PYREG wins the prestigious Watt d’Or award from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.

Henriette zu Doha — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 11:20:06 +0000

With the PYREG prototype for the Swiss biochar pioneer Verora AG, both companies have now been awarded.

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (BFE) awards the PYREG GmbH as technology partner of the Swiss Verora AG with the renowned Watt d’Or, the award for best achievement in the energy sector.

Green heat and premium biochar

Verora AG is a group of farmers from the Zug mountain region and since 2012 has been operating one of the first plants of the now worldwide leading plant manufacturer PYREG. With the P500 used in Switzerland, the Swiss biochar pioneers have been recycling locally produced, untreated tree and shrub cuttings into high-quality biochar and generate green heat in the process. This heat heats the farm buildings via an integrated hot-water circuit, a concept that has already been adopted on a larger scale by the Basel IWB as an energy supplier.

Continuous optimization for best performance

The PYREG P500 system was developed in a close technological exchange between Verora AG and PYREG and today produces high-quality EBC-certified premium biochar. Verora AG is one of the leading suppliers of biochar in the Swiss market. „We are pleased with our success as a technology partner of Verora AG. The Verora GmbH in the person of Fredy Abächerli, and in particular the Keiser operating family are true pioneers in the Swiss biochar market. They recognized very early the need for an alternative in agriculture and climate protection and took risks that are now rightly appreciated,“ says Helmut Gerber, CTO and founder of PYREG GmbH.

Der Beitrag PYREG wins the prestigious Watt d’Or award from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. erschien zuerst auf PYREG.

Flagship project: Climate-neutral district heating in Basel

Henriette zu Doha — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 14:37:43 +0000

Swiss energy service provider IWB produces regenerative heat and CO₂-absorbing biochar from green waste.

The Basel based IWB has realized the first climate-neutral district heating project in Switzerland. Using our newly developed PX1500, IWB is now feeding an annual heating capacity of around 1.5 gigawatt hours into the district heating network. That covers the energy needs of about 170 Basel households. IWB uses only regional, untreated biomass such as wood and green waste from a maximum radius of 40 kilometers. In the PYREG plant, this high-quality biomass is carbonized into biochar at 500 to 700 degrees Celsius in the absence of oxygen. In this biochar, CO₂is safely bound. Subsequently dispersed into the earth it ends up in a permanent carbon sink.

IWB sells premium biochar and closes the loop

Through the advanced temperature-controlled Pyreg carbonization, IWB produces a premium biochar certified as the internationally accepted „EBC-AgroBio„. That biochar complies with the requirements for EU-wide use as a soil conditioner – even in organic farming. IWB sells the biochar – ca. 550 metric tons per year – to both, agricultural enterprises, and private customers. By doing so, IWB is also setting new standards for circular economy in the municipal sector.

A flagship project

„IWB is a pioneer in climate protection and living proof of the enormous climate protection value that lies in CO₂-negative district heating,“ says Helmut Gerber, CTO and founder of PYREG GmbH, adding, „We are convinced that flagship projects like this one in Switzerland will follow worldwide. They are important as we have no more time to lose on the way to achieving the Paris climate protection goals.“
„With this, our first biochar plant IWB emphasizes our leading role as a service provider for renewable energy. Decarbonizing the heat supply is one of our most important tasks, and not just in Basel. We carry this mission throughout Switzerland. The plant is a showcase project in terms of decarbonization and energy efficiency. Also, our customers gain from the ecological benefits of the biochar,“ says Dr. Arthur Janssen, Head of Strategy & Innovation at IWB.

Der Beitrag Flagship project: Climate-neutral district heating in Basel erschien zuerst auf PYREG.

EBC Archive - PYREG