In biomass technology Styrian companies cut the edge. The intensive research at the Austrian Bioenergy Center, KWB’s countless biomass heating innovations and the Steirische Gas-Wärme GmbH’s biomass combined heat and power plant are proof of the leadership of this well-known „Green Valley“.
Through the issue of international environmental protection laws biomass has experienced another upturn. Styrian companies have been involved in the production of green energy for several decades. Distinctions such as the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in which Styrian biomass researchers play a large role, demonstrate Styrian leadership in this area on a continual basis.
The energetic utilisation of solid biomass is the business of the Graz-based competence centre Austrian Bioenergy Center GmbH (www.abc-energy.at), referred to as ABC for short. It is not only a matter of biomass itself, but also its upgrade, the conversion processes, ecological links and economic considerations.
In its five years of existence, along with its external office in Wieselburg ABC has consolidated its position as a global scientific player and contributed significantly to the realisation of reasonable approaches to energy policy such as value creation from biomass, training programs for boiler manufacturers and the development of new pellets, for example out of reeds. With 72 partners in business, internationally recognised scientists and excellent human resources, the competence centre intends to play a meaningful role in “sustainable energy supply” in the future as well.
“It was important for us to find a technically, economically and ecologically optimal solution enabling the efficient production of thermal heat and ecopower” states Günter Dörflinger, speaker of the management board of Steirische Gas-Wärme GmbH. This occurs primarily through the use of modern flue gas purification plants and the general avoidance of truck and wheel-loaders for the facility’s fuel supply, which reduces the air pollution in the Leoben basin considerably.
Decades of know-how and a high rate of innovation in energy production from renewable raw materials ensure Styrian companies’ leadership and open up new chances on the market in the area of biomass technology.
Source: Eco World Magazine, Issue 4, May 2008
