CTO Assessment - European Commission

FISCHER
the first factory worldwide
supplied by a tri-generation
biomass plant
Contacts: Helmut Roithmayer • Scharoplan GmbH
Rainerstraße • 4020 Linz • Austria • Tel: +43-732-668-009
E-mail tb@scharoplan.co.at
In February 2001 Fischer, the world market
leader in ski and aeroplane components,
opened a tri-generation biomass plant
which supplies two production facilities
with heating, cooling and electricity. Fischer
became the first factory worldwide to have
been able to cover its heat and cooling needs
with such a system for the production process
and regulation of the building temperature,
as well as being provided with electricity
by such a system.
Main motivations
For 30 years, Fischer had been using a
steam boiler in conjunction with a back-up
boiler, fired by heavy heating oil to supply
the heat demands. This system was cheap
but very environmentally unfriendly. When
it came to replace the old system by a new
system, the environmental concerns and the
beliefs that renewable energy sources will
become increasingly important in future
convinced Fischer to invest in research and
innovation and to become the first factory
worldwide to be supplied by a tri-generation
biomass plant.
Project details
Using the waste of the wood industry (in
particular bark, woodchips and sawmill
wastes) and the agricultural sector, the
biomass source of energy is used to supply
the total of heat and cooling needs, while
covering an important part of the electricity
needs too.
20,000 m 3 of biomass are transported
yearly by train to be brought to the Fischer
production site. This is one third of the
total amount of biomass needed for this
plant.
The 15-year contract signed between
Scharoplan and Fischer shows long-term
environmental and social commitments.
Signed in 1999 it targets at using RE
whenever possible, ensuring high security
of supply and safety levels, reducing regional
emissions and contributing to the
Kyoto commitments, as well as creating
socio-economic benefits for the region.
The consultancy Scharoplan strongly believes
that the expected development of a
railway after the privatization of the train
sector, should facilitate a larger proportion
of biomass transportation by train.
Main innovative aspects
The “energy contracting” arrangement
concluded between the Scharoplan consultancy
and Fischer enabled "the combination
of an innovative biomass installation
with a modern financing scheme for the
plant. The firm's own capital and external
finance amounted 65%of the total investment
amount that was 5 million euros. The
rest was covered by subsidies from the
European Commission, the national government
and the federal state of Upper
Austria.
With this arrangement, Scharoplan owning
and operating the plant, it sells the heat
and electricity to Fischer to market price.
Any electricity produced in excess of needs
will be fed into the national network. If
Fischer needs more electricity, it can buy it
from the national grid.
Amount of
biomass used
Enabling factors
Biomass by-products were available from
the nearby forestry and agricultural sectors,
usually within a distance of 50 km,
maximum 100 km.
Challenges
The main problems was to install the trigeneration
plant without having to interrupt
the production process of the Fischer
factory. Hence, the main work had to be
done during weekends or during periods
when the production process was shut
down anyway.
Replication Potential
Replication is dependent on the availability
of biomass supply, as well as affected by
the possibility to receive a subsidy.
Number of jobs created
The project created and preserved job, totalling
around 100,000 person-hours during
the planning and construction phases,
and three person-years for the operation of
the plant. Furthermore, the project generates
additional income in the agricultural
and forestry sectors, thus indirectly contributing
to increase and preserve jobs
thanks to the purchase of their waste byproducts
by a new customer.
Environmental target
Fischer substitutes 3,000 tonnes of heavy
heating oil per year and reduces CO 2
emissions
by 9,456 tonnes per year, among
other emissions reduction.
50,000 m 3 of bark, woodchips and sawmill wastes yearly
replace the heavy heating oil used before.
Overall Evaluation
This project has been awarded the Energy
Globe Award 2001 as an excellent example
how a high-tech factory can fulfill its
high quality energy needs with a biomass
plant.
Annual output
Transport
26,000 MWh of heat; 1,000 MWh of cooling, 2,000 MWh of
power, and 1,500 MWh of thermal oil.
a train connection for the environmentally friendly transport of
fuel is needed.
135 wagons and about 270LKWs are needed per year; 1/3 is
by railway; 2/3 by road traffic.
CTO - Showcase
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