Wood Energy Sector in Top Form at LIGNA 2013

Wood Energy Sector in Top Form at LIGNA 2013Hannover, Germany - International professionals from the forestry and timber industries can look forward to an energy-packed LIGNA fair from 6 to 10 May 2013 in Hannover, Germany. This year’s show will put the spotlight on wood, not just as a sought-after material for the construction and furniture industries but also as a highly effective, renewable energy carrier. The “bioenergy from wood” display category will feature well-known suppliers from Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France and Denmark. The showcase will span Halls 13 and 27, the open-air site and the pavilions under the EXPO Canopy. To date, it has attracted registrations for around 3,300 square meters or 35,520 sq.ft (2011: 3,100 square meters) of exhibition space, making LIGNA the world’s biggest trade fair for wood-based bioenergy technology by a considerable margin.

The expansion of LIGNA’s thematic coverage to include “bioenergy from wood” reflects a stable, ongoing trend that has fundamentally changed the world’s forest industries and timber markets. According to the University of Hamburg’s recently published “Wood Resource Balance” (Holzrohstoffbilanz), some 68.2 million cubic meters of wood are used to produce “green” energy in Germany today. This represents an almost threefold increase in ten years. The last German Federal Forest Inventory (completed in 2002) yielded a figure of 25.2 million cubic meters.

This development is not unique to Germany. Demand for wood fuel, especially wood chips and pellets for heating purposes, is rising Europe-wide. This trend affects both residential, and, particularly, industrial users of energy wood, given the rising importance of wood as a fuel for large-scale power, cogeneration and heating plants. In fact, energy producers throughout Europe are transitioning to solid biomass-powered generation systems in response to rising fossil fuel prices. The vast additional demand generated by this development has turned renewable wood fuel into a truly international commodity. European power stations already source more than half of their wood pellet requirements from North America. The shipping routes span half the globe – from Texas to Rotterdam and from the East Coast of Canada to Wismar.

Large-scale plants handle everything, from fuel processing to cogeneration

Visitors interested in meeting with suppliers of high capacity bioenergy plants and planning and consulting engineers to discuss industrial-scale fuel processing projects or commercial biomass-fuelled cogeneration plants, will find all the expertise and experience they need in Halls 13 and 27. The international exhibitors in these halls offer everything, from specialized systems like wood chippers, dryers and pelletizing and firing plants to entire cogeneration power stations. The latter are particularly relevant to representatives from energy companies and the communal energy sector with an interest in keeping abreast of the latest developments in cogeneration technology.

Efficient wood utilization the way of the future

The fact that Germany now uses more wood for energy generation than for material purposes provides a powerful incentive for all industry stakeholders to use wood as efficiently as possible. Germany’s record demand for wood, which today runs at 135 million cubic meters per annum (up from 79 million cubic meters a decade ago), has prompted industry experts, such as Professor Mantau from Hamburg University’s Institute of Wood Sciences to warn of a pending wood shortage. According, to Professor Mantau, Europe will be facing a shortfall of at least 150 million cubic meters by 2030. This figure equates to twice the volume of Germany’s biggest-ever timber harvest – recorded in 2007, the year Cyclone Kyrill caused widespread devastation and windthrow across Western Europe.

Germany’s politicians have also done their part to boost the demand for wood – and therefore wood prices. To expedite the country’s energy system transformation, the Federal Government is actively encouraging the use of biogenic solid fuels for cogenerating heat and power. As competition between energetic and material uses for wood continues to heat up, forest owners reap the benefits. The rising demand for energy wood has created a completely new market for their products, opening up a welcome new source of funds for their silvicultural operations.

“300 Years of Sustainability” & “Bioenergy from Wood” under the EXPO canopy

This year, the Lower Saxony Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Consumer Protection and Rural Development will return to LIGNA with a special presentation in Pavilion 32 under the EXPO canopy. The presentation will be themed around “300 Years of Sustainability” and “Bioenergy from Wood.” The organizers plan to celebrate the tercentennial anniversary of the sustainability principle by discussing its modern-day application in the forest and timber industries, from forest management and timber harvesting, right through the downstream processing chain.

LIGNA also marks the start of a new campaign by the Ministry to increase awareness of tertiary education and career options in the forestry and bioenergy sectors.

The special presentation on “Bioenergy from Wood,” which will be staged for the sixth time at LIGNA 2013, is testimony to the fair’s important role in demonstrating the diverse applications of wood as a renewable energy carrier to a worldwide audience of industry professionals. As part of the presentation, the Lower Saxony Agricultural Association is organizing a firewood production line that will demonstrate the various technical processes involved in transforming solid wood into a useable fuel. There, visitors will be able to watch as log splitters and wood chippers transform log sections into burner-ready firewood lengths and wood chips. They will also learn about the capabilities of the latest generation of wood firing plants.

The open-air site will be home to displays of a comprehensive range of energy wood-themed products and services by diverse companies and institutions. Many of these will participate in the group pavilions mounted by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the German Forestry Council. The Council’s “New Trends Pavilion” will put the spotlight on the latest trends and developments in the bioenergy sector and traverse all the different uses of wood (material, energy, chemical, biological), focusing on wood resources, short-rotation coppicing, wood fiber from farming and industrial residues. Stunning exhibits will map out entire value chains, from timber harvesting to finished wood products. There will also be displays on quality management and assurance systems and solutions for efficiency and profitability calculation. On day two of LIGNA, a special matchmaking platform will foster networking between representatives of Russia’s forestry and bioenergy sectors and their international counterparts.

This year also marks the sixth time that the German Forestry Council (KWF) is partnering with the German Association of Forestry Companies (DFUV) and the Lower Saxony School of Forestry (NFBZ) to stage the KFW Business Pavilion under the EXPO canopy.

LIGNA – a center of high technology and knowledge transfer

The forest and timber industries throughout the developed world have long accepted the need to use wood as efficiently as possible. That’s why the industrial designers and suppliers of wood processing machinery represented at LIGNA are focusing their R&D efforts on resource-saving products and processes. The same is true of companies from the bioenergy and woodworking technology sectors, which have booked a total of some 120,000 square meters (nearly 1.3 million sq.ft) of exhibition space at LIGNA 2013.

Deutsche Messe is committed to increasing worldwide awareness of the enormous advances in technology and product quality that are continually being made in all parts of the forest and timber industries, from harvesting systems used in the forestry sector, processing systems and material applications for wood that are relevant to the construction and furniture industries, right through to the use of wood as a renewable fuel. “As the world’s leading tradeshow, trend setter and meeting place for the forest and timber industries, LIGNA has an important role to play in educating trade visitors about all the key market trends, processing options and applications for wood,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, a member of the Deutsche Messe Board of Management.

This philosophy of knowledge sharing and the pressing industry issues of the day are also the driving forces behind a new conference to be held at the Convention Center on the Hannover Exhibition Grounds during LIGNA 2013. The conference will examine the competitiveness of the wood processing industries in the context of a pressing need for greater resource efficiency and sustainability and policy instruments designed to further the “green cause,” such as Germany’s Renewable Energy Law (EEG).

Welcome to LIGNA 2013

Visitors to the world’s premier event for the forest and timber industries can expect to see a wealth of new innovations this year. Anyone wanting to get a first-hand impression of all the key trends and developments in their field of expertise should start planning their LIGNA visit today using the comprehensive offering of useful tips and information available on www.ligna.de.

Attendees with a special interest in bioenergy from wood should focus on Hall 13, Hall 27, the open-air site and Pavilions 32 to 35 under the EXPO canopy.

Source: LIGNA

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