Nowadays, there is a tendency of rapid growth in the use of biomass for energy purposes in the European countries. The Czech Republic does not lag behind other Western countries. So, in 2016 the production of fuel briquettes exceeded 300 thousand tons, which is higher by 23% compared to the previous year. In the same year, the number of installed solid fuel boilers in Czech households reached 25,000. Despite the growth and development of the domestic market for consumption of fuel briquettes https://pellets-wood.com/wood-briquettes-b329.html, production in the Czech Republic is still focused on foreign markets. Some leading manufacturers of fuel briquettes in the Czech Republic plan to increase the production of fuel briquettes by 50% in the period from 2017 to 2018 with the aim of providing a quality product for the Czech domestic solid fuel market.
Quality standards for wood briquettes in the Czech Republic
As for the quality of fuel briquettes, there are about 3/4 of all briquettes produced in accordance with ENplus in the Chech Republic. The ENplus system is based on the European standard EN 14961-2 and from 2015 it is on the basis of the international standard ISO 17225-2. Certification means higher quality, but not a higher price. At the same time, manufacturers and dealers do not bear any additional costs. And consumers have the opportunity to choose between competing producers, which guarantee the same quality of fuel briquettes.
Export of fuel briquettes from Czech Republic: opportunities and problems
The development of the domestic market of fuel briquettes directly depends on their cost. The price of fuel briquettes does not withstand competition with German fuel briquettes, fuelwood and coal. Thus, the Czech companies producing fuel briquettes account for up to 95% of the production to be exported to other European countries. It is important to note that a significant part of the Ukrainian briquette export to Europe goes through the Czech Republic. According to the leading analyst of Ukrainian Biofuel Portal Sergey Kozlov, in recent years, 15-16% of the shipments of wood briquettes from Ukraine fall to the Czech Republic.
The Officials have delayed the environmental tax on coal, which makes it a priority for heating purposes in comparison with fuel briquettes. Also, gas subsidies are a stumbling block for the introduction of clean heating in the Czech Republic.
Perspectives for the development of the domestic market of Czech fuel briquettes
Since January 1, 2005, the Czech Ministry of Environmental Protection subsidizes individuals who have installed and use boilers on fuel briquettes or other renewable energy sources. The program will work until the final disbursement of the fund, which provides grants. The grant for installed solid fuel boilers is up to 50,000 CZK or 50% of the investment costs.
Modern technologies and production facilities in the Czech Republic allow the supply of high-quality biomass fuels to the market. A build-up of production capacity and the creation of a plant raw material base for biofuel, will create new jobs in the country. The development of the domestic market of fuel briquettes will reduce the dependence of the Czech economy on land-based coal mines and natural gas, compensate for the deficit of non-renewable energy sources, and also reduce emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. The growth in production, as well as the domestic market for consumption of fuel briquettes, has a huge potential for further development of the country. In turn, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic actively promote the development of biomass, creating support mechanisms and programs for research and development of technologies for the production of environmentally friendly fuels.
