Post on 26-Dec-2015
Biomass Challenges for Federal AgenciesPresented to the Renewable Energy Working Group
September, 2002
Existing and Pending Biomass Use in Agencies
• Fort Stewart, GA
• Hampton Roads, VA
• Bio-Diesel for Transportation
• E-85 for Transportation
• Gasohol for Transportation
• McMurdo Sound
• NASA and LFG
Three Approaches
• Build Projects that Use Biomass Energy
• Buy Green Power that Uses Biomass Energy
• Facilitate the Use or Development of Biomass on Federal Lands or Through Federal Programs
Bioenergy Technologies
• Electric or thermal - solid fuel or gasification
– Small-scale systems, distributed generation
– Large scale generation or cogeneration
– Co-firing (biomass and coal or natural gas)
• Liquid Biofuels
– Ethanol, methanol, bio-oil, bio-diesel
• Chemicals and biobased products
Biomass Fuel
Flexibility
• Fuel can be stored, unlike wind or solar, therefore:
– Biomass can be dispatched when needed
– Biomass plants can have high capacity factors
• Biomass can be:
– substituted for natural gas,
– blended with conventional fuels – biodiesel and ethanol
– blended with coal
Applications for
Bioenergy
• Small-scale power or cogeneration systems
• Large-scale biomass generating plants
– Combined heat and power
– Stand-alone power plants (usually 20 MW or larger)
• Wood heating at small facilities
– schools, hospitals, housing
• Co-fire in industrial or utility boilers
• Liquid fuels, specialty chemicals
• Green power purchases
Microgeneration – Performance
15 kWe gasifier/engine
55 kWe gasifier/engine
280 kWe gasifier/engine
Capacity (kWe) 15 55 280
Thermal (kWth) ? 120 600
Company CPC, USA Xylowatt Xylowatt
Yrs in business 7 7 7
Number of units 3 built, 7 coming 10 demos 10 demos
Status Demo Demo/Com Demo/Com
Biomass GT/yr
(12 h/day; 50% MC, 4000 Btu/lb)
100-200 400 2000
Footprint 10 x 6 x 7 ? ?
Installed cost ($) $150,000 (full demo costs)
$300,000 $800,000
Community Power Corp - Biomax15
Xylowatt SA (Swiss)
55 kW electric
120 kW thermal
450 tons/year fuel
Facility Heating System Performance
Wood furnace Wood gasifier/burner Wood gasifier/burner
Thermal capacity
0.03 – 1 MWth(115k – 1 MMBtu/hr)
0.1 - 3 MWth (.5 – 14 MMBtu/hr)
0.6 – 12 MWth (2 – 40 MMBtu/hr)
Company Taylor Waterstoves Chiptec Converta Kiln
Installed cost $4,500 - $65,000 $30,000 – $275,000 (gasifier only)
??
Status Commercial Commercial Commercial
Years in business
Not Known 16 Not known
Biomass use (GT/year)
50 – 3,000 330 – 10,000 2,000 – 40,000
# systems in operation
1000s >125 in NA 300-400
Note: Biomass use estimates assume 0.90 capacity, 33,475 Btu-h/boiler hp, and 4,000 Btu/wet lb biomass heat content
Chiptec Systems, Vermont
• Heat only or CHP• 5 – 45% MC• Wide range of sizes• Turnkey systems• Co-gen (35 kW – 5 MW) • Automated fuel handling
Other Wood Heating System Manufacturers
• Messersmith Manufacturers (Michigan)
• Grove Wood Heating, Inc (Canada)
• Industrial Boiler Company (Georgia)
• KMW Energy Systems, Inc (Canada)
CostComparisons: Biomass vs.Fossil Fuels
Category UnitsBiomass (McNeil Tech)
Biomass (EPRI /
FERCO)Coal
Co-Fire Coal /
Biomass
Natural Gas
Technology Direct Fire Direct Fire Pulverized coal
Pulverized coal
Combined cycle
Capacity MW 20 50 300 100
Installed Cost $/kw $2,200 $1,965 $1,195 $271 $500
Heat RateBtu/kWh 20,000 14,483 9,830 10,440 6,500
Capacity Factor % 90 80 80 80 80
Fuel Cost
$/MMBtu $2.24 $2.63 $0.77 N/A $2.85
Levelized Cost $/kWh $0.061 $0.075 $0.044 N/A $0.041
Facilitated Project
Potential
• Millions of tons of biomass will either fuel wildfires or be removed
• Agencies helping private sector use thinnings for energy would be significant for the Federal goal, and for U.S. bioenergy development
• USDA Forest Service and Interior are the 800 pound gorillas in this situation
• DoD, DOE and others with landholdings to manage have specific local opportunities
• DOES NOT HAVE TO BE CONSUMED BY THE AGENCY TO COUNT!
Current Situation
and Issues
• Fires continue to threaten communities
• Increased interest and debate over forest restoration
– mechanical treatment vs. prescribed burn
– diameter limits
– community defense only vs. landscape treatment
• Mitigation efforts are expensive, but not as costly as fires
• Market outlets for small diameter trees can help defer thinning costs
USFS Example
• 46,000 acres targeted for mechanical thinning under National Fire Plan in 2001, just in Urban-Wildland Interface (UWI) and areas to reduce fire threats to communities
• Conservatively, could have supported 436 MW of biomass capacity and over 3000 GWh of generation
• Excludes acres with prescribed burns, or a combination of treatments
BLM Example
• DRAFT NREL Assessment of RE Potential on Federal Lands, including biomass
• Used satellite data showing Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) above 4, proximity to communities at fire risk, population centers.
• Identified Planning Units in the Following States:
• Arizona• California• Colorado
• Montana• New Mexico• Oregon• Washington
Benefits of Bioenergy
• Biomass fuel prices generally stable
– hedge against fuel cost variability
• Biomass $ stay in state and local economies
• Rural economic development and job creation (CA = 5 jobs/MW capacity)
• Biomass fuel costs not subject to control of a single supplier
Benefits of Bioenergy
(con’t)
• Biomass is a baseload renewable resource
• Reduce SOx and fossil CO2 emissions
• Biomass systems are easy to convert to other fuels
• Outlet for forest health restoration activities
• Landfill diversion of urban wood wastes
Why Isn’t It Happening?
• Uncertainty
– Environmental opposition, distrust
– When, where, how much thinning, and how long must be known to develop supply curve
• Wildfire is overwhelming focus – not benefits of using thinnings
• Little coordination among agency, state and community plans and investments
• Small-scale technologies adaptable to supply uncertainty are just becoming commercial
• Interconnection , stand-by and buy-back rates
Electricity Sales: Breakeven Price
vs. Biomass Fuel
$0$5
$10$15$20$25$30$35$40$45
$0.057 $0.063 $0.069 $0.076 $0.082 $0.088 $0.095
Dollars/kWh
Dolla
rs/D
ry T
on
Modest Proposals
• In contracts seek proposals for energy reuse of removed biomass and industry input on structure of requests for proposals
• Work in coordination with States, communities and environmentalists in promising areas to create reliable supply
• Support demonstrations of modular technologies that address supply issues
Interesting Projects
• USFS Supported Work with Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, small-scale system
• Pending CEC Project on Distributed Biomass Generation with Truckee-Donner PUD
• CEC-Funded Analysis of RE Distributed Generation and Public Benefits
• Four Corners sustainable forest partnership bioenergy project
• Front range biomass energy assessment
• Summit and Eagle county biomass energy assessment
• Yavapai Apache Feasibility Study
Contacts Scott HaaseMcNeil Technologies143 Union Blvd., Suite 900Lakewood, CO 80228Phone: 303-273-0071Fax: 303-273-0074Email:
shaase@mcneiltechco.comwww.mcneiltech.com
Kevin DeGroatMcNeil Technologies6564 Loisdale Court, S-800Springfield, VA 22150Phone: 703-921-1632Fax: 703-921-1610Email:
kdegroat@mcneiltech.com www.mcneiltech.com