Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., a Japanese producer of energy fueled by organic materials, plans to cut its dependence on coal by using more biomass such as wood chips, a senior executive said. “As an industry that consumes a lot of power, we need to take measures to promote energy conservation,” Senior Corporate Executive Officer Masafumi [...]
EcoGen Plans Biomass Power Plant In Florida
Florida’s Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved Progress Energy Florida’s (PEF) purchase of power from a proposed U.S. EcoGen Polk, LLC (EcoGen) biomass electric generating facility in Fort Meade, Fla. EcoGen plans to sell 60 MW of capacity and associated energy to PEF for approximately 29 years beginning January 1, 2014. The company plans initially to [...]
Bioenergy Graduate Program Offered At SD College
South Dakota State University has teamed up with three other land-grant universities to offer a Bioenergy and Sustainable Technology Graduate Certificate fully online in an effort to advance the renewable energy industry. The Bioenergy and Sustainable Technology (BST) graduate certificate program was developed with the support of a USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant. The USDA [...]
SAF Report Covers Carbon, Energy Benefits Of Forests and Biomass
A recent report provides new ideas surrounding carbon and energy benefits forests and forest products provide. The report, Managing Forests Because Carbon Matters: Integrating Energy, Products, and Land Management Policy, summarizes and analyzes the most recent science regarding forests and carbon accounting, biomass use, and forest carbon offsets. The report emerged from the Society of [...]
Enviva Will Provide Biomass To Dominion
Enviva LP has signed a contract with Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Virginia Power to supply biomass to two power facilities in southeast Virginia. In April, Dominion announced plans to convert three 63 MW coal burning peaking plants to 50 MW continuous power plants using biomass. Enviva will supply two of these plants, located in Southampton and [...]
U.S. Forest Service Awards Grant To Biomass Council
The Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) and Resource Professional Group (RPG) recently announced that they were awarded a $70,000 grant by the U.S. Forest Service’s Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC). The planned project will promote energy cost savings and environmental improvement of commercial buildings by educating building architects and biomass appliance manufacturers on wood [...]
U.S. Department Of Energy Releases ‘Billion-Ton’ Study
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a report, the 2011 U.S. Billion-Ton Update: Biomass Supply for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry, detailing U.S. biomass feedstock potential nationwide. The report examines the nation’s capacity to produce a billion dry tons of biomass resources annually for energy uses without impacting other vital U.S. farm and forest [...]
Hardwood Sawmiller Turns To Biomass
Beasley Forest Products, LLC (BFP) and Land Care Services, LLC (LCS) have entered into a joint venture to develop a 56 MW biomass fueled power plant at a current industrial site in southeast Laurens County near Dublin. The new business, Green Power Solutions LLC (GPS), has received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission and [...]