploto solutlon unloss
avoldanco ol tho nood lor onorgy and moro olllclont uso
ol onorgy aro substantlally and radlcally lmprovod.
What is renewable energy?
konovablo onorgy ls sourcod lrom tho naturally prosont
phonomona ol tho oarth, vhothor lt ls ground sourco
hoat, vlnd and vavo onorgy or solar onorgy dlroct lrom
sunllght or lndlroctly storod ln plant blomass. ln bulldlngs,
tho ombodlod onorgy ol tho matorlals and systoms usod ln
constructlon ls small by comparlson vlth tho oporatlonal
lmpacts and onorgy uso durlng tho lllo ol tho bulldlng.
1hus, onorgy sourcos havo a koy rolo ln undorplnnlng tho
sustalnablllty ol our bulldlngs and communltlos.
What is biomass energy?
lomass onorgy locusos on solld bloluol, not llquld
bloluols such as blodlosol. lomass ls blologlcal matorlal
dorlvod lrom llvlng, or rocontly llvlng organlsms. ln tho
contoxt ol blomass lor onorgy thls ls olton usod to moan
plant-basod matorlal, but blomass can oqually apply to
both anlmal- and vogotablo-dorlvod matorlal. 1horo aro
slx catogorlos ol blomass lor onorgy.
vlrgln vood
rocovorod vood
onorgy crops
agrlcultural roslduos
lood vasto
lndustrlal vasto and co-products.
1ho locus ol thls roport ls on tho uso ol vood as blomass
onorgy (tho llrst throo catogorlos abovo) and spoclllcally as
log vood, vood pollots and vood chlps.
||gue 1. Dollvorlng vood chlp to arnsloy Councll olllcos
and llbrary lor spaco hoatlng and hot vator
Avoid the need for energy
Use energy efficientIy
Use renewabIe energy
Use cIean fossiI fueI
||gue 2. aslc hlorarchy ol onorgy uso
2 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
2 BIOMASS TECHNOLOGIES AND OPTIONS
2.1 THE TECHNOLOGIES
2.1.1 Sources of biomass
lor lorost rosourcos tho bost optlon ls to oxtract valuo as
hlgh-valuo vood products, ln lor oxamplo constructlon,
thon to utlllso co-products, vastos and rocovorod vood
lor onorgy. 1hls ls not alvays posslblo as tho co-products
aro not avallablo ln sulllclont volumos or locatlons. Sovoral
othor sourcos aro bolng oxplorod and aro dollvorlng
voody blomass lor onorgy. 1hroo prlnclpal sourcos ol
vood luol aro.
vlrgln vood
co-products lrom manulacturo and procosslng
rocovorod vood.
Wood can bo dorlvod lrom a numbor ol sourcos as
doscrlbod ln ox 1.
llguro 3 shovs tho llov ol matorlals lrom tho lorost,
procosslng and rocovory to provldo blomass lor onorgy.
2.1.2 Renewable energy: scale of
opportunity for forest-based biomass
1ho opportunlty lor ronovablo onorgy, and blomass
onorgy as a koy strand ol thls provlslon, ls substantlal
glvon tho locus and lncontlvos to roduco carbon omlsslons
and that moro buslnossos and housoholds aro spondlng
moro on onorgy as vulnorabllltlos ln tho oxlstlng onorgy
supply chalns contlnuo to lncroaso unlt prlco. 1ho Ul has
a slgnlllcant blomass rosourco, ostlmatod at an annual
20 Mt, although only a lractlon ol thls ls olloctlvoly
capturod lor onorgy, contrlbutlng approxlmatoly 4 to
hoat and oloctrlclty productlon ln tho Ul.
||gue 3. 1ho vood luol supply chaln and lntoractlons
3 2 BIOMASS TECHNOLOGIES AND OPTIONS
8ov 1: Sourccs o wood or biomass cncrgy
Vlrgln vood that ls procossod lnto chlps and pollots lrom
short rotation coppicc (SkC). Copplclng vood cuts tho stoms
dovn to closo to tho ground on a ropoatablo cyclo. Wlllov
SkC ls typlcally roady lor harvostlng altor 35 yoars. SkC
has tho opportunlty to provldo lastor productlon ol voody
blomass to supply tho onorgy markots.
Vlrgln vood that ls procossod lnto chlps and pollots lrom
short rotation orcsts (Skl). 1rlals aro ongolng across tho Ul
managod by lorost kosoarch (vvv.lorostry.gov.uk/srl). 1hls
typo ol lorostry solocts rapld-grovlng spoclos (og ash, aldor,
oucalypts and sycamoro) that can bo harvostod lor blomass
altor 815 yoars.
Co-products lrom tho procosslng ol vood lncludo bark
poollngs and savdust. lrlmary procosslng by savmllls,
socondary procosslng by machlno shops, and lorost product
manulacturlng sltos all gonorato co-products. lncroaslngly,
thoy aro takon as a blomass onorgy sourco by tho company
produclng tho co-product. 1hoso matorlals aro also usod
lor oxlstlng supply chalns such as panol products and
landscaplng.
1ho rosults ol a WkAl study
|1}
lndlcatod that rccovcrcd wood
prosonts a slgnlllcant opportunlty glvon an ostlmatod 4.5 Mt
ol vood-basod matorlals arlslng ln 2007 vhlch lncludod somo
co-product vood. 1hls vould havo a valuo as vood chlp
lor onorgy ol around 180 mllllon and satlsly an ostlmatod
domand ol 12 mllllon MWh. 1hls ls oqulvalont to 400,000
homos spaco hoatlng and hot vator lor a yoar (ostlmatod at
30 MWh por houso por yoar).
Unsortod vasto vood ls a complox rosourco and lssuos
rogardlng contamlnatlon lrom motal llxlngs, glass, palnt, vood
troatmonts and gluos aro bolng addrossod to moblllso thls
largoly untappod rosourco moro olloctlvoly. Sogrogatlon and
sortlng tochnologlcal challongos aro bolng rosoarchod. 1ho
ob|octlvo ls to roallso slgnlllcant volumos ol vood lor luol
lrom vasto stroams.
lhoto courtosy ol Claslryn lonclng and savmlll, lvllholl
Lxlstlng orcst Iogwood that ls procossod lnto chlps and
pollots lrom oxlstlng lorosts. Lxlstlng lorost standlngs,
arborlcultural managomont and cloaranco ol troos (councll,
rallvays, hlghvays) and thlnnlngs can all supply blomass.
4 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
Wood as a luol can roplaco lossll luols and ollor
an attractlvo routo to roductlon ol not groonhouso gas
omlsslons. 1ho Ul lomass Stratogy
|2}
callod lor oxpanslon
ol vood uso lor luol. 1ho konovablos Lnorgy Stratogy
|3}
also lndlcatos a slgnlllcant galn yot to bo achlovod lrom
tho uso ol blomass rosourcos ln tho Ul to produco onorgy.
A thorough account ol tho opportunlty and potontlal ls
prosontod ln a roport by koad ot al
|4}
.
1horo aro a numbor ol tochnology optlons avallablo
to mako uso ol a varloty ol blomass typos as a ronovablo
onorgy sourco. Convorslon tochnologlos may roloaso
tho onorgy dlroctly, ln tho lorm ol hoat or oloctrlclty, or
may convort lt to anothor lorm such as llquld bloluol or
combustlblo blogas. 1hls roport concontratos on tho dlroct
roloaso ol onorgy.
Wood luol can bo usod lor.
cIcctricity production (og Stovons Crolt lomass
lovor Statlon, Lockorblo, Scotland, tho Uls largost
blomass-luollod povor statlon produclng 44 MW
povor) or lor co-iring ln oxlstlng coal-llrod povor
statlons such as Drax lovor Statlon, Solby, North
orkshlro.
combincd hcat and powcr (CHl), or co-gcncration,
lo tho slmultanoous gonoratlon ol oloctrlclty and hoat.
ln tho Ul, CHl has, typlcally, boon usod succosslully
ln commorclal and publlc bulldlngs lncludlng lolsuro
contros, hospltals and schools but also ln lndustrlal
unlts and commorclal proportlos such as alrports
and olllco bulldlngs. Lnorgy usago olton rangos lrom
100 kW to 6 MW.
spacc hcating and hot watcr (local and dlstrlct).
1hls roport locusos on tho thlrd catogory.
2.1.3 Types of wood fuel
1horo aro throo maln typos ol vood luol. logs, chlps,
pollots.
1ho tradltlonal vood luol ol logs has boon
rolnvlgoratod through closod bollor systoms such as small-
scalo domostlc appllcatlons to lmprovo tho olllcloncy ol
convortlng luol to hoat onorgy.
Wood chlps aro manulacturod lrom lorost tlmbor,
co-product, SkC, thlnnlngs, roclalmod tlmbor and slmllar.
1ho bollor spoclllcatlon and olllcloncy aro crltlcally llnkod
to tho spoclllcatlon ol tho vood chlp roqulrod, both ln
torms ol grado, molsturo contont and optlmum calorlllc
valuo (dopondont on troo spoclos lrom vhlch lt has boon
sourcod).
Wood pollots aro typlcally producod lrom vood
co-product such as savdust, procossod pallots and
1ab/e 1: Typcs o wood ucI
togs Chips PcIIcts
Production Lov dogroo ol sortlng Somo sortlng and oasy Hlghly procossod
and procosslng procosslng
Sourcc koadlly accosslblo, soll-gonoratlng koadlly accosslblo, soll-gonoratlng Loss roadlly avallablo but
lrom ostato managomont lrom manulacturlng, procosslng lmprovlng
or ostato managomont
fccd atch Contlnuous Contlnuous
Advantagcs Accosslblo and choap Accosslblo and dlvorso appllcatlon Cloan, hlgh donslty, hlgh
calorlllc valuo, loss storago,
oasy handllng and storago
Moisturc loor molsturo control Molsturo varlablo, spoc
molsturo grados
lllod chlp Woll-controllod, lov-molsturo
contont
ScaIc Small scalo < 30 kW > 30 kW Varloty ol scalos
CaIoriic vaIuc (C}/t) 711 13.4 17.0
Wh/kg 1.93.1 3.7 4.7
lWh/m
3
6501020 750 3070
Moisturc contcnt () >25 >25 8
Dcnsity (kg/m
3
)
Ash contcnt ( ol mass)
AppIications
Considcrations
and chaIIcngcs
335
12
520 kW domostlc vood bu
vlth back bollor
atch log bollors
Storago ol logs, manual hand
200
1
rnor Domostlc, commorclal
scalo onorgy plant
llng Storago ol chlps (undo
hoppor), compotlng vl
product lndustry lor ra
650
0.5
largo- Domostlc bollors
rground Storago ol pollots, oxponslvo
th panol luol, supply agroomonts
v matorlal
S 2 BIOMASS TECHNOLOGIES AND OPTIONS
cloan roclalmod vood. 1ho savdust and mlllod vood
aro oxtrudod at hlghor prossuro to ylold llgnln llov.
Llgnln, a natural polymor ln vood, molts at 90 C and
blnds tho dust togothor lormlng tho pollot. 1ho pollot ls
typlcally 2 cm long vlth 68 mm dlamotor lor housohold
appllcatlons and ls dollvorod ln 20 kg sacks.
1ablo 1 glvos moro lnlormatlon on typos ol vood luol.
2.1.4 Grade, wood species and moisture
content
1ho grado ol vood chlp ls dollnod by partlclo slzo (1ablo
2) and molsturo contont (1ablo 3). 1ho grado ol vood
pollot ls dollnod by pollot slzo (1ablo 4).
1ho dollnltlons glvon ln 1ablos 24 havo boon
oxtractod lrom Austrlan Standards CNCkM M7 133
|5}
,
CNCkM M7 135
|6}
and Corman Standard DlN 66 165
|7}
spoclllcatlons lor vood chlp and pollot luol.
Molsturo contont ls crltlcal vhon consldorlng a blomass
sourco lor onorgy. lomass should bo purchasod by
volumo rathor than volght as tho molsturo contont can
vary lrom 30 to 70. Molsturo vlll roduco tho calorlllc
rocovory (lo produco loss dlroct hoat) lrom tho vood as
onorgy ls lost through gonoratlng stoam. 1ho stoam can
also causo probloms vlth tho bollors and lluos croatlng
omlsslons that aro bottor avoldod. Soasonlng vood
roducos tho molsturo contont and thls can bo achlovod by
alr drylng tho matorlal.
1ho onorgy donslty ol vood chlp docroasos by 50
as tho molsturo contont movos lrom 10 to 50 (groon
chlp). 1hls has lmpllcatlons lor tho oporatlon ol all
blomass onorgy systoms and tho drylng and storago ol
luols. 1ho oconomlcs ol blomass onorgy and tho payback
antlclpatod ls lnoxtrlcably llnkod to tho calorlllc valuo ol
tho luol.
lollots havo a hlghor donslty and lovor molsturo
contont and as such a hlghor calorlllc valuo. 1ho calorlllc
valuo ol vood spoclos as a baslc rulo ol thumb may bo
llnkod to donslty. tho donsor tho vood spoclos, tho hlghor
tho calorlllc valuo. Hovovor, somo donso vood spoclos
such as oak and olm can bo dllllcult to burn.
lurthor consldoratlon noods to bo glvon to a rango
ol molsturo contont and vood spoclos comblnatlons
to olucldato tho rolatlonshlp ol calorlllc valuo to advlso
plantlng stratogy and bost uso ol oxlstlng rosourcos
(1ablo 5).
1ab/e 3: Gradcs o wood chip by moisturc contcnt
Chip Moisturc contcnt Moisturc contcnt
gradc in % (wct basis) dcinition
W20 < 20 Alr drlod
W30 2030 Undorcovor storod
W35 3035 Llmltod undorcovor
storod
W40 3540 Wot
W50 4050 Croon
Data lrom CNCkM M7 133
|5}
and DlN 66 165
|7}
1ab/e 4: Gradcs o wood pcIIct by pcIIct sizc
PcIIct Maximum diamctcr Maximum Icngth
gradc (mm) (mm)
D06 6 0.5 33
D08 8 0.5 43
D10 10 0.5 52
Data lrom CNCkM M7 135
|6}
1ab/e 5: fcctivc hcat cncrgy. Data rom KcighIcy
[8]
fcctivc hcat cncrgy Conicr roadIca
(G]/m
3
)
Alr drlod < 20 5.0 6.3
Croon > 40 3.5 5.3
2.2 INTEGRATION INTO BUILDINGS
loy olomonts lor consldoratlon lor blomass lntogratlon
lnto any bulldlng aro.
maxlmum onorgy load
luol typo
dollvory and on-slto storago ol luol
luol handllng and lood mochanlsm
plannlng and rogulatlons (soo soctlon 4.1.6).
luol handllng and lood mochanlsm rangos lrom tho baslc
dollvory ol sacks ol vood pollots that aro manually addod
to a homos luol hoppor through to lully automatod
contlnuous lood augor systoms lrom undorground storago
hoppors toppod up by trallor loads.
1ab/e 2: Gradcs o wood chip by particIc sizc distribution
Chip Maximum % particuIatc sizc Maximum cxtrcmcs
gradc < 4% < 20% 60~100% < 20% Arca tcngth
(cm
2
) (cm)
C30 < 1 mm 13 mm 316 mm < 16 mm 3 8.5
C50 < 1 mm 16 mm 632 mm < 32 mm 5 12
C100 < 1 mm 111 mm 1163 mm < 63 mm 10 25
C120 < 1 mm 163 mm 63100 mm < 100 mm 12 30
C150 < 1 mm 1100 mm 100130 mm < 130 mm 15 40
Data lrom CNCkM M7 133
|5}
and DlN 66 165
|7}
6 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
ln addltlon, consldoratlon noods to bo glvon to tho
managomont and oporatlon ol tho systom (soo soctlons
2.2.1 and 2.2.2) and tho romoval ol ash lrom tho systom.
1yplcally, about 12 ol tho luol ls lolt as ash vhlch has
to bo porlodlcally romovod manually. Hovovor, ln largo
systoms thls ls lully automatod. Ash ls hlgh ln potash and
can bo a usolul sourco ol soll lmprovor and lortlllsor.
Whon avallablo on a largor scalo lt can bo usod ln nov
comontltlous products such as llghtvolght bulldlng blocks.
1ho prlnclpal doclslon ls tho bollor typo and tho luol.
2.2.1 Boiler types
1horo aro tvo maln optlons.
Stovos (manual control and luol systom dollvory). 1hoy
tond to bo standalono lor hoat lnto a room vlth or
vlthout a back bollor lor hot vator.
Contral hoatlng bollors aro slmllar to stovos but
largor, hlghor burn to hoat olllcloncy (90), totally
automatod and computor-controllod.
Closod systoms havo dramatlcally lncroasod tho olllcloncy
ol burnlng ol blomass lrom 120 lor an opon llro up to
8095 lor a pollot stovo.
Log boilers
Wood combustlon ls a tvo-stago procoss.
gaslllcatlon
hlgh tomporaturo combustlon ln a spoclally doslgnod
chambor.
1o onsuro tho cloanost combustlon, lo vlth hlghost
olllcloncy and lovost omlsslons, most producors nov uso
sonsors to moasuro tho oxygon lovol ln tho lluo gas. A
logvood bollor ls typlcally oporatod at lull povor (vhlch
oquatos to tho most olllclont combustlon condltlons) and
hoats up a hot vator storago tank lor contlnuous hoat
rotrloval.
Wood chip boilers
Wood chlp bollors aro gonorally only approprlato lor
largor appllcatlons, abovo 20 kW. 1hls ls bocauso tho
rolatlvoly largo slzo ol tho chlps (comparod vlth pollots)
and tho lrrogular molsturo contont moans that tho llro
must bo rolatlvoly largo and last to onsuro optlmum
olllcloncy ol combustlon. Such bollors aro sultablo lor a
largo houso or a small commorclal unlt. 1ho advantago
ol vood chlp bollors ls tholr lood systom lor luol vhlch
allovs lor lully automatlc oporatlon and slmllar usor-
lrlondllnoss to oll- or gas-llrod bollors.
Stato-ol-tho-art vood chlp bollors aro oqulppod vlth
contlnuous povor control and do not nood a hoat storago
tank. A dlsadvantago ol vood chlps ls tholr roqulromont
lor a rolatlvoly largo storago spaco lndoors.
Duo to posslblo varlatlons ln luol molsturo contont,
vood chlp bollors nood advancod oloctronlc control
oqulpmont and robust lood and control mochanlsms.
1hus, vood chlp bollors aro slgnlllcantly moro oxponslvo
but also moro convonlont than log vood bollors. 1hoy aro
a good solutlon vhon hoat roqulromonts aro so hlgh that
tho ollort ol log vood handllng ls unaccoptablo.
Wood chlps aro ol partlcular lntorost ll tho usor has
dlroct accoss to a choap sourco ol luol. lor thls roason,
thoy aro tho luol ol cholco lor larms and country ostatos
as voll as lor tho tlmbor and voodvorklng lndustrlos
vhlch produco vood chlps as co-product. lor dlstrlct
hoatlng lnstallatlons, modlum- and hlgh-capaclty vood
chlp bollors aro usod. lor lndustrlal appllcatlons, lov-
or modlum-prossuro stoam bollors oporatlng on vood
chlps can bo usod lnstoad ol thormal oll bollors, vhon
tho procossos uslng tho gonoratod hoat roqulro hlgh
tomporaturos (up to 260 C).
Wood pellet boilers
1hoso aro lully automatlc appllancos akln to a gas bollor.
1hoy provldo an olllclont systom lor hoatlng and hot
vator roqulromonts that ls voll sultod to varlablo domand
and can also bo oporatod on a tlmor. lollots aro a hlghor
onorgy donslty luol as thoy typlcally havo a lov, and loss
varlablo, molsturo contont. As vlth othor blomass systoms
a lluo ls roqulrod vhlch may roqulro plannlng pormlsslon.
1ho systom vlll also havo to conlorm to bulldlng
rogulatlons and, ll ln a smokoloss zono, only oxompt
appllancos aro pormlttod. lollot bollors aro tho cloanost
optlon but all systoms can bo llttod vlth cyclono smoko
and soot catchors.
2.2.2 Supply chain
Supply chalns lor commorclal and domostlc usors ol
blomass onorgy that do not produco tholr ovn vood
luol aro alroady ostabllshod. 1horo aro tvo prlnclpal
dllloroncos botvoon tho vay a supply ol blomass must bo
handlod comparod vlth malns gas.
sulllclont rosorvo ol blomass luol must bo storod at tho
polnt ol usago
dollvory must bo arrangod and schodulod.
Comparod vlth hoatlng oll, blomass ls ol slgnlllcantly
lovor onorgy donslty so a largor storo ls roqulrod. lt must
also bo oasy to dollvor luol lnto tho storo. 1hls typlcally
roqulros both vohlcular accoss and a convonlont vay to
translor tho luol lrom tho dollvory lorry lnto tho storo. 1ho
slmplost mothod ls olton tlpplng, and thls may roqulro
olthor that tho storo ls lully or partlally undorground, or
that thoro ls convonlont ramp accoss. Wood pollots can bo
blovn pnoumatlcally dovn a plpo, ovor dlstancos ol up
to 30 m, lrom spoclally doslgnod lorrlos, but thoso aro not
yot vldosproad ln tho Ul.
ln rocont snovy vlntors ln tho Ul, dllllcultlos havo
boon oxporloncod vlth tho dollvory ol LlC and oll to
romoto locatlons. Whoro posslblo, luol storos should
bo locatod closo to a road that vlll bo grlttod ln lcy
condltlons to onsuro dollvory vohlclos can galn accoss and
contlnuo to supply vood luol ln tlmos ol poak domand.
1ho markot lor vood luols ls currontly rolatlvoly
lmmaturo vhlch, comblnod vlth lts unsultablllty lor long
dlstanco transport, supports consldorablo varlatlon ln
prlcos lrom placo to placo. ln 1ablo 6 llguros havo boon
choson to roprosont tho moan prlco achlovablo across tho
Ul lor a slnglo bulk ordor ol 5 tonnos ol vood pollots or
10 tonnos ol vood luol-quallty chlps. ln tho caso ol tho
7 2 BIOMASS TECHNOLOGIES AND OPTIONS
1ab/e 6: TypicaI pricc comparisons or dicrcnt ucIs
fucI Pricc pcr unit kWh pcr unit Pcncc pcr kWh
(2006)
Wood chlps (30 MC) 80 por tonno 3,500 kWh/t 2.3 p/kWh
Wood pollots 185 por tonno 4,800 kWh/t 3.9 p/kWh
Natural gas 4.1 p/kWh 1.0 kWh 4.1 p/kWh
Hoatlng oll 35 p por lltro 10 kWh/l 3.5 p/kWh
LlC (bulk) 34 p por lltro 6.6 kWh/l 5.2 p/kWh
Lloctrlclty 14.0 p/kWh 1.0 kWh 14.0 p/kWh
lattor, hovovor, tho prlcos lound lrom dllloront suppllors
around tho Ul can vary by a lactor ol tvo or moro,
vlth 6090 por tonno bolng a typlcal rango. lor somo
producors, prlcos may bo subsldlsod by othor actlvltlos.
1ho supply ol onorgy ls typlcally contractod to an
LSCC (Lnorgy Sorvlco Company) vho aro contractod
to supply hoat at an agrood prlco. 1ho LSCC may ovn
tho plant and bo rosponslblo lor lts oporatlon and
malntonanco. luol supply and ash romoval aro lncludod
ln tho contract.
Dopondlng on tho lovol ol control and lnvolvomont
roqulrod by tho bulldlng cllont, blomass onorgy systoms
can bo.
lnstallod
lnstallod and sorvlcod
lnstallod, oporatod, malntalnod and sorvlcod.
8 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL,
DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
1ho lollovlng caso studlos prosont dotalls ol tho.
bulldlng
typo ol blomass onorgy unlt
supply chaln
onorgy domands.
1hoy shov tho dlvorslty ol commorclal blomass bollor
onorgy doploymonts ln tho Ul ranglng ln scalo, luol and
onorgy domand. 1ho lnstallors and bollor makors havo an
oxtonslvo compllatlon ol caso studlos lrom tho Ul vhlch
can bo accossod onllno and aro lncludod ln chaptor 6,
|ut|e eao|og aoo souces o| |o|onat|oo.
3.1 COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS USING
BIOMASS ENERGY
Across tho Ul, all typos ol commorclal and buslnoss
oporatlons aro uslng blomass onorgy lor spaco hoatlng and
hot vator noods, lncludlng.
vood-procosslng companlos and savmllls
manulacturlng unlts
olllcos
prlvato caro homos
plant nursorlos
alrports
hotols
vlsltor contros
cals and rostaurants.
lartlcular roqulromonts or consldoratlons lor commorclal
oporatlons aro.
lull control ol hoat and hot vator dollvory
luol dollvory that doos not dlsrupt oporatlons
rollablllty (back-up systoms ol oll normally prosont)
cloan and oasy to uso.
lomass onorgy ls an attractlvo optlon lor commorclal
ontorprlsos bocauso.
lt can uso tho co-product that thoy gonorato
lt can socuro supply ol a cost-olloctlvo onorgy sourco
lt has lov-carbon lmpacts vhlch aro passod on to tho
onvlronmontal prolllos ol tho products manulacturod
lt ls cost-olloctlvo ln tho long torm vlth payback
achlovablo ln 510 yoars
thoro aro grants avallablo to SMLs
lt domonstratos commltmont to ronovablo onorgy and
lovorlng lmpacts to cllonts and customors.
9 3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
Penforma Worcestershire County Hall
Aberaeron Worcester
uiIding uiIding
Corodlglon County Councll olllcos (150 counclllors), County Councll olllcos (250 stall)
sholtorod houslng llats and rosldontlal caro homo
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
6600 m
2
8000 m
2
Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
1250 MWh hoatlng and hot vator 1300 MWh hoatlng
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Cll and oloctrlc bollor Cll bollor
Commissioncd Commissioncd
Cctobor 2005 May 2002
oiIcr oiIcr
lndor kkl 640-850 Compoto Compact C70DHV
Capacity Capacity
550 kW 700 kW
fucI fucI
Wood chlp C50 Locally sourcod vood chlp
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
710 days at poak 710 days at poak
fucI costs fucI costs
23,000 ostlmatod at 400 t annually 23,000 ostlmatod at 500 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
24,500 30,000
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
331.8 t CC
2
490 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 10 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Wood Lnorgy Ltd Lconorgy
10 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
Blaise Nursery Stansted Airport
Bristol Essex
uiIding uiIding
rlstol Clty Councll nursory havlng olght polytunnols and 50 m oxtonslon to tho lntornatlonal alrport
glasshousos
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
5000 m
2
25,000 m
2
Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
500 MWh alr hoatlng
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Cll and LlC Nov oxtonslon also has gas supply
Commissioncd Commissioncd
Cctobor 2006 Novombor 2008
oiIcr oiIcr
lndor kkl 400-600 Clllos
Capacity Capacity
400 kW 4 500 kW (tvo on standby)
fucI fucI
Locally roclalmod vood lor vood chlp Locally sourcod vood chlp vlllov
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
Cn slto 14 days at poak
fucI costs fucI costs
6000 ostlmatod at 300 t annually Lstlmatod at 3000 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
19,000 Cas dovn 40 to 6,580,054 kWh
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
400 t CC
2
6700 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
10 yoars 10 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Wood Lnorgy Ltd roag Ul
3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS 11
Gleneagles Hotel Old Moor Wetland Centre
Perthshire Yorkshire
uiIding uiIding
lntornatlonal 5 star hotol (> 200 rooms), kSl vlsltor contro, shop, cal
conloronco and golllng vonuo and accommodatlon
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
500 m
2
Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
8000 MWh hoatlng and hot vator 175 MWh hoatlng
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Cll Cas and lator LlC
Commissioncd Commissioncd
May 2007 to Soptombor 2008 lobruary 2004
oiIcr oiIcr
lC USSV D 100 kW lW
Capacity Capacity
1250 kW (85 capaclty baso load) 100 kW
fucI fucI
Locally sourcod vood chlp Locally sourcod vood chlp C30 M30
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
14 days at poak 14 days at poak
fucI costs fucI costs
50,000 ostlmatod at 3000 t annually 500 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
385,000 2540 roductlon ln luol bllls
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
2000 t CC
2
37 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Calodon ucclouch Lconorgy
12 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
Papworth Everard The Kelling Estate
Cambridgeshire North Norfolk
uiIding uiIding
lndustrlal varohouso unlt and olllco spaco Worklng ostato country houso, rosldontlal and
commorclal unlts
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
> 500 m
2
> 2000 m
2
Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
76 MWh hoatlng 898 MWh dlstrlct hoatlng systom
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Nov dovolopmont
Commissioncd Commissioncd
2008 2007
oiIcr oiIcr
Clllos Hll-kA 40 kW Clllos Hll-kA 550
Capacity Capacity
40 kW 550 kW
fucI fucI
Wood pollots (610 mm) Wood chlp C50 W50
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy

fucI costs fucI costs
720 ostlmatod at 18 t annually 13,000 ostlmatod at 320 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
30,000
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
24 t CC
2
238 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Lnorgy lnnovatlons Ul Lnorgy lnnovatlons Ul
3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS 13
Heveningham Hall Nottingham Science Park
Suolk Nottingham
uiIding uiIding
lrlvato country ostato lncludlng 26 rosldontlal Clllco and ontorprlso bulldlngs
and commorclal bulldlngs
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
2000 m
2
4600 m
2
Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
1575 MWh dlstrlct hoatlng systom
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Lloctrlclty and manual log bollors Nov dovolopmont
Commissioncd Commissioncd
2008
oiIcr oiIcr
Clllos Hll-kA 900 kW Hortz lomatlc 400 kW
Capacity Capacity
900 kW 400 kW
fucI fucI
Wood chlp C50 W50 Wood pollot
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
Wood chlp lrom ostato. 100 t storo
fucI costs fucI costs
18,000 ostlmatod at 450 t annually 24,000 ostlmatod at 160 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
n/a to nov bulld
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
417 t CC
2

Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 10 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Lnorgy lnnovatlons Ul kural Lnorgy Ltd
14 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
Nant-y-Coy Mill Arts Centre Russwood Ltd
Haverfordwest Newtownmore
uiIding uiIding
Cralt contro, blstro, musoum and oxhlbltlon gallory Savmllllng and vood product buslnoss
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
480 m
2

Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
Hoatlng and hot vator lor bulldlngs Hoatlng and hot vator
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Cll
Commissioncd Commissioncd
2005
oiIcr oiIcr
Ckolon lL25 Ala-1alkarrl Voto
Capacity Capacity
25 kW 220 kW
fucI fucI
Wood pollots 6 mm Wood chlp
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
> 12 vooks Cn slto co-product
fucI costs fucI costs
1600 ostlmatod at 10 t annually 100 t annually lrom ovn slabvood
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
205/yoar
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
10 t CC
2
63 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
4voodoacon Stovos
3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS 1S
Lakeland Smolts Ltd Fleet Services Ltd
Argyll Edinbugh
uiIding uiIding
Salmon hatchory Vohlclo malntonanco dopot
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
800 m
2
Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
2500 MWh vator hoatlng lor hatchory 600 MWh vator hoatlng
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Cll Cll
Commissioncd Commissioncd
2008 2003
oiIcr oiIcr
Mavorra
Capacity Capacity
850 kW 360 kW
fucI fucI
Wood chlp l45 M40 Wood chlp
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
1vlco vookly 1vlco vookly
fucI costs fucI costs
42,000 ostlmatod at 1200 t annually L9000 ostlmatod at 250 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
20 annually
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
900 t CC
2
100 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 10 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:

16 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
3.2 PUBLIC AND EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS
USING BIOMASS ENERGY
Across tho Ul all typos ol publlc bulldlng aro uslng
blomass onorgy lor spaco hoatlng and hot vator noods,
lncludlng.
olllcos
schools
llbrarlos
hospltals
modlcal contros
vlsltor contros
rocroatlonal lacllltlos
communlty contros.
lartlcular roqulromonts or consldoratlons lor publlc
oporatlons aro.
valuo lor monoy
lull control ol hoat and hot vator dollvory
luol dollvory that doos not dlsrupt oporatlons.
lomass ls an attractlvo optlon lor publlc ontorprlsos and
bulldlngs bocauso.
lt can socuro supply ol a cost-olloctlvo onorgy sourco
lts lov-carbon lmpacts vhlch aro passod on to tho
onvlronmontal porlormanco ol tho bulldlng
lt ls cost olloctlvo
lt moots groon roqulromonts lor counclls
grants aro avallablo to schools
lt domonstratos commltmont to ronovablo onorgy and
can roduco tho llnanclal burdon on tho publlc and
taxpayor.
Llandysul Leisure Centre Tullynessle & Forbes Public Hall
West Wales Alford
uiIding uiIding
Nov lolsuro contro and oxlstlng nolghbourlng Communlty hall
svlmmlng pool
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
1720 m
2
plus 600 m
3
pool vator
Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
600 MWh hoatlng and hot vator Hoatlng and hot vator
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Cll Lloctrlclty
Commissioncd Commissioncd
Soptombor 2002 2008
oiIcr oiIcr
lassat Lnorgy Compact C11-600 Wlndhagor loWln 260
Capacity Capacity
2 130 kW 25.9 kW
fucI fucI
Locally sourcod vood pollots Wood pollot
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
45 tlmos por yoar
fucI costs fucI costs
800 t annually 1600 ostlmatod at 15 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
1000 annually
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
14 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
10 yoars 10 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Wolsh loluols
3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS 17
Madani High School Jesus College
Leicester Cambridge
uiIding uiIding
Socondary school and communlty contro Crado 1 llstod bulldlng at Cambrldgo Unlvorslty
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc

Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
Hoatlng and hot vator
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Nov dovolopmont Cas
Commissioncd Commissioncd
2007 2005
oiIcr oiIcr
Hortz lomatlc 250kW USSV D 100 kW lW
Capacity Capacity
250 kW 100 kW
fucI fucI
Wood pollot Wood pollot
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
1hroo tlmos a yoar to 10 t luol storo
fucI costs fucI costs
16,000 ostlmatod at 105 t annually 4500 ostlmatod at 30 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
n/a to nov bulld 2540 roductlon ln luol bllls
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
40 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
10 yoars 5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
kural Lnorgy Ltd Lconorgy
18 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
Calderhead High School Westgate Paza
Shotts Barnsley
uiIding uiIding
School 1ovn Hall and Contral llbrary lor arnsloy Motropolltan
orough Councll
fIoor spacc
fIoor spacc
Dcmand/ycar
Hoatlng and hot vator

Dcmand/ycar
Prcvious systcm
Cll Prcvious systcm
Commissioncd Nov dovolopmont
2005 Commissioncd
oiIcr 2007
lrllng 1urbomat 500 oiIcr
Capacity USSV D 500 kW lW
500 kW Capacity
fucI 500 kW
Wood chlp C50 W50 fucI
DcIivcry rcqucncy Wood chlp
DcIivcry rcqucncy
fucI costs
12,500 ostlmatod at 310 t annually fucI costs
Savings comparcd with oiI L12,250 ostlmatod at 350 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm 33,000 annually
256 t CC
2
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: 200 t CC
2
5 yoars Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
lnstaIIcd by: 5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by:
Lconorgy
3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS 19
National Star College Taylor High School
Cheltenham Motherwell
uiIding uiIding
lndopondont spoclallst collogo Socondary school
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc

Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
Hoatlng and hot vator
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
20 oll-llrod bollors Cll
Commissioncd Commissioncd

oiIcr oiIcr
lrllng 1urbomat bollors 500 kW and 320 kW lrllng 1urbomat 500
Capacity Capacity
820 kW 500 kW
fucI fucI
Wood chlp Wood chlp C50
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
1hroo dollvorlos por vook ol 50 m
3
maxlmum
fucI costs fucI costs
45,000 ostlmatod at 1200 t annually L10,000 ostlmatod at 235 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI

CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
700 t CC
2
194 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Lconorgy
20 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
Bwlch Nant yr Arian Palacerigg Country Park
Ceredigion Cumbernauld
uiIding uiIding
Vlsltor contro, lorostry Commlsslon Walos Vlsltor contro
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc

Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
Hoatlng and hot vator Hoatlng and hot vator
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Nov bulldlng Cll
Commissioncd Commissioncd
2005 2005
oiIcr oiIcr
lrllng lHC 1M35 lW USV
Capacity Capacity
35 kW 50 kW
fucI fucI
Wood chlp C30 Wood chlp C30
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
12 vooks
fucI costs fucI costs
1800 ostlmatod at 40 t annually 1000 ostlmatod at 23 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
2500 annually
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with oiI cquivaIcnt CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
27 t CC
2
19 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Dulas Wood Lnorgy and lrllng
21 3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
3.3 DOMESTIC BUILDINGS USING BIOMASS
ENERGY (LOCAL AND DISTRICT)
Across tho Ul all typos ol houslng aro uslng blomass
onorgy lor spaco hoatlng and hot vator noods, lncludlng.
soclal houslng
prlvato houslng
apartmonts and llats
country housos
suburban lamlly homos
communlty hoat pro|octs lor multlplo usors.
lartlcular roqulromonts or consldoratlons lor houslng aro.
valuo lor monoy
lull control ol hoat and hot vator dollvory
luol dollvory that ls cloan and rollablo.
lomass luol ls an attractlvo optlon lor houslng bocauso.
lt can socuro supply ol a cost-olloctlvo onorgy sourco
lt lovors tho carbon lmpact ol a homo
lt ls cost olloctlvo
lt moots groon roqulromonts
grant schomos aro avallablo
lt domonstratos onvlronmontal commltmont to soclal
houslng tonants and councll taxpayors.
Woodbrook Community Home Farm
Belfast Somerset
uiIding
Communlty dlstrlct hoatlng systom lor 358 homos
fIoor spacc
358 100 m
2
Dcmand/ycar

Prcvious systcm
Nov dovolopmont
Commissioncd
May 2007 to Soptombor 2008
oiIcr
Vltal Lnorgl
Capacity
4 500 kW (2 on standby)
fucI
Locally sourcod vood chlp vlllov
DcIivcry rcqucncy
14 days at poak
fucI costs

Savings comparcd with oiI
n/a to nov bulld
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with oiI cquivaIcnt
200 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by:
Vltal Lnorgl
uiIding
1500-acro larm, total ol 27 homos
fIoor spacc
600 m
2
Dcmand/ycar
Undorlloor hoatlng and hot vator
Prcvious systcm
Nov dovolopmont
Commissioncd
2007
oiIcr
lndor kkl 130-250
Capacity
185 kW
fucI
Homo-grovn mlscanthus (8 acros yloldlng 30 t) and vood chlp
DcIivcry rcqucncy

fucI costs
8000 ostlmatod at 200 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI
n/a to nov bulld
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm

Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by:
Wood Lnorgy Ltd
22 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
St Edmunds Farm Dol Llys Hall Cooperative
Suolk Powys
uiIding uiIding
larm houso Country houso comprlslng a cooporatlvo ol 7 dvolllngs
and lunctlon rooms and olllcos
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
200 m
2
700 m
2
Dcmand/ycar
84 MWh hoatlng and hot vator
Dcmand/ycar
Hoatlng and hot vator lor ostato bulldlngs
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Cll Cll
Commissioncd Commissioncd
2007 2005
oiIcr oiIcr
Clllos Hll-kA 45 lW USV
Capacity Capacity
45 kW 60 kW
fucI fucI
Wood chlp C50 W30 Wood pollots (or vood chlp C30)
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
2 months storago capaclty 3 tlmos a yoar
fucI costs fucI costs
960 ostlmatod at 24 t annually 4160 ostlmatod at 28 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
440 annually
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
23 t CC
2
28 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Lnorgy lnnovatlons Ul Dulas Wood Lnorgy
3 CASE STUDIES FROM COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS 23
Moor Farm Sheeld Road Flats
Norfolk Barnsley
uiIding uiIding
Worklng larm, 5 hollday cottagos, 11 barn convorslons and 166 llats ln 3 tovor blocks. Hoat motors lnstallod ln llats
svlmmlng pool lor dlroct purchaso ol hoat and hot vator
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
600 m
2
1200 m
2
Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
305 MWh hoatlng Hoatlng and hot vator
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
4 oll bollors 1590 kW capaclty Cas
Commissioncd Commissioncd
2005
oiIcr oiIcr
Clllos Hll-kA 145 lrllng 1urbomat bollors 150 kW and 320 kW
Capacity Capacity
145 kW 470 kW
fucI fucI
Wood pollots (610 mm) Wood chlp
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy

fucI costs fucI costs
3500 ostlmatod at 87 t annually 20,000 ostlmatod at 500 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI

CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
81 t CC
2
300 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 10 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Lnorgy lnnovatlons Ul Lconorgy
24 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
Southelds Farm Penpont Estate
Suolk Powys
uiIding uiIding
larm houso and olllco complox Country houso and vorklng ostato,
and ovonts vonuo
fIoor spacc fIoor spacc
500 m
2

Dcmand/ycar Dcmand/ycar
103 MWh undorlloor hoatlng Hoatlng and hot vator lor ostato bulldlngs
Prcvious systcm Prcvious systcm
Cll Cll
Commissioncd Commissioncd
2005
oiIcr oiIcr
Clllos Hll-kA 49 lndor kkl 130-250
Capacity Capacity
49 kW 149 kW
fucI fucI
Wood chlp C50 W30 Wood chlp C50
DcIivcry rcqucncy DcIivcry rcqucncy
Monthly
fucI costs fucI costs
1200 ostlmatod at 30 t annually 4500 ostlmatod at 100 t annually
Savings comparcd with oiI Savings comparcd with oiI
6000 annually
CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm CO
2
savings/ycar comparcd with prcvious systcm
27 t CC
2
66 t CC
2
Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within: Payback pcriod cstimatcd to bc within:
5 yoars 5 yoars
lnstaIIcd by: lnstaIIcd by:
Lnorgy lnnovatlons Ul Wood Lnorgy Ltd
2S 4 ECONOMICS AND FUTURE OPTIONS
4 ECONOMICS AND FUTURE OPTIONS
4.1 THE FINANCIAL LANDSCAPE
4.1.1 Regulation and drivers
A complox rogulatory lramovork ls currontly ln placo
to support tho dovolopmont ol nov bloonorgy pro|octs
ln tho Ul. Moro than 17 dllloront lncontlvo schomos
voro ldontlllod by tho lomass 1ask lorco
|9}
, and yot
uptako ls stlll rolatlvoly llmltod. 1ho konovablo Lnorgy
Stratogy
|3}
suggosts that onorgy lrom blomass can mako an
lmportant contrlbutlon to tho Ul Covornmonts onorgy
and onvlronmont ob|octlvos (llguro 4), lncludlng onorgy
socurlty and tho roductlon ol groonhouso gas omlsslons,
rolatlvo to curront practlcos. ln an analysls ol onorgy
rosourcos lrom lorost sourcos ln 1ablo 7.1 ol koad ot al
|4}
lt vas lound that ostlmatos ol ovon dry tonnos avallablo ln
tho Ul por yoar rangod lrom 1.1 to 13 mllllon.
lomass hoat has boon ldontlllod as a cost-olloctlvo
mochanlsm tovards lovorlng tho carbon dloxldo
omlsslons ol tho onorgy soctor. Sconarlos prosontod
lor ronovablo onorgy
|3}
conllrm that bloonorgy ls llkoly
to play an lncroaslngly lmportant rolo ln contrlbutlng
to ronovablo targots lor hoat, povor and llquld luol
(llguro 5).
Commorclal lntorost ln bloonorgy ls grovlng. 1ho
L.Cn povor statlon at Stovons Crolt, Lockorblo, ls ono ol
tho llrst largo-scalo (44 MW) dodlcatod blomass povor
statlons ln tho Ul, currontly runnlng oxcluslvoly on voody
loodstock vlth a roqulromont ol ovor 480,000 tonnos
oach yoar vhlch comprlsos.
60 savmlll co-product and small round vood
20 short rotatlon copplco vlllov
20 rocyclod llbro lrom vood product manulacturor.
Stovons Crolt provldos onorgy at poak productlon lor
70,000 homos ln tho roglon. lt ls ostlmatod that tho
plant dlsplacos 140,000 t ol groonhouso gasos por yoar
comparod vlth lossll luols provldlng thls onorgy. Sovoral
(a) (b)
Biomass Hydro (large scale) Wind Other
Liquid biofuels,
2%
7.0
9%
Plant biomass,
4.5
7%
Landfill gas, 29.9
Animal biomass,
5.2
Waste
combustion, 10.1
Co-firing,
12.4 Sewage gas, 4.3
82%
Domestic
1.6
ndustrial wood,
wood, 6.9
||gue 4. (a) 1ho contrlbutlon ol blomass to tho gonoratlon ol oloctrlclty lrom ronovablos ln tho Ul ln 2007 vas 81.8 ol tho
total ronovablos usod ol 5.17 mllllon tonnos ol oll oqulvalont. (Sourco. D1l Dlgost ol Ul Lnorgy Statlstlcs, 2009
|10}
). (b) 1ho
broakdovn ol tho 82 blomass. Cl tho blomass usod approxlmatoly 20 vas vood.
Notes.
Lxcludos all passlvo uso ol solar onorgy and non-blodogradablo vastos. konovablos aro moasurod ln prlmary lnput torms.
lomass co-llrod vlth lossll luol ln povor statlons lncludos lmportod 7.3 and homo produco 5.1.
Anlmal blomass lncludos larm vasto.
llant blomass lncludos strav and onorgy crops.
26 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
45
40
35
30
25
MtCO
2
20
15
10
5
0
ndustry Commercial Public Domestic All sectors
||gue 5. konovablo hoat markot potontlal, by soctor ln 2022 (Data lrom NLkA 2009
|11}
). DH ~ dlstrlct hoatlng, ASHl ~ Alr
Biomass boilers Biomass DH ASHP GSHP Biogas Solar thermal
sourco hoat pump, CSHl ~ ground sourco hoat pump
othor dodlcatod blomass povor statlons aro undor
consldoratlon ln tho Ul.
4.1.2 Economics
lrlcos lor bulk purchaso ol luols lor a small lndustrlal or
domostlc-scalo lnstallatlon ln }uly 2009 shov that vood
chlps and pollots aro prlco-compotltlvo ln torms ol unlt
prlco ol luol onorgy (llguro 6). 1hls ls lor bulk dollvorlos ol
23 tonnos, suppllos ol vood pollots and chlps ln smallor
volumos vlll bo hlghor ln prlco. Noto that luol onorgy ls
thoorotlcal hoat not dollvorod hoat vhlch vlll bo alloctod
by lssuos such as bollor olllcloncy.
lrlcos ln onorgy markots aro oxtromoly prono to
lluctuatlons and vlll bo lnlluoncod by.
quantlty ordorod
contract and tlmo ol purchaso
tlmo ol yoar
16
14
12
10
pence/kWh
8
6
4
2
0
dollvory mothods
locatlon ol uso
many othor lactors lncludlng tho goopolltlcal landscapo
and avallablllty and socurlty ol supply.
As a rosult, tho data glvon ln llguro 6 should bo
consldorod lor guldanco only. As tho prlco ol lossll luols
contlnuos to rlso, vood luol ls oxpoctod to bocomo ovon
moro compotltlvo.
Data provldod by tho lCMASS Lnorgy Contro
|12}
aro
prosontod ln 1ablo 7 and conllrm that prlcos aro dllllcult
to clarlly as somo varlatlon oxlsts duo to.
slzo ol ordor
vhothor tho productlon ol tho blomass ls subsldlsod by
tho productlon ol anothor product.
Wood chips Wood pellets Natural gas Oil LPG Electricity
||gue 6. Lnorgy prlco comparlsons. Data lrom tho lCMASS Lnorgy Contro
|12}
27 4 ECONOMICS AND FUTURE OPTIONS
1ab/e 7: fmissions o CO
2
comparison or ucIs pcr unit o cncrgy dcIivcrcd. Data rom thc lOMASS fncrgy Ccntrc
[12]
fucI Pricc pcr unit kWh pcr unit pcncc pcr kWh fmission o CO
2
/kg/kWh
Wood chlps (30 mc) 80 por tonno 3,500 kWh/t 2.3p/kWh 0.025
Wood pollots 185 por tonno 4,800 kWh/t 3.9p/kWh 0.025
Natural gas 4.1p/kWh 1 4.1p/kWh 0.194
Hoatlng oll 35p por lltro 10 kWh/lltro 3.5p/kWh 0.265
LlC (bulk) 34p por lltro 6.6 kWh/lltro 5.2p/kWh
Lloctrlclty 14.0p/kWh 1 14.0p/kWh
mc ~ molsturo contont.
ln a vorkod caso study lor a small lactory unlt ln
Austrla
|10}
, tho prlco comparlson ol luol optlons shovod
that blomass appoarod compotltlvo at tho unlt prlco por
onorgy comparlson comparod vlth tho oxlstlng llght luol
oll systom (1ablo 8).
1ho samo caso study oxamplo notod that tho
oporatlonal costs ol malntonanco, sorvlclng and lnsuranco
voro hlghor lor tho blomass optlon. ln addltlon, tho
procoss ol luol dollvory, storago, lood and managomont
voro qulto dllloront lrom oxlstlng oll, addlng capltal and
ongolng oporatlonal costs to tho proposal.
1ho avorago not unlt costs ol blomass dorlvod lrom
lorost vood and rocyclod vood aro approxlmatoly
1ab/e 8: Priccs pcr kWh o dicrcnt ucIs in Austria
[13]
fucI Pricc kWh Pcncc
pcr unit pcr unit pcr kWh
Llght luol oll 29p/lltro 10 kWh/lltro 2.90
lorost vood chlp 46/t 3200 kWh/t 1.44
(35 mc)
lndustrlal vood 52/t 2800 kWh/t 1.86
chlp (40 mc)
Wood pollots 95/t 4700 kWh/t 2.02
(8 mc)
mc ~ molsturo contont.
16
14
12
Supply costs
10
p/kWh
8
6
4
2
0
1.02.2 p/kWh lor vood chlp and vood pollot. 1hls prlco
ls antlclpatod to stablllso unllko luturo prlcos lor lossll
luols (llguro 7).
lncroaslng domands on lorost rosourcos to supply
cortlllod sustalnablo constructlon products, pulp and
papor, packaglng products and vood chlp lor panol
products vlll lncroaso compotltlon lor rosourcos vlth
markots that alroady oxlst lor vood chlps. lomass onorgy
vlll havo to compoto to socuro tho rosourco. Consldorablo
opportunlty arlsos ln tho potontlal ol.
short rotatlon copplco and short rotatlon lorosts
unlocklng vood vasto volumos lrom procosslng
lndustrlos, roclalmod tlmbor lrom domolltlon,
packaglng and lurnlturo.
Much ol tho vood vasto rosourco ls currontly sont to
landllll. Dolra and WkAl aro addrosslng thls lssuo through
vork to undorstand tho llovs ol vasto and to maxlmlso
opportunltlos lor roduclng, rouslng and rocycllng.
4.1.3 Costs of biomass boilers and stoves
ln 2008 Cox prosontod somo caso study ovldonco
comparlng a lart L compllant houso and a typlcal
Vlctorlan 3-bodroom houso
|15}
. Uslng blomass roducos
CC
2
omlsslons by 50 comparod vlth gas. Wood chlp
costs voro comparablo to gas, vood pollots voro moro
oxponslvo and comparablo to oll hoatlng.
Wood chip 3%
Wood pellet 3%
Gas 5%
Gas 10%
Gas 15%
0 5 10 15 20 25
Concession period (years)
||gue 7. Comparlson ol luturo gas and blomass supply costs (Modlllod lrom 1LS 2008
|14}
)
1ho valuos aro tho modollod yoar-on-yoar prlco rlsos ol tho luols
28 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
1ab/e 9: fstimatcd costs o itting dicrcnt biomass cncrgy units
Typc o boiIcr fstimatcd unit cost fIuc and fucI TotaI
unit (L) instaIIation storagc (L)
Condonslng gas 500750 750
Condonslng oll 10001200 1200
Solld luol coal 1400 300 300 2000
Coal or vood stovo 600700 1000 300 2000
vlth back bollor
lollot stovo (no back bollor) 1500 300 300 2100
Log/pollot bollor 3500 1500 300 5300
Costs ol bollors, luol storos and lnstallatlons voro
summarlsod by tho Natlonal Lnorgy loundatlon ln 2009
and aro glvon ln 1ablo 9.
ln all casos, tho blomass systoms aro moro oxponslvo
as thoy aro nov tochnologlos ln tho markot. Costs aro
oxpoctod to roduco as uptako lncroasos, stlmulatod by tho
provlslon ol grants.
4.1.4 Grants
As a ronovablo onorgy sourco thoro aro grants avallablo
lor blomass lnstallatlons. 1hoso that can bo accossod
vlll bo dopondont on tho appllcatlon, vhothor domostlc
or commorclal and vhoro locatod. A brlol summary ol
opportunltlos ln 2009/2010 ls prosontod ln ox 2 vlth
slgnposts to lurthor lnlormatlon.
Cthor drlvors to support tho doploymont ol bloonorgy
systoms ln tho Ul lncludo.
capltal grant support provldod lor lnlrastructuro
dovolopmont
tho konovablo Cbllgatlons Cortlllcatos (kCC)
tho konovablo Hoat lncontlvo (kHl).
A kCC ls a cortlllcato lssuod to an accrodltod gonorator
lor ollglblo ronovablo oloctrlclty gonoratod vlthln tho Ul
and suppllod to customors ln tho Ul. Cno kCC ls lssuod
lor oach mogavatt hour (MWh) ol ollglblo ronovablo
output gonoratod.
Crants aro avallablo lor homoovnors lrom tho Lov
Carbon ulldlngs lrogrammo tovards tho cost ol a vood
pollot bollor. 1ho total cost ol a typlcal 15 kW bollor
lncludlng a lluo can bo botvoon 5000 and 14,000 and
a grant ol up to 1500 or a maxlmum llmlt ol 30 ol tho
total cost ls posslblo.
1ho Dopartmont ol Lnorgy and Cllmato Chango
(DLCC) announcod ln March 2010 tho lood-ln tarlll lovols
to lncontlvlso lov-carbon hoatlng tochnologlos. lnltlatlvos
llko thoso vlll stlmulato grovth and dovolopmont ol
blomass lor hoat.
1ho kHl camo lnto oporatlon ln Aprll 2011 and ls
llkoly to run untll 2020. lt vlll stlmulato tho uso ol small-
scalo ronovablo onorgy tochnologlos, lncludlng blomass,
across tho Ul. 1ho rolatlvoly small domand at prosont
lor vood lor hoatlng domostlc or small-scalo lndustrlal
bulldlngs ln tho Ul ls llkoly to grov slgnlllcantly vlth tho
ollor ol thoso lncontlvos.
8ov 2: Grants avaiIabIc in 2009/2010 or
biomass instaIIations
ulldlng Lntorprlso and kogulatory kolorm (Lkk) has a
Lov Carbon ulldlngs lrogrammo
Lnorgy Savlng 1rust (LS1) oporato thoso schomos.
Scottlsh Communlty & Housoholdor konovablos
lnltlatlvo (SCHkl)
Communlty Lnorgy lrogrammo lunds dovolopmont
grants and capltal grants vhlch aro avardod lor
communlty or dlstrlct hoatlng pro|octs
CloarSklos konovablo Lnorgy Crants aro avallablo to
homoovnors and schools and communltlos.
Lnhancod Capltal Allovancos (LCA) aro avallablo lor
commorclal usors (lor moro lnlormatlon vlslt vvv.oca.gov.
uk)
1ho Carbon 1rust ollors Actlon Lnorgy Loans to SMLs
4.1.5 Standards
lomass onorgy ln tho Ul and Luropo ls a rapldly
dovoloplng markot and as such ls ovolvlng and dovoloplng
standards. ln countrlos vhoro blomass onorgy has boon
usod lor docados (og Austrla, Svltzorland and Nordlc
countrlos) natlonal standards havo boon ln placo lor many
yoars. lollovlng vork vlth CLN/1C 335, a Luropoan sulto
ol standards lor tho spoclllcatlon ol vood luol has boon
publlshod ln tho Ul. 1ho scopo ol S LN 14961
|16}
ls lor
non-lndustrlal uso ol vood luol and comprlsos llvo parts.
Conoral roqulromonts (lart 1)
Wood pollots (lart 2)
Wood brlquottos (lart 3)
Wood chlps (lart 4)
llrovood (lart 5).
1ho vork ol tho tochnlcal commlttoo ls dollvorlng
Luropoan standards that should holp support tho
dovolopmont ol blomass onorgy ln tho Ul. 1hoso
roplaco tho voluntary standard ol tho konovablo Lnorgy
Assoclatlon
|17}
vhlch spoclllod promlum pollots.
29 4 ECONOMICS AND FUTURE OPTIONS
4.1.6 Regulations and planning
llannlng pormlsslon ls not alvays roqulrod ospoclally
vhoro rotrollttlng to oxlstlng bulldlngs and small-
scalo domostlc appllcatlons. 1ho status ol plannlng
approval must bo chockod vlth tho local councll
plannlng dopartmont. llannlng vlll bo roqulrod lor
largor lnstallatlons vhoro chlmnoys aro to bo lnstallod,
changlng tho vlsual lmpact ol a bulldlng, and vhoro tralllc
movomonts aro oxpoctod to lncroaso slgnlllcantly, addlng
to local nolso and tralllc congostlon.
A numbor ol koy plocos ol loglslatlon lnlluonco
plannlng pormlsslon and lts grantlng.
1ho ulldlng kogulatlons ln Lngland and Walos
Approvod Documont } Conoust|oo a||aoces aoo
|ue| stoage sjstens covors tho roqulromonts lor lluos
and chlmnoys
|18}
. Slmllar bulldlng rogulatlons and
supportlng guldanco oxlst ln Scotland and Northorn
lroland
|19,20}
. Hoatlng Lqulpmont 1ostlng & Approvals
Schomo (HL1AS) provldos a routo ol posslbly pro-
mootlng tho roqulromonts as tho organlsatlon oporatos
an approval systom lor solld luol domostlc hoatlng
appllancos, luols and sorvlcos
|21}
.
1ho C|eao ^| ^ct (1056/
|22}
targotod tho slgnlllcant
probloms ol poor urban alr quallty duo to tho burnlng
ol lossll luols ln homos ln cltlos. Wlthln smokoloss
zonos and Smoko Control Aroas (rlstol, lrmlngham,
London, Manchostor, Llvorpool, Novcastlo-upon-
1yno, otc.) partlcular luols or appllancos must bo
usod. Somo stovos and bollors havo oxomptlon
cortlllcatos. ln addltlon, thoro may bo a roqulromont
lor tallor chlmnoys or, vhoro thls ls not posslblo, lor
cloan-up tochnology lor tho lluo gasos. 1horo ls moro
lnlormatlon at vvv.uksmokocontrolaroas.co.uk.
!|e use o| o|onass |o |o|ooug| lollcy papor
24 Novombor 2009
|23}
ls somotlmos rolorrod to by
othor counclls. ln an updato llannlng Commlttoo
documont, 24 lobruary 2011, 1ho Clty ol Ldlnburgh
Councll notos tho actlvo rosoarch undorvay and
provldos cloar guldanco on plannlng lssuos lor blomass
lnstallatlons
|24}
.
||aoo|og |o||cj Stateneot ||S 22. keoe.ao|e eoegj
|25}
has an Annox on vood luol blomass onorgy to guldo
plannors and dovolopors.
4.2 BIOMASS ENERGY AND CARBON
A gas bollor supplylng a typlcal houso vlth spaco hoatlng
and hot vator vlll produco 6.2 tonnos ol CC
2
por yoar
omlttod to tho atmosphoro, rosultlng ln a not lncroaso
to atmosphorlc CC
2
. 1ho uso ol storod blomass onorgy,
accountlng lor tho CC
2
ln tho blomass bolng roloasod
back to tho atmosphoro to bo storod ln blomass agaln,
moans that tho typlcal houso only omlts 0.8 tonnos ol
CC
2
por yoar
|14}
. Wood has a lov CC
2
omlsslon por C}
comparod vlth othor luol typos but has lovor onorgy
donslty so moro ls noodod. Cvorall, lt provldos a roducod
carbon luol optlon as voll as bolng ronovablo.
As vlth any lllo-cyclo analysls, lt ls lmportant to
capturo tho vholo cyclo ol onorgy productlon, vhlch vlll
lncludo.
rav matorlal productlon
onorgy ol manulacturo or drylng
transport
omlsslons
vastos and roslduos.
1horoloro, ln truo torms no vood luol can bo consldorod
to bo zoro carbon unloss lt has no procosslng and ls usod
vhoro lt ls grovn tho closost approxlmatlon to thls may
occur on somo country ostatos.
Carbon comparlsons nood to bo conductod on a lovol
playlng llold. lor oxamplo, ln blomass onorgy thoro aro
trado-olls botvoon tho procosslng ol tho rav matorlal
and roduclng lts molsturo contont vhlch consumos
onorgy vlth that ol hlghor onorgy donslty and calorlllc
valuo ol tho luol that croatos a moro olllclont hoat onorgy
roloaso on combustlon. A balanco noods to bo struck lor
tho partlcular ond uso and appllcatlon. 1o thls oxtont,
a groator documontatlon ol dllloront calorlllc valuos ol
vood spoclos vould bo holplul to stoor plantlng stratogy
and mako bost uso ol oxlstlng rosourcos.
1ho caso studlos prosontod ln soctlon 3 domonstrato
tho dlvorslty ol blomass pro|octs vhoso carbon savlng has
boon ostlmatod to bo ln tho rango 10 t CC
2
por yoar lor
a small olllco up to 6700 t CC
2
por yoar lor an alrport
tormlnal. 1ho 32 pro|octs shovn ln thls roport colloctlvoly
savo an ostlmatod 16,000 t CC
2
por yoar.
1ho kCCs mochanlsm provldos an lncontlvo lor
blomass to bo usod to provldo ronovablo oloctrlclty.
1hls croatos a slgnlllcant tonslon ln tho vood supply
chaln. 1ho vood panol lndustry ls oxporlonclng dlroct
compotltlon lor vood chlp and lacos tho challongo ol
tho prlco rlsos assoclatod vlth tho rav matorlal
|26}
. Whllo
thls compotltlon croatos a hoalthy advantago lor tho
troo grovor, lt glvos a dlstortod valuo to vood chlp as a
luol and doos not placo an oqulvalont valuo on vood ln
constructlon.
1horo ls no mochanlsm or llnanclal lncontlvo lor
convortlng vood lnto constructlon products vhlch
arguably ls a moro posltlvo vay ol roduclng carbon
lmpacts by storlng lt ln bulldlngs. 1hls ls lncroaslngly
rocolvlng attontlon as a mochanlsm lor docarbonlslng
constructlon as lt ls a moro olloctlvo uso ol tho llnlto
vood rosourco than slmply burnlng lt to provldo onorgy.
1ho advantago ol storlng vood and carbon ln bulldlngs
ls that tho vood can ln tho luturo (og on bulldlng
doconstructlon) bo usod lor rocovorod ond usos, lncludlng
onorgy gonoratlon. Cthor countrlos aro addrosslng
thls challongo. 1ho lronch Covornmont aro currontly
consldorlng a lav that vould roqulro nov bulldlngs, on
sooklng plannlng pormlsslon, to lncludo a domonstrablo
proportlon ol blo-basod (lncludlng vood) matorlals
ln thom as a contrlbutlon to tho docarbonlsatlon ol
constructlon.
30 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
lomass has an lncroaslngly lmportant contrlbutlon
to mako ln tho Uls natlonal onorgy mako-up. 1hls vlll
lncroaso ln tho luturo as tho lollovlng lssuos bocomo
moro promlnont.
socurlty ol supply ol rosourcos
local addod valuo and thus |ob croatlon
roduclng tho lmpact ol oxlstlng systoms that roly on
lossll luols.
lomass ls lncroaslngly bolng domonstratod to bo a vlablo
ronovablo onorgy tochnology lor commorclal promlsos as
dlvorso as olllco spaco to manulacturlng unlts.
lomass has a rolo to play but tho locus through
kCCs sooms to bo on largo-scalo onorgy productlon. 1ho
bost uso ol tho llnlto vood rosourco ls arguably not to
oncourago largo-scalo burnlng ol vood to provldo onorgy.
Wood uso ln Ul constructlon ls around 1012 mllllon
tonnos annually ol vhlch 1520 ls suppllod lrom homo-
grovn sourcos. A roport by }ohn Clogg Consultlng ln
2010
|27}
ostlmatos that 27 mllllon annual tonnos vould bo
noodod to sorvlco tho largo-scalo blomass plants proposod
ln tho Ul. 1hls soborlng thought lndlcatos that a balanco
ol mochanlsms noods to bo ln placo to support vood
bolng usod lor constructlon as voll as moblllslng othor
sourcos such as mlxod vasto vood sourcos lor onorgy.
4.3 STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF
BIOMASS ENERGY
Strengths
lomass lor onorgy can bo optlmlsod to bo lov
lmpact. 1ho Lnorgy Savlng 1rust ldontlllos blomass as
a carbon-noutral optlon on tho basls that although
tho combustlon ol vood roloasos CC
2
, lt ls tho samo
amount as vas absorbod vhllo tho vood vas grovlng.
lomass can bo sourcod locally and thus croato local
omploymont opportunltlos.
lomass ls moro stablo ln prlco than lossll luols.
lomass ls choapor than oll, LlC and oloctrlcal
hoatlng.
lomass hoatlng can rocolvo govornmont grants.
lomass bollor tochnology ls such that lt can bo
automatlc and largoly soll-cloanlng.
ln addltlon to tho cost savlngs, tho blomass-llrod bollor
plant also savos tonnos ol CC
2
por annum comparod
vlth convontlonal gas-llrod bollor plant.
lomass onorgy can como lrom short rotatlon copplco,
short rotatlon lorosts and vood vasto.
lollot stovos can bo soll-cloanlng.
lomass lnstallatlons can bo lully automatod and
managod by LSCC.
Weaknesses
lomass sot-up costs can bo hlgh and payback tlmos
challonglng, though a 510 yoar payback porlod
should bo achlovablo.
lomass onorgy roturn ls crltlcally rolatod to molsturo
contont ol tho matorlal.
1horo ls a complox array ol grants.
1horo ls a lack ol ostabllshod supply chalns, though thls
ls dovoloplng.
1horo ls llmltod knovlodgo ol hov to vlth tho usors
and spoclllors.
Malns gas romalns a choapor and domlnant onorgy
sourco.
Dollvory and storago ln tho urban onvlronmont ls
challonglng.
lomass supply ls compotlng vlth tradltlonal usos lor
vood chlp such as tho panol products lndustry.
lomass bollors aro largor than lossll luol bollors and
storago spaco ls roqulrod lor luol.
4.4 A LOOK TO THE FUTURE
Looklng to tho luturo, blomass onorgy has sovoral koy
lmpacts and drlvors that aro llkoly to lnlluonco tho spood
and typo ol uptako.
lncroasod uptako ol blomass onorgy vlll load to
roducod costs ol lnstallatlons
Dovoloplng supply chalns aro moro locussod on |ob
croatlon and transport mllos
1ho supply chaln lor vood luol vlll bo lnlluoncod by
compotltlon lor vood lor othor ond-usors.
As contamlnatlon challongos aro tacklod thoro vlll
bo an lncroaslng supply ol vood vasto lor onorgy
provlslon
Substltutlon ol blomass luol lor lossll luols ls a
componont ln lovorlng onvlronmontal lmpact and
tackllng cllmato chango
An lmprovod lmago lor blomass tochnology shovs lt to
bo cloan, capablo and olllclont
Carbon accountlng or taxatlon vlll lavour ronovablo
onorgy tochnologlos. Lstlmatos suggost savlngs ol up to
1 mt CC
2
/yoar lrom uslng lorost and voodland
product lor provlslon ol hoatlng
|28}
Socurlty ol supply ol blomass luol vlll bo lmprovod
as undor-managod voodlands aro brought back lnto
actlvo lorost managomont
1ho konovablo Hoat lnltlatlvo, and tho lood-ln tarllls
assoclatod vlth lt, vlll stlmulato tho uso ol small-scalo
ronovablo onorgy tochnologlos, lncludlng blomass,
across tho Ul
31 5 CONCLUSIONS
5 CONCLUSIONS
lomass onorgy solutlons uslng vood luol lor small,
modlum and largo bollors aro lncroaslngly bolng
lntogratod lnto commorclal bulldlngs ln tho Ul both lor
rotrollttlng to oxlstlng bulldlngs and lnstallatlons ln nov
lactorlos, olllcos and buslnoss promlsos. lomass onorgy
has a slgnlllcant contrlbutlon to mako to tho Ul onorgy
and ronovablos landscapo. lt ls dovoloplng rapldly as
rogulatlon and pollcy drlvo lts uptako and oncourago
grants lor domostlc lnstallatlons and allovancos lor vldor
commorclal uptako.
1horo ls a dlvorslty ol tochnologlos to sult varlous
appllcatlons, and supply chalns aro bocomlng ostabllshod
across tho Ul. lt ls a slgnlllcant challongo to sourco tho
luol vlthout compromlslng bost-valuo appllcatlons lor
prlmary lorosts products, short rotatlon copplco, short
rotatlon lorosts and vood vasto procosslng appoar to
ollor consldorablo opportunltlos lor supplylng vood luol
ln tho noar luturo to partlally oaso tho prossuro on our
llnlto lorost rosourcos.
32 BIOMASS ENERGY Wood fuel for space and water heating
6 REFERENCES, FURTHER READING
AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION
REFERENCES*
1 WkAl. Wood vasto markot ln tho Ul. lro|oct MlN0222,
Wasto & kosourcos Actlon lrogrammo. anbury, Cxlordshlro,
WkAl, 2009.
2 Dopartmont ol 1rado and lndustry (D1l). Ul lomass
Stratogy 2007. Worklng lapor 1 Lconomlc analysls ol blomass
onorgy. Avallablo as a pdl at vvv.borr.gov.uk/lllos/lllo39040.pdl.
3 DLCC. konovablo Lnorgy Stratogy and konovablos
Cbllgatlon. 2009. lor lnlormatlon vlslt vvv.carbontrust.co.uk/
pollcy-loglslatlon/onorgy-supply/ronovablo-onorgy/pagos/tho-
ronovablo-onorgy-stratogy.aspx.
4 koad D }, lroor-Smlth l H, Morlson } L ot al (Lds).
Combatlng cllmato chango a rolo lor tho Ul lorosts. An
assossmont ol tho potontlal ol tho Uls troos and voodlands to
mltlgato and adapt to cllmato chango. 1SC, Ldlnburgh, 2009.
S Austrlan Standards lnstltuto. Woodchlps lor onorgy
gonoratlon. quallty and tostlng roqulromonts. Austrlan Standard
CNCkM M7 133. Vlonna, Austrlan Standards lnstltuto.
6 Austrlan Standards lnstltuto. Wood pollots lor onorgy
gonoratlon. quallty and tostlng roqulromonts. Austrlan Standard
CNCkM M7 135. Vlonna, Austrlan Standards lnstltuto.
7 Doutschos lnstltut lr Normung (DlN). Spoclllcatlons lor
vood chlp luol. Corman Standard DlN 66 165. orlln, DlN.
8 lolghloy C. Wood as luol. a guldo to burnlng vood
olllclontly. lorostry Commlsslon, Ldlnburgh, 1996.
9 lomass 1ask lorco. koport to Covornmont. Cctobor
2005. Avallablo as a pdl at http.//archlvo.dolra.gov.uk/loodlarm/
grovlng/crops/lndustrlal/onorgy/blomass-tasklorco/pdl/btl-
llnalroport.pdl.
10 D1l. Dlgost ol Ul Lnorgy Statlstlcs (DUlLS) 2009. London,
D1l, 2009.
Note 2010 DUlLS avallablo at vvv.docc.gov.uk/on/contont/cms/
statlstlcs/publlcatlons/dukos/dukos.aspx.
11 NLkA. 1ho Ul supply curvo lor blomass hoat. Study
conductod lor DLCC kol. UkN 09D/689. London, DLCC, 2009.
12 lCMASS Lnorgy Contro. Soo lacts & llguros at
vvv.blomassonorgycontro.org.uk.
13 lohoat. lomass caso study. koplacomont ol an oxlstlng
hoatlng lactory by a vood chlp or pollot plant. 2004. Avallablo as
a pdl at vvv.docstoc.com/docs/43034750/lomass-caso-study.
14 1oamvork Lnorgy uroau Sorvlcos (1LS). lomass llrod
bollor plant caso study. 2008. Avallablo as a pdl at vvv.tobs.
uk.com/lomass20Caso20Study.pdl.
1S Cox A. Lov carbon hoatlng vlth vood pollot luol. A roport
by \CC
2
conlsboo Ltd. Avallablo as a pdl at vvv.nol.org.uk/
logpllo/pollots/documonts/lollotkoport.pdl.
16 Sl. Solld bloluols. luol spoclllcatlons and classos.
S LN 14961. London, Sl, 2010.
lart 1.2010 Conoral roqulromonts
lart 2.2011 Wood pollots lor non-lndustrlal uso
lart 3.2011 Wood brlquottos lor non-lndustrlal uso
lart 4.2011 Wood chlps lor non-lndustrlal uso
lart 5.2011 llrovood lor non-lndustrlal uso
17 konovablo Lnorgy Assoclatlon. Voluntary standard lor vood
pollots. lor lnlormatlon vlslt vvv.r-o-a.not.
18 Dopartmont lor Communltlos and Local Covornmont
(CLC). 1ho ulldlng kogulatlons (Lngland & Walos) 2010 Approvod
Documont }. Combustlon appllancos and luol storago systoms
(2010 odn). London, CLC, 2010.
19 Scottlsh Covornmont. 1ho ulldlng (Scotland) kogulatlons
2004. 1ochnlcal Handbook, 2010. Soctlon 3. Lnvlronmont. Soctlon
4. Saloty. Ldlnburgh, Scottlsh Covornmont, 2010.
20 Northorn lroland Clllco. 1ho ulldlng kogulatlons
(Amondmont No. 2) (Northorn lroland) 2010. 1ochnlcal ooklot L.
Hoat produclng appllancos, 1991 to bo road ln con|unctlon vlth
AMD 1, 1998 and AMD 2, 2000. London, 1SC, 2010.
21 Hoatlng Lqulpmont 1ostlng & Approvals Schomo (HL1AS).
lor lnlormatlon vlslt vvv.hotas.co.uk/rotallor-schomo.
22 Cloan Alr Act (1956) 1968 and 1993 updatos. Cloan Alr
Act 1993. c. 11. London, 1ho Natlonal Archlvos, 1993. Vlslt vvv.
loglslatlon.gov.uk.
23 Clty ol Ldlnburgh Councll. Uso ol lomass ln Ldlnburgh.
lollcy papor 24 Novombor 2009.
24 Clty ol Ldlnburgh Councll. Domostlc Wood urnlng Stovos
& lomass ollors, March 2011. Avallablo at vvv.odlnburgh.gov.
uk/dlroctory_rocord/21230/domostlc_vood_burnlng_stovos_and_
blomass_bollors.
2S Dopartmont lor Communltlos and Local Covornmont
(DCLC). llannlng lollcy Statomont 22. konovablo onorgy. London,
DCLC, 2004.
33 6 REFERENCES, FURTHER READING AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION
26 Wood lanol lndustrlos lodoratlon (vpll). lor lnlormatlon
vlslt vvv.vpll.org.uk/Mako_Wood_Work.asp.
27 }ohn Clogg Consultlng. Wood llbro avallablllty and
domand ln rltaln 2007 to 2025. Ldlnburgh, Conlodoratlon ol
lorost lndustrlos (Conlor), 2010.
28 D1l and 1ho Carbon 1rust. konovablos lnnovatlon rovlov.
London, Lkk, 2004.
FURTHER READING AND SOURCES OF
INFORMATION*
1horo aro oxtonslvo on-llno rosourcos ol lnlormatlon on
blomass onorgy, tho oqulpmont and caso studlos lrom
tho Ul Covornmont, prlvato companlos, consultants
and notvorks. An lmportant soloctlon ls summarlsod
at tho 1ho lorostry Commlsslons ono stop shop vob
slto (vvv.blomassonorgycontro.org.uk) vhlch provldos
lnlormatlon to anyono ln tho Ul vlth an lntorost ln
blomass-dorlvod solld, llquld and gasoous luols and
assoclatod convorslon tochnologlos. 1ho Lnorgy Crops
Schomo, Woodland Crant Schomo and othor roglonal
support schomos aro also avallablo.
L41och (Ul). lomass lor hoat and povor ln tho Ul. A tochno-
oconomlc assossmont ol tho long torm potontlal. llnal roport,
1 Docombor 2003. London, Lkk, 2003. Avallablo as a pdl at
http.//vobarchlvo.natlonalarchlvos.gov.uk//http.//vvv.borr.gov.
uk/lllos/lllo22065.pdl.
South Wood luol Advlco Sorvlco. A guldo to small scalo blomass
hoatlng pro|octs (<200kW). Commlsslonod by Contro lor
Sustalnablo Lnorgy and South Wost Woodland konalssanco,
2006. Avallablo as pdl at vvv.oastdovonaonb.org.uk/documonts/
lomassrlollng_doc06.pdl.
vvv.ashvollonglnoorlng.com/caso_studlos.htm
http.//blohoatonllno.com
vvv.cllmatoonorgy.org.uk/lndox.asp
vvv.oco-llnk.co.uk
vvv.oconorgy.ltd.uk
vvv.onorgylnnovatlonsuk.com
vvv.onorgysavlngtrust.org.uk/Conorato-your-ovn-onorgy/Wood-
luollod-hoatlng
vvv.myrladcog.com/blomass
vvv.nnlcc.co.uk
vvv.r-o-a.not
vvv.southvostvoodshod.co.uk/statlc/:pago_ld~98 SW caso
studlos
vvv.usovoodluol.co.uk/CasoStudlos.stm
vvv.voodonorgyltd.co.uk
' All UkLs accossod 10 }uno 2011. 1ho publlshor accopts no
rosponslblllty lor tho porslstonco or accuracy ol UkLs rolorrod to ln thls
publlcatlon, and doos not guarantoo that any contont on such vobsltos
ls, or vlll romaln, accurato or approprlato.
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New fire design method for steel frames with composite
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Lessons from UK PFI and real estate partnerships:
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BIOMASS ENERGY
Wood fuel for space and water heating
lomass ls a grovlng sourco ol onorgy ln tho Ul. 1hls roport
lnvostlgatos tho opportunltlos lor uslng vood luol lor spaco
and vator hoatlng ln commorclal, publlc and domostlc
bulldlngs. lt outllnos tho luols and bollor optlons and dlscussos
supply chaln, plannlng and rogulatlons, oconomlcs and costs.
Caso studlos lllustrato 24 appllcatlons ol blomass onorgy ln
a rango ol houslng and commorclal, oducatlonal and lolsuro
bulldlngs. 1ho roport concludos vlth a rovlov ol tho caso
lor ronovablo onorgy and tho drlvors that vlll lnlluonco tho
dovolopmont ol blomass luol.
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lHS kL lross, Wllloughby koad
racknoll, orkshlro kC12 8l
vvv.brobookshop.com
f 36