Ingwald Obernberger Peter Thonhofer Project “GREEN BARBADOS” Electricity from Biomass – A competitive alternative for base load electricity production in large-scale applications and an interesting opportunity for small-scale CHP systems Ingwald Obernberger Peter Thonhofer

Overview BIOS – a short introduction Biomass – a renewable energy source Biomass to power – large-scale applications Examples of large-scale power plants Biomass combined heat and power – small-scale applications Example for a small-scale CHP plant The role of biomass to power within the “GREEN BARBADOS” project Summary and conclusions

BIOS – a short introduction

BIOS - Company information BIOS BIOENERGIESYSTEME GmbH, founded in 1995, is an internationally active R&D and engineering company with the main focus on bioenergy applications such as District heating Process heating and cooling CHP (combined heat and power) applications CHCP (combined heat, cooling and power) applications Pelletizing plants Hybrid (biomass/solar) plants

BIOS – selected references 40 biomass CHP and CHCP plants – based on ORC, steam turbine, screw-type engine, Stirling engine, vegetable oil and biogas including hybrid plants 9 plants for waste heat utilisation 13 biomass district heating plants 3 pellet production plants 3 cooling plants (absorption chillers and heat pumps) more than 25 CFD simulation projects (development, design & optimisation of biomass combustion and gasification systems) Lienz / A – CHP plant & district heating Marstal / DK – CHP plant & solar heating Fussach / A – CHCP plant

Biomass – a renewable energy source

Biomass – a renewable energy source Biomass is a renewable energy source as long as it is used sustainably (the harvested amount must not exceed the growth) Advantages of using biomass: Biomass is chemically stored solar energy  thus, in contrast to wind or solar power it can be used on demand Biomass is the renewable energy source with the highest short- and medium-term application potential Prices of biomass are considerably more stable and lower than of fossil fuels

Energetic biomass utilization - carbon and mineral cycle CO2 uptake via photosynthesis CO2 emissions Biomass for energy generation (bound CO2 and minerals) Combustion residue biomass ash Recycling of ash back to forest or short rotation coppice plantations Uptake of nutrients contained in the ash

Biomass utilization – example Austria Total in 2011: 1,427 PJ; share of renewables: 28.2% Target for 2020: 34% of renewables Source: Austrian Biomass Association, 2013: Basic data Bioenergy Austria

Renewable energies and bioenergy in Austria Contribution of renewable energy sources to the gross energy consumption in 2011 [PJ] Contribution of different sections on the total bioenergy utilisation in 2011 [PJ] Source: Austrian Biomass Association, 2013: Basic data Bioenergy Austria

Percentage of the primary EU27 energy consumption covered by renewable energy sources EU27 – 2020 targets: 20% renewable energy in gross final energy consumption cutting greenhouse gases by 20% reducing energy consumption by 20% through increased energy efficiency

Worldwide energy consumption Overall (2011) Electricity production (2013) Source: World Biomass Association

Fuels used in biomass combustion plants Woody biomass fuels Bark Industrial wood chips Sawdust Forest wood chips Short rotation coppice Waste wood Pellets, briquettes Herbaceous biomass fuels Straw, cereals Grasses (miscanthus, giant reed) Alternative biomass fuels Kernels, shells, rice husks etc.

Fuel selection and appropriate conversion technology The selection of biomass fuel sources is important since the fuel quality differs from species to species As a consequence, the biomass conversion technology needs to be adapted to the fuels available

Biomass to power – large-scale applications

Technologies for industrial biomass combustion up to 50 MWth > 20 MWth > 30 MWth all sizes

Large-scale biomass to power applications Biomass to power applications – characteristics & combustion technologies (I) Large-scale biomass to power applications > 20 MWe power output Power generation only (excess heat is cooled off) Net electric efficiency: > 30% Combustion technologies: Bubbling fluidised bed combustion (BFBC) Circulating fluidised bed combustion (CFBC) Pulverized fuel combustion Power generation technology Steam turbine BFBC CFBC

Examples of large-scale power plants

Large-scale power plants (I) Wilton 10 power plant: Location: Middlesborough, England Start of operation: 2007 Power output: 35 MWe; net electric efficiency (based on NCV): 30% Combined heat and power production (currently power only) Technology: Bubbling fluidized bed combustion, steam boiler, (520°C/120 bar) steam turbine Fuel demand: 300,000 t (wet basis) such as forest residues, wood processing residues, waste wood, short rotation coppice Fuel logistics: fuel supply by truck & rail, storage capacities for 14 days, fuels are either delivered ready to use or are processed on site Investment costs: £64 million

Large-scale power plants (II) Wilton 10 power plant: process diagram

Large-scale power plants (III) Steven's Croft biomass power station: Location: Lockerbie, Scotland Start of operation: 2007 Power only Power output: 44 MWe, net electric efficiency (based on NCV): 29% Technology: Bubbling fluidized bed combustion, steam boiler (537°C/137 bar), steam turbine Fuel demand: 480,000 t (wet basis) Fuels used: forest wood and agricultural residues, urban wastes and short rotation coppice Fuel logistics: fuel supply by truck, storage capacities for 14 days, fuels are either delivered ready to use or are processed on site Investment costs: £90 million

Large-scale power plants (IV) Aerial view Steven's Croft biomass power station: Main round wood storage area Boiler house Fuel storage (10,000 m³) Chipped wood storage area Condenser Fuel processing

Large-scale power plants (V) Polaniec, Poland 205 MWe, circulating fluidized bed combustion, steam boiler (565°C/127 bar), steam turbine Power only, net electric efficiency (based on NCV): 36.5% Fuel demand 1,110,000 t/a (wood chips and agricultural residues) Fuel logistics: fuel supply by ship, truck & rail, fuels are stored and processed on site Simmering, Austria 17 MWe (CHP mode), bubbling fluidized bed combustion, steam boiler (520°C/118 bar), steam turbine Combined heat and power production, net electric efficiency: 27%, thermal efficiency: 59%, total efficiency: 86% Fuel demand 130,000 t/a (wood chips); fuel supply by ship, fuels are stored and processed on site

Biomass CHP – small-scale applications

Small-scale biomass CHP applications Biomass CHP applications – characteristics & combustion technologies (I) Small-scale biomass CHP applications 20 - 200 kWe power output Combined heat and power generation only (in combination with process or district heating) Net electric efficiency: 5 – 15% Thermal efficiency: 70 – 80% Overall efficiency: up to 90% Combustion technology: Fixed bed (grate) combustion Power generation technology Organic Rankine Cycle (CraftEngine) CraftEngine

Biomass CHP applications – characteristics & combustion technologies (II) Plant layout grate furnace with pressurized hot water boiler and CraftEngine

Correct dimensioning of a biomass CHP plant A minimum of 5,000 full load operating hours is a target for an economic operation of CHP plants  a correct dimensioning based on local constraints is important! Thermal output of the CHP plant in % Nominal thermal power BM - CHP

The role of biomass to power within the “GREEN BARBADOS” project

Basic principles for green energy production Use an efficient mix of renewables Biomass Solar Wind Geothermal energy Waste Utilize the optimisation potential regarding energy savings and efficiency improvements Efficient energy generation Efficient energy distribution Efficient energy utilization

Potential fuel sources for “GREEN BARBADOS” Pellets Transport per ship from North America Industrial wood chips Local sawmills (if available) Transport per ship from North and South America Short rotation coppice From local agricultural land (e.g. former sugar cane plantations) Yield dependent on local conditions (typical yields vary between 10 and 30 t/ha*a (dry basis))

Biomass to power within “GREEN BARBADOS” (I) Biomass to power - large-scale application: Centralized power generation providing base load power by replacing conventional fossil fuels (e.g. diesel) Continuous operation at full load to minimize power generating costs Biomass fuel supply by ship transport Biomass fuel supply may also serve decentralized small- scale CHP applications Combination of biomass and solar power possible

Biomass to power within “GREEN BARBADOS” (II) Scenario for a large-scale biomass power plant: Average power demand Barbados: 120 MWe Peak power demand Barbados: 157 MWe Base load coverage by biomass power plant: 50 MWe Technology: fluidized bed combustion with steam boiler and steam turbine Target net electric efficiency: 35% Full load operating hours per year: 8,000 h Annual electricity production: 400 GWh (about 40 to 45% of the annual demand) Fuels used: pellets, industrial wood chips, short rotation coppice Fuel demand: from 250,000 t/a (wet basis, pellets) to 500,000 t/a (wet basis, industrial wood chips)

Biomass to power within “GREEN BARBADOS” (III) Biomass CHP - small-scale application: Decentralized units with combined heat/cold and power generation Operation at sites with rather permanent power and heat/cold demand providing power and reducing the electricity demand for chilling/cooling The size of the small-scale applications is dependent on the local heating (e.g. for drying processes) or chilling/cooling (process cooling, space cooling) demand Heat controlled operation: Heat is the main product and power a valuable by-product Buffer tanks for an intermediate heat storage can be meaningful to avoid load fluctuations

Biomass to power within “GREEN BARBADOS” (IV) Scenario for a small-scale biomass CHP plant: Power output: 30 kWe, Heat output: 400 kWth Technology: fixed bed combustion (grate furnace) with pressurized hot water boiler and CraftEngine Target net electric efficiency: 6 - 8% (based on fuel input NCV), thermal efficiency: 80 - 82%, overall plant efficiency: 88% Full load operating hours per year: 5,000 h Annual electricity production: 150 MWhe Annual heat production: 2,000 MWhth (flow temperature 81°C, return temperature 70°C)  potential use for drying or cooling/chilling processes Fuels used: pellets, industrial wood chips, short rotation coppice Fuel demand: from 530 t/a (pellets) to 1,000 t/a (industrial wood chips)

Summary and conclusions Biomass is an important renewable energy source with the highest short- and medium-term application potential world-wide Biomass to power and biomass CHP applications represent state-of-the-art renewable energy solutions Potential fuel sources for “GREEN BARBADOS” are pellets, industrial wood chips and short rotation coppice Two potential application options have been identified: Large-scale power plant for national base load power coverage Decentralized small-scale CHP plants for power and heat generation for locations with power and heat/cooling/chilling demand

Thank you very much for your attention! For further information, please visit our website at: www.bios-bioenergy.at or send an e-mail to: office@bios-bioenergy.at