Miscanthus heating: biomass boiler

[Christophe]

A cooperative bet on miscanthus

The Coopédom cooperative based in Domagné in Ille-et-Vilaine (France) specializes in the dehydration of fodder. This
This activity is relatively costly in energy: annually, around 10 tonnes of coal are consumed for the treatment of 000 tonnes of fodder.

Since 2006, the cooperative has been looking for a local energy autonomy solution. The cooperative finally opted for miscanthus. It thus equipped itself with a biomass boiler that runs on wood and with "elephant grass" 1.

At the same time, it launched an establishment program: today there are more than 300 hectares of miscanthus around Domagné. This establishment, relatively expensive (approx. 3000 € / ha), is subsidized for half by the General Council of Ille-et-Vilaine and the cooperative.

The latter's objective for 2010 is to achieve 30% energy autonomy with 400 hectares of miscanthus. The cost of the new boiler (1.6M €) should be amortized over 5 years according to estimates by Coopédom.

Source: AGRAVALOR, 12/09

The article does not say whether Miscanthus is made into pellets or not. If not, the storage and handling volumes must be very large ...

[antoinet111]

Hi Christopher.

I allow myself to answer you, it will be a use in chips, mixed with wood chips.

I intend to put 1000M² at home.

[Ahmed]

The specialization of agricultural practices which separates the breeders from the producers of cereals (or other plants) is the first of the inconsistencies and leads to "solutions" whose logic is very limited.
It obliges the cereal producer to make extensive use of chemistry, while his fellow breeder brings in products from far away to feed his herd confined in lairage and does not know what to do with residual organic matter.

These directions are only possible thanks to a tremendous energy waste that only the use of cheap fossil energy * authorizes: the evolution towards higher energy costs directly threatens this pattern.
This explains this frantic search for palliative "solutions" which would make it possible to reduce this cost without questioning the model followed: this is what this cooperative does by practicing a classic "headlong rush".

* a massive development of an ER, whatever it is would only go in this direction.

[manitou22]

Hello,
Having received a plot of land following the succession of my parents and having seen the constraints linked to rural leases, when the current operator will be in retirement, well it will be miscanthus or jachere; You must be a maso now to rent land to a farmer: financially, the rent barely covers the property tax, the lease is at least 9 years, if you want to sell to a friend for his horse, the SAFER pre-empts and makes two cuckolds. In short, it is not with this crazy regulation that we will solve the problems of usable surface!
A+

[antoinet111]

Hi guys, I still have plans to plant miscanthus, I have the possibility of having almost one hectare of soil that cannot be cultivated for vegetables (it's in the bottom of a very small valley, covered by a stream)

so with 83 MWh / ha / year I seek to determine the surface area we need for my energy needs (for the moment heating then gasification for a generator)

house of 200m², 4 people, DHW, reverse combustion boiler.

it is theoretical as an estimate, but the project does not have it, I went to see the plot yesterday, it is 100 meters from the house, roughly 25 to 50m wide.