Bioenergy

Smart systems for extracting energy savings for Pacific Wood Products - case study

Case studies
26 June 2009

Pacific Wood Products (PWP) installed Ecogate control systems on their extraction fans. Through the use of air flow control gates and a variable speed drive connected to each fan that adjusts to meet the actual workload, PWP reduced their energy use substantially.

Energy savings were immediate from week one. The system will be paid for in be just over 4 years, and long-term they benefit from lower energy bills. Equally important, PWP will cut its annual CO2 emissions by 45 tonnes.

 

 

Guidelines for the Conversion of Solid Fuel Boilers from Coal to Wood Pellet Firing

Guidelines
3 March 2010

This Technical Guide provides guidance on the conversion of existing coal fired boilers to wood pellet operation. There are a number of obvious advantages to using wood pellets: they are 100% renewable and relatively clean burning. Of paramount importance in a conversion is the need both to maintain the safety and integrity of the boiler and control systems, and also to improve safety to the level of best practice.

Biofuels and the environment

Biofuels can be produced from many different kinds of material, from many different places, and with many different processes. In most cases the result provides a net benefit to the environment, but this is not always so, and some biofuels have been criticised overseas for being ‘unsustainable'.

In order to give New Zealand consumers confidence in the biofuels available, EECA is working on providing information on the feedstock and production of the fuel, so consumers can judge for themselves.

This reporting will be available early 2010.

Are biofuel blends OK for my vehicles?

You can be confident about the quality of all biofuel blends available for retail sale in New Zealand, as they must meet the same government-regulated fuel specifications that ordinary diesel and petrol must meet.

Virtually all vehicles can use a 5% biodiesel blend, while blends of up to 20% biodiesel are suitable for some trucks, buses and machinery.

Most new and many older vehicles can use bioethanol-blended petrol.The Automobile Association (AA) website has a list of vehicles that support the use of bioethanol-blended petrol.

How can my business start using biofuel blends?

Bioethanol-blended petrol

If your vehicles usually run on petrol, you can make the switch to bioethanol blends simply by choosing them at the pump, where they are available.

Visit the ENERGYWISE™ site to find out where bioethanol is available.

Biodiesel blends

Biodiesel is currently not available for retail sale, but many businesses are making arrangements to buy biodiesel directly from producers and/or oil companies.

Biofuels

Switching to biofuel blends is an easy way for businesses to reduce the environmental impact of their transport.

Biofuels are a renewable alternative to petrol and diesel that have been in use for nearly 20 years in countries such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia and most of the European countries.

New Zealand businesses using biodiesel include:

Wood energy resources

Help is available to evaluate whether wood energy is right for your business - if you are thinking about selling or using wood energy, call 0800 BIOENERGY (0800 246 363) for a free consultation to get you started.

Biogas on your farm

Case studies
26 August 2009

‘Biogas' - gas produced during the breakdown of organic matter - can be harnessed and used to provide heat, electricity and transport fuel. Biogas schemes help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deal more effectively with effluent disposal on farms. This guide to biogas schemes is aimed at a farming audience, and includes practical examples.

Gasification momentum builds in New Zealand - case study

Case studies
29 June 2009

After a long period on the sidelines, gasification is attracting new interest.

For businesses with ready access to a good source of wood fuel - and increasingly other forms of biomass - it could be a very attractive way of producing low-cost and low-emission heat and electricity. This article overviews the technology and shares the experience of the ‘advance guard' driving this technology forward in New Zealand.

 

Southern Pine turns by-product into fuel

Case studies
19 June 2009

Waste was one of the first considerations for Southern Pine Products when it started manufacturing MDF (medium density fibreboard) products.

The company opted to install a briquette press, which turns MDF dust into combustible briquettes for boiler fuel.

Moffatts Flower Company, a greenhouse complex only 5 km from Southern Pine, now buys all the briquettes the company produces.

The saving in Southern Pine's waste disposal costs is projected to be $180,000 a year and annual revenue from briquettes is projected to be around $25,000.