France/Sustainable development. Heating networks for small towns in the Somme
Heating networks are not just for the department's major cities like Amiens or Abbeville. The Somme Departmental Energy Federation intends to make this known. With the support of a concrete example in Corbie.
After Montdidier (6,200 inhabitants), another small town, Corbie (6,300 inhabitants), has its own heating network. It was financed and built by the Fédération Départementale d'Energie de la Somme, a multi-purpose inter-municipal union that organizes the distribution of gas and electricity in the department. which organizes the distribution of gas and electricity in the department, and therefore sets up heating networks. The Federation, based in Boves, has about 30 employees.
A model installation
The heating network in Boves, which opened in January 2020, cost 4 million euros. The wood used is guaranteed to come from within 100 km, with 86% coming from sites located 50 km away."Many municipalities come to visit our facility, which serves 24 public buildings such as the swimming pool, schools, the media library, the day care center, the headquarters of the community of municipalities, the hospital center, which is the mainstay of the facility, confides the mayor of the municipality Ludovic Gabrel. Nearly 3,300 tons of wood are consumed each year, the wood boilers are supplemented in winter by another gas boiler if necessary. The objective is to achieve savings of 5 to 10% per year, compared to fossil fuels. This is positive for the city's image and ensures a certain autonomy. "
This achievement was the result of six years of work: "The heating network was born of a municipal desire dating back to the early 2000s, with the involvement of theT he heating network was born out of a municipal desire dating back to the early 2000s, with the involvement of the Department from 2010 onwards," stresses Agnès Lenne, who is in charge of heating networks and renewable energy at the FDE 80. The project was articulated in the enclosure, the former gardens of the abbey and around the largest user, the hospital. It has seven points of delivery, the network extends on 2 500 of linear. We have two wood boilers, which allows us to run on wood at 91% even during the winter. It is a local energy, which is reassuring in terms of supply, the network supplies the needs equivalent to 1,000 homes. A real first assessment will be made in October. "
In a context where the price of fossil fuels is skyrocketing, sometimes pushing communities to close their swimming pools or aquatic centers, the price of wood remains almost stable. It has increased by 1.5% in three years. Depending on the type of community, heating networks can be set up in communities of 1,500 to 2,000 inhabitants with, for example, a town hall, a school, a retirement home, a post office, social housing...
Studies are sometimes carried out for communities of 1,000 inhabitants. However, at least two different actors willing to engage in the process are needed to set up a heating network, which should not only concern communal buildings. Moreuil (4,000 inhabitants), Roye (6,000 inhabitants), Doullens (6,300 inhabitants), Friville-Escarbotin (4,700 inhabitants), Gamaches (2,650 inhabitants), Ham (4,680 inhabitants), Albert (9,931 inhabitants), Bray-sur-Somme (1,248 inhabitants) are among the municipalities identified. Some of them could opt for the flax heap as fuel. The recovery of the fatal energy of the companies is also studied.
Source: www.picardiegazette.fr
