Biomass boilers are an ideal solution for wood processing companies, as they can recycle surpluses from production. The university enterprise CZU Forests in Kostelec nad Černými lesy has also adopted this solution. They have connected boilers to the existing heating system using wood chips produced as waste from wood processing in this enterprise.
The main reason for introducing this heating method was its economic efficiency and positive environmental impact. Wood chip boilers have many benefits that make them attractive to households and industrial enterprises. The main benefits include low feedstock costs. Wood and wood chips are significantly cheaper than solid fuels, and CZU Forests also uses regional raw materials from its resources, i.e., from the university forests. Further advantages include high combustion efficiency and low operating costs, the possibility of processing wood residues directly from the forest or even subsequently from wood production, and reduced dependence on external sources, resulting in energy independence. Another benefit is increased property value – using green technology and increased heating efficiency. Last but not least, there is the possibility of long-term cost savings and high durability of the boilers.
Two wood chip boilers with a total output of 660 kW are now in Kostelec nad Černými lesy. The heat is supplied to the castle building by a newly built heating pipeline, which connects to the existing pipelines in the castle building. The existing heating system has been preserved as much as possible to make the investment economically efficient. The chateau, the forecourt, all the accommodation facilities, the Savoy and Smiřický guest house, the laboratory building, and the Mechanisation Workshop, where the new boiler house is located, are heated.
Burning the wood chips produced in the wood processing process saves money and the environment. It is a much more environmentally friendly alternative to the current light fuel oil. The wood chips obtained from biomass from the local forests in Kostelec represent a renewable energy source. Its combustion is considered a carbon-neutral process, as the amount of CO2 released during combustion is equal to the amount of CO2 absorbed by the trees during their growth. The introduction of biomass boilers strengthens the positive CO2 balance at the CZU Forests enterprise in the spirit of the university-wide trends for a sustainable future.
