|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
THE PROJECT
In the neighbouring Austrian village of Bildein (Beled in Hungarian) a village district heating system based on biomass has been in operation since 1994. The Pornóapáti Municipality has been monitoring this activity since its very beginning and, in accordance with the opinion and advice of Austrian residents, decided to initiate the designs and tendering procedure for implementing a similar system if the residents of Pornóapáti also support the idea. It is especially significant that Pornóapáti started the implementation of a district heating system based on biomass produced on-site since it is located near Szombathely where one of the largest lignite beds close to the surface can be found. The aim of this new system was to supply environmentally friendly energy and district heating to family houses, companies and institutions. Milestones:
The investment has been realized on the outskirts of Pornóapáti village. The heating network has been constructed all over the administrative area of the village. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Two sawdust and wood-chip burning heaters of 600 kW capacity each supply the heat for the village heating system. The amount of necessary wood-chips is approx. 1 200 tons/year, while the estimated amount of generated energy is 9 500 GJ. The expected lifetime of this technology is 25 years. The length of district heating system pipes amounts to 3 900 meters, and the number of consumers connected to the system, as at 10 october 2005, is 97 out of which 86 are residential and 11 are industrial consumers.
Planned replacements:
Planned emission reductions in terms of air pollution:
Biomass heating uses wood chips as basic heating materials from lumber mills and other forestry wastes produced in the surrounding areas. Prior to and during the implementation, residents were continuously informed about the investment by means of public hearings, brochures, and personal communication. The Municipality offers the possibility of visits for those interested. Number of created new workplaces: 1.2 The users of the system have a favourable opinion about the village heating system, and they feel it cheaper than the previous one. Residents are proud of their unique project and the successional effects of new investments, increasing awareness of village and environment, conferences and tourism.
The investment has been realized from tendering funds and loans. In addition, some non-refundable subsidy was also received. The terms and conditions related to each different support scheme vary greatly, and therefore they are difficult to handle and harmonize. A municipality generally does not possess sufficient own resources, is not creditworthy, and is completely exposed to investors. The major forms of supports can be received in the form of post-financing; therefore paying off contractors in line with the schedule is hard. What is more, there is a total lack of clarity with regard to the possibility of VAT refunds to municipalities. The term payback period cannot be taken into consideration regarding the small heat exchange. The amount of savings cannot be expressed in calculated figures either since comfortable district heating is more expensive than own heat supply. Positive external effects - that can relatively and hardly, if at all, be expressed in figures - must be taken into account; for instance, increasing standard of living, more free time, local values, etc. Authority permits were granted by professional authorities in a very flexible manner and with a positive attitude; as a consequence, an extremely short time was needed for the necessary permissions. Residents have been supportive from the very first moment; however, when the community won the PHARE tender, the gas supplier appeared and a smaller group of residents and neighbouring villages started to step up against the project. Despite this opposition, the majority of residents considered the arguments in favour of the project valid and decided to carry on with the investment. A cooperative organization was established in August 2006 from the users' group in order to control operation. Previously the Szombathely District Heating Works fulfilled operative tasks, without any problems. The investment will be complemented with a solar collector system and the construction of storage for a week, but due to the lack of necessary funds, these plans have been postponed.
Pornóapáti Municipality
Contact: Purker Walter | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Examples to Follow - Successful and Sustainable Energy Investments in the Central-Eastern and South-Eastern European Region - Energia Klub 2009 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
TECHNOLOGY
