Energy Trust of Oregon to invest US$5 million into biomass cogeneration

Image: biomass wood chips, courtesy of the Energy Trust of Oregon.

The Energy Trust of Oregon, a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing how Oregonians use energy by promoting energy efficiency and clean renewable energy, announced [*.pdf] it will invest up to US$5 million in a biomass cogeneration project that will generate enough electricity to serve over 12,000 homes with continuous renewable electricity.

The 15.8-megawatt project will be owned by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and their financial partner. The project, which will cost US$46 million to build, will also provide steam for Warm Springs Forest Products Industries, the Tribes wood products enterprise. By using clean wood fuel from forest fuels reduction and forest restoration projects in Central Oregon, saw mill residuals and other clean materials, the project will result in healthier forests.

This is one of the largest incentives yet paid by Energy Trust. Biomass is an extremely attractive renewable resource, locally and nationally. Its a constant resource that provides energy with multiple environmental and economic benefits. - Adam Serchuk, biomass program director for Energy Trust.
According to Serchuk, the project is one of the first Oregon projects to rely primarily on forest material gathered as part of forest stewardship activities. It will be a good test to see how clean energy generation and wildfire prevention can work together to benefit the state, he added.

Advantages of biomass
As a renewable fuel, biomass has some distinct properties. Unlike solar or wind resources, biomass can deliver power to the power grid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, biomass and its related forest restoration activities support a healthy hydropower system by slowing snowmelt runoff and reducing sediments in runoff flows. Using forest fuels for biomass also means that they arent being burned off in an open fire or allowed to decompose in the forest, which improves air quality and reduces the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

The Warm Springs Reservation covers 650,000 acres, about half of which is forest. Catastrophic wild fires over the past several years have caused significant damage to these forestlands. An estimated 2,000 acres of tribal lands and 8,000 acres of adjoining federal and private lands will be used for biomass recovery each year. Woody biomass material from other forest fuels reduction projects will also be used at the site:
bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: forestry :: wildfire prevention :: cogeneration :: Oregon ::

The developer and owner of the project is Warm Springs Biomass LLC, an organization formed with businesses owned by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, plus a third-party investor. The project is expected to operating by December 31, 2008, under a 20-year agreement with Energy Trust. Aequitas Capital Management, Inc., financial advisor for the project, has assisted with all principal project agreements, including taking a critical role in the power sales agreement, construction agreement, and Energy Trust negotiations. Aequitas also had a lead role in arranging for funding to construct and operate the facility. The project is applying for an Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit equal to 35 percent of eligible project costs.

"The biomass power generation project is a sustainable business creating the benefits of employment, forest restoration and renewable energy. Business managers for the Confederated Tribes will continue to develop opportunities that contribute to the future prosperity of the Tribes and the environment, said Jim Manion, Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs expects the biomass project to create 60 to 70 living wage jobs and generate self-sustaining revenues that can be used to fund tribal government services. In addition, the facility provides a market-based solution to restore tribal forestlands and reduce wildfire risks.

The Warm Springs project moving forward is the second biomass project announced this year, said David Vant Hof, sustainability advisor to Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. It shows the great opportunity for economic growth and job creation presented by the governors aggressive renewable energy policies.

This project establishes a benchmark model for the development of new biomass facilities in Oregon and for tribal-owned renewable energy projects in general, said Tom Sidley, senior managing director, Aequitas Capital. We were honored to apply our energy practice experience to assist a very motivated and competent development team from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

Image: biomass wood chips, courtesy of the Energy Trust of Oregon.
 

PetroChina to invest RMB300 million in forestry and biofuels projects

19th July 2007

By Clare Watson

Chinese oil giant PetroChina is reportedly planning to invest RMB300 million into a scheme to develop the production of biofuels, RMB200 million of which will be used to fund biofuels and forestry initiatives in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Hebei, Chinese publication The Standard has reported.
Citing Jia Zhibang, head of China's State Forestry Administration, The Standard also reported that PetroChina is planning to establish an investment fund with the forestry administration, which will be called the China Green Carbon Foundation. The remaining RMB100 million will be used to this end, The Standard said.

The regional business publication also cited Mr Zhibang as saying that PetroChina's initiative falls within China's ambitious biofuels plans, which involve planting 13.3 million hectares of forests by 2020 to fuel biomass plants with a capacity of 11,000MW. In addition, China hopes to use the trees to generate six million tonnes of biodiesel each year.

The industry is speculating that PetroChina's bio-development plans will prove financially beneficial to the company because of China's plans to invest RMB1.5 trillion until 2020 to reduce the region's reliance on traditional oil products.

However, according to The Standard, PetroChina was not available for comment.

Woodchips for Energy Become 'Green Oil'

With UTCs Benchmark Price at $35 Per Ton Woodbiomass Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) Sold in Northeast US; Ethanol Production From Wood Begins in Japan; Green Energy Resources has 3rd Consecutive Profitable Year

NEW YORK, NY--(MARKET WIRE)--Feb 12, 2007 -- Green Energy Resources (Other OTC:GRGR.PK - News) Massachusetts sold $1.3 dollars of Renewable Energy Credits ( RECs) from the sale of wood biomass at the 50 megawatt Schiller station power plant in January. The sale of "Green Certificates" averaged $54.04 per MWH (megawatt hours) and was sold to 3 separate bidders .The sale was the first for wood biomass in the US under the Renewable Portfolio Standard. Biomass joins wind and solar as major energy trading components in the US renewables emissions trading industry. 20 or more new biomass power plants are expected to come on line in 2007 and 2008 with the new RPS standards in the nine northeastern states alone. The sale of "RECs" is important as every US city and town can now begin utilizing UTCS software technology for emissions trading. For Green Energy Resources, UTCS certified woodchips become "Green Oil" as demand increases sharply. The current price for UTCS certified wood chips is $35 per ton delivered.

Ethanol from wood Cellulostic biomass begins production with 1.4 million litres at plant located in Osaka, Japan this year. The Osaka plant plans to increase production to 4 million litres in 2008. Ethanol from wood is anticipated to replace corn as the key component in production. Wood biomass is expected to be cheaper than corn without competing as a food source to humans. President Bush in his 2006 and 2007 State of the Union Address urged America to begin producing wood cellusotic ethanol. The President proposed increasing the 2007 Bio Energy budget by $60 million dollars.

In company news, Green Energy Resources will release its 2006 Financials showing a 3rd straight profitable year this week. The company has updated all of its accounting records and procedures and will begin reporting quarterly in 2007. Total number of shares in the float has remained constant at about 15 million shares since a 5% stock dividend paid to shareholders in May 2006. Sales projections for 2006 fell short due to internal European Union regulatory issues that since have been resolved but delayed export shipments .Green Energy Resources has and continues to receive cash deposits and bankable Letters of Credit from existing and new clients. The company's fastest growing area of revenue is UTCS and consulting, a trend it expects through 2010 at least.

Green Energy Resources hired three new associates this month. The company now has eight staff members and anticipates hiring 2 to 4 more in 2007. GRGR CEO Joseph Murray returned from the Bioenergy Europe 2007 conference last week and expects exports sales to increase annually per year between 500,000 - 1 million tons for the next 3-5 years at least.

Green Energy Resources -- UTCS certified woodchips

Green Energy Resources Urban Tree Certification System (UTCS) Benchmark wood chips verify strict environmental standards of sustainability or as a recovered resource. Woodchips must be 100% kyoto compliant from an approved government agency or derived from a scientifically approved methodology The woodchips require a UTCS environmental certificate, that includes chain of custody documentation, 3rd party verification of sourcing, and be a part of a (urban) forest management plan to increase carbon sequestration with ability to earn carbon credits. The woodchips are "inwoods chipped" with bark on, at 3/4" by 1 1/2" with an average moisture content of 35%, delivered to a US port facility.

NYK to ship 60,000 tons of wood pellets a year

NYK Global Bulk Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of NYK, has signed a long-term contract with Kansai Electric Power Co. Inc. (KEPCO)  to transport wood-pellet fuel* from Canada.

Shipping & Shipbuilding News -  28 June 2007

Power company seeks to reduce emissions with biomass fuels

NYK Global Bulk Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of NYK, has signed a long-term contract with Kansai Electric Power Co. Inc. (KEPCO)  to transport wood-pellet fuel* from Canada.

Some 60,000 tons of wood pellets will be shipped annually for five years from Prince Rupert in the Canadian province of British Columbia to Maizuru in Japans Kyoto prefecture for delivery to the utility company. NYKs handy bulkers, 20,000- to 30,000 DWT bulk carriers, will be used to fulfill the contract, which starts in 2008.

KEPCOs Maizuru Power Plant is now implementing a project to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions, a by-product of power generation, by about 92,000 CO2 tons annually. The combining of biodegradable fuel (biomass), such as wood pellets, with coal is part of this project. NYK Global Bulk Corporation expects seven or eight roundtrips between Japan and Canada each year to transport the 60,000 DWT cargo volume needed for KEPCO to achieve its target.

The multiyear contract is the first of its kind in Japan. Demand for biomass fuels, including bioethanol and wood pellets, has grown steadily in recent years as a countermeasure to environmental problems such as global warming. NYK intends to foster and secure new business in the biomass fuel transportation market, while emphasizing its support for the use of environmentally friendly energy sources.


* Wood-pellet solid fuel is made by compressing and shaping waste wood, such as that from wood manufacturing and waste processing. The wood pellets are shaped into a cylinder that has a radius of 6 to 8 millimeters.

Talks on Valleys biomass plant start

Jul 26 2007

by Aled Blake, Western Mail

CONSULTATION is under way on a £50m renewable energy plant planned for the South Wales Valleys.

Anglo-Dutch company Express Power plans to build a wood-fuelled biomass plant on Rassau Industrial Estate in Blaenau Gwent.

The site has been identified by Welsh Assembly and local authority officials because of deficiencies in the electricity networks in the area for industrial and public sector large-scale users.

It is hoped the project would help develop the area's economy and attract investment. The company is consulting with the local community before it formally submits its planning proposals.

Around 200 jobs would be created during the two-year construction of the plant, and once operational it would create 25 permanent skilled and semi-skilled new jobs and an estimated further 50 jobs in supplies and transportation.

The plant will generate an annual 160,000 MWh (Mega Watt hours) of green electricity for Wales from Welsh forestry, recycled wood and wood derivatives.

By utilising recycled wood that would otherwise be sent to landfill, the project will also save 170,000 tonnes of wood going annually to local authority landfill sites.

This includes wood from wood recyclers, skip companies, furniture manufacturers, civic amenities sites within a 50-mile radius of the site.

The technology for the biomass plant is well established, especially in Germany and Austria where biomass and green energy production is more advanced and widespread than in the UK.

The only by-product from processing 170,000 tonnes of wood each year will be 5,000 tonnes of mineral-rich ash that can possibly be further processed and used as fertiliser.

Maurice Price, chairman of Express Power, said, "All local authorities face mounting pressure to help reduce carbon emissions and waste.

"We are grateful for help by the Welsh Assembly Government so far, and together we hope that Express Power's biomass development at Rassau will create new opportunities for the people of Blaenau Gwent.

"The project is carbon neutral, even allowing for transport, and will use local labour and transport providers where possible.

"As well as producing green electricity and much needed jobs, it will reduce amounts of valuable wood fuel going to landfill and its consequent cost to local council taxpayers."

Study: Miscanthus More Than Twice as Productive as Switchgrass for Energy Crop

11 July 2007

Miscanthus. Standing next to the grass is Dr. Emily Heaton (now with Ceres), who is 5' 4" (163 cm) tall. Source: UIUC

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have made the first direct comparisons of the biomass productivity of two C4 perennial grasses: switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus). The two have been widely trialed as low-input bioenergy crops in the US and EU, respectively.

Results from the trials throughout Illinois show that Miscanthus is more than twice as productive as switchgrass. Its efficiency of conversion of sunlight into biomass is amongst the highest ever recorded. The research team presented their results at Plant Biology and Botany 2007, a joint congress including the American Fern Society (AFS); the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB); the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT); and the Botanical Society of America (BSA).

The team, led by Frank Dohleman of the Plant Biology Department, theorized that Miscanthus produces more usable biomass than switchgrass because of these three key attributes:

1. Miscanthus can gain greater amounts of photosynthetic carbon per unit of leaf area;

2. Miscanthus has a greater leaf area; and

3. Miscanthus has a longer growing season.

The research team measured the amount of gas exchanged on the upper canopy of Miscanthus leaves from pre-dawn to post-dusk on 20 dates in the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. The averages from two years' data showed that Miscanthus gained 33% more carbon than switchgrass.

Integrated measurements also showed that the Miscanthus leaf area was 45% greater than switchgrass and that Miscanthus plants grew an average of eleven days longer than switchgrass. This extended growing season and accompanying lower temperatures proved to further boost the photosynthetic activity of Miscanthus. Specifically, pyruvate Pi dikinase was found to be expressed at higher rates when ambient temperatures are lower. This enzyme supports C4 photosynthesis in Miscanthus.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is working with the University of California at Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in forming the new $500-million Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) funded by BP, with UC Berkeley taking the lead.

As part of the EBI, some 340 acres of farmland at the Urbana campus will be devoted to the study and production of feedstock for biofuel production. Researchers will explore the potential benefits of using corn crop residues, switchgrass, Miscanthus and other herbaceous perennials as fuel sources. The initiative will explore how adequate supplies of high quality plant biomass can be sustainably produced and utilized in facilities that convert the biomass to fuels.

Feedstock development is one of five research areas at the EBI. The others are biomass depolymerization; fossil fuel bioprocessing (converting heavy hydrocarbons to cleaner fuels) and carbon sequestration; socio-economic systems; and biofuels production. In addition to feedstock development and socio-economic research, Illinois will work with the other research institutions on biofuels production. UC Berkeley will lead this part of the project, with Illinois joining the search for the most efficient use of microbes to harvest the energy in plants for biofuels.

Suryachakra to list on BSE

BS Reporter / Chennai/ Hyderabad July 23, 2007

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.

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	• Kina Biopower Sdn Bhd (location one) • Seguntor Bioenergy Sdn Bhd (location two) * Location: Kota Kinabalu, state of Sabah, Borneo Island, Malaysia
Capital investor	• Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. • Go Bio Sdn Bhd (Malaysia) * Local construction company investing in project • SMEC Energy Sdn Bhd (Malaysia) * Power production engineering and consulting firm • Agritech Marketing, Co. Ltd. (AMC) (Japan) * Development and investor of biomass power production industry
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)	• Green House Gas (GHG) reduction fund launched in 2000 to play a prominent role Kyoto Mechanism system design. • The fund purchases CO2 emissions credits for allocation to investors. • Total value is $180 million USD ($10 million USD by Chubu Electric Power). • Contracts agreed to purchase CO2 emissions credits from 17 countries in 22 projects. • Investors include the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, 8 Japanese corporations, and government agencies and companies in Europe.
Japan GHG Reduction Fund (JGRF)	• The first GHG reduction fund in Asia launched in 2004. • The fund purchases CO2 emissions credits for allocation to investors. • Total value of $141.5 million USD ($10 million USD by Chubu Electric Power). • Investors include the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the Development Bank of Japan, and 31 Japanese corporations.
Australian Adelaide Forestry project	• Project to plant a total of 10,000 eucalyptus trees in southern Australia. • Joint project between Mitsubishi Paper Mills Limited, Hokuetsu Paper Mills, Ltd., AEON Co., Ltd., Tokyo Gas, NYK Line, and the Mitsubishi Corporation.
Thai Rice Husk Fuelled Power Project (A.T. Biopower Co. Ltd.)	• Development of several small-scale 20,000 kW power plants using rice chaff as fuel in the grain belt of north central Thailand. • First location (Pichit province) started operations in December, 2005. • Assisting the Thai government's application for registration with the UN CDM Executive Board.
Asia environmental fund	• Invests into multiple energy efficiency initiatives in Asian and Eastern European countries like ESCO(2), cogeneration, and renewable energy projects. • Investments have been made into microhydro power (India, China), waste power production (Singapore), and ESCO projects (Thailand). • Joint fund by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Asian Development Bank, and the Mitsubishi Corporation.
Purchasing of CO2 emissions credits from Chinese CDM project	• Signed a contract to purchase 2 million tons of CO2 emissions credits from a project that collects and breaks up Freon gas and HFC23 (trifluoromethane) emitted from an HCFC plant in Zhejiang China. • Agreed to a purchasing contract with Japan Carbon Finance, Ltd. worth approximately 2 million tons (maximum) of CO2 emissions.

(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.

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.

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.

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?"

Pellets become pathway for biomass company

By Jerry W. Kram

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.

 

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.

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.

    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:
   

The State Land Office virtually gave away a lease on 43,000 acres of state land without conducting a study of the impact of the massive tree removal on the area's wildlife or on its estimated 800 archeological sites. WWP was the only bidder allowed.
   

The Air Quality Bureau considered the quality of the air only within the boundaries of the plant itself. The occurrence of acid rain on fields or the breathing of pollutants by residents a mile away were not within their authority, officials said.
   

The County Commissioners approved a resolution in favor of the project a month before the Air Quality Bureau's hearings showed that emissions would be much greater than those WWP had given the Commissioners.
   

At this writing, the Ground Water Quality Bureau has not yet determined how to classify the tons of ash that the plant would produce, but, according to an official I talked to, it is leaning toward requiring transportation by special haulers to specially licensed landfills— this, despite WWP's assurances to the county that the ash presented no problem.

    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.
 

Biomass groundbreaking event set for July 27

Posted by Judy Riley on Friday, Jul. 6, 2007 Event Date/Time: Friday, Jul. 27, 2007 11:00 am Location: Heating Plant grounds

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.

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.

 

"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

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.

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."

----

• 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.

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.