Fink Enderby District Energy – Enderby, BC

Background

Fink Enderby District Energy is the first privately-funded  biomass district energy system operating as a Private  Utility under 1 MW in western Canada. The district  system currently serves 11 commercial, institutional  and residential customers while maintaining capacity  for future growth.

The Viessmann solution

A Viessmann wood-fired boiler (rated at  540 kW) was commissioned as the system’s primary  source of space heating, domestic hot water and pool  heating. The fully-automatic Pyrot utilizes the industry's  most advanced combustion technology, triple-pass heat  exchanger and modulating output control to achieve an  efficiency of up to 85% while keeping emissions to a  minimum. Its state-of-the-art system monitoring and  safety equipment ensure safe and reliable operation. A  300 kW Vitocrossal 200 gas-fired boiler provides backup and additional  capacity during peak loads.

Installation details

A custom-built timberframe boiler house includes a  district fuel bunker with a capacity of 50 tonnes, which  allows two 53-foot trailers to unload simultaneously. An  automated walking floor delivers fuel from the storage  bunker to the Pyrot’s feed auger. When fuel gasification  and combustion are complete, an automated deashing  system extracts ashes from the combustion chamber  and transfers them to an ash bin. An ash removal auger  extracts the ashes into a large external container once  they have cooled.

The Pyrot boiler feeds an 8,400 L water buffer tank  before distributing heated water to transfer stations and  customers through a 640-metre main line consisting of  three-inch insulated Urecon PEX pipe.  

Fink Enderby District Energy’s carbon neutral, wood  biomass fuel is supplied by local sawmills, wood  product manufacturers and wood waste diverted from landfills and businesses within a two-hour radius. Area landfills are now modifying their material recycling  facilities to create wood biomass fuel.

The results

Once fully operational, the system is expected to  consume 800 tonnes of renewable wood fuel annually  while helping to mitigate approximately 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

By utilizing biomass fuel, an energy source largely  independent of today’s wide energy price fluctuations, Fink Enderby District Energy can provide its customers with economical, safe and environmentally-responsible heating for years to come.

Project details