Kirka Suri starts exporting micro biomass-burning power plants to Italy - Soon new technology for generating 1,000 kW of electricity

By the end of 2014 minimum ten biomass power plants made by Kirka Suri will have been put into operation in Italy. The famous boiler and and power equipment manufacturer from Belgrade is also negotiating the export of Micro CHP 65 Kirka power plants to Russia, Romania, Bulgaria as well as Africa.

This power plant simultaneously generates both electricity and useful heat for small manufacturers that get biomass as a by-product of their production. People at Kirka Suria proudly point out that they have invented the first power plant of this kind in Europe. In an interview with eKapija, Kirka Suri Commercial Director Sinisa Janjusevic speaks about the specific characteristics of this product.

- For as many as twenty years we have been engaged in the development of technologies utilizing biomass as a renewable source of energy. So far, all known technologies for generating electric power from biomass have been based on the principles of steam turbines or ORC, that is, turbines powered by thermal oil, with the production of small quantities of power being impossible. However, it was necessary to provide assistance to small farms, small furniture factories that get biomass as a by-product of their production, as well as to business entities that can buy that biomass and use it to generate electricity. We have succeeded in developing a power plant for them - says Janjusevic.

By using this power generator, small manufacturers no longer need to use their boilers powered by gas, crude oil, oil and coal, which are all imported and expensive fuels that pollute environment and represent an expensive item in annual budget, and they can focus on producing green energy instead.

- Kirka Suri’s new power generation unit, with the capacity of 65kW of electricity and 200kW of heat, utilizes flue gas-air and flue gas-water heat exchangers as well as turbines used in the automotive industry and powered by heated air, which has never been done before. An advantage of this power plant lies in the use of small quantity of biomass on the site where this biomass is generated. Biomass is used to produce both electricity and heat. Manufacturers can sell electric energy at subsidized rates and use heat for their own needs, that is, to heat their greenhouses, stables, etc. - our interlocutor explains.

Janjusevic says that such power plant can also be used in small settlements, which is a practice in Austria.

- There are plenty of examples of Austrian citizens investing in similar power plants and generating revenues from electricity sales while also getting heating for free during the winter.

Kirka Suri's power generation unit costs EUR 300,000. Janjusevic says that the investment in this turnkey system in Serbia pays off three years after the installation.

Our interlocutor stresses that the interest in Micro CHP 65 Kirka has already been expressed by companies from Italy, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria...

(Sinisa Janjusevic receives the Aurea Award)

- Italians have signed an agreement in advance to buy 9 power generation units that will be delivered to them by the end of 2014 - one per every three months. The company that has placed an order for these power plants has its own hen farm. They will use dried chicken droppings as biomass. Considering that they have a network of 40 farms in the vicinity of Venetto, they plan to provide all farms with the power generator made by Kirka Suri. Also, we have signed preliminary agreements to export two of these power plants to Russia, two to Romania and one to Bulgaria. I have many friends in Africa, so we plan to offer this product to that market as well - says Janjusevic.

The innovation, financial potential and social utility of the micro biomass-burning power plant have also been recognized by eKapija, whereas this year's Aurea jury presented Kirka Suri with a special award for the best social utility.

People at this Belgrade-based company have a plan to improve Micro CHP 65 Kirka in the following period and develop a power plant with a slightly different structure and a capacity of 150 kW of electricity.

- We would like to invest in a slightly bigger cogeneration plant with a different technology, that is, to build the first power generation unit in Serbia with a capacity of 1,000 KW.

S.O.