Wood Energy go big with biomass

Wood Energy Ltd based in Exeter, Devon, has installed large biomass boilers at two prestigious sites - the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh and the Devon County Hall in Exeter.

The John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh (RBGE) new biodiversity and information centre, will open in summer 2009. The new building, set to be a shining example of sustainability, has many green features including a 200kW biomass boiler provided by Wood Energy Ltd.

Devon County Council is reducing its energy costs and carbon emissions at County Hall with a new biomass boiler installed by Wood Energy. The 840kW Binder wood chip boiler uses sustainable woodchip fuel supplied locally, rather than conventional non-renewable fossil fuels such as gas, oil, coal and electricity and will be one of the biggest boilers of its kind in the southwest. The boiler, which will reduce heating carbon emissions by 60% and save upwards of £20,000 a year, replaces the original 40 year old boilers which produced 269 tonnes of CO2 a year and cost over £55,000 to run. County Hall already has an energy efficiency rating of 'C' on scale of A to G (A being the best), which is above average for an older building. The new biomass boiler will improve the Council's energy efficiency even further, with a rating of B predicted.

"Everything about this investment makes good sense" said Cllr Brian Greenslade, Leader of Devon County Council. "It's good for the environment by significantly cutting our heating carbon emissions and good for Devon's economy by using a local suppliers. This is an integral part of Devon County Council's commitment to reducing its energy consumption, and to our goal of making Devon the greenest county."

John Wilding, Forestry Manager at Clinton Devon Estates agrees: "We are delighted that Devon County Council has chosen to switch to a wood-fuelled biomass boiler. Where it leads, many others will no doubt follow as there are many environmentally aware, commercial and public sector bodies who looking for green technology which is also practical, cost-effective and comes with a reliable ongoing source of sustainable fuel."

The wood chip boilers and “real time” graphical representations of the boiler used as display and educational material at both sites were supported by the Ashden Awards prize money won by Wood Energy Ltd in 2007.