The winners of the 2023 Biomass Innovation Awards have been announced

The “ECC in JOTUL F 170 & SCAN 67” electronic system for combustion control in wood stoves, developed by the Jotul Group, substantially improves the operation of this type of equipment, reducing its emissions and increasing its efficiency, with easy handling by the user.

Since 2021, firewood has been attracting the attention of many household consumers, primarily due to its lower price compared to other biofuels more affected by inflation. This renewed interest in firewood has been accompanied by an increase of approximately 25% annually in sales of modern wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, cookers, and boilers. It is therefore highly advisable to improve the performance and control of these appliances, which combine traditional use with cutting-edge technology.

The private initiative “MHE+Bosque” being carried out by Monte Holiday Ecoturismo in the Sierra de Guadarrama in Madrid establishes a synergistic relationship between forest management adaptive to climate change, renewable energy production in the tourism sector, reduction of the carbon footprint and protection of the forest and people against forest fires.

The biomass obtained from managing the private holm oak grove where the complex is located, and from other nearby forests, is used in the campsite's heating network. This model can serve as an example for other businesses in the tourism sector and for small and medium-sized mountain villages.

In the Technological Innovation category , in addition to the first prize of €2,000, two runner-up prizes of €500 each were awarded to two entries: the “Haas Turon Hybrid Primary Biomass Shredder” , presented by its distributor in Spain, Técnicas de Gestión y Maquinaria Medioambiental, capable of operating at normal speed with diesel or electricity both in the field and in the plant; and the “0-EMISION” , presented by the consortium of companies formed by Comercial Projar, Sugimat, SingularGreen, Comercial J. Huete and Ingelia, which combines new combustion systems with biofilters that allow for a considerable reduction in emissions in industrial projects.

The best Innovative Practice will be rewarded with promotion through seminars, publications, and other visibility actions promoted by the INtercamBIOM network to facilitate its adoption by potential users.

Selection of the winners
: In the Technological Innovation category, the evaluation was carried out by a jury composed of professionals with extensive experience in different areas of biomass and bioeconomy from CEDER-Ciemat, Fundación CIRCE, ASEMFO, and AVEBIOM. In the Innovative Practice category, a public voting process was established, which collected 6,178 votes in 10 days, contributing 50% of the final score, while the jury's evaluations accounted for the remaining 50%.

In addition to the winners, each and every one of the 32 innovative technologies and practices selected for this double awards call deserves recognition for their commitment to the revitalization and economic development of the biomass sector in our country.