Moldova Energy and Biomass Project
is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme

Moldova has made a great leap toward more energy independence from external gas and coal suppliers. Between 2011 and 2016, the consumption of renewable energy produced in Moldova reached 13%, the biomass energy accounting for 12%.

The market of solid biomass fuels is still developing. A IDIS Viitorul and CIVIS survey suggests, however, that more than 77% of the Moldovan consumers are willing to buy and use solid biomass fuel.

Since there are different briquetting technologies, the briquettes look differently and have different properties. The well-known three technologies are:

	Technology	Briquetting Press Machine	Process Description
	Nestro	Mechanical piston presses	A piston exerts high pressure and compresses the raw material into a tapered die.
	Ruf	Hydraulic piston presses	The piston is driven by an electrical motor with the help of a hydraulic system using high pressure oil.
	Piny Kay	Screw machine	The biomass is continuously pressed through the channels of the matrix with the help of a screw transporter

The pellets can be used in high efficiency automated boilers, which need to be refilled once in a couple of days. This technology is more convenient for users and the boilers are more efficient. This is why and also because the production costs of pellets are higher, pellets are more expensive than briquettes.

• The price varies depending on the type of the raw materials, the sawdust pellets being the most expensive.
• The price difference between briquettes and pellets is determined by the investment cost and the operational costs, which are higher for pellets.
• The pellets’ price is also higher because of the higher degree of automation compared to briquettes.

The straw used as biofuel has a moisture content of about 14-20% of the initial weight and a lower heating value of about 13-15 MJ/kg, which is almost similar with the calorific value of wood or half that of the coal. To make its transportation and storage easier, the straw is baled.

	Technology	Bale Description
	Cylindrical bales	Height – 120 cm; diameter -150 cm; weight – approx. 244 kg; density – approx. 110 kg/m3.
	Small rectangular bales	Size – 46×36 cm; length – 80 cm; weight – approx. 12-15 kg; density 90-100 kg/m3.
	Big rectangular bales	Size – 120×130 cm; length – 240 cm; average density – 139 kg/m3; average weight – 523 kg.