LAWR

COMMENT 4 Local Authority Waste & Recycling October 2014 Waste has the power to keep the lights on Life in modern society would be unthinkable without electricity. Yet, here in the UK, we actually skate on thin ice. In fact, the potential risk of blackouts this winter has forced National Grid to offer to pay the owners of mothballed power stations to keep them on stand-by, ready to boost electricity supplies. The company, which owns the electricity transmission system in England and Wales, said the decision was a sensible precaution because several ageing plants had been shut down temporarily because of fires or safety concerns. National Grid had been planning to establish an emergency reserve during the winter of 2015-16 but has brought forward the scheme to this November. The news underlines how little spare capacity there is in the UK's power-generation system. So, what role can waste play in keeping the lights on? The simple fact is that waste is a fuel and a source of energy. Despite this, it seems that little value has been placed on the energy resource that waste represents. Whilst energy from waste will not resolve the energy security problem on its own, it can certainly help in a big way and should be considered as a strategic part of the UK's energy mix. At the end of the day, waste is a fuel that can be processed (if it cannot be re-used or recycled beforehand), whether by combustion, gasification or anaerobic digestion – on a reliable basis. In this issue of LAWR, there is a special focus on energy recovery. Energos' Nick Dawber gives an insight into the key drivers of the gasification market (see page 19). Denmark is also be under the spotlight as LAWR explores its plans to build a public ski slope on top of an energy-from-waste plant (see page 16). When finished in 2017, the plant will produce heat for 160,000 households and electricity for 62,500 people living in the local community. Elsewhere, on page 28, LAWR examines how you 'recycle from an island'. We put Jersey, Guernsey and Lanzarote under the microscope to discover the challenges they face recovering their resources. Liz Gyekye, Editor Follow me on Twitter: @LAWR_editor Bollegraaf HBC Baler. Pre-press technology for double capacity and more compact bales. Low operational cost. Lubo StarScreen. Unique anti wrapping concept combines the advantages of a star screen and a trommel. Bollegraaf RoBB sorting robot. Hitech, automated sorting during the quality control phase. Bollegraaf. Turnkey solutions for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). bollegraaf.com Bollegraaf Recycling Solutions is the trading name of Bollegraaf Recycling Machinery bv and Lubo Systems bv. scan for more i n f o r m a t i o n Having a track record of 50+ years in the industry, Bollegraaf is a leading global engineer and manufacturer of turnkey recycling solutions and recycling equipment. Our MSW recycling installations are successfully operating around the world. If you wish to know more please feel free to ask for our knowhow of products, services or turnkey installations, which will meet your requirements. CEO Bollegraaf Bollegraaf UK Limited 01889 575 715 / +31 (0) 596 654 333 info@bollegraaf.co.uk / info@bollegraaf.com

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