Heating with Wood Biomass Energy From Forest to Farm, Food, and Families
Matt Wiggs
1
Benefits of wood energy
Technology
Fuel supply and storage
Projects and case studies
Common misperceptions and environmental health considerations
2
Reduce and stabilize fuel costs
Provide fuel flexibility
Local renewable fuel
Clean, efficient, scalable
Keep dollars in regional forest economy
Support forest management
3
Combustion – burning fuels in the presence of oxygen
Pyrolysis – rapid thermal degradation in absence of oxygen
Gasification – converting biomass fuels into combustible syngas
4
Traditional Wood Fuels
Cordwood Chips Pellets
Residential Heating
Small buildings
Commercial and institutional heating
Utility-scale power production
Residential Heating
Small Commercial and Institutional Heating
5
6
Fuel Storage Combustion Equipment Emissions Control
Equipment & Stack
Pellet Silos
Slab chip bins
Below grade chip
bins
Stoker/fixed grate
Stoker/moving grate
Pneumatic/suspension
Fluidized bed
Single cyclone
Multi-cyclone
Baghouse
ESP
Biomass Heating System Configurations
7
8
More Examples
Victor School, Victor, MT
Grant County Regional Airport, Oregon
DNRC Unit Office, Anaconda, MT
Clark Fork Valley Hospital, Plains, MT
9
10
On the Farm
in Vermont
11
Greenhouse Pleasant View Gardens New Hampshire 7 acre greenhouse (bedding/perennial plants)
• Saving $800,000/yr
• 97% oil free • 3 year payback
12
Northwest biomass energy users saving 25-75% off energy costs
Displacing 50-90% of fossil fuels
Case Study: Eureka Public Schools
Heating cost savings achieved by replacing fossil fuels with wood chips, 2009-2013
13
Too much maintenance/labor required
Daily Hours
on O&M
0.33
0.25
1
0.5
2
2
0.5
1
1.25
N/A
.25
2
Facility
Daily Hours on
O&M
Darby Public Schools 0.33
Victor Public Schools 0.25
Thompson Falls Public Schools 1
Philipsburg Public Schools 0.5
Glacier High School, Kalispell 2
U of Montana - Western 2
Townsend School District 0.5
Troy Public Schools 1
Eureka Public Schools 1.25
Deer Lodge Central Park Center N/A
Totals
Range-Low: .25
Range-High: 2
14
Particulate matter (PM), CO, NOx, SOx
Wood fuel characteristics affect amount/composition of PM emissions.
Consult with air regulators on local regulations.
Add-on pollution control devices are available.
15
Biomass C is already part of the atmospheric C cycle
Carbon neutral fuel if harvested sustainably
Thinned forests exhibit higher growth rates sequestering C in larger trees
16
Source wood fuel from mill waste and responsible harvest practices from state, federal, private, tribal, community lands.
Markets for forest products support economic viability of forest management and fire mitigation
17
Where heat demand and/or fuel costs are high
Hot water/steam/forced air distribution
New construction projects
With facility enthusiasm (& capacity)
Near a forest or wood pellet fuel source
Near local logging infrastructure (chippers/trucks/mills)
Near other wood energy users
18
Grants
o Preliminary technical/economic feasibility assessments
o Engineering and design
Biomass Resource Supply Assessments
Guidance on Financing Options
Tours of Existing Biomass Energy Installations
OTHER:
Wood Innovation Grants, USDA Forest Service
USDA Rural Development
19