Derby County scores with biomass boilers
The installation of a biomass boiler at the Pride Park stadium of Derby County Football Club is believed to be the first example of carbon-neutral heating at a professional football club. The 600 kW STU boiler from Hoval was made at nearby Newark and will meet the base heating loads of the stadium. It will be supported by existing gas-fired boilers to meet peak loads.
Payments under the Renewable Heat Incentive are expected to exceed £600 000 through the period of the grant. Pitch heating is provided by a separate Hoval SR-Plus boiler using natural gas.
The biomass boiler was supplied on a skid that includes pumps, fans and fuel-delivery augers. It also has the FlameTronix control system to ensure optimum combustion of the wood pellets. The boiler’s performance will be monitored remotely through Hoval’s web-based Netbiter system to ensure optimum performance.
The FlameTronix controller records the amount of carbon that has been saved, and this information can be put on public display.
Derby County has also installed a 110 kW Hoval BioLyt wood-pellet boiler, integrated with solar-thermal heating, at its Moor Park training ground.
