Photo: Stadtwärme Lien...
Biomass-Fired District Heating Plant Lienz
How to successfully master the environmental issue smog caused by domestic fuel was effectively demonstrated by the East-Tyrolean town of Lienz. The erection of Austria’s largest combined heat and power plant fuelled by biomass and solar energy finished off air pollution completely.
Owing to an installed boiler output of 48 MW of thermal and 2.5 MW of electrical power, around 3,500 individual customers – this equals 85 % of households and companies – connected to a pipeline system with a length of almost 50 kilometres and a delivery rate of 75 MW have been able to purchase their ecological heat supply ever since 2003. Yet the plant is capable of supplying not only thermal energy, but also electricity, thanks to the ORC process (Organic Rankine Cycle) that was especially adapted to suit this plant. The power generated has an electronic rated output of 2.5 MW. The investment volume for the erection of the entire infrastructure amounts to 38 million euros.The major part of the around 140,000 metres of piled timber that are annually burned in Lienz are from the local agricultural operations. Supplying the wood from the forests offers farmers added possibilities to earn money. Additionally, by cleaning up the forests the spread of the bark beetle is drastically reduced. In the biomass facility, tree bark, sawmill residues and wood chips are processed. The sustainable heating supply is not only a contribution towards regional air pollution control. It also substitutes 5.9 million litres of oil fuel annually, which equals around 19,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. A multi-stage flue gas purification multicyclone was fitted to drastically reduce harmful emissions. At the composting plant, even the generated ashes can be utilised. By erecting the power plant, 1.4 million euros a year remain within the region.
As a second main pillar, a large-scale solar system harnesses solar energy for heating industrial water. The thermal solar system has an annual output of 280 MW/h.
Due to its innovative components and international project partners, the project was supported by the European Commission in the scope of the 5th EU Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and
Demonstration.
In 2002, the project received the Energy Globe Austria award.
04.07.2006, Lebensministerium Öffentlichkeitsarbeit