A biomass-based micro combined heat and power (CHP) system designed to provide near energy-autonomous supply to multi-family buildings has been successfully validated following the completion of the EU-funded Micro-Bio-CHP project.
The Horizon Europe project, coordinated by Bios Bioenergiesysteme GmbH, ran from October 2022 to March 2026 and reached Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL 5) by its conclusion.
The system integrates biomass gasification, gas cleaning, a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), photovoltaics, and energy storage. It is designed to supply heat and electricity for multi-family buildings, including electromobility applications, while producing near-zero emissions of carbon monoxide, organic gaseous compounds, and dust, with significantly reduced nitrogen oxide (NOx) output.
The technology was validated under application-oriented conditions during the project. The Wuppertal Institute contributed environmental and overall impact assessments alongside dissemination activities, and co-organised an international final workshop on 25 March 2026, attended online by around 50 participants from research, industry, and policy.
Thomas Götz, co-head of the research unit energy policy at the Wuppertal Institute, said the project had demonstrated the potential of combining biomass gasification, fuel cells, photovoltaics and storage for building energy supply, and called for further testing under real operating conditions as the next step.
Biomass micro-CHP system for multi-family buildings reaches TRL 5
