Sector
Renewable energies (biomass)
Date of investment
2017
Status
Disinvested
Contact
Development, construction and operation of a biomass district heating network for hot water supply and heating in Aranda de Duero, with a demand of 45GWh/year from residential, private and public buildings. In addition to using forest biomass as fuel, waste heat from a nearby cogeneration plant is used in the heating process.
Energy demand for heating and cooling accounts for more than 50% of total energy demand in Europe, with space heating being the main source of heat demand in the residential and tertiary sectors. Currently, the vast majority of demand is met by fossil fuel-based systems (mainly gas and oil boilers), and only 0.2% of demand is met by renewable energy district heating in Spain (compared to 30% in the Nordic countries).
District heating is a centralised energy generation and supply system that allows the use of biomass as the main fuel, which is often not used in distributed heating systems due to space, price and supply chain constraints.
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This district heating project uses biomass from wood waste for residential heating, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, CO2 emissions and air pollution through the use of gas cleaning systems. The project supports sustainable forest management with PEFC certification, which guarantees that biomass comes from sustainably managed forests and that the entire biomass supply chain meets stringent environmental, social and economic criteria. This includes criteria related to forest management, biodiversity conservation, worker safety and community engagement.
This technology offers residential consumers cost-effective heating options and competitive prices, while reducing dependence on fossil fuels and import needs, benefiting society as a whole.
The project will use 13,700 tonnes/year of PEFC biomass, which will lead to an increase in energy efficiency (10,400 MWh/year) and a decrease in primary energy demand thanks to centralised production. 0.5 million tonnes of CO2e emissions will be avoided.
Inadequate treatment and conversion of biomass to energy can have negative impacts on pollution prevention and control. However, the project has adequately managed these impacts by controlling the source of the biomass and installing gas cleaning systems that significantly limit particulate emissions.
