Utilization of solid fuels with regard to the transport distances of the raw material

The fundamental problem of the modern society is the waste of resources and our ever-increasing need for energy. A new trend in the EU’s green policy in decreasing carbon footprint and ensuring the energy self-sufficiency of the member states is leading us to look for alternative types of fuels. Stocks of fossil fuels are dwindling and there is no point in burning them to release energy for heating or to transport materials over long distances if local resources can be used. Our goal was to follow new trends in the development of new combustion materials with regard to the transport prices of individual types of fuels focusing on the use of renewable energy sources such as alternative forms of biomass. In our research, was compared three types of fuel such as natural gas, mixed wood chips and brown coal lignite in terms of transportation and processing prices with regard to their combustion properties. The research results clearly show the paradox that alternative biomass in the form of wood chips has the lowest processing costs but the highest transport cost. However, due to the close availability of the raw material, biomass price was still the cheapest only 0,0275 €/kWh. This price calculation proves that alternative biomass can be used as an effective and ecologic replacement for fossil coal in many EU thermal power plants.