2.2.2 Installation of a biomass boiler
Description
They are compact equipment specifically designed to be powered with biomass. All of them have ignition-regulation automatic systems and even some, removal of ashes that facilitate the handling to the user. The boilers designed for pellets are very efficient and more compact than the rest of biomass boilers due to the characteristics of this fuel: calorific value, compacting, etc.
Benefits
Biomass is a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel
Biomass helps to prevent fires and reduces harmful emissions that provoke the greenhouse effect
Limitations
The investment costs are high
It requires more space than what it is needed for liquid and gaseous fuel boilers, due to the necessity of storing fuel with a calorific value rather lower than that of diesel
Fire safety measures required are difficult to achieve in the retrofitting of buildings. Biomass causes traffic of heavy vehicles which it is probably unacceptable in the urban area of a city
Economic assessment
The price of biomass is very variable. It may be cost zero, in the case of biomass of own production, or prices of up to about 0.4 €/kg. In most of the cases, users get biomass produced locally at much more competitive prices on cooperatives farming. Therefore each season user will use biomass with the most competitive price in the market.
Regarding to the boilers, there are boilers from 5500€ for single family buildings to 39000€ for large multi-family buildings.
References and best practices
Impact of using biomass boilers on the energy rating and CO2 emissions of Iberian Peninsula residential buildings: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778813004702
Wood pellet-fired biomass boiler project at the Ketchikan Federal building: www.propellets.at/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/gpg_wood-pellet-fired_biomass_boilers_06-20141.pdf
Image gallery
CHARACTERIZATION
Environment or playable world:
Residential
Academic
Offices
All
Carried out by:
Public building users
Owners
Operators
All
Reduce consumption of:
Heating
Cooling
DHW
Lighting
Electric devices
Type of driver:
Physical environmental
Contextual
Psychological
Physiological
Social
Time framework:
- Short term
- Long term
Type of measure:
- Envelope
- HVAC
- DHW
- Lighting
- Electrical devices
- Other
