About Woody biomass power generation 2017 ①

Last year in 2017, I looked into the "1st International Biomass Power Generation exhibition" at Tokyo Big Sight.

As the renewable energy fixed price purchase system (FIT) and power liberalization became the lure of water, the venue was exhibited many power generation related facilities, and the number of visitors was many, especially in the event that the power generation business using woody biomass in various parts of Japan was started.

● Difficulty of woody biomass power generation. The success stories of woody biomass power generation in Japan as a profitable business are as close to zero as ever. Looking at this exhibition, the biomass power generation business of the Japan, in fact, was a subsidy project in the past and the present, and it seemed that it was still far ahead to become independent as the power supply which was able to take profit on a roll on a commercial base. In the case of woody biomass power generation, the purchase price of Japan FIT is 32 yen per 1Kw in unused timber. I hear that this is a case in which a chip of 12000 yen per ton is made a fuel in the 5Mw facility by the steam turbine. However, the business operation is difficult though it set the purchase price of 42 yen last year in a smaller power generation facility than this. Therefore, the electric power of the equipment cannot help becoming a large equipment. A large-scale facility can reduce the cost of power generation, which increases profitability. Many large-scale power generation facilities are exhibited in the venue on this day, and the introduction has been proposed and planned.However, the reality is severe.

● The priority of the use of heat than power generation. When it comes to introducing large-scale equipment, it is impossible to recover costs, and to operate facilities and business, considering the current circumstances of the collection of woody biomass resources, efficient use of energy, etc., The sustainable power generation business is a difficult and unreasonable story even if the subsidy is used.　So, what should I do? The answer is one. First of all, the proper use of woody biomass based on the current situation is not the first form of power generation, and it seems that the priority of thermal use is high solid business profitability. In United Kingdom, we removed woody biomass from FIT and started buying a fixed price instead of heat.