Overview of CHP plants in Europe and
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of GHG
emissions for Biomass and Fossil
Fuel CHP Systems
CIBE Conference „Cogénération biomasse dans l'industrie et
sur les réseaux de chaleur opportunités - retours
d'expérience - perspectives“
18th – 19th September 2007, Strasbourg
Hannes Schwaiger, Gerfried Jungmeier, JOANNEUM RESEARCH
Institute of Energy Research, Elisabethstrasse 5, 8010 Graz, AUSTRIA
[email protected]; Phone: +43 316 876 1316
Overview
Conclusions
Success stories in Austria
Main Results of the project BIOCOGEN
LCA Methodology and Results
Methodology
According to
- ISO 14040 „Life Cycle Assessment“
- „Standard Methodology“ developed by
IEA Task 38 „Greenhouse Gas
Balance of Bioenergy Systems“
- Conclusions of COST Action E9 „Life
Cycle Assessment of Forestry and
Forest Products“
Selected Bioenergy Systems with CHP
BiomassProduction
Forestry
- thinning
- clear cut
Agriculture
- energy wood
- miscanthus
- oil plants
- maize
- sugar-beet
- grain
- straw
- manure
Trade & Industry
BiomassProcessing
BiomassFuels
Mechanical
- chipping
- cleaving
- pelleting
- briquetting
- pressing
Thermic and/or chemic
- drying
- gasification
- pyrolysis
- estering
Biological
- methane fermentation
- alcohol fermentation
Solid Fuels
- wood logs
- wood chips
- wood pellets
- bark
- straw pellets
- straw balls
- paper
Liquid Fuels
- methylester
- oil from plants
- oil from pyrolysis
- alcohole
- lyne
Gaseous Fuels
BiomassCombustion
Electricity & Heat
- CHP plant with
+ steam turbine
+ gas turbine
+ gas & steam turbine
+ stirling engine
+ combustion engine
+ hot air engine
+ fuel cell
The CHP allocation problem
CO2 -emissions 150 t/a
5,000 MWh/a electricity
combined heat
& power plant
biomass
30,000 MWh/a heat
Avoid allocation:
combined heat and electricity production
 functional unit 1 kWh of
0,33 kWhelectrcicty
+
0,67 kWhheat
Examples Process Chain
Natural gas CHP plant
Wood chips CHP plant
Collection
Biomass reference use
Transport
Chipping and storage
Natural gas extraction
Transport
Natural oxidation
CHP plant
CHP plant
Distribution
Distribution
Electricity and heat
at consumer site
Examples Results (steam turbine)
6,2
3,1
N2O
wood chips steam cycle
1,2
CH4
natural gas combustion engine
49,3
26,2
CO2
319
33,6
CO2-equivalent
372
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Greenhouse gas emissions
g CO2-equivalent/(0.33 kWhelectricicty + 0.67 kWh heat)
Comparison
Biomass and Fossil Fuels
light oil/combustion engine
heavy oil/steam cycle
heavy oil/combustion engine
natural gas/gas turbine
natural gas/combined cycle
natural gas/combustion engine
[g CO 2-eq/kW h]
40,3
wood chips/waste wood/steam cycle
73,1
wood chips/forestry/steam cycle/motor
47,3
wood chips/forestry/steam cycle small
33,6
wood chips/forestry/steam cycle big
69,4
wood chips/short rotation/poplar/steam cycle
64,5
wood chips/short rotation/willow/steam cycle
128
wheat (incl. straw)/steam cycle
79,3
miscanthus/steam cycle
9,41
bark/steam cycle
90,8
sewage sludge/steam cycle
27,9
shavings/steam cycle
33,1
straw/steam cycle
-232
methylester/waste oil/combustion engine
20,7
methylester/rape/combustion engine
270
oil/sunflower/combustion engine
140
oil/sunflower/combustion engine
-50
biogas/organic waste/combustion engine
-603
biogas/manure/combustion engine
-78,9
biogas/co-digestion waste oil/combustion engine
light oil/combined cycle
Bioenergy system
lignite/steam cycle
Year 2000
hard coal steam cycle
Fossil energy system
513
-92%
-86%
-91%
-93%
-86%
-87%
-75%
-85%
-98%
-82%
-95%
-94%
-145%
-96%
-47%
-73%
-110%
-218%
-115%
508
-92%
-86%
-91%
-93%
-86%
-87%
-75%
-84%
-98%
-82%
-95%
-93%
-146%
-96%
-47%
-72%
-110%
-219%
-116%
433
-91%
-83%
-89%
-92%
-84%
-85%
-70%
-82%
-98%
-79%
-94%
-92%
-154%
-95%
-38%
-68%
-112%
-239%
-118%
391
-90%
-81%
-88%
-91%
-82%
-84%
-67%
-80%
-98%
-77%
-93%
-92%
-159%
-95%
-31%
-64%
-113%
-254%
-120%
433
-91%
-83%
-89%
-92%
-84%
-85%
-70%
-82%
-98%
-79%
-94%
-92%
-154%
-95%
-38%
-68%
-112%
-239%
-118%
467
-91%
-84%
-90%
-93%
-85%
-86%
-73%
-83%
-98%
-81%
-94%
-93%
-150%
-96%
-42%
-70%
-111%
-229%
-117%
319
-87%
-77%
-85%
-89%
-78%
-80%
-60%
-75%
-97%
-72%
-91%
-90%
-173%
-94%
-15%
-56%
-116%
-289%
-125%
329
-88%
-78%
-86%
-90%
-79%
-80%
-61%
-76%
-97%
-72%
-92%
-90%
-170%
-94%
-18%
-57%
-115%
-283%
-124%
372
-89%
-80%
-87%
-91%
-81%
-83%
-66%
-79%
-97%
-76%
-92%
-91%
-162%
-94%
-27%
-62%
-113%
-262%
-121%
Influence of Technology - Same Fuel
33
steam turbine
64
steam engine
46
fuel cell
45
steam&gas turbine
gas turbine
41
stirling engine
42
CO2
CH4
N2O
38
hot air turbine big
80
hot air turbine small
74
organic rankine cycle
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Greenhouse gas emission factor [g CO 2-eq./(0.33el + 0.67th) kWh]
80
90
BIOCOGEN: Overview of solid biomass
Turkey
CHP plants in Europe (2004)
Netherlands
UK
Austria
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Portugal
Italy
Bulgaria
Slovenia
Switzerland
Sweden
Biomass Cogeneration Network
(BIOCOGEN) PROJECT N° : NNE5-2001-00083
Webpage includes a database of
157 CHP plants with solid biomass
in Europe
http://www.cres.gr/biocogen/
45
40
5
1
1
1
1
3
U
K
5
Po
rtu
ga
l
Sl
ov
en
ia
S
w
ed
en
S
w
itz
er
la
nd
Tu
rk
ey
50
Ita
ly
15
14
Fr
an
ce
G
er
m
an
N
et
y
he
rla
nd
s
Au
st
ria
Bu
lg
ar
ia
D
en
m
ar
k
Fi
nl
an
d
Number of plants
CHP plants in European Countries
47
without cofiring
with cofiring
35
30
25
25
20
14
11
10
1
2
0
Distribution of Characters
unknown
6%
Testing plant
6%
Commercial plant
68%
Pilote plant
7%
Demonstration plant
13%
Distribution of
Installed Technologies
Steam engine
18%
ORC
7%
Stirling engine
3%
Gas engine
1%
Gas turbine
9%
Hot air engine
1%
Steam turbine
58%
Other
3%
m
an
l
45
40
35
30
UK
ed
en
Sw
itz
er
la
nd
Tu
rk
ey
ia
ga
ov
en
Sw
Sl
r tu
Ita
ly
s
y
ce
er
la
nd
Po
Ne
th
G
er
Fr
an
Au
st
r ia
Bu
lg
ar
ia
De
nm
ar
k
Fi
nl
an
d
Number of plants
Electric Capacities of CHP Plants
50
unknown
>20 MW
5-20 MW
1-5 MW
<1 MW
25
20
15
10
5
0
Distribution of Biofuels
Bark
8%
Waste wood
4%
Peat
3%
Straw
3%
Other
16%
Paper sludge
4%
Woodchips (saw
industry)
23%
Woodchips
(forest residues)
39%
Ratio of Heat and electricity
100
Thermal power [MWth]
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
10
20
30
Electric power [MWel]
40
50
Ratio of Heat and electricity
(selected < 5MWel)
50
Thermal power [MW th]
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
Electric power [MWel]
3,5
4
4,5
5
Electric Power and Electric
Efficiency of Steam Turbines
el. efficiency
Linear (el. efficiency)
th. efficiency
Linear (total efficiency)
total efficiency
Linear (th. efficiency)
100
90
Efficiency [%]
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
50
100
150
El. power [MWel]
200
250
Electric Power and Electric Efficiency of
Steam Turbines (selected < 50MWel)
el. efficiency
Linear (total efficiency)
th. efficiency
Linear (th. efficiency)
total efficiency
Linear (el. efficiency)
100
90
Efficiency [%]
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
10
20
30
El. power [MWel]
40
50
Success stories in Austria
CHP Plant Güssing (Gas Engine)
¾ Fluidized bed
gasification +
gas engine
¾ solid biomass (chips)
¾ 4.5 MWth / 2 MW el.
CHP Plant Lienz
¾ Organic Rankine
Cycle (ORC)
¾ solid biomass (chips)
combustion +
second thermo-oil cycle
¾ 7.0 MW heat / 1.0 MW el.
¾ Electricity efficiency 18%
Source: http://bios-bioenergy.at
Energy flow of CHP Plant Lienz
thermal
loses 8%
thermal
efficiency 75%
biomass input
100%
thermo-oil
boiler
Source: http://bios-bioenergy.at
El. Efficiency 14 – 15%
ORC process
loses ORC
process 2 - 3%
CHP Plant Reuthe (Steam Turbine)
VKW / Kaufmann Reuthe / Vorarlberg
¾ Conventional steam technology
¾ solid biomass (chips) 10 000 t/yr
¾ 6.3MW heat / 1.3MW el.
¾ 4.5 mio €
Biomass Fuel Cycle Reuthe
Sourrce: VKW
Conclusions (1) LCA
¾
¾
¾
¾
Application of international developed LCA methodology
GHG from CHP plants emissions depend significantly on fuel
and technology
Biofuels less GHG emissions than fossil fuels
Biomass CHP interesting potential for GHG reduction
¾
¾
¾
¾
¾
¾
¾
Conclusions (2) Existing Plants
Most solid biomass CHP plants are located in countries of
considerable forest industry (
),most without cofiring
Steam turbine and engine are most common technologies,
significant share of ORC technology (
) Stirling engines
High amount of Commercial plants
Most plants were already installed before 1995
(except of
)
Smaller capacities <1 MWel (
larger capacities >20 MWel (
)
)
Most common biofuel is woodchips, others are bark(
black liquor (
), straw (
) and peat (
)
Increasing capacities leads to decreasing efficiencies
)