Gas or pellets: central heating in Europe

As part of a number of EU directives that aim to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, some European countries are developing district heating networks. Also, especially in Germany, it is popular to install pellet boiler houses for heating apartment buildings, running on pellets, mainly made from wood waste. District heating in Europe could experience a second wave of development thanks to pellet technology. The FOCUS brand offers its own development concept.

Autonomous heating - houses, greenhouses, production workshops, apartment buildings

Central heating in Europe

Central heating prices in Europe

Without gas - not gas

In general, central heating is not being developed in Europe; more so-called cluster technologies are being proposed, which allow supplying heat to a limited number of consumers. Such boiler houses do not require large investments and are installed by public utilities. Gas heating accounts for 40% of the market, electricity - 30%, alternative renewable sources, including pellets, 20%. Thus, in Europe, individual heating powered by gas, electricity and pellets is still more popular.

Given the lack of gas and high dependence on Russian supplies, this energy resource is not optimal. District heating networks are being built throughout Europe, however, the individual or cluster format largely slows down the development of mass heat supply to consumers.

 

Pellets as an alternative energy resource to gas

Heating pellets in the EU are made from wood waste and have an extremely low ash content. For its production, tyrsa is used, the volumes of which are limited. So there is no need to talk about the prospects of pellet heating for central heating networks. The only option for large-scale distribution of heating technology is the combustion of pellets made from waste. 

On the one hand, we are talking about reducing the amount and burning waste, especially from megacities. This can become a reliable raw material base for large pellet boiler houses, especially in the context of passivization of houses and within the framework of the concept of sustainable development.

On the other hand, such a pellet can contribute to the release of carcinogens during combustion and their release into the atmosphere. Also, pellet technology does not completely solve the problem of CO2 emissions. But carbon dioxide can be used in some volumes in greenhouse microclimate systems, which can be built near large pellet thermal power plants to meet the needs of megacities.

Why are we talking about thermal power plants? Because steam generators can successfully operate on pellets, with the help of which you can generate heat for heating and electricity for lighting cities. Carbon dioxide levels in emissions can be reduced by accumulating and storing it for a complex of greenhouses.

 

How to set up a boiler room based on a pellet boiler

The pellet boiler room is equipped with separate pellet boilers cascaded to the boiler circuit. It, in turn, supplies heat through a hydraulic separator to the boiler circuit with the risers of the end consumers. This heating system is fully automatic, which makes it possible to provide heat “on demand” to consumers, and not just during the heating season. 

Boilers in a cascade system will be connected automatically and gradually depending on the power demand in the boiler circuit. At the same time, consumption management can be implemented using a networked climate control system in urban buildings and residential buildings, providing the required savings. In this way, a pellet central heating system in Europe can be connected to a smart city system and work in combination with a digital indoor climate control system in a metropolis.