Upper Austrian winner of the EnergyGlobe 2006 - Category FIRE

Project: Refrigeration from biomass /biomass-fired CHP plant

High-tech heating power station delivers heat, electricity and cooling in a single unit.

The globally operating ropes manufacturer Teufelberger headquartered in Wels, Austria, operates a biomass-fired cogeneration plant to produce not only heat and electricity, but also refrigeration of production halls and products. Teufelberger spent roughly 4.5 million Euros to build the facility suggested and planned by engineering contractor Steinmair & Partners from Ungenach to implement this revolutionary technology (ORC process), replacing the former oil-fired boiler plant and the conventional electrically driven refrigeration equipment by a true high-tech energy miracle: The system delivers 4 GWh of electricity and up to 16 GWh for refrigeration, representing the energy demand of 2000 single-family homes.

The high-tech power plant is also rather environmentally friendly: Replacing the oil-fired boiler and saving electricity reduces emission of air pollutants by around 4,440 t/a, highly effective filters make their contribution to air pollution control. The fuel used for the system consists of waste wood. The investment is also economically feasible, as the company has reduced its electricity bill by approximately 930,000 Euros, and fuel oil costs by around 150,000 Euros... As a result, Teufelberger not only makes a major contribution to comply with the Kyoto protocol (or climate protection) but also helps to secure jobs in the region due to the competitive edge gained, making it a showcase model for other companies in that sector ... Therefore, the Energy Globe Upper Austria for the category "Fire" was awarded to Teufelberger GmbH and consulting engineers Steinmair & Partners OEG in Linz on October 20, 2006.