Cogeneration through network organization

A very interesting project has been developed in the field of cogeneration in Belgium. I learned about this while visiting the ChemBio exhibition Finland 09 that took place in Helsinki, and was focusing on:

• Networking
• Innovation
• Business

Let's move back to Belgium. The Kaserbacke industrial estate is located within the commune of Amel. When its expansion became necessary in 2004, the decision was taken to develop a cogeneration system.

The project emerged as the solution to the technical problems arising from the site's development: on the one hand the industrial estate was not connected to natural gas network. On the other hand, it was at the end of the power line.

The cogeneration project was the solution that made it possible to overcome these power supply problems.

Companies involved:

1. timber sorting center
2. sawmill
3. production of wood shavings and pellets
4. project management

The products used in the cogeneration process are supplied by the three production companies. The biomass consists of barks and timber related products that were not previously recovered (log stocks, rotten wood). In return, they pay attractive prices for the heat generated.

Cooperation for cogeneration

1. This is a cooperation between companies within the same industrial estate
2. In the field of energy, this seems to rare enough to be worthy of comment
3. The project is hinged on the recovery of materials previously considered as waste

Financial benefits

From the financial point of view, the heating costs of the partner companies are cut threefold. Cogeneration makes it possible to replace over 10 million liters of heating fuel a year for the production of the useful heat alone.

The project started January 2006

Work of this project started in January 2006 and the installation is up and running since November 2007. On the strength of this success 4Energy Invest has built an extension that makes it possible to practically double the site's capacity an that was brought into commercial operation May 2008.