KARA Energy Systems
KARA Energy Systems is a worldwide supplier of complete combustion systems for wood and other biomass. KARA supplies these optimal conditions, e.g. with its partner Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment, with installations for the generation of sustainable electricity with combined heat and power installations . With its 100 years of experience, KARA knows, like no other in the business, how to burn wood efficiently for heat production.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Distributor
- Industry Type:
- Bioenergy
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
This company also provides solutions for other industrial applications.
Please, visit the following links for more info:
About Us
KARA – CO2 neutral heat that pays off
KARA Energy Systems is a worldwide supplier of complete combustion systems for wood and other biomass. Wood is a environmental neutral source of energy. When it is burnt, a certain amount of CO2 will be released, but if it is not burnt, the same amount of CO2 will emerge from the decaying process. Hence, heating by wood burning under optimal conditions is climate neutral and socially responsible.
KARA supplies these optimal conditions, e.g. with its partner Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment, with installations for the generation of sustainable electricity with combined heat and power installations .
With its 100 years of experience, KARA knows, like no other in the business, how to burn wood efficiently for heat production. The heat can be used for instance for heating industrial halls or greenhouses, but also the heat can be used for the generation of electricity for own use or delivery to the grid. That is why KARA installations are the answer to rising energy prices.
A KARA energy system is delivered turn-key, and our engineers won’t leave before the installation is fully operational.
Wood drying
Wood burning implies wood drying. That is the operational area of our subsidiary company BES Bollmann, specialized in timber drying kilns, process control systems for timber drying and the production of moisture metering equipment, from simple moisture meters to instruments combined with data acquisition systems. Our R&D department guarantees that our knowledge is up-to-date at all times in order to meet all the customer’s demands.
Combined heat and power (CHP)
Rising electricity prices can make it worthwhile to use the heat from the combustion process not only for heating purposes, but also for the generation of electricity. In these projects, KARA has a close co-operation with Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment.
Combined heat and power (CHP) is based on a well-proven technology: the steam from the KARA combustion installation generates a steam turbine with a capacity of 050 kWe to 2.5 MWe. The remaining heat of the electricity generating process is sufficient for heating industrial halls, greenhouses etc.
KARA has delivered a CHP plant to the greenhouse company Emsflower Biopower in Emsbühren, Germany (http://www.emsflower.nl/nl/bedrijf/emsflower-biopower/). The plant generates 8 MWhe p/a green power, which is sufficient for the greenhouse plus 200 households in the neighborhood. Chancellor Angela Merkel was clearly impressed when she visited the exemplary KARA installation in 2010.
Filtering systems
KARA’s combustion systems meet the highest environmental limits, not only by optimal burning, but also as a result of its filtering systems. Environmental demands differ all over the world. Hence KARA Energy Systems, as a global player, has all the required knowledge to deliver tailor-made solutions.
Service
KARA offers all services to maintain an optimal availability of your installations, varying from emission measurements and annual inspections to full refurbishment in order to guarantee many more years of undisturbed operation. And that does not solely apply to your KARA installations, but to all biomass-fired installation, whoever the supplier may have been.
KARA takes it one step further: because we have access to all expertises required, we supply parts of our energy systems: biomass transporter equipment, flue gas cleaning filters or control systems – KARA makes it fit in your existing installation.
History
The Beginning
Over a hundred years ago, Klaas Reinders Sr. worked as a blacksmith, doing maintenance on horseshoes - quite a common activity for a blacksmith at that time. But his small enterprise also produced small stoves and hardware.
Expansion of activities
After World War II, driven by the increasing fuel prices, the demand for larger wood fired heating equipment expanded, and Reinders was ready to meet the demand including systems for sawdust collection, heating systems and timber drying kilns. The company grew to a medium-sized enterprise.
From one company to four specialized units
During the sixties, the company was split into four units, each with its own specific strength, in order to maintain a flexible and manageable enterprise:
- Reinders Staalbouw: specialized in the design and construction of architectural steel constructions;
- Reinders Verwarming: specialized in heating equipment and climate control;
- Reinders Lucht en Milieutechniek: specialized in dust extraction and air treatment,
- KARA Engineering: specialized in wood combustion and timber drying.
These four companies formed the basis of the Reinders Almelo Group of Companies.
Further diversification and internationalization
By splitting the original enterprise into four parts, each company had the opportunity to further develop its own specific strength. KARA Engineering was growing steadily, as a designer and producer of wood combustion installations, gasification systems and timber drying kilns. In 1995, BES Bollmann, producer and supplier of timber dying kilns and control equipment, was equired. This company already supplied control equipment to KARA so both companies were already well acquainted. BES Bollmann is reputed to be one of the world’s leading suppliers of timber drying kilns, electronic control equipment and moisture meters for wood and other construction materials. After the takeover, KARA’s production of timber drying kilns was completely transferredto BES Bollmann. The name KARA Engineering was changed into KARA Energy Systems B.V.