Heating networks using biomass in the residential sector
Of the ten networks registered in the latest report Of the National Biomass Observatory's plants, five serve the residential sector: three in Oviedo, one in Langreo-La Felguera, and one in Gijón. In total, they supply 37 apartment buildings with 842 homes.
The possibilities in this area are wide because, although many communities have definitively abandoned coal, there are still large communities with oil and gas boilers that could be replaced by high-performance biomass equipment that consumes local biomass.
An example of this type of installation is the district heating network in the Buenavista neighborhood, which has been operating since 2007 and supplies energy to 425 homes spread across 15 buildings, as well as a gym with a heated pool. It served as a model for many other communities, and its implementation eliminated the consumption of 725,000 liters of heating oil, which were replaced by wood pellets. Savings have reached €120,000 per year, and since its implementation, it has prevented the annual emission of 2,000 tons of CO2.2.
The remaining networks are of a public-municipal nature: in the councils of Villayón, Illas and San Martín del Rey Aurelio and public-institutional: in the Teaching Foundation of Asturian Miners (FUNDOMA) in Oviedo and in the Mining Experiences and Memory Center (CEMM), in the Sotón Mine, in San Martín del Rey Aurelio.
A promising future for biomass-fueled district heating networks in Asturias
The future looks promising thanks to the initiative of technology hub driven by HUNOSA as a driving force behind new district heating and cooling network projects where biomass will be integrated with other renewable energy sources (geothermal or solar). Notable projects include the expansion of the Pozo Barredo network to increase coverage to the urban area of Mieres and the Pozo Fondón network in Langreo-La Felguera. Two public networks are also in the planning stages, which could secure funding from the latest Coal Plan funds, as well as another network at the La Magdalena sports center in Avilés.
BIOMASS-FIRED HEATING AND COOLING NETWORKS IN ASTURIAS
Source: AVEBIOM Biomass Observatory
Number of Heating and Cooling Networks: 10
Installed power: 9,240 kW
Energy generated [Thermal Heat Demand]: 11,839 MWh/year
Cumulative length of networks: 6 km
Number of buildings supplied: 58
Amounts of biomass consumed annually in the Networks:
Wood chips: 1,335 tons/year
Pellet: 2,454 tons/year
How to finance heating and cooling networks with biomass
The MITECO, through ORDER TED/707/2022, of July 21, has launched the First call for aid for district heating network projects with renewable energy of more than 1 MW, endowed with 100 million euros.
On the other hand, the RD1124/2021 It encourages the implementation of renewable thermal energies in different sectors of the economy: agriculture, services, both public and private, and industry. Among the facilities that can qualify for these incentives are microgrids for heating and/or cooling with biomass, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% compared to the fossil fuel option.