In Skåne, southern Sweden, local district heating provider Perstorps Fjärrvärme AB will upgrade its 12 MW biomass-fired heat plant to become a combined heat and power (CHP) plant. This the company will achieve by installing a 250 kW Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) unit at the heating plant.
Jointly owned by E.ON Sverige AB, a subsidiary of Germany-headed energy major E.ON AG and Perstorp’s municipality, Perstorps Fjärrvärme has chosen to invest in renewable electricity production with a so-called ORC turbine from compatriot technology provider Norrköping-based Againity AB.
In our heating plant we only burn clean biomass fuel – wood waste from the production of wood pallets and residual products from the forest. By burning a little more, we now produce our own electricity, completely green and environmentally friendly, said Charlotta Wendt, CEO of Perstorps Fjärrvärme.
Increase local installed capacity
With previous deliveries to Örkelljunga Fjärrvärmeverk and Solör Bioenergi, the order is the third ORC delivery for Againity to the Skåne region. It will be installed in the latter part of 2019.
With ever rising electricity prices and network transmission fees charges, the investment is timely. We will produce most of the electricity during the winter when it is the coldest and our own demand is the highest. We consume about 1 million kWh annually and our own electricity production will cover that need and a little more. The Swedish forest is a fantastic source of energy, remarked Charlotta Wendt.
The installation will help alleviate installed capacity shortage by increasing local installed capacity in the region. The regional electricity consumption in Skåne is today four times greater than the regional electricity production.
We are glad for the confidence shown and are happy to contribute to more local electricity production in Skåne. Perstorps Fjärrvärme is already contributing to a sustainable energy system through its renewable district heating deliveries and is now taking another important social responsibility step by supplementing with renewable electricity production, said Elin Ledskog, Sales Manager at Againity AB and supplier of the ORC turbine.
Rising interest amongst heat plant operators
The new 250 kW capacity ORC turbine is a low-temperature ORC and will be supplied pre-assembled. The installation at the heating plant consists of two pipelines from the boiler circuit, two pipelines from the district heating circuit and one electric cable. The woodchip-fired hot water boiler to which the turbine is connected has a capacity of 12 MW and was delivered by Jernforsen in 2014.
According to Againity, small-scale cogeneration with ORC turbine in the 20 to 2500 kW range is becoming increasingly common on Swedish heating plants. Innovative technology combined with rising electricity and power transmission network costs now makes it profitable for the majority of Sweden’s heating plants to be upgraded to CHP plants.
Read full article in Bioenergy International : https://bioenergyinternational.com/heat-power/perstorps-district-heat-upgrades-to-combined-heat-and-power