HEAT PRODUCTION SAVINGS UP TO 50%
Caffarel, a confectionery industry in Piemonte (Italy), is saving up to 50% for the purchase of thermal energy needed for its production processes thanks to the Uniconfort biomass boiler. The plant was strongly wanted by the company which faced huge costs for heating the tanks it uses for chocolate processing: the plant was commissioned by a group of local entrepreneurs in Luserna San Giovanni (To).
THE COGENERATION PLANT
The boiler model Global 500 powers a cogeneration system that produces 1 MW electric and 4.1 MW thermal. The thermal energy genereted is used to heat the chocolate tanks. The plant is fed with short-chain biomass from the maintenance of the forests of the nearby Val Pellice. This biomass costs up to half the price of fossil fuels, allowing the production of cheap energy, but also the start of a local economy / industry which leads to new workplaces and to a good management of the territory. The plant has virtually no environmental impact. In fact, the biomass is a zero CO2 fuel and Uniconfort technology allows to keep fumes and dust far below what require strict Italian regulations.
HEAT FOR CAFFAREL AND MORE
The heat generated (5,950 kWt per hour) feeds a heating system connected to the Caffarel plant which absorbs 1 MW of the 4.1 MW produced. The remaining thermal power produced is distributed to public buildings, swimming pools, schools and other facilities, and to individuals, for whom heating costs have decreased of 30% and where the individual boiler can be removed. The electricity produced is sold to the district heating network.
THE INSTALLATION IN NUMBERS
| Boiler model | Global 500 |
| Output power | 1 MWe + 4,1 MWth Electrical Energy Production: 8.000 MWh Thermal Energy Production: 5.950 kWth |
| Fuel | Waste wood from forestry mainteinance |
| Biomass consumption | 17.000 ton/year |