Dominion Virginia Power has received state approval to convert three coal-fired power plants to biomass fuel. The State Corporation Commission also approved a charge to Dominion customer bills starting April 1 to cover the estimated $165.8 million cost to switch over the plants in Altavista, Hopewell and Southampton County. In it’s filing for the conversion, [...]
Biomass Boiler Installation Complete In U.S. Federal Building
The U.S. General Services Administration announced last week that the installation of the first biomass boiler in a United States Federal Building is complete. Outdated oil-fired steam boilers in the Ketchikan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse were replaced with a technologically advanced biomass boiler, which uses waste generated by the timber industry, a renewable energy [...]
Federal Agencies Implement Hundreds Of Renewable Energy Initiatives
Governmentwide, 23 agencies and their 130 sub-agencies reviewed by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) implemented nearly 700 renewable energy initiatives in fiscal year 2010. The Departments of Defense (DOD), Agriculture (USDA), Energy (DOE), and the Interior were collectively responsible for almost 60% of all initiatives. The initiatives supported a range of renewable energy sources, [...]
Washington State Plan Expands Renewable Energy Law
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire recently signed a bill that for the first time broadens the definition of renewable energy. The measure makes electricity produced from older biomass facilities, such as pulp mills, eligible for the state’s renewable energy mandate. Supporters say it will benefit rural communities and a struggling timber industry. Since voters approved Initiative [...]
Maine Secures Wood Pellet Approval For FHA Homes
The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has changed guidelines to allow FHA-insured homes in Maine to use wood pellet heating systems as a conventional heating source, based on an initiative from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. Federal Housing Administration appraiser guidelines now allow wood pellet systems as an acceptable heating source for FHA-insured single-family [...]
Southeast Biomass Study: Is It Too Late?
A new study of southeastern forests in the U.S. finds that in the long run, burning wood instead of fossil fuels to make electricity can reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but not soon enough to prevent worsening the conditions leading to global climate change. The study also shows that as the industry expands [...]
Coskata Ethanol Plant Reports Pre-Commercial Success
Coskata, Inc. announced it has achieved two years of successful operation at its cellulosic ethanol semi-commercial facility in Madison, Pa. The facility has amassed over 15,000 run hours of operation and successfully converted wood biomass and municipal solid waste into fuel-grade ethanol. “The data and operating experience cultivated at this pre-commercial scale facility has conclusively [...]
Ameresco Starts Up Biomass Power Plant
Following a series of performance tests, Ameresco, Inc. has received its Final Acceptance Certificate from the U.S. Dept. of Energy Savannah River Operations Office for the now operational DOE Savannah River Site (SRS) Biomass Cogeneration Facility (BCF) installed under the $795 million energy savings performance contract (ESPC) awarded to Ameresco in 2009. The 20 MW [...]
Tribal Clean Energy Projects Awarded $6.5 Million By DOE
As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with Tribal Nations and supporting tribal energy development, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently announced that 19 clean energy projects are to receive more than $6.5 million. These competitively selected projects will allow Native American Tribes to advance clean energy within their communities by assessing [...]
ConocoPhillips, Enviva Form ECo Biomass
Enviva LP has partnered equally with ConocoPhillips to create a new company, ECo Biomass Technologies, which will bring torrefied biomass fuels to market. The company’s initial facility, scheduled to be operational in 2013, will produce wood pellets that will be sold under agreements with major utilities. The torrefaction process involves superheating biomass to create a [...]