XII Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2020

Introduction

The main objective of a RES-H Directive would be to enhance the application of heat from renewable energy sources in the EU. Before we can assess the effect of other Directives on the application of RES-H, some aspects should be clarified. First, what are “renewable energy sources” and their applications and, second, what is the state-of-play of RES-H systems in the EU? This overview aims to provide an answer to these questions.

Heat from Renewable Energy Sources

Heat is used in the residential, services and industry sectors of society for space heating and tap water production. Process heat is used in the industrial sector. Normally heat is produced by combustion of fossil fuels, but renewable energy sources can be used to provide heat with a low or neutral contribution to CO2 emissions.

In the RES-E Directive, the following definition of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) is applied:

“Renewable energy sources” shall mean renewable non-fossil energy sources (wind, solar, geothermal, wave, tidal, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases).

Not all renewable energy sources are equally fit to provide in heat. Of these renewable energy sources, only solar, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases become available in the form of heat (solar, geothermal) or are usually converted into heat. Of these sources, landfill gas and sewage treatment gas are usually directly converted into electricity on-site by combustion, while biogases are still in development stage.

A renewable heat source which is not included in the RES-E definition of RES is “ambient heat”. Ambient heat can include geothermal heat but also heat from (exhaust) air or water (ground water or surface water). With the use of heat pumps this ambient heat can be elevated to the temperature level used for space heating or tap water production.

The three main forms of renewable energy sources for heat are: biomass, solar and geothermal (including ambient heat from heat pumps).

EU Overview

Renewable energy policy at EU level is based on the European Commission's White Paper for a Community Strategy and Action Plan. This strategy aims to double the share of renewable energies in gross domestic energy consumption across the EU from the present 6% to 12% by 2020, and includes a timetable of actions to achieve this objective.

Heat pumps are a somewhat awkward application of renewable energy sources since they still require input of primary fossil energy (f.i. natural gas) or electricity in order to elevate ambient heat to a useful temperature level. Some sources therefore do not consider heat pumps as an application of a renewable energy source, other sources might call them a hybrid application (partly renewable and non-renewable). In this report, the authors chose to include heat pumps as an application of renewable energy sources.

The same goes for heat from waste inceneration, which is often not considered as a renewable energy source in a general sense, but certainly contributes to a sustainable energy situation and security of supply.

The following paragraphs describe the state-of-play of RES-H applications in the EU:

- Biomass, with a focus on two market segments:

- small scale biomass boilers and

- biomass district heating

- Solar Thermal

- Heat Pumps

- Geothermal . [1].

[2].

[3]

[4]

[5]

Heat from biomass

Heat production from biomass amounted to 38.04 Mtoe (=1592 PJ= 440.9 TWh) in the EU 1995.13 In the White Paper on Energy for the Future, the Commission’s projection for 2010 amounts to 75 Mtoe. The Atlas database, however, is less optimistic and predicts that heat from biomass will not grow in 2010 with respect to 1995. In any case, heat from biomass constitutes by far (>90%) the largest heat production from RES.

Main market segments for biomass heat are:

- Small scale space-heating application of firewood in traditional stoves and open fireplaces: By far the largest market. Casual and unregulated character does not allow for reliable statistics. The decline of traditional rural lifestyles is threatening the informal structures of fuelwood use. Often low energy efficiency of 20-25% and questionable environmental merits. But cleaner and higher efficiency alternatives exist)

- Small scale space- and hot-water applications of modern biomass boilers. Emerging market (approx. 1 million installed in the EU). Fuel is usually pellets (with or without auto-feeder), wood logs, etc.. Energy efficiency in the 70-80% range (on l.h.v.14). Relatively clean combustion. Larger installations used for heating of flats.

- Larger scale: Dedicated biomass boilers for district heating (DH). Fuels are hay, grass, peat, wood. Sometimes biomass is combined with waste. Small part of DH installations, esp. in Scandinavia. Also an alternative in converting coal-fired DH plants. Smaller installations used for block heating. Possibly interesting alternative in the modernisation/decentralisation of DH-grids in NACs.15

- Larger scale: Industrial heating boilers (e.g. from waste products in their own production; paper and pulp industry, sawmills, etc.)

- Larger scale: District Heat from biomass-fired cogeneration (CHP) plants. In the EU-15 more than 70% of DH comes from CHP. Same considerations as above. In the NACs, the CHP share in DH can be as low as 25%.

- Large scale: Biomass as additional mixing-fuel in coal-fired power plants, which

then use their waste heat for district heating. Emerging as ‘greening’ strategy of coal-fired plants. Example: Applications were filed in the Netherlands for 4 such projects, saving in total 1.8 Mton CO2.16 Most merits will go to RES-E, but a part should be partitioned to RES-H as a heat outlet.

- Large scale: Biomass conversion to solid, liquid, gaseous (bio)fuels, which can consequently be used to produce – amongst other things—heat. Examples are pellets (e.g. from biodegrable fraction of waste), liquid biofuels for cars or industrial heating systems and biogas (from landfill, sewage, etc.)

As mentioned, reliable statistics are difficult to obtain, as a large part of the biomass heat production has a ‘casual’ and unregulated character. An extra difficulty arises from heat of ‘waste incineration’, which in some countries is classified under RES and in others is not.

Drivers and barriers

Important market drivers are:

-The existence of a solid fuel or oil boiler tradition. The major boiler markets (Germany, France, UK and Italy) all have extensive gas networks. It is not likely that households with gas boilers will tend to switch to biomass fuel. More potential for biomass boilers is found in countries without gas networks.

-Relative prices between fossil fuels and biomass fuels. Rising fossil fuel prices have shown to have an positive impact on sales of biomass boilers.

-The availability of biomass fuels. Networks for wood log, chip and pellet distribution are growing, for instance sales of pellets at petrol stations.

-Existence of incentives for installation of biomass heating. In Denmark, government subsidies have significantly boosted biomass boiler sales.

An important barrier to the uptake of biomass boilers is the higher investment costs of biomass boilers compared to conventional boilers (although the running costs might be lower).

Rise in biomass boiler sales is mainly foreseen in the higher output capacity areas (block heating etc.) and located mostly in the new accession countries. However, Germany also has a large potential (sales are expected to triple in the coming years). [1].

References:

VHK Van Holsteijn en Kemna BV / Ir. R. Kemna Ir. M. van Elburg VHK nr. 332, 5 Sept. 2002 – 28p.

Entwicklung Warmebereitstellung aus erneuerbaren Energien

Warmebereitstellung aus erneuerbaren Energien 2018 // Basisdaten Bioenergie Deutschland 2019 [Электронныйресурс]. URL: https://www.fnr.de/fileаdmin/allgemein/pdf/broschueren/basisdaten_bioenergie_2019_web.pdf (дата обращения: 30.01.2020).

Investitionen in Anlagen for erneuerbare Warme // Basisdaten Bioenergie Deutschland 2019 [Электронныйресурс]. URL: https://www.fnr.de/fileadmin/allgemein/pdf/broschueren/2019_web.pdf (дата обращения: 30.01.2020).

Investitionen in Anlagen for erneuerbare Warme 2017 // Basisdaten Bioenergie Deutschland 2019 [Электронныйресурс]. URL: https://www.fnr.de/allgemein/pdf/broschueren/basisdaten_bioenergie_2019_web.pdf (дата обращения: 30.01.2020).

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