Heat and power from wood pellets for the first time

Another Burkhardt wood gasifier has been in operation for AEW Energie AG in Rheinfelden in the canton of Aargau since the beginning of 2018. AEW Energie AG is the largest electricity and heat supplier in the canton and operates 78 heating and cooling networks there. In the area of renewable energies, the Burkhardt wood gas CHP plant serves to utilise biomass as an energy source in addition to hydropower, solar and wind power.

The construction of the wood gasification plant is a first, as pellets are being used as a fuel for the first time in Switzerland. The wood gas plant is located at the Riburg salt works. A V3.90 wood gasifier and an ECO 165 HG CHP unit supply the district heating network of the Rheinfelden-Ost heating network, which is now part of the Rüchi heating network. Together with two other heating networks in Rheinfelden, around a third of the city of Rheinfelden's heating requirements are covered by renewable energies or waste heat.

The electricity generated is fed into the AEW grid. The plant produces around 1.3 million kWh of electrical band energy per year and runs almost around the clock with 7500 to 8000 operating hours per year.

The wood gas plant in Rheinfelden requires around 900 tonnes of wood pellets per year. The pellets come from Swiss production and are made from sawmill waste. The wood used is untreated.

The Burkhardt wood gasifier is housed in the left-hand part of the building; the CHP unit is on the right.