How to increase RES in the heat market?

It can be stated that biomass development depends strongly on the political support, as shown in Sweden or Denmark. It is up to decision-makers, particularly in the fields of energy and finance, to create a positive framework in their country.

As it can be seen in some European countries, the key to RES development lies in the taxation of fossil fuels and tax alleviation's for RES. Such tax should apply to those 60% of the energy consumers that are not exposed to worldwide competition (tertiary sector, domestic sector, and public buildings).

Market barriers for biomass should be overcome. There is a particularly need for information, training (plumbers for example), advisers, investment incentives, good examples from public sector, regional development plans, quality control mechanism. These actions should form the basis of national initiatives "Bioenergy for Heat".

Summarising, one can state that keeping in mind the relative importance of biomass among renewables and heat among other markets for biomass, it seems obvious that strong national commitment is needed, at the risk of loosing the credibility of the Union in international negotiations. Generous programs "Bioenergy for Heat" should be launched.

note: the whole position paper (19 pages) is available on the AEBIOM web site.

 

Biomass use in Poland

During the Kyoto Conference in December 1997 Poland declared to reduce emission of GHGs by 6 % by year 2010. One of the options considered in the mitigation strategy was fossil fuels substitution with renewable energy sources. As a consequence Poland is starting a wider use of biomass both as liquid and solid fuels.

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Liquid biofuels

As concerning bioethanol first production of anhydrous alcohol on industrial scale was began in Poland in 1928. During 40s and 50s total production of spirit was very high and mixtures of gasoline with 20% of alcohol were used. High prices of spirit on world markets and low prices of fossil fuels reduced production of anhydrous spirit to only one enterprise in Kutno. In 90’s we were reminded again of these fuels made from agricultural raw materials.

In the beginning of 90’s a huge overproduction of alcohol, resulting from necessity of processing surplus production of cereals, potatoes and beet molasses determined our country to undertake production of gasoline with bioethanol (dehydrated ethyl alcohol) as the additive . Wider usage of gasoline with ethanol blends was possible after introduction of new standard for engine fuels in 1992. Polish standard, regulating gasoline quality and composition PN-92/C-096025 allows the mixing of organic oxygen compounds, in that dehydrated ethyl alcohol, but not more than 5% by volume with petrol, with a maximum total oxygen content 2.8 % by weight. Another very important element stimulating development of bioethanol-gasoline blend production is introducing reduction of excise taxation for such gasoline by Ministry of Finances. At present production of ethanol equals about 220 mln litres, of which about 100 mln litres was used for technical purposes.

As concerning Biodiesel in Poland rape is the most interesting plant, moreover with traditionally known and accepted methods of cultivation. For that reason research works in our country are concentrated on processing of rape oil for biofuel. In the years 1994-1997 a project was conducted: "Epal - Polish rape biofuel for Diesel engines" on the order of Ministry of Agriculture and Food Economy. As a result the first Polish agrorefinery has been established. Three research centres participated in it: IBMER as co-ordinator was dealing with all the problems connected with biofuel production (organisation, economics etc.), Technical-Agricultural Academy in Olsztyn was solving problems connected with food production on basis of rape meal and Warsaw Aviation Institute was testing use of biofuels in tractors. Simultaneously tests of rape biofuel were done, on basis of which a proposal of Polish standard PrPN-C-40030 was elaborated.

In aspect of actual state of the art and with actual price relations (cheap diesel fuel on world markets and high prices of rapeseed) a substitution of mineral energy products with rape based products in large scale is currently not possible in our country.

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Solid biofuels

In Poland combustible biomass consists mainly of wood and straw. Wood chips resources are available almost in all regions of the country.

Besides traditional wood fuel novel energy crops can be considered. Among new crops tested in conditions of our country are: species of willow (e.g. Salix viminalis), pseudocereals eg. Amaranthus and quinoa, Miscanthus s. giganteus, Miscanthus s sacchariflorus and Sida hermaphrodita (Majtkowski, 1998). At present Salix viminalis is most common alternative crop. Willow plantations are used as biological sewage-treatment plants especially in rural regions. High annual growth of biomass indicates usefulness of those plantations for energy purposes. First trials showed that it is possible to gain 10-15 tons of dry matter per year from 1 hectare. Willow is also a good filter trapping toxic compounds from soil. More and more farms are building waste water treatment plants where fast-growing willow is utilised. These species however require special habitat conditions, mainly water ones, and it seems that in Poland they do not offer hopes of growing for energy production in a nearest future. Shortage of equipment for willow harvest on Polish market is another barrier for wider implementation.

Usefulness of chosen perennial grasses of C-4 photosynthesis with a high biomass production was also tested in Polish conditions as a potential raw material for energy production. The Bydgoszcz Botanical Garden for example has a collection of energy grasses and they are testing their growth and overwintering.

In Poland annual straw production equals about 22 million tons. In crops structure cereals are dominating. In Polish agriculture straw is utilised for various purposes: as fodder, as lining for live stock, as organic fertiliser and as insulation material. Till half of 80’s straw was used in animal production mainly. But at the beginning of 90’s the animal production decreased and the straw surplus was about 8 million tons, which raised the solution of straw utilisation for energy production.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First installations were based on Danish technical solutions. Actually on Polish market a few manufacturers of small straw-fired boilers and small wood-fired / wood gasification boilers are present. Biomass-fired boiler plants of various capacities are operated to supply heat both to private farms and to public buildings. There are nearly 50 straw-fired and over 5000 wood-fired boilers whose total capacity is in excess of 500 MW(t) now. Hot water accumulation tank with large capacity is a characteristic feature of those solutions. High investment costs (about 500 PLN/kW, 1 EUR=4 PLN) are the main barrier to wider dissemination of this technology. In bigger systems (500-900 kW) boilers with combustion of whole bales automatically fed are used. Several straw-fired district heating plants have been erected during last years with total capacity of about 9 MW(t).

Attempts are also being made to utilise sewage sludge, with parameters similar to those of peat, for energy purposes. A boiler plant (1.5 MW) for sludge combustion in a fluidised bed has been erected in a sewage treatment plant near Gdynia. The first sludge-fired DHP (0.3 MW) has also been commissioned in the sewage treatment plant in Swarzewo near Puck.

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