Boralex and the thermal power production.
Wood-Residue Thermal Power
To generate wood-residue thermal energy, Boralex uses forest waste (tree bark, crowns and branches) and other scrap wood (waste wood from manufacturing processes, cable reels, pallets, recycled wood, railway ties, tree stumps and mixed lumber). The process involves the physical and chemical transformation of waste wood into thermal energy through controlled combustion.
Wood residues are first conditioned, then introduced into the boiler combustion chamber. Combustion is controlled by the amount and temperature of the combustion air required. The steam produced by the boiler is injected into the turbine, where the steam energy is turned into mechanical energy. The mechanical energy of the turbine is then transformed into electrical energy by the generator.
Natural Gas Cogeneration
Natural gas is a fossil fuel and a very efficient source of thermal energy.
Different from conventional gas-turbine power stations, the natural gas cogeneration facility located in Blendecques, France, combines a gas cycle with a steam cycle; each cycle generates electricity. The power plant uses natural gas to power its gas turbine and drive the generator. The exhaust gas produced by the gas turbine is used to create steam without burning any fuel; the steam drives the steam turbine, generating additional electricity.
Key features of Boralex's approach to thermal energy:
- Boralex has integrated expertise in the design, development, construction, financing and operation of cogeneration power stations that can be put to work anywhere in Canada or the world.
- Production of electricity using wood-residue allows to value a material that would otherwise be buried.
- Boralex recovers the steam produced by its natural gas cogeneration facility and sells it to an industrial clientele; this allows it to achieve high levels of thermal efficiency and meet environmental standards.
- Boralex's expertise in and ability to successfully sell the CO2 quota from its natural gas cogeneration plant on the European carbon market could be applied in North America.
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