| Shares of Hyderabad-based power generation company, Suryachakra Power Corporation Limited (Suryachakra), will be listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on July 23, 2007. |
| The company came out with an IPO of 34 million equity shares of Rs 10 each at a price of Rs 20 per share aggregating Rs 68 crore. |
| Suryachakra at present operates a 20Mw power plant in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and its three wholly-owned subsidiaries are setting up two biomass-based power plants of 9.8Mw each in Chhatisgarh and two biomass power plants of 10Mw each in Maharashtra, the company stated in a press release on Saturday. |
| All the biomass-based power plants, being set up by its subsidiaries, are eligible for carbon credits and the subsidiaries have entered into a CDM emission reductions purchase agreement with Ecoinvest Carbon SA, Geneva, on July 13, 2007, for sale of carbon credits, the release added. |
| The company�s two subsidiaries � Lahari Power and Steels Limited and South Asian Agro Industries Limited � have also signed two MoUs on July 17, 2007, with Tata Power Trading Company Limited for supply of 9.8Mw power for a period of five years effective October 2007. |
Monday, July 23, 2007
Suryachakra to list on BSE
BS Reporter / Chennai/ Hyderabad July 23, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Chubu Electric Power to engage in Malaysian project to generate power from oil palm empty fruit bunch biomass
Chubu Electric Power to engage in Malaysian project to generate power from oil palm empty fruit bunch biomass
- First Chubu Electric Power project in Malaysia -
July 28, 2006
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.
Chubu Electric Power has set the 5 year period until FY2010 as a growth period for overseas energy operations where we are actively seeking growth opportunities in both power generation businesses for long term and stable profits, as well as environmental businesses designed to acquire CO2 emissions credits while maintaining profitability.
As part of our environmental business initiatives, Chubu Electric Power has decided to participate in a new project to generate power from oil palm empty fruit bunch biomass in the country of Malaysia.
Malaysia is the world's number one producer of palm oil, the production of which generates left over palm empty fruit bunches (1) that are mostly discarded as waste, releasing global warming methane gas into the atmosphere. This project will develop small-scale 10,000 kW power plants using empty fruit bunches as fuel in two locations in the eastern portion of the state of Sabah, on Malaysia's Borneo Island.
While contributing to the area's local environmental protection by effectively using palm empty fruit bunches as fuel, the project has been registered as a CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) project with the UN, and is expected to generate CO2 emissions credits.
From the power plants in these two locations, reductions of CO2 emissions are expected to reach nearly 2 million tons by the year 2012. To start, the first power plant is slated to begin operations in March of 2008, with construction breaking ground in August of this year.
With the establishment of the "Chubu Electric Power Environmental Statement," Chubu Electric Power has placed environmental engagement as a key business objective, and we are dealing with environmental issues by setting tangible, concrete goals.
In an effort to put Kyoto Mechanisms into practice, Chubu Electric Power has already contributed to several projects designed to prevent global warming and protect the environment in developing countries, such as investing in the World Bank Prototype Carbon Fund and the Japan GHG Reduction Fund; and participating in the Thai Rice Husk Fuelled Power Project (A.T. Biopower Co. Ltd.).
(1)Empty Fruit Bunch: The empty husks left over after oil is extracted from palm fronds used in the production of palm oil.
(Attachment)
Malaysian project to generate power from oil palm empty fruit bunch biomass
1 Project outline
| Company |
|
| Capital investor |
|
| Power generation facilities | 10,000 kW output per location |
| Fuel | Empty fruit bunch (170,000 tons per year, per location) |
| Construction location | Sandakan, State of Sabah, Borneo Island, Malaysia |
| Buyer of electrical power | Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd * Nationally owned electrical power operator |
| Project cost | Approx. $24 million USD (approx. 2.9 yen billion) per location * Calculated as 1USD = 120 yen |
| Scheduled start of construction | August, 2006 (location one) October, 2006 (location two) |
| Scheduled start of operations | March, 2008 (location one) May, 2008 (location two) |
2 Project scheme
3 Construction location
(reference)
Previous environmental initiatives overseas
| Project | Summary |
| World Bank Carbon Fund (PCF) |
|
| Japan GHG Reduction Fund (JGRF) |
|
| Australian Adelaide Forestry project |
|
| Thai Rice Husk Fuelled Power Project (A.T. Biopower Co. Ltd.) |
|
| Asia environmental fund |
|
| Purchasing of CO2 emissions credits from Chinese CDM project |
|
(2)ESCO(Energy Service Company)project: A project that supplies and guarantees efficient energy services using technological improvements for customers (plants or buildings), then profits off the savings in customer energy bills.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Biomass: The Other Renewable Energy
By STEVE NEWBORN
ST. PETERSBURG (2007-07-17) Florida doesn't have the steadiest wind. And when it comes to solar, the Sunshine State has a lot of clouds. But one thing we have plenty of is yard waste.
Biomass is being eyed as one of the largest sources of renewable fuels in Florida. It could be a major part of a plan that will be sent to the Legislature at the end of the year.
The advisory group is part of the Florida Energy Commission, which will meet tomorrow in St. Petersburg. And on Thursday, the commission will host a "Farm to Fuel" summit, looking at biofuels.
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Biomass is being eyed as one of the largest sources of renewable fuels in Florida. It could be a major part of a plan that will be sent to the Legislature at the end of the year.
The advisory group is part of the Florida Energy Commission, which will meet tomorrow in St. Petersburg. And on Thursday, the commission will host a "Farm to Fuel" summit, looking at biofuels.
Gov.: Biomass Energy Wave of Future
By STEVE NEWBORN
ST. PETERSBURG (2007-07-19) We don't have steady wind, and it's cloudy as often as it's sunny. But several speakers at the "Farm to Fuel" conference said that Florida could become the Saudi Arabia of biofuels.
Gov. Crist says Florida's year-long growing season means the state can become a dominant player on the national biomass scene. Everything from citrus peels, sugarcane and stuff as mundane as yard waste can be turned into fuel.
The governor announced he'll lead a trade mission in November to Brazil, to look at that nation's pioneering use of ethanol.
He also announced the state's largest utility is planning to build a pioneering plant to convert orange and grapefruit waste into ethanol. Florida Power and Light is expected to produce about 4 million gallons of ethanol a year to be sold as a gasoline additive. The plant will be built in Hendry County, near Lake Okeechobee.
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Gov. Crist says Florida's year-long growing season means the state can become a dominant player on the national biomass scene. Everything from citrus peels, sugarcane and stuff as mundane as yard waste can be turned into fuel.
The governor announced he'll lead a trade mission in November to Brazil, to look at that nation's pioneering use of ethanol.
He also announced the state's largest utility is planning to build a pioneering plant to convert orange and grapefruit waste into ethanol. Florida Power and Light is expected to produce about 4 million gallons of ethanol a year to be sold as a gasoline additive. The plant will be built in Hendry County, near Lake Okeechobee.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Grass Energy: Fuel for a Rural Renaissance?
Article published Jul 17, 2007
Grass Energy: Fuel for a Rural Renaissance?
The biomass energy activities at the recent UVM/Governor's Institutes engineering camp demonstrate what Jock Gill has been talking about.
On July 3, students came to Votey Hall with displays of bagged biomass pellets, posters about various "cocktails" of mixed biomass they'd tested, and homemade pellet burners. Jock was there to explain biomass potentials, lead a tour to a biomass-fueled boiler room, and visit an early Vermont experiment in commercial ethanol production.
Jock lives in Peacham, but he's often found at conferences, forums, schools, and farms throughout the state. He's the guy with the trim white beard, glasses, and mischievous grin – the one talking a mile a minute about his passion, grass.
Jock is the founder of Grass Energy Collaborative (GEC), the leading proponent of grass biomass energy in Vermont and the main reason it's now on our policymakers' radar.
Grass is hardy stuff, he explains. It's not a row crop, and it's a perennial, which limits nutrient run-off problems.
It can be planted and harvested with relative ease and with typical farm equipment, and it can be used as a livestock feed or an energy crop, as needed.
It's a highly efficient solar energy collector, a time-proven living technology that turns the sun's rays into solid stuff that's easily converted back into energy. And using grass for energy contributes very little to global warming, because each year's new crop reabsorbs the carbon dioxide that burning last year's released.
Due to their high yields, the most promising energy grasses are reed canary grass, switchgrass, and giant miscanthus. The latter has produced up to 26 dry tons per acre in test crops at the University of Illinois. Jock hands around astonishing photos of miscanthus test plots, dense thickets that tower above researchers and the 12-foot striped poles they carry.
Jock's rough calculation is that, at six dry tons per acre, with one ton of grass yielding as much energy as 100 gallons of #2 heating oil, Vermont's 100,000 acres of currently unused open land could provide the equivalent of 60 million gallons of oil annually. Hypothetically, $180 million worth of local product and local jobs.
Talking with Jock can be a disconcerting experience. He approaches ideas not by a straight line but by more of a lateral counter-clockwise helix in which big concepts about economic paradigms and the global energy future are mixed with data on BTUs per ton, ash characteristics, and the technology of burners and boilers. And a typical chat is followed by a barrage of e-mails, as Jock sends breaking news on test burns, biomass policies, and technological innovations.
Grass can be used to create ethanol, but Jock believes its best use is the simplest: as a pellet fuel burned for heat. Pellets can be automatically loaded into room heaters or centralized boiler systems, and they burn efficiently, leaving very little ash.
Of course, the best way to extract energy from biomass is to create both electricity and heat, simultaneously. With co-generation, also known as combined heat and power – called co-gen or CHP – much less of the energy escapes up the chimney. Unfortunately, CHP has historically been viable only with a fairly large-scale burner, boiler, and generator, too big and expensive for single homes.
But! says Jock, in Europe, micro-CHP systems are already on the market for domestic use. So he envisions a future in which every home and school has its own CHP system. You'll make your own electricity with your furnace, fueled by whatever biomass is locally available and cheapest, whether wood, grass, waste paper, corn, or combinations thereof. Using the "electranet" concept promoted by Al Gore – a sophisticated version of the net metering we're already doing in Vermont – we'll each draw electricity from or provide it to the grid as needed.
Jock sees the use of locally-grown energy crops as part of a coming "rural renaissance," a rebirth of strong, self-sufficient communities. By buying energy locally, we'll use our energy dollars to pay salaries for Vermont jobs. And through the "multiplier effect" – money spent locally gets re-spent locally – each dollar would functionally add $3 to our regional economy.
Jock admits that using grass energy crops poses challenges and questions; we need more research on grass strains, transportation costs, farm practices and economics, "cocktail" mixtures, and pelletizing and combustion technology.
So how does Vermont get from here to the energy-independent, revitalized rural economy of the future? The recent UVM/Governor's Institutes camp suggests part of the answer. At little expense, university and high school students experimented with a variety of ingredients such as grass, mixed vegetation, paper, and cardboard, testing combustion, energy yield, ash characteristics, and burner configurations.
"UVM has a terrific opportunity for leadership in biomass research and development," Jock says. He points out the test burners made by the students from Mt. Abraham High School, laughs, and asks rhetorically, "If high school students can do it, why can't adults?"
Grass Energy: Fuel for a Rural Renaissance?
The biomass energy activities at the recent UVM/Governor's Institutes engineering camp demonstrate what Jock Gill has been talking about.
On July 3, students came to Votey Hall with displays of bagged biomass pellets, posters about various "cocktails" of mixed biomass they'd tested, and homemade pellet burners. Jock was there to explain biomass potentials, lead a tour to a biomass-fueled boiler room, and visit an early Vermont experiment in commercial ethanol production.
Jock lives in Peacham, but he's often found at conferences, forums, schools, and farms throughout the state. He's the guy with the trim white beard, glasses, and mischievous grin – the one talking a mile a minute about his passion, grass.
Jock is the founder of Grass Energy Collaborative (GEC), the leading proponent of grass biomass energy in Vermont and the main reason it's now on our policymakers' radar.
Grass is hardy stuff, he explains. It's not a row crop, and it's a perennial, which limits nutrient run-off problems.
It can be planted and harvested with relative ease and with typical farm equipment, and it can be used as a livestock feed or an energy crop, as needed.
It's a highly efficient solar energy collector, a time-proven living technology that turns the sun's rays into solid stuff that's easily converted back into energy. And using grass for energy contributes very little to global warming, because each year's new crop reabsorbs the carbon dioxide that burning last year's released.
Due to their high yields, the most promising energy grasses are reed canary grass, switchgrass, and giant miscanthus. The latter has produced up to 26 dry tons per acre in test crops at the University of Illinois. Jock hands around astonishing photos of miscanthus test plots, dense thickets that tower above researchers and the 12-foot striped poles they carry.
Jock's rough calculation is that, at six dry tons per acre, with one ton of grass yielding as much energy as 100 gallons of #2 heating oil, Vermont's 100,000 acres of currently unused open land could provide the equivalent of 60 million gallons of oil annually. Hypothetically, $180 million worth of local product and local jobs.
Talking with Jock can be a disconcerting experience. He approaches ideas not by a straight line but by more of a lateral counter-clockwise helix in which big concepts about economic paradigms and the global energy future are mixed with data on BTUs per ton, ash characteristics, and the technology of burners and boilers. And a typical chat is followed by a barrage of e-mails, as Jock sends breaking news on test burns, biomass policies, and technological innovations.
Grass can be used to create ethanol, but Jock believes its best use is the simplest: as a pellet fuel burned for heat. Pellets can be automatically loaded into room heaters or centralized boiler systems, and they burn efficiently, leaving very little ash.
Of course, the best way to extract energy from biomass is to create both electricity and heat, simultaneously. With co-generation, also known as combined heat and power – called co-gen or CHP – much less of the energy escapes up the chimney. Unfortunately, CHP has historically been viable only with a fairly large-scale burner, boiler, and generator, too big and expensive for single homes.
But! says Jock, in Europe, micro-CHP systems are already on the market for domestic use. So he envisions a future in which every home and school has its own CHP system. You'll make your own electricity with your furnace, fueled by whatever biomass is locally available and cheapest, whether wood, grass, waste paper, corn, or combinations thereof. Using the "electranet" concept promoted by Al Gore – a sophisticated version of the net metering we're already doing in Vermont – we'll each draw electricity from or provide it to the grid as needed.
Jock sees the use of locally-grown energy crops as part of a coming "rural renaissance," a rebirth of strong, self-sufficient communities. By buying energy locally, we'll use our energy dollars to pay salaries for Vermont jobs. And through the "multiplier effect" – money spent locally gets re-spent locally – each dollar would functionally add $3 to our regional economy.
Jock admits that using grass energy crops poses challenges and questions; we need more research on grass strains, transportation costs, farm practices and economics, "cocktail" mixtures, and pelletizing and combustion technology.
So how does Vermont get from here to the energy-independent, revitalized rural economy of the future? The recent UVM/Governor's Institutes camp suggests part of the answer. At little expense, university and high school students experimented with a variety of ingredients such as grass, mixed vegetation, paper, and cardboard, testing combustion, energy yield, ash characteristics, and burner configurations.
"UVM has a terrific opportunity for leadership in biomass research and development," Jock says. He points out the test burners made by the students from Mt. Abraham High School, laughs, and asks rhetorically, "If high school students can do it, why can't adults?"
Friday, July 13, 2007
Pellets become pathway for biomass company
The increasing popularity of pellet-fed fireplaces and furnaces has created an opportunity for a Minnesota-based company.
Sunrise Agra Fuels LLC markets fuel pellets made from crop residues, according to company President Bob Ryan. The company started with the intent to use local resources. "We started asking questions about whether there was an opportunity to use ag residue as a fuel source," Ryan said. "We pelletize fuel in a conventional pellet die for two different uses. We have a residential grade for corn-type stoves, and we are also going to make a commercial grade in the new plant."
In its first year, the company sold about 600 tons of pellets, which were manufactured by contractors. Quality concerns interrupted the company's supply during its first heating season, but Ryan said it showed there was an enthusiastic demand for the product. "There was an extraordinary market," Ryan said. "I still get calls on a daily basis. We distributed our product no more than 150 miles from where it was manufactured, and we could have easily accomplished 10,000 tons of sales last year."
The company decided to build a plant in Bird Island, Minn., to avoid the quality problems with its suppliers. "We have been contracting with some feed mills in the area," Ryan said. "We stopped production with them this last heating season because they couldn't handle the quality we needed to have." He added that the feed mills had problems using low-density biomass, which led to an inconsistent product.
Sunrise Agra Fuels LLC markets fuel pellets made from crop residues, according to company President Bob Ryan. The company started with the intent to use local resources. "We started asking questions about whether there was an opportunity to use ag residue as a fuel source," Ryan said. "We pelletize fuel in a conventional pellet die for two different uses. We have a residential grade for corn-type stoves, and we are also going to make a commercial grade in the new plant."
In its first year, the company sold about 600 tons of pellets, which were manufactured by contractors. Quality concerns interrupted the company's supply during its first heating season, but Ryan said it showed there was an enthusiastic demand for the product. "There was an extraordinary market," Ryan said. "I still get calls on a daily basis. We distributed our product no more than 150 miles from where it was manufactured, and we could have easily accomplished 10,000 tons of sales last year."
The company decided to build a plant in Bird Island, Minn., to avoid the quality problems with its suppliers. "We have been contracting with some feed mills in the area," Ryan said. "We stopped production with them this last heating season because they couldn't handle the quality we needed to have." He added that the feed mills had problems using low-density biomass, which led to an inconsistent product.
The plant will be operated as a separate entity from Sunrise Agra Fuels and will be a producer-owned cooperative called Prairie Agra Fuels. The plant received its permits from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in mid-June. Construction is set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2007 and should be completed by the end of the year. The capacity of the plant will be 70,000 tons per year. It will use corn stover and soybean straw from a 30-mile radius as its primary feedstocks. The design/builder is Marcus Construction in Prinsberg, Minn.
Another company is organizing in North Dakota to produce a similar product. NSB Valhalla in Minot, N.D., was awarded a $53,500 grant from the states Agricultural Product Utilization Commission to refine its technology for producing fuel pellets from agricultural waste for use in residential, commercial and agricultural applications.
Another company is organizing in North Dakota to produce a similar product. NSB Valhalla in Minot, N.D., was awarded a $53,500 grant from the states Agricultural Product Utilization Commission to refine its technology for producing fuel pellets from agricultural waste for use in residential, commercial and agricultural applications.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Guest View: Scrap Biomass for 'Clean' Energy
Thursday, July 12, 2007
By Dan Embree
When New Mexico Environment Secretary Ron Curry denied the air quality permit for a projected biomass power plant near Estancia, he probably ended a controversy that had been hovering smokily over Torrance County for six months.
By Dan Embree
When New Mexico Environment Secretary Ron Curry denied the air quality permit for a projected biomass power plant near Estancia, he probably ended a controversy that had been hovering smokily over Torrance County for six months.
David Cohen, president of Western Water and Power, was quoted by the Albuquerque Journal as conceding that the denial was a "serious setback" that left WWP uncertain about proceeding with plans to build a plant that would produce power from burning trees.
The plan had been vigorously opposed by the Forest Guardians and a loosely organized group of Torrance County citizens on the grounds that, contrary to WWP's claims, the plant wasn't really clean, wouldn't really use renewable fuel, wouldn't really preserve the 43,000 acres of state land from which the trees were to be removed and wouldn't really benefit the residents of the county.
These opponents appear to have prevailed through a series of meetings with state officials, including Gov. Richardson's Energy and Environment Policy Advisor, Sarah Cottrell, (state) Rep. Rhonda King and Secretary Curry himself. Curry's decision cited the excessive use of natural gas to burn the wood as a source of sulfur dioxide— a point the Torrance County irregulars had repeatedly made.
Now that the dust has settled, it would be wise to consider what the controversy has taught us:
The New Mexico Renewable Energy Act of 2004 should be amended to remove biomass from the list of clean, renewable energy sources— a list that properly includes solar, wind and geothermal energy.
According to the Act, "renewable energy means energy generated by the use of zero- or low-emissions technology," but biomass (essentially wood burning) produces not only sulfur dioxide, but carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, various volatile organic compounds and particulate matter in sizes small enough to breathe in and too small to breathe out. The projected plant would have poured more than 700 tons of various pollutants into the air of Torrance County— about as much as a relatively clean coal-fired plant.
And as for the renewability, WWP planned to burn piñon trees— trees that, according to the Forest Service, take 50 to 200 years to reach maturity.
Without the tax breaks that the Renewable Energy Act made possible, the biomass plant would never have been considered.
The state needs a comprehensive procedure for reviewing future proposals in a fair and public way. The various parts of this project made their way through the state's approval process quietly, not to say stealthily, without ever being considered as a whole in a public forum. For example:
As a result of this fragmented and largely behind-the scenes process, when citizens raised concerns about a variety of issues— 18-wheelers making hourly deliveries of fuel on county roads, probable incursions into national forests to the exclusion of local wood-cutters, the give-away of tax revenues that might have been expected from a $94 million plant, the ripping of roads across the Chupadera Mesa, the lack of experience of WWP in the biomass business— they were repeatedly told that they were too late or in the wrong forum.
Companies, like WWP, who want huge tax breaks from the state, must be compelled to reveal their plans completely and publicly. One of the biggest mysteries of the projected biomass plant was where the fuel (55 tons an hour, 24 hours a day, for 20 years) was going to come from. WWP's eight-page "Project Plan," presented to the Torrance County Commission, estimated that 25 percent of its fuel needs would be met by the "renewable" (but strangely, not replanted) piñon and juniper trees of the Chupadera Mesa. The other three-quarters were to come from "contracts that are currently being negotiated" from sources vaguely including "East Mountain forest thinning," which sounds a lot like the national forest.
But the U.S. Forest Service doesn't always roll over as easily as the State Land Office. So before the county issues millions in bonds and the state grants millions in tax breaks, shouldn't we all know that the fuel is under contract?
When Secretary Curry met with a large and vociferous group of Torrance County citizens in Moriarty, he seemed to understand many of these points. He talked about his and Gov. Richardson's commitment to "environmental justice" (which means, I gather, not sticking dirty projects in poor and rural places) and "coordinating business plans and environmental plans" (which means, I think, explaining what you're really up to). Good for Secretary Curry, and good for the man who appointed him, Gov. Richardson.
Now let's get to work on a cleaner process for ensuring a cleaner environment.
Dan Embree is a resident of Mountainair.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Biomass groundbreaking event set for July 27
| Posted by Judy Riley on Friday, Jul. 6, 2007
| ||||
 The public is invited to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the new biomass facility to be constructed at the University of Minnesota, Morris. The brief ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 27, at the construction site located next to the campus' Heating Plant. The University of Minnesota Board of Regents gave final approval during its June meeting for construction of a biomass gasification reactor and facility at UMM. The reactor will convert corn stalks and other residual materials into a syngas – similar to natural gas - that can be burned to produce clean energy to generate heat (and cooling in the near future) for the campus. The facility will serve as a platform for UMM's research partners to identify trade-offs and opportunities surrounding gasifying other agricultural residues. "The biomass plant conceptual goals were to rethink how we use energy and explore the possibilities of using renewable agricultural based feed stocks in a sustainable manner," said Lowell Rasmussen, UMM associate vice chancellor for physical plant and master planning. "UMM approached the (University of Minnesota) West Central Research and Outreach Center (in Morris) to help in developing this plan." The project received one of 12 USDA/DOE (United States Departments of Agriculture and Energy) energy grants for $1.89 million to conduct additional research using this project. This grant, the largest received by the Morris campus to date, allowed UMM/WCROC to add the USDA Agricultural Research Service – North Central Soil Conservation Research Lab into the partnership to conduct research on carbon sequestration. The total project cost is $8,956,000, which includes grant money. Construction on the facility is scheduled for completion in spring 2008. A formal celebration is being planned for this fall. |
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Scientists set sights on biomass to reduce fossil fuel dependence
Using plants rather than oil or coal to produce fuels and chemicals could play an essential role in reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels, according to a group of scientists from the UK and the USA writing today in the journal Science.
The scientists from Imperial College London, Georgia Tech and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have evaluated the scientific and technological potential of a future based on renewable plant matter and biological material such as trees, grasses, agricultural crops, known as biomass. Their conclusions form the basis of a strategic alliance between the three institutions, the AtlantIC Alliance.
Today's paper describes the scientific challenges of creating a facility to process all the components of biomass. Such a facility would make a range of fuels, foods, chemicals, animal feeds, materials, heat and power in proportions that would give maximum value with minimum waste.
The scientists believe that efficient refining of biomass will be vital for producing renewable products with reduced carbon emissions. Biofuels and biomaterials are derived from plants which take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. Their net contribution to the addition of greenhouse gases can be very small if minimal non-renewable energy is used when processing them into useful material or energy products.
Dr Charlotte Williams , from Imperial's Department of Chemistry and one of the authors of the paper, said: "We're looking at a future for biomass where we use the entire plant and produce a range of different materials from it.
Today's paper describes the scientific challenges of creating a facility to process all the components of biomass. Such a facility would make a range of fuels, foods, chemicals, animal feeds, materials, heat and power in proportions that would give maximum value with minimum waste.
The scientists believe that efficient refining of biomass will be vital for producing renewable products with reduced carbon emissions. Biofuels and biomaterials are derived from plants which take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. Their net contribution to the addition of greenhouse gases can be very small if minimal non-renewable energy is used when processing them into useful material or energy products.
Dr Charlotte Williams , from Imperial's Department of Chemistry and one of the authors of the paper, said: "We're looking at a future for biomass where we use the entire plant and produce a range of different materials from it.
"Biomass has a completely different molecular structure compared with hydrocarbons from oil. That means we'll need to develop new techniques so that we can transform plant material into everything from specialty, high value products such as perfumes and plastics to higher volume products such as fuels."
Imperial hopes that the partnership with Georgia Tech and Oak Ridge will combine their complementary areas of expertise and examine the critical issues from alternative angles. The project has been given a major boost by the award of a UK Office of Science and Technology grant to develop the alliance, backed up by internal funding from each of the partners.
Professor Richard Templer, Head of Imperial's Department of Chemistry, said: " No one institution is going to cover all the aspects and issues in this transition from a fossil resource-based present to a bio-based future. This partnership will increase the range of our scientific capacity. It will also enable us to evaluate the scientific and technological possibilities for the bio-based future from different perspectives, and in respect to the different potential for applications in the UK, USA and more widely, for example in developing economies."
Source: Imperial College London
Imperial hopes that the partnership with Georgia Tech and Oak Ridge will combine their complementary areas of expertise and examine the critical issues from alternative angles. The project has been given a major boost by the award of a UK Office of Science and Technology grant to develop the alliance, backed up by internal funding from each of the partners.
Professor Richard Templer, Head of Imperial's Department of Chemistry, said: " No one institution is going to cover all the aspects and issues in this transition from a fossil resource-based present to a bio-based future. This partnership will increase the range of our scientific capacity. It will also enable us to evaluate the scientific and technological possibilities for the bio-based future from different perspectives, and in respect to the different potential for applications in the UK, USA and more widely, for example in developing economies."
Source: Imperial College London
DG&E to expand use of biomass energy
Utility seeks to acquire more renewable energy with latest solicitation
SAN DIEGO, June 12, 2007 – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today announced it has signed a supply contract with Envirepel Energy, Inc. for renewable, biomass energy that will be online by October 2007. SDG&E also reported that it has received nearly 5,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable-energy-supply proposals in response to the utility's most recent renewable Request for Offers (RFO) solicitation that ended May 30, 2007.
Every year since 2002, SDG&E has solicited supply bids for renewable power to meet California's mandate of having 20 percent of its energy portfolio come from clean resources such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal by 2010. Envirepel's agreement is the result of an earlier competitive solicitation. Biomass power results from burning plant-based materials such as wood.
"We are excited about the new renewable energy contract with Envirepel and with the overwhelming response we received for supplying green energy to our grid," said Debra L. Reed, president and chief executive officer for SDG&E. "Developers are signaling their willingness to build these renewable projects. We are committed to providing the transmission pathway necessary to ensure renewable energy from any of the projects developed reaches San Diego."
The nearly 5,000 megawatts proposed in the most recent RFO represents a mixture of renewable energy, including about 2000 MW of wind, 2,700 MW of solar, and 300 MW of geothermal, biomass and landfill gas. Several of the proposals submitted would require the addition of new transmission infrastructure to deliver energy to San Diego customers.
Today, SDG&E is more than half-way toward meeting its 2010 goal with approximately 12 percent of its future energy supply under contract to be delivered from renewable sources.
SDG&E's contract with Envirepel will now be submitted to the CPUC for review and final approval. SDG&E's final selection of the renewable-energy bids will be based on least-cost, best-fit procurement criteria and will be reviewed by the Procurement Review Group, comprised of California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) staff, consumer advocates and other non-market participants, and an independent evaluator prior to being submitted to the CPUC for final approval.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Potential biomass up in smoke
Experts: Thinning forests might have averted Angora Fire, yielded organic matter for energy
By Lindsey Croft
4:01 a.m. PT Jul 2, 2007
The catastrophic Angora Fire in South Lake Tahoe sent potential biomass energy up in smoke as the fire consumed 3,000 acres of choked forests, according to forest experts.
Thinning the forests, as experts had urged, would have reduced the fire danger but also could have provided fuel to generate biomass energy - a potential "win-win" scenario.
Regulations and high costs continue to thwart biomass energy efforts, but proponents remain optimistic.
"Biomass energy is clean energy produced by burning organic material and converting the heat to electricity," said Greg Morris, director of the Green Power Institute in Berkeley. "Burning wood to produce energy reduces air pollution by more than 90 percent compared to open-pile burning."
In addition, energy produced from wood waste, or biomass, can spark industrial growth for rural communities as energy prices rise, according to the Sierra Business Council.
With state forests full of potential for burning up - or generating green energy - policy makers need to make a choice.
"You have the option, basically, to let it burn in the open or burn it to produce clean energy," said Bob Mion, managing editor of California Forests magazine.. "Because it's going to burn, no matter what."
Trees are one of the greatest absorbers of carbon. "So when we have these large forests fires, they are one of the leading pollutants in the world," Mion said. "If we harvest some of these trees, you reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
The harvesting of biomass would create safer forests, provide reliable energy from a renewable resource and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to Mion, Morris and others.
The potential for biomass energy is enormous. "Stocked with more trees than at any time in the last 10,000 years, many forests stand choked with excess fuels and are ready to burn catastrophically" Morris wrote in an article "Up in Smoke."
The wood waste also can be used to create consumer products by grinding it up, said Brent Smith, president of Sierra Economic Development District.
"Biomass can be used to create an alcohol-based fuel, perfume, particle board, fibrous material for insulation and furniture," Smith said.
Despite the potential, biomass energy production is at a standstill because of high production costs and regulations, he said
"The problem right now is availability," Smith said.
Biomass is "in the forest, and we can't get to it," he said. "People who want to use it have to pay for crews to get the material. All of the distance cost drives up the cost of biomass. If you could create a biomass harvester, you would reduce travel cost."
The district is working to gain access to power grids throughout Nevada County where portable biomass plants could help generate the electricity.
"We want to put together a system that will reduce the fire risk and create jobs," Smith said. "This is a multi-win scenario, and with Nevada County having more than half the county in forest alone, it's of tremendous interest.
"The key at this point is having the people who are environmentally minded working with people who are governmentally minded," Smith said. "The South Lake Tahoe fire only emphasizes why these groups need to come together to manage the health of the forest."
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• Biomass energy production reduces fire loads, provides rural economic opportunities and improves air quality, proponents say.
• Biomass plants exist in Plumas, Sierra, Placer and Tuolumne counties, providing 47 percent of the electricity supplied to the power grid by Sierra Nevada sources.
• Western states have the potential to supply 15,000 megawatts of energy from biomass by 2015.
• Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded grants to 46 projects for the production and marketing of biomass, biofuels and wind power - though none were located in California. More grants will be issued this year that focus on biomass.
Source: Sierra
Business Council
Canada fuels KEPCO's biomass drive
| Timber Trades Journal, 02 July 2007 |
| Japanese energy firm Kansai Electric Power Co (KEPCO) is to ship 300,000 tonnes of wood pellets from Canada over the next five years as part of the company's target to implement Japan's largest biofuel initiative . Around 60,000 tonnes of wood pellets will be carried between Canada and KEPCO's Maizuru power plant each year, with haulier NYK Global Bulk Corporation expecting to make eight voyages every 12 months to complete the order. Due to start next year, the importing of wood pellets is part of an overall project by KEPCO to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at the Maizuru facility by 92,000 tonnes a year. |
EDF Trading moves into biomass market
EDF Trading, the subsidiary of utility EDF responsible for wholesale market activity, has acquired biomass company Renewable Fuel Supply Limited (RFSL).
RFSL provides a biomass procurement service and logistical and technical support to coal-fired power generation companies that wish to co-fire biomass with coal. It has supplied over 400,000 tonnes of biomass since 2004, according to EDF.
Staff from RFSL who have moved to EDF Trading's London office include Hank Jones, who will lead the biomass business. Jones was a co-founder and director at RFSL and has a wide range of experience in the energy sector, including posts at American Electric Power in London and Duke Energy Resource Corporation in Houston. Other team members include Nick Tsirigotis, Chris Matthews, and Scott Dooley.
"EDF Trading has significant electricity, emissions, coal and freight trading businesses in the physical and financial markets so biomass is complementary to our existing activities," says John Rittenhouse, managing director of EDF Trading. "RFSL's business also has synergies with the EDF Group who are committed to sustainable development and the production of electricity from renewable energy sources," he adds.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Honeywell helps housing agency go green
In a bid to cut energy costs for the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, Honeywell is looking at "biomass thermal" technology as a heating source.
The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Honeywell International are teaming to cut the low-income housing provider's energy costs and minimize its effect on the environment.
The deal, announced last week, involves an "aggressive" energy conservation program that will use green technology in addition to standard improvements.
Ron Blagus, energy market director for Honeywell Building Solutions, said Honeywell has proposed that the housing authority use "biomass thermal" technology, which involves the gasification of organic material, such as wood chips, to make a sustainable energy source for heating.
Blagus said the use of biomass gas, which burns much like natural gas, reduces dependency on natural gas and oil, which are subject to higher inflation rates than is wood waste.
Resulting energy savings can pay back the cost of a biomass system in less than eight years, while Honeywell's overall conservation programs usually pay for themselves within 15 to 20 years, he said.
"Environmental stewardship and conservation solutions should have strong economic drivers so people can afford to buy them," Blagus said. "It is also a hedge against energy inflation."
Honeywell will also opt for green roof systems on some of the almost 800 housing authority buildings, which include high-rise apartments, single-family homes and offices. Covering roofs with plant materials that soak up water and sunlight can lower temperatures, and thus cooling costs, and reduce water runoff.
These green ideas will be implemented along with conventional energy-saving improvements such as water control devices, better insulation and more efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems.
Honeywell says programs such as this can cut energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent or more.
"This brings together two of the most important issues that we have: affordable housing and environmental protection," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, whose office introduced the two partners.
The housing authority will take out a loan to finance Honeywell's work and will pay it back with energy savings from the improvements, which are guaranteed by Honeywell. If the agency comes up short of the projected savings, Honeywell will cover the difference.
Housing authority officials said they have identified $200 million in needed facility improvements, and Honeywell's work should cover $30 million to $50 million of that.
The housing authority is Minnesota's largest housing provider, and seeks to become one of the nation's first public housing authorities to earn Energy Star accreditation from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
Blagus said Honeywell expects to finish its audit of the housing authority's facilities and begin work next year.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
USDA, DOE announce $18 million solicitation for biomass R&D
Washington, D.C., June 14, 2007 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a combined total of up to $18 million will be available for research and development (R&D) of biomass-based products, biofuels, bioenergy and related processes. USDA and DOE are issuing these grant solicitations for several types of projects aimed at increasing the availability of alternative and renewable fuels, which will help further President Bush's energy initiatives, including Twenty in Ten. The Twenty in Ten Initiative promotes greater energy security through increased efficiency and diversification of energy sources. USDA will provide up to $14 million and DOE will provide up to $4 million.
The $18 million solicitation will fund projects in four categories (the share of overall funding is noted in parenthesis): the development of technologies to convert cellulosic biomass into intermediaries for bio-based fuels (45 percent); product diversification (30 percent); feedstock production (20 percent); and analysis for strategic guidance (5 percent).
Since 2002, USDA has awarded $58.1 million in grants to 55 projects in 27 states and the District of Columbia under the Biomass Research and Development Initiative. Since the beginning of 2007, DOE has announced nearly $1 billion in funding for biofuels R&D.
Maximum award amounts will not exceed $1 million. Eligible applicants include state and federal research agencies, national laboratories, private-sector groups and nonprofit organizations. The closing date for pre-applications is July 11, 2007.
"I am hopeful that these projects will play a critical role in furthering our knowledge of how we can cost effectively produce more homegrown, bio-based products to help reduce our reliance on imported sources of energy," DOE secretary Samuel Bodman said.
Guest View: Biomass Plant Would Be Benefit
By Martin Hibbs
I am writing you to express my concern and frustration regarding the permit denial by the New Mexico Department of Environment Air Quality Bureau for the proposed Western Water and Power Production biomass power plant in Torrance County.
I am writing you to express my concern and frustration regarding the permit denial by the New Mexico Department of Environment Air Quality Bureau for the proposed Western Water and Power Production biomass power plant in Torrance County.
As mayor of Estancia, the community most directly affected by the biomass plant, I am charged with leading local government and businesses to discover and nurture opportunities for our community— opportunities applicable to today and tomorrow. I am concerned that a small, vocal group of naysayers has hijacked Estancia's potentially bright future through a misinformation campaign designed to derail the project.
The biomass power plant gives south Torrance County a chance to stand on its own and grow. By thwarting this project, we rob the people of Torrance County of a better future possibly. I do not support this theft, and here is why.
1. The biomass power plant empowers the people of southern Torrance County to invest in their future by taking full advantage of the opportunities that the plant provides.
Consider the following:
2. The Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRB), which provide certain tax benefits to businesses locating to an area, offer opportunity to Torrance County, not penalty. Remember that Rio Rancho High School was built with monies from the IRBs that enticed Intel to move to that city. The IRBs for the biomass power plant have the potential to improve roads and more in Torrance County.
3. There is enough fuel for the biomass power plant— three times as much as is necessary for the proposed life of the facility (between 20 and 25 years). This fact has been confirmed by studies and independent satellite imagery. Also, PNM has entered into energy contracts with Western Water and Power Production for the power generated; I am sure that PNM did its homework before signing that contract. Also the majority of the fuel for the boiler will be juniper wood. This thirsty, prolific allergen is encroaching on our rangelands. To protect the rangelands and their ecosystems, Western Water and Power Production will be hired by private landowners and state agencies to process these trees as fuel.
4. The proposed biomass power plant will operate below the national and state clean air standards. This compliance was made evident at the hearings held by the New Mexico Department of Environment Air Quality Bureau in March and April this year. So where is the problem?
Further, the biomass power plant will work to reduce the existing level of air pollution, which results from the open burning of rangeland brush, particulate emissions from potential wildfires and the emissions from the greenhouse natural gas boilers that are adjacent to the plant's proposed site. When the power plant comes on line, its waste heat will be used to heat the greenhouses, further demonstrating the plant's contribution to energy conservation.
Please consider the issues when evaluating the future of the biomass power plant. I believe that this plant provides a very important opportunity for our county and the state.
Martin Hibbs is mayor of Estancia.
Biomass plant to be built on UMinn-Morris campus
MORRIS, Minn. (AP) - The Board of Regents has approved construction of a biomass plant on the University of Minnesota's Morris campus.
The associate vice chancellor for physical plant and planning on the Morris campus says they hope to begin building the plant next month and are targeting February for the plant to start producing steam.
Lowell Rasmussen says the biomass burner is unique because it will use corn stover, employing a gasification process to produce steam for energy that will be used throughout the Morris campus.
The college also has a wind turbine. Rasmussen says it's all part of an effort to have all the energy used on the campus to be from renewable sources within the next three years.
The biomass plant will cost nearly nine million dollars. Rasmussen says A USDA grant will provide part of the funding.
Information from: J.P. Cola/KWLM-AM
Friday, June 1, 2007
Biomass Technology: Beyond the Laboratory
Biomass Technology: Beyond the Laboratory
elcome to the inaugural issue of Biomass Magazine a publication dedicated to the development of biomass-based power, fuels and chemicals. The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) is extremely proud to be a part of this exciting endeavor. I am honored to write the first of the EERC's monthly columns, which will explore the many tremendous opportunities in renewable energy and biomass utilization.
The biomass industry is still in its infancy compared with other energy markets, but it must play a major role in the world's energy picture. Biomass is a critical domestic resource in the United States for meeting future electricity and transportation fuel demands, reducing dependence on foreign oil, stimulating agriculture, achieving carbon-neutral and toxic-free air emissions, and meeting the demands from public and political groups for green energy.
Biofuels are gaining popularity and prominence around the world as an economical solution for the future. In Europe and now more so throughout North America, the use of methyl esters for diesel fuel has achieved widespread acceptance. In the United States, the demand for ethanol is forcing a rapid progression of technology development to make ethanol from lignocellulosics. Other biomass technologies that are attracting large financial investment include using wood and agricultural wastes for remote power generation, hydrogen from biomass, and biofuels for the military.
The biomass industry is still in its infancy compared with other energy markets, but it must play a major role in the world's energy picture. Biomass is a critical domestic resource in the United States for meeting future electricity and transportation fuel demands, reducing dependence on foreign oil, stimulating agriculture, achieving carbon-neutral and toxic-free air emissions, and meeting the demands from public and political groups for green energy.
Biofuels are gaining popularity and prominence around the world as an economical solution for the future. In Europe and now more so throughout North America, the use of methyl esters for diesel fuel has achieved widespread acceptance. In the United States, the demand for ethanol is forcing a rapid progression of technology development to make ethanol from lignocellulosics. Other biomass technologies that are attracting large financial investment include using wood and agricultural wastes for remote power generation, hydrogen from biomass, and biofuels for the military.
Right now, the EERC is playing a major role in developing, demonstrating and ultimately commercializing biomass technologies and working with an extensive network of corporate partners to bring technology innovations out of the laboratory and into the commercial marketplace. The EERC's Centers for Renewable Energy and Biomass Utilization are leading the nation in addressing technical barriers to the increased utilization of biomass in energy production. Within the past five years, the EERC has conducted more than 60 major projects involving biomass—coal cofiring, biomass combustion and gasification for power, value-added byproducts from existing biomass industries, grain and lignocellulosic ethanol production, innovative production and use of biodiesel, and the production of hydrogen from biomass and wind. The EERC recently received a $5 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to produce a fully renewable domestic biomass-derived jet fuel for the U.S. military utilizing EERC-developed technology, which is highlighted in this month's magazine (page 18). This project involves partnerships with numerous private-sector entities.
These projects exemplify the EERC's successful business model of developing partnerships with private industry, government and the research community in order to improve the quality of life globally.
The EERC is a nonprofit business within the University of North Dakota (UND), which provides entrepreneurial, market-driven solutions to today's most critical energy and environmental issues. It began in 1951 as the Robertson Lignite Research Laboratory under the Federal Bureau of Mines and became a federal energy technology center under the U.S. DOE in 1977. The center was de-federalized in 1983, at which time it became part of UND.
Since its de-federalization, the EERC has evolved to conduct research in a wide variety of areas, including clean coal technologies, emission control, oil and gas, climate change and carbon sequestration, hydrogen technologies, water management, biomass, wind energy, and alternative fuels. It has become a world leader in the field of pollution prevention and environmental cleanup technologies. Today, the EERC serves as a national leader in advancing technologies to the marketplace by bringing together private industry and federal government funding. Although the EERC is a state entity, we do not accept state-appropriated dollars and have never requested any. With more than 300 employees, the EERC has 970 clients in all 50 states and in 49 countries, and our research portfolio totals over $122 million.
In the months to come, I encourage you to follow along as several members of our research staff write this column providing a deeper analysis of some of the pressing issues facing the biomass industry, exploring its vast opportunities and discussing some of the EERC's own research projects.
These projects exemplify the EERC's successful business model of developing partnerships with private industry, government and the research community in order to improve the quality of life globally.
The EERC is a nonprofit business within the University of North Dakota (UND), which provides entrepreneurial, market-driven solutions to today's most critical energy and environmental issues. It began in 1951 as the Robertson Lignite Research Laboratory under the Federal Bureau of Mines and became a federal energy technology center under the U.S. DOE in 1977. The center was de-federalized in 1983, at which time it became part of UND.
Since its de-federalization, the EERC has evolved to conduct research in a wide variety of areas, including clean coal technologies, emission control, oil and gas, climate change and carbon sequestration, hydrogen technologies, water management, biomass, wind energy, and alternative fuels. It has become a world leader in the field of pollution prevention and environmental cleanup technologies. Today, the EERC serves as a national leader in advancing technologies to the marketplace by bringing together private industry and federal government funding. Although the EERC is a state entity, we do not accept state-appropriated dollars and have never requested any. With more than 300 employees, the EERC has 970 clients in all 50 states and in 49 countries, and our research portfolio totals over $122 million.
In the months to come, I encourage you to follow along as several members of our research staff write this column providing a deeper analysis of some of the pressing issues facing the biomass industry, exploring its vast opportunities and discussing some of the EERC's own research projects.
Renewafuel receives EPA funding to study pelletized wood fuel
Renewafuel receives EPA funding to study pelletized wood fuel
Rosemount, Minn.-based Renewafuel LLC has produced what it hopes will prove to be a similar fuel to coal, but with far fewer environmental impacts, according to company President James Mennell. Testing on a new pelletized wood fuel was conducted at the University of Iowa power plant in March and was funded by the U.S. EPA. The government agency provided $200,000 for the study, which seeks to verify the benefits of blending wood-based fuel with coal for use in coal-fired facilities.
A final report detailing all the results and a full environmental lifecycle analysis from third-party contractor The Greenhouse Gas Technology Center should be completed this summer. Renewafuel's initial research on the fuel found that it reduces creditable greenhouse gas emissions by 100 percent, sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 90 percent and mercury emissions by more than 50 percent. Mennell said the testing went "very well" from an operational standpoint. "I believe that we are going to produce on a large-scale a fuel that can replace fossil fuels that would be equivalent in its energy value to coal with a fraction of the emissions," Mennell said. "I also like the idea of it being locally produced."
Renewafuel currently owns and operates a production-scale research and development facility in Battle Creek, Mich. Mennell said the wood fuel, supplied by local feedstocks, can be immediately substituted in existing coal-fired equipment without any alterations. Renewafuel's technology process allows for various feedstocks and not just wood, making it attractive to anyone who is a large-scale institutional user of solid fuels, he said.
A final report detailing all the results and a full environmental lifecycle analysis from third-party contractor The Greenhouse Gas Technology Center should be completed this summer. Renewafuel's initial research on the fuel found that it reduces creditable greenhouse gas emissions by 100 percent, sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 90 percent and mercury emissions by more than 50 percent. Mennell said the testing went "very well" from an operational standpoint. "I believe that we are going to produce on a large-scale a fuel that can replace fossil fuels that would be equivalent in its energy value to coal with a fraction of the emissions," Mennell said. "I also like the idea of it being locally produced."
Renewafuel currently owns and operates a production-scale research and development facility in Battle Creek, Mich. Mennell said the wood fuel, supplied by local feedstocks, can be immediately substituted in existing coal-fired equipment without any alterations. Renewafuel's technology process allows for various feedstocks and not just wood, making it attractive to anyone who is a large-scale institutional user of solid fuels, he said.
Renewafuel, founded in 2005 by Mennell and CEO Leon Endres, has already received a lot of feedback and is in various agreements with several U.S.-based companies for large-scale projects, Mennell said. Because location and transportation influence cost, Renewafuel's future plan is to locate facilities near the feedstock source and the customer, he said.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
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