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Summary

After a comparatory study the municipality of Losheim am See (Saarland) was ready to substitute its old oil boiler through a new wood-chip fired one. Three questions remainopen: funding, durable and affordable wood chip supply and finding an operator. All questions could be solved as the municipality was ready to go new paths of co-opeation. First the gained funding support from the region for their pilot project. The demand of durable wood-chip supply triggered the foundation of an own biomass selling platform together with private forest owners. And the normal operation of the plant was transferred to a local chimney sweeper. So one medium-sized boiler of 200 kW biomass power was the nucleus to stipulate local initiatie to stronger use renewable energies. Under todays oil prices regional support is no more necessary. But it is clever to develop common solutions for wood chip supply as the actual wood market is under an enormous demand and price pressure. Readiness to test new co-operation constructs is decisive and possible in every municipality at least in Germany, Austria, Benelux, France, Great Britain and the Scandinavian and Eastern European countries.

Results

A wood-chip fired boiler was build in autumn 2000 and is running to heat the primary school of Britten since 6 years with one bigger renovation investment. Every year around 30.000 liter of oil are substituted by local forest wood. The biomass centre was build by a common treaty and inaugurated in 2005. Regional employment in the forest, for the chimney sweeper and in installing the biomass centre with 2 half-day employees could be secured and stabilised through the whole partnership. The regional security of wood supply was the reason for a serious of private investment in wood log fired boilers and more and more also in wood-chip fired heating systems. In autumn 2006 a private investment decision was taken to install a further 320 kW biomass boiler in the same location Britten as a follow-up of the positive results of this boiler.

Lessons learned and repeatability

The best result is that according to the rising oil prices, the local parliament is very convinced of their decision from 2000 to invest in biomass technologies. Therefore the long decision process is confirmed and this municipality is much in favour of biomass and proud of their plant during site-visits of other decision-makers. Nevertheless the process to guarantee affordable wood chip supply with the forest lasted too long. Perhaps a better accompanying advisory would have accelerate the procedure. If the biomass centre started earlier e.g. in 2003, more new biomass pojects especially in the last two years would had been realised meanwhile. But due to the lack of local wood security lots of decision-makers were anxious to risk not sufficient and affordable biomass supply. But only with support of this project and under strongly increasing oil price conditions, the final decision for establishing a biomass centre to reduce the supply risk was taken. This delay is a pity.