SINBIO – sustainable innovation in bioenergy
Tapping rural potential of renewable biomass plants in Slovakia
A switch to renewable biomass has brought tangible benefits to citizens, farmers and the environment in the Slovakian town of Trebišov. A relocated centralised biomass boiler facility takes straw, hay and woody material from the surrounding countryside and turns this into clean renewable energy for homes, creating new jobs and cutting emissions.
As a result, the town’s renewable energy use has dramatically increased,cutting local CO2 emissions by some 6 100 tonnes a year. The new centralised SINBIO facility, located 2 km outside of the town centre, has also led to a 25 % reduction in heat distribution losses due to some 8 km of new distribution pipes being built. Construction of the new facility has enabled the closure of seven obsolete gas boiler plants located in residential areas and created a total of six new working positions.
The project has successfully exploited the untapped potential of this rural region, which has always been strongly agricultural. Some 90 % of gas fuel for heating has been replaced by readily available renewable energy sources: three quarters by the hay and straw biomass and a quarter by the woody biomass. Local farmers have also been encouraged to grow fast-growing plants on otherwise non-usable lands. Many of these new plantations surround the boiler house, creating a pleasant green area.