Corn silage for lighting and heating - First mini biomass power plant put into operation in Serbia

The first mini biomass power plant has been opened in the village of Dragacica near Cacak. A digester, with the capacity of 6,000 kWh per year and the nominal power of 75 kW per hour, is powered by corn silage.

Mechanical engineer Milan Filipovic, the owner of the first biomass power plant, says that about 200,000 euros have been invested in its construction, 25,000 euros of which have been provided from the loan granted by the Development Fund.

Consumption amounts to about 1.5 tons of corn silage. In addition to the primary output of the system, the power plant also produces 400,000 liters of soil for flowers and about 1,000,000 liters of liquid for fertilizing cultivated fields as by-products. The complex comprises a warehouse, a section for biogas and a section for electric energy, and it has no harmful characteristics.

Biomass is collected from 17 ha of land, which is enough for the power plant to stay in operation until spring. That is, as Filipovic explained for eKapija, a big chance for our neighbors as well. The price of biomass is 252 euros per ton of silage on the scale. Agricultural manufacturers would earn 1,200 euros per hectare of corn silage in that way. Since the vegetation period is short, it is possible to sow twice a year, first corn and then field pea or barley. Both cultures can be used for biomass.

(Milan Filipovic and Zeljko Radosevic)

The power plant has been opened by Zeljko Radosevic, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Power Engineering of Serbia, who pointed to significance of production of electric and heating energy with the use of biomass.

Radosevic said that the Ministry of Agriculture had recognized the importance of promotion of renewable sources of energy so that appropriate bylaws were planned to be prepared with the aim of more efficient using of biomass.