Research and reports

This report has been commissioned by Murray Cowan of Bio-Energy Equipment Ltd to ascertain the viability of using a highly automated purpose-built wood chip type Low Temperature Hot Water (LTHW) boiler to provide hot water heating for a dairy shed wash down along with space heating and Domestic Hot Water (DHW) for nearby farm houses.

At present, there are very few biomass recovery operations in New Zealand, despite the very large amount of residue generated by large-scale harvesting operations in plantation forests.
A research project has commenced to help assess what an optimal residue recovery system may be. This paper considers what strategy could be employed to successfully integrate biomass recovery into NZ logging operations.

A feasibility study to investigate the most appropriate heating option for Mt Difficulty Winery was undertaken by Transitionz Group Limited under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority's (EECA) Wood Energy Grant Scheme. Mt Difficulty is in the early stages of expanding the winery and it was identified that the current heating system was not suitable and a replacement system is being reconsidered as part of the expansion. The study looks at several technologies, solar hot water, ground-source heat pumps and wood pellet and chip boilers, to replace the current gas boiler system.

The rising cost of natural gas prompted Tatua Co-operative Dairy Factory near Hamilton to look at alternative energy sources to run its boilers.
Wood-fired boilers are common in sawmills and wood processing plants, but are yet to be used in a New Zealand dairy factory. Tatua's site engineer Jack van Lankveld says they were motivated by a desire to be more self-sufficient and environmentally friendly.
"If the [gas] supply went down we would have to stop operating. There's also the whole carbon issue to think about - this is something that is becoming increasingly important."