Biomass breaks records in recent months

The year of the pandemic, the year of staying at home first and taking refuge in second homes later, has broken records for the manufacture and installation of biomass stoves and boilers in recent months.

Only the stoppage of commercial and installation activity during the second quarter of the year has prevented sales from previous years from being exceeded in 2020. 

The most notable thing is that, despite the situation, the sector has demonstrated its ability to serve hundreds of thousands of families, companies, public services of all kinds and, especially, the more than 900 facilities that, according to data from the Avebiom Biomass Observatory, provide heating and DHW to health centers, hospitals, and nursing homes throughout Spain.

Impressive pace of installation of stoves and boilers in the residential sector

Installers, distributors and manufacturers of biomass equipment worked tirelessly during the second half of the year. This intensity has more than compensated for the practically total suspension of activity that occurred during the spring, so that the economic movement of the sector has only been reduced by 3.4% compared to 2019 and has generated a business volume of 344 million of euros, a figure that also includes the supply of pellets and equipment maintenance.

In 2020, 49,589 biomass stoves and boilers of up to 50 kW power were installed. With this contribution, the national park of heating equipment powered by solid biofuels stands at 403,618 units. Of these, 98% are located in independent homes.

The trend is very positive , although in absolute numbers we are still far from neighboring countries, such as France, which has 1.2 million biomass stoves and boilers in operation, or Italy with 2.2 million. For years, the French and Italian public administrations have been promoting the change in the energy model towards renewable energies in home heating systems.

Last year, all biomass residential heating equipment in our country consumed around 505,000 tons of pellets and other biofuels of natural and renewable origin such as olive pits, from the olive oil industry, wood chips or nut shells.

A relevant fact is that the pellets consumed during 2020 to heat homes avoided the equivalent consumption of 254 million liters of heating diesel, 29 million liters more replaced compared to the previous year, and with this emissions equivalent to remove 450,000 cars from circulation.

5,000 professionals are dedicated to manufacturing, supplying, installing and maintaining biomass equipment with power greater than 50kW

At the end of 2020, 14,329 industrial biomass boilers - those with a power greater than 50 kW - were operating in Spain, providing thermal energy to neighborhood communities, public buildings, industries, commercial complexes and heat networks. In total, 925 new installations compared to 2019.

The total installed power of biomass industrial equipment stood at 7,502 MW, which is 402 MW more than the previous year. This power guaranteed the production of an amount of energy equivalent to the consumption of 1,536 million liters of diesel.

The turnover in the industrial thermal generation sector with biomass in 2020 increased by 6.1% compared to the previous year and reached 599 million euros. The biomass value chain linked to this sector created 262 new jobs, reaching 4,989 direct workers. 

Advantages of biomass as an energy source

The production of thermal energy with biomass is an example of a circular economy , in which wood chips, pruning remains, olive pits, nut shells or other by-products of biological origin are used. Furthermore, by replacing other forms of energy based on fossil fuels, the use of these biomasses avoids harmful emissions that affect climate change .

Specifically, in Spain, biomass prevented the emission of more than 4 million tons of CO2 in 2020, which would be equivalent to removing 2.7 million passenger cars from circulation.

Biomass is, today, the main source of renewable energy for heating in Europe with a share of 85% ; trend that will continue at least in the medium term.

It is produced locally and is renewable , thanks to plant photosynthesis. It is obtained through sustainable forest management, which improves the general condition of forests throughout Europe.

Its use as a renewable heating source reduces the use of fossil fuels and their harmful emissions into the atmosphere that accelerate climate change.