Produced by both forests and agriculture, biomass represents a significant energy potential and therefore a realistic alternative to fossil fuels. Dalkia already has experience of biomass in several European countries and is in the process of securing its supply chain and proposing increasingly effective technical and economic solutions.

Combatting the greenhouse effect and fluctuations in the price of oil have emphasized the great appeal of biomass - a renewable energy, it helps promote the value of ecosystems, particularly in forests, and is neutral in terms of CO₂ and therefore the greenhouse effect. Its impact on local employment is equally positive.

But what is meant by biomass?
In the field of energy, the term covers three main constituent elements:

		- lignocellulosic biomass, or lignin, made up of wood, agricultural residues, straw, wicker, reed, sugar cane bagasse and hay;
		- glucide biomass: cereals, sugar beet and sugar cane which can be easily liquefied;
		- oleaginous biomass, rich in lipids: colza, oil palm, etc.

The choice of biomass depends on its use (heat or electricity production) and local potential. Every project requires consideration of the supply chain, how it is organized and the regulatory context. For instance many European countries encourage use of biomass through grants, green taxes or CO₂ emissions allowances.

A history of experience in wood energy

Dalkia initially chose to use wood, some sources of which are relatively easy to identify and mobilize: waste from sawmills and furniture manufacturers and wood from palettes. Forestwood may be another useful source, as slash* can be used without entering into competition with other industries such as construction for example. In France, heating networks powered by wood burners have become much more common since the late 90s in areas where forests have traditionally been operated - Aquitaine, Normandy and eastern France in general. This was given a boost in July 2006 with a significant tax incentive - VAT was lowered to 5.5% for customers of heating networks which use renewable resources for at least 60% of their energy.

* slash: wood residue excluding stumps, roots and leaves.

The positive economic footprint of biomass

When they grow, plants absorb CO₂ given off during combustion of wood. If biomass were not burned, the accumulated carbonic gas would end up back in the atmosphere through the normal process of decomposition. The impact of its combustion on the greenhouse effect is therefore neutral.


Biomass in Figures:
94 facilities across Europe in 2007
Total power available: 740 MW
More than 1 million tons equivalent of wood consumed each year
Heat produced greater than: 1 million MWh
* Dalkia 2006 data including PannonPower

For more information please send us your query by clicking here or contact Mark Coyne our Technical Director at 01 870 1200.