Bioenergy: A solution to high energy prices in Czech Republic

The small village of Vlčnov is home to the Czech company Klimont Global, a manufacturer of inspection doors. The company uses miscanthus sp for heating. The production hall is 100 % heated by this energy crop in a Fröling boiler. As the owners of the company have an agricultural area, planting this plant was an obvious choice.

The cultivation of the fast-growing grass Miscanthus sp. in the Czech Republic is currently on the rise. The increase in interest is mainly due to high energy prices. The main advantages of miscanthus are its high drought tolerance, rapid biomass growth and the possibility of annual harvesting. Miscanthus grows well on most soils, even on less nutrient-rich soil types where other crops can no longer be grown effectively. At the same time, it is highly resistant to frost and does not suffer from specific diseases and pests.

The company has thus ensured complete independence from fossil resources. Planting their own miscanthus has led to cost and environmental savings compared to fossil fuels

In the extensive company premises of Vacara s.r.o., which offers sales, rental and service of caravans and motorhomes, Miscanthus sp. is burned for about 70% of the heating season. There are two Fröling Turbomatic boilers installed, which are well suited to this type of biomass and, as the site manager Miroslav Kus himself confirms, heating with this crop is simple and easy to operate. There is no jamming of the cuttings in the conveyor into the boiler and the boiler runs effortlessly.

The owners of the premises point out the low heating costs and the low consumption of electricity to run the boiler. The company has thus saved considerable amount of cost over the years of operation thanks to its own heat source. They also use wood chips for heating. When the fuel store runs out of miscanthus, the boiler automatically switches to wood chip heating without the need to reconfiguration.