Almost 245.000 heating installations were powered with biomass at the close of the 2017 exercise, according to the data offered by the Biomass Observatory (www.observatoriobiomasa.es) managed by the Spanish Association of Energy Valorization of Biomass, AVEBIOM. A figure that represents an increase of 23,15% with respect to the previous year, 46.027 more facilities, thanks mainly to the significant increase in pellet stoves, which has reached a new record.
According to observatoriobiomasa.es, the use of biomass as heating fuel has been multiplied by 25 in the last decade, since in 2008 there were less than 9.600 operating facilities in the country. Although the greatest growth has been recorded in the last three years, in which the number of teams has almost doubled, moving from the 127.995 facilities that operated at the end of 2014 to the 244.197 registered at the close of 2017.
According to the president of Avebiom, Javier Díaz, "among the factors that have intervened in the consolidation of this trend are its environmental importance, the contribution to the maintenance of rural employment - and therefore, the revitalization of local economies - and , especially, the important economic savings that it supposes for the families, companies and administrations ".
"This progressive increase in the use of biomass," assured Javier Díaz, "is a generalized trend throughout Europe, where 16% of the heating systems already use biomass, a percentage that is four points higher than that registered in Spain."
Record of pellet stoves
The biggest increase in heating installations with biomass was driven by the increase in the sale of pellet stoves, which only in 2017 rose to the 42.728 units.
This figure, which represents a new sales record in Spain, represents an increase of 19% with respect to those registered by 2016.
According to observatoriobiomasa.es, there are numerous brands that have surpassed the thousand units sold in 2017; and some of them, the 5.000 units. The marketing trend oriented towards the DIY department store continues on the rise with more and more technified equipment and an average power of 11 kW.
The sale of boilers grows back
In general, the installation of biomass boilers in 2017 has increased an 8,7%. After an 2016 exercise with lower sales, the boiler installation of less than 50kW has regrown and an 9,5% has been raised. And the installation of biomass boilers with power equal to or greater than 50 kW, common in industrial and collective installations, has increased by 7%.
This improvement has allowed the biomass boiler park to be located at the end of 2017 in 15.755 facilities with a power lower than the 50 kW; 10.536, with a power between 50 and 1000 kW; and 830 boilers more than one power 1MW.
Less CO2 emissions
In terms of installed power, 2017 has increased 1.106 MW of biomass among stoves, boilers and other equipment, a figure that confirms the annual growth trend above one thousand megawatts over the last four years.
The installed capacity has multiplied fivefold in the last ten years, from the 1.510 MW of 2008 to the 9.404 MW registered at the end of 2017.
By autonomous communities, the ranking is led by Andalucía, Castilla y León and Cataluña, which exceed the installed megawatts of a thousand megawatts.
This level of installed power is allowing to generate a considerable amount of thermal energy, which is estimated in 1.510,1 kTEP, equivalent to a lower consumption of 1.760 million liters of heating oil.
And this means, therefore, a lower emission of greenhouse gases, which is estimated at 4,67 million tons of CO2, thus contributing to the fight against climate change by avoiding the pollution produced by 3,1 million vehicles during one year.
www.observatoriobiomasa.es is a website developed by the Spanish Association of Energy Valorization of Biomass, AVEBIOM, in order to facilitate access to data and estimates on the biomass sector, group information on the use of thermal biomass in Spain and show it in a way simple and intuitive.
The information uses several sources, official publications and works among which we can mention the National Observatory of Biomass Boilers and the Biofuels Price Index, both elaborated by technical staff of the association, hundreds of companies and collaborating entities that provide information quarterly.
Source: EUROPA PRESS