26 March 2014 www.hnei.hawaii.edu 1

Stationary Bioenergy research, use and markets in the USA –

Status and reflections

Michael J. Antal, Jr Coral Industries Distinguished Professor

Hawaii Natural Energy Institute University of Hawaii at Manoa

www.hnei.hawaii.edu 2

Overview

• The current situation in Hawaii (Maui & Kauai) • Biomass power on the Mainland (historical) • The current situation on the Mainland • Projections of future biopower in the USA • Research news concerning biocarbons • Conclusions

Isolated Island Grids with no Interconnection

1200MW 80MW

5MW

200MW

190MW

• Significant solar and wind resource, but resource intermittency challenges grid operations

• Resource potential (large) and isolated island load (small) • Large gap between peak and minimum load (> 2:1)

Opportunity to validate and deploy new technologies 3

5MW 80% of state population

Integrating Large Amounts of Wind and Solar Power

Maui Island Case

Kaheawa I (30 MW)

Kaheawa II (21 MW)

Auwahi (21 MW)

4

40+ MW of Distributed PV

Exponential Growth in PV Market Island of Maui

(Source: Maui Electric Company, Ltd.)

Integrating High Penetrations of PV on Distribution Feeders Is a Challenge in Hawaii Today 5

• In both 2011 and 2012, the installed PV on Maui doubled the total installed PV capacity of the prior year

• July, 2013 PV @ 37+ MW

Solar Resource Intermittency and Variability

6/23/2010

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PV

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Panaewa

Mauna Lani

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Wind Resource Intermittency and Variability

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www.hnei.hawaii.edu 8

“Green Energy Hawaii”

• Situated on the island of Kauai • Employs Chiptec “up draft” gasifiers • Albizia wood chip fuel • (n.b. albizia is an invasive species!) • Up to 80,000 lb/hr superheated steam @ 750 F • 7,100 kW gross electrical power output • Construction underway

www.hnei.hawaii.edu 9

Where is “Green Energy Hawaii”?

www.hnei.hawaii.edu 10

“Green Energy Hawaii”

• Situated on the island of Kauai • Employs Chiptec “up draft” gasifiers • Albizia wood chip fuel • (n.b. albizia is an invasive species!) • Up to 80,000 lb/hr superheated steam @ 750 F • 7,100 kW gross electrical power output • Construction underway

www.chiptec.com 11

Chiptec Gasifier

www.chiptec.com 12

Chiptec Phoenix Gasifier

www.chiptec.com 13

Chiptec B Series Gasifier

www.chiptec.com 14

Chiptec Projects

http://www.powermag.com/psnhs-northern-wood-power-project-repowers-coal-fired-plant-with-new-fluidized-bed-combustor 15

“Northern Wood Power”

• Situated on the Piscataqua River, Portsmouth, NH • Wood fired Alstom CFB • 400,000 tons/yr whole-tree wood chips • 50-70 tractor trailers @ 30 tons/ea per day • 5 acre, 19,000 ton wood storage facility • 450,000 lb/hr steam @ 1250 psi & 950 F • 50 MW electrical power output • $75 million capital cost (2006)

http://www.powermag.com/psnhs-northern-wood-power-project-repowers-coal-fired-plant-with-new-fluidized-bed-combustor 16

“Northern Wood Power” Project

wwwhttp://ucanr.edu/sites/WoodyBiomass/Woody_Biomass_Utilization_2/California_Biomass_Power_Plants 17

Biomass Power Plants in California

. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy00osti/26946.pdf 18

A Good Historical Summary

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy00osti/26946.pdf/ 19

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy00osti/26946.pdf/ 20

USA Power Capacity Growth

Biomassmagazine.com 21

December 2013 • Biomass fired: + 269 MW (+12 units) • Wind: +20 MW (+ 2 units) • Solar: +79 MW (+ 35 units) • Natural gas: 685 MW (14 units) • Oil: 2 MW (4 units)

2013 Full Year • Biomass fired: + 777 MW (+97 units) • Wind: +1.19 GW • Solar: +2.94 GW • Natural gas: 7.27 GW • Coal: 1.54 GW

http://forisk.com/resources/resources-from-forisk-wood-bioenergy-us-free-summary/ 22

Estimated Wood-Use by Announced Facilities in the US

http://forisk.com/resources/resources-from-forisk-wood-bioenergy-us-free-summary/ 23

Number and Wood Use of Announced and Operating Projects, 2023

Silicon – Basic prosess Production (overview)

24 / 12

SiC

C (Coal / Coke / Charcoal)

SiO2 (Quartz)

Silicon

SiO(g) + 2C = SiC + CO

O2 (air)

2SiO + O2 = 2SiO2

SiO2 (Microsilica)

2SiO(g) = SiO2 + Si

SiO(g)

SiO2 + Si = 2SiO(g)

SiO2 + C + SiC = Si + SiO(g) + CO

CO2

2CO + O2 = 2CO2

Surface

Inner reductionzone

Charge

http://forisk.com/resources/resources-from-forisk-wood-bioenergy-us-free-summary/ 25

Estimated Wood-Use by Announced Facilities in the US

Courtesy of Dr. Scot Turn, HNEI 26

Metallurgical charcoal production in Brazil

1) Wang et al., Energy Fuels, 2013, 27, 2146-2156 27

Parity plot of fixed-carbon yields from various oak wood feedstocks1

• Recent FC yields reproduce earlier results.

• Muffle furnace yields in N2 are lower.

• TGA yields are much lower.

• Proximate analysis yields are very much lower.

www.hnei.hawaii.edu 28

Wood for Power vs. Silicon • Charcoal is the desired reductant for Si production • Consider 4.2 kg wood = 24 kWhth

• Power from combustion of 4.2 kg wood = 7.1 kWh • 4.2 kg wood → 1.4 kg charcoal → 1.0 kg Si • 1.0 kg Si → 1.3 m2 Si, which as a PV panel

(assuming 15% efficiency & 1% degradation/yr) will generate 6500 kWh over its 20 yr life

• Also, charcoal (activated carbon) for clean air & water & batteries, cooking, carbon sequestration & soil beneficiation

www.hnei.hawaii.edu 29

Conclusions • Little growth for liquid transportation fuels • Big growth in intermittent wind and PV power that may provide

>30% of power demand • Batteries will provide brief backup • Big growth in wood pellet production (~ 14 new large (>500,000

tpy) export facilities); but wood pellets make little sense • Big opportunities for solid biofuels to fill in for intermittent power

production • As an energy dense, clean burning fuel charcoal briquettes,

manufactured efficiently by modern technology, are an interesting sensible alternative to wood pellets for heat and power production

• Silicon (e.g. PV panels, cell phones, laptop computers) production requires charcoal. A sensible use of biomass!

www.hnei.hawaii.edu 30

Acknowledgments

• Tom Miles, T R Miles Technical Consultants, Inc. • Dr. Scott Turn, HNEI • Dr. Viktor Myrvagnes, Elkem

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February 6, 2008 www.hnei.hawaii.edu 32