University of East Anglia's Combined Heat and Power (CHP) biomass gasifier
The construction of a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) biomass gasifier at the University of East Anglia has been completed.
The biomass used by the plant consists of woodchips from sustainable forestry in Norfolk. Once it is fully operational, the gasifier will reduce UEA's carbon emissions by over 30%, or more than 8,000 tonnes. This is a huge reduction at a time when many organisations in the UK are under increasing pressure to reduce their carbon emissions. In the Higher Education sector funding is already being linked to carbon management performance. Furthermore, the plant will generate a by-product of 200-300 tonnes of biochar per annum, which the Low Carbon Innovation Centre (LCIC), based at the University, will be investigating for use as a carbon sequestration agent. Research is under way at UEA and other institutions to establish the opportunities for this exciting possibility.
As is appropriate for such a new technology, the gasifier has been undergoing rigorous testing. The first commissioning phase was completed in autumn 2010 and since then several modifications and adjustments have been made.
The gasifier is now entering its second commissioning phase, after which we expect the plant to be fully operational. Current projections indicate that the gasifier will generate an annual income of about £2 million from the electricity and heat produced. When coupled with the savings on gas and electricity imported to the site, the gasifier’s payback period is expected to be in the region of four years.
Though gasification processes are historically well known, the scale and type of the UEA gasifier is new. It will be the first working plant of its kind in the UK and is already attracting a lot of attention, particularly as the UK requires much more renewable energy.
Contact us for more information.
Visit the LCIC Youtube channel to view three videos created during the construction period, in which Martyn Newton, the University’s Risk and Sustainability Manager, explains how the plant will operate.
The biomass used by the plant consists of woodchips from sustainable forestry in Norfolk. Once it is fully operational, the gasifier will reduce UEA's carbon emissions by over 30%, or more than 8,000 tonnes. This is a huge reduction at a time when many organisations in the UK are under increasing pressure to reduce their carbon emissions. In the Higher Education sector funding is already being linked to carbon management performance. Furthermore, the plant will generate a by-product of 200-300 tonnes of biochar per annum, which the Low Carbon Innovation Centre (LCIC), based at the University, will be investigating for use as a carbon sequestration agent. Research is under way at UEA and other institutions to establish the opportunities for this exciting possibility.
As is appropriate for such a new technology, the gasifier has been undergoing rigorous testing. The first commissioning phase was completed in autumn 2010 and since then several modifications and adjustments have been made.
The gasifier is now entering its second commissioning phase, after which we expect the plant to be fully operational. Current projections indicate that the gasifier will generate an annual income of about £2 million from the electricity and heat produced. When coupled with the savings on gas and electricity imported to the site, the gasifier’s payback period is expected to be in the region of four years.
Though gasification processes are historically well known, the scale and type of the UEA gasifier is new. It will be the first working plant of its kind in the UK and is already attracting a lot of attention, particularly as the UK requires much more renewable energy.
Contact us for more information.
Visit the LCIC Youtube channel to view three videos created during the construction period, in which Martyn Newton, the University’s Risk and Sustainability Manager, explains how the plant will operate.
