Recently in Biopower Category
Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently announced it will replace its steam plant with a wood boiler and will take additional efficiency measures to cut energy and water consumption at the lab. ORNL anticipates the improvements will cut energy consumption by 50 percent and water usage by 23 percent. Wood for the boiler will be provided by suppliers within a 50 mile radius of the lab consisting primarily of waste wood from timber mills and pallet manufacturers. Completion of the project will occur in the next 2-3 years. More on this story can be found here.
Southern Company has released a report detailing a series of tests conducted on co-firing green wood chips from whole and from approximately needle free pine trees. The purpose of the project was to "determine what level of processing of whole trees is required to successfully co-fire the chips in a boiler, and to evaluate the benefits and costs of wood processing compared with the effect of the fuel on the power plant." The tests were performed at Plant Gadsden in Gadsden, Alabama. From the report, summary results are as follows:
The full report can be found here.
- Green wood chips were successfully co-fired in blends with coal between 8% and 15%
wood by weight. Of the input fuel energy, 2.8% and 5.5% was from wood, and represented about 2.0 MW to 3.8 MW biomass power. - Sulfur emissions were reduced, and particulates were no higher with co-firing. At normal operating condition, carbon monoxide emissions were unchanged. The measured impact on NOx emissions was small.
- With 10% co-firing, boiler efficiency was about the same as coal alone, while there was a slight reduction in efficiency with 15% wood.
- Higher moisture losses due to high wood moisture were offset or nearly offset by reduced dry gas losses up the stack.
- High moisture of the wood coal mixtures resulted in low mill temperatures and high mill bowl under pressures. This caused a 5% load derate when co-firing 15%.
- The coal-wood mixtures had much lower fuel energy to volume ratio than the baseline coal. The issues appear to have been related to the installation of new automatic controls. Stability issues were corrected in subsequent tests by tuning the fuel-steam pressure automatic controls.
The full report can be found here.
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) recently released the report Cornerstones: Building a Secure Foundation for North Carolina's Energy Future. The report recommends North Carolina take specific policy steps to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent in 2030. The recommendations fall under the four categories of energy efficiency, clean energy, pollution capture, and long-range planning. The full report can be found here.
At Southern Company's annual meeting this week, CEO David Radcliffe told shareholders that the company is looking toward biomass, nuclear, and natural gas options to meet the increasing power demands in the region. The company expects to invest around $14 billion on new poles, wires, and power plants, which may include the conversion of two plants coal-fired plants to biomass. Radcliffe said, "We think the most promising technology for us is biomass because it is something that we can grow and harvest." With climate change legislation filtering through Congress, the company is seeking new ways to meet future carbon emission standards. To read more visit the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Research,
Education, and Extension arm of the US Department of Agriculture has developed a
Strategic Energy Science Plan. The vision of the plan is to "grow a clean,
efficient, sustainable energy future for America" with the goals of producing
sustainable agriculture and natural resource-based energy production;
sustainable bioeconomies for rural communities; efficient use of energy and
energy conservation; and workforce development for the bioeconomy. A few of the
interesting outcomes of the plan include:
- Certification systems to ensure sustainability of bioenergy and biobased products
- Whole life-cycle analysis of at least two regionally appropriate production systems
- Decision tools to help farmers, energy producers, and rural communities consider their participation in alternative-energy systems
- Triple the number of students in college- and
university-based bioenergy and bioeconomy education programs.
In August 2007, The Energy Information Administration (EIA) released the report Energy and economic impacts of implementing both a 25-percent renewable portfolio standard and a 25-percent renewable fuel standard. The report had the following results:
- The implementation of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) cause dramatic decreases in the use of coal, natural gas, and petroleum-based fuels with a shift towards biopower, wind power, and biofuels.
- Total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are 14% lower than business-as-usual.
- Achieving the RPS and RFS leads to higher energy prices, as producers substitute more expensive renewable fuels for less expensive fossil fuels. Higher energy prices reduce economic activity.
- Higher prices contribute to a reduction in transportation demand for liquid motor fuels on an energy basis.
In May 2007, the North Carolina Biomass Council, the North Carolina State Energy Office, and the North Carolina Solar Center published the North Carolina Biomass Roadmap: Recommendations for Fossil Fuel Displacement through Biomass Utilization. The Roadmap sets the stage of North Carolina's current energy consumption, biomass resources, and opportunities available. In addition, the report lays out three targets and 17 recommendations for the development of biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts in North Carolina.
