Introduction

The Aboyne Academy is located 30 miles west of Aberdeen.  The Aboyne Academy consists of an academy, a primary school, an indoor swimming pool, library, theatre and community centre.  The site plays an important role in serving the public in regards of education and community needs.

Objectives and target audience

The objectives of this project were to:-

• To explore efficient sustainable options to replace the original fired boilers present within Aboyne Academy;
• To demonstrate the viability of wood fuel;
• To raise awareness of sustainable energy consumption in the school and within the local community;
• To allow the local economy to benefit from supplying woodchips.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The partners involved within this project were:-

• Aberdeenshire Council – T&I (Property);
• Scottish Community & Householder Renewables Initiatives (SCHRI) Officer – project advice and funding;
• Community Energy Programme – funding;
• Buccleuch BioEnergy – contractor;
• Cameron Chisholm Dawson Partnership (CCDP) – mechanical and electrical consultant.

Grants for this project to go ahead was funded by:-

• Scottish Community & Householder Renewables Initiatives (SCHRI) – £100,000;
• Community Energy Programme – £109,000.

Process

In 2005, an application for planning was requested and granted.  Along with planning, a grant request was tendered to SCHRI and was also approved in the same year.  With this being a success, the project was tendered and awarded to Buccleuch BioEnergy.

The newly developed possesses a 600kW Kohlbach boiler which meets the terms with the EN 303-5 standard and guidelines set according to the Clean Air Act.  The new have integrated into the building energy management system for remote monitoring.  The woodchips to provide the system with fuel will come from local saw mills near to the system.  The boiler will be operated under an Energy Services Contract (ESCo) arrangement.

Due to the woodchips acting as the fuel for the boiler system, the saw mill product will not be classified as waste therefore there will be no further regulations that require compliance.  The amount of wood required per year to power the boiler has been calculated at being 1,200 tonnes per year (at 60% moisture content).

Due to results carried by Aberdeenshire’s Energy Management Team, further upgrades have been initiated to improve the efficiency of the system.  Apart from the boiler being now integrated into a Building Management System, new measures included thermostatic radiator valves fitted to radiators throughout the building and new push button taps for sinks in toilets.  Insulation around valve and pipe work has also been instigated.

Results

The installation of the new biomass boiler started in 2006 and was accomplished in February 2007.  From the results gathered from the feasibility study carried out in 2004, the results indicated that by installing a biomass boiler, Aberdeenshire council would benefit from annual savings of 6%, a reduction of 600 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions  of CO2 per year and reduced costs within the local economy.

Within the lifetime of the system, 15,600 tonnes of CO2 will be saved.  With regards to financial saving, £24,000 per year will be saved which is approximately a 25% to Aberdeenshire Council.  Aberdeenshire Council have provided a visual information service called ‘Arcadia’ and ‘Aberdeenshire live’ which will enable information regarding the boiler to be monitored.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

The main critical success factors regarding this project are:
The fuel used to power the biomass boiler system is the waste product from the saw mill.  This source of power is ideal as a fuel for the reasons:-

• The fuel is free energy;
• A constant and sustainable supply of wood chips can obtained from the saw mill.

Aberdeenshire council will save a considerable amount of money from this installation.  A sum of £25,000 (equates to 25%) will be saved per year.

The thought, initiation and the use of this scheme will contribute to laws set by the International Framework on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol.