Turning waste into electricity

Converting waste heat to power can make huge sense for many businesses, producing free heat and hot water, not to mention wide sustainable benefits.

By installing a biomass boiler, it can help to provide an additional 20-year income for a business while significantly reducing waste removal costs. With Landfill Tax recently going up, it may be a good time to consider the viable alternative that is incineration.

Furthermore, businesses can produce electricity from Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) or Combined Heat and Power (CHP), and the heat produced can be a valuable method of drying other useful products.

Flexibility is another major asset. It is possible to have a biomass system designed to suit a particular fuel which may be a by-product of your day-today business. For instance, your whisky distilling business could have a boiler burning draff or you could utilise a bespoke system which has been designed to produce heat for a chicken shed by burning the waste from the shed floor.

However, it’s important for businesses to keep in mind that if they are burning Grade C wood, then they may require what is known as a Wid-compliant boiler. These tend to be larger and more expensive than a standard industrial biomass boiler. The Waste Incineration Directive looks to achieve significant levels of environmental and human health protection by setting strict limits within such facilities. As part of that undertaking, you must have a Wid-compliant Part A pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit.

Your permit will list the types and quantities of waste that you are allowed to burn, and you must comply with its stipulations. It will also include operating conditions, emission limits and monitoring requirements.

While a great deal of the WID process is straightforward, equally plenty of it is complicated and nuanced. Indeed, many business owners understandably have great difficulty getting to grips with its demands, partly because the technology is so complicated.

There are also a growing number of consultants who have made a niche for themselves across the waste and recycling sector – but they shouldn’t be considered an essential source of WID advice and guidance. Some are effective, but many are not, and you’ll be paying considerable fees for the pleasure. Instead, it’s better to cut out the middle men and discuss your options with a trusted supplier of renewable heating solutions.

Choose the right company and you will be guided and fully supported throughout the entire process, from the initial site survey and bespoke installation, through to regular system checks and maintenance with WID compliance front of mind at all points. The real value here lies in the reduction of business and environmental risk, and the peace-of-mind which that offers. Malcolm Snowie, chief executive, Scot Heat & Power