Energy types and energy carriers

What are energy types?

Energy types are the different forms of energy that can be used to provide households, businesses and industrial facilities with heat, electricity and power – simply put, the type of production that yields energy. Examples of energy types include:

• hydropower
• wind power
• nuclear power
• bioenergy
• oil
• coal
• gas

They all produce energy, and today many businesses are keen to switch from fossil fuels – oil, gas and coal – to fossil-free energy types, such as hydropower, wind power or bioenergy. It is an important transition for our world and climate, and it can also, for example, reduce an industry’s energy costs by up to 70%. Do not hesitate to contact us should you be interested in switching to bioenergy together with BKtech!

What are energy carriers?

Energy carriers are the means by which heat or energy is transferred from an energy type. Energy can indeed be conveyed in different ways, whereby BKtech’s plants have been developed for four different types of energy carriers:

• steam
• hot water
• warm water
• thermal oil

Energy carriers enable industries and businesses to manufacture their products and to keep their equipment running and functioning. A typical example of energy type is fossil oil combustion, which provides heat or energy through steam as an energy carrier, thus pushing industries and production forward. During an energy transition, we at BKtech often replace oil-fired steam boilers with modern and modular bioenergy plants that we manufacture in-house in Blomstermåla, in the South of Sweden.

Different types of energy carriers

A bioenergy plant from BKtech can provide four different types of energy carriers for industrial applications. The most appropriate energy carrier for a given industry depends partly on the specific nature of a business and partly on what requirements need to be met.

• Steam is an ideal energy carrier in applications requiring high temperatures – of up to 200 °C – and comes in three different phases: moist steam, saturated steam and superheated steam. A typical industry that makes use of steam is the food industry, where steam is used in particular in butcheries, slaughterhouses, dairies and breweries. However, BKtech’s clients also operate in the paper industry, and particularly in the production of packaging, which is best powered by steam.
• Hot water is used as an energy carrier when temperatures above 120 °C are required for production processes or in a district heating network. Hot water is also widely used in the manufacturing industry, with concrete manufacturers and surface treatment businesses being listed as typical clients. Read about our partnership with ESS-ENN Timber, in the framework of which we have supplied a bioenergy plant for hot water.
• Warm water as a heating medium is used for temperatures up to 100 °C and often for space heating. The use of warm water is typical for many clients, and our partnership with Stranda Kyckling AB serves as a great example of how a bioenergy plant can be installed for heating with warm water.
• Hot oil as an energy carrier is employed in applications requiring high temperatures that lie somewhere between the temperature of hot water and that of steam. Typical clients fall within the chemical industry, with adhesive production being an example of a manufacturing process involving the use of hot oil.

Which energy carrier is right for you?

Depending on specific industries, operations and needs, you may find that different energy carriers are differently suited. That is why at BKtech we always perform an analysis of needs as soon as we start collaborating with a new client, in order to find out exactly what would be the best fit. Would you like to learn more about how others have tackled this challenge? Take a look at our previous projects, each involving clients with very different activities and needs. What they all have in common is a significantly reduced carbon footprint as well as lower operating costs after switching to a BKtech bioenergy plant!

Do not hesitate to contact us for one-to-one support on how to start your transition to fossil-free bioenergy!