Enabling small scale biomass CHP in Norway

The economy of scale is a driver for large-scale CHP plants. However, large-scale CHP plants demands a large customer for the heat produced. Such customers in Norway are scarce and certainly not of such magnitude that it is possible to utilise Norways pot ential biomass resources. Therefore, small-scale CHP plants suitable for smaller communities are favourable. The 15 TWh of bioenergy in Norway is mainly woodstove combustion and combustion of wood residues to produce heat in the paper industry. Only a ver y few small-scale district heating units have been built so far and no CHP plants. Solør Bioenergi is currently building Norway?s first CHP plant based on waste wood. This plant has a capacity of 10 MWth. The lack of using virgin biomass for CHP productio n in Norway also means that the market mechanisms for fuel production, logistics and long term contracts are not working properly. Building knowledge with small-scale biomass CHP is a new aspect for Norway and should as such be considered to be an innovat ive activity. Given new framework for subsidies for investments and electricity production, makes the commercialisation of such concepts more interesting now than what it has been in the past. There are a wide range of different options for small-scale CH P production from biomass. The technologies or concepts range from commercially available to technologies on a demonstration level. In Norway it will be of great importance to evaluate the different technologies and find the right technology for different plant sizes and other criteria such as location (heat customer) and fuel supply. At least one concepts suitable for Norwegioan conditions will be subject to an in-depth investigation and development.