Biomass Heating - Community And Regional Development Institute

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2014 Biomass Heating A practical guide for potential users with emphasis on the Southern Tier of New York State As fuel prices increase, the fuel costs of individuals and business owners also increase. The goal of this project is to study the potential substitution of expensive fossil fuel with biomass resources and to conduct a feasibility study of using biomass as a primary heating fuel to serve the areas that are not served by natural gas in the Southern Tier region of New York State. This report examines different types of biomass fuels, outlines the areas in Southern Tier region that do not have natural gas pipelines running through them. The report examines different biomass conversion technologies (direct combustion, gasification, combined heat and power), provides fuel cost comparisons, and determines regional economic impact in term of fuel costs savings, job creation, and greenhouse gas emissions. It also studies the government incentives for utilizing biomass resources. The end result of this project is an interactive, user-friendly spreadsheet which allows the individuals and communities to see the savings from using biomass in terms of individual and regional cost savings as well as job creation and carbon dioxide reduction. It is shown that biomass could become an important substitute for heating oil, kerosene and propane because of its low cost per million Btu, its zero net carbon dioxide emission into the environment, and its job creation. Xuejiao (Snow) Yang, MEng, Cornell University, Albert R. George, Faculty Advisor, and Kenneth Schlather, External Advisor May 2013 Revision, Albert George, 1/26/2014 Biomass Heating Executive Summary As fuel prices and concern for the environment rise, many individuals and business entities are looking to alternative energies to lower their costs and to be more environmentally friendly. The main goal of this one-year project was to investigate the potential feasibility of substituting fossil fuel heating with biomass energy resources in the Southern Tier region of New York State, especially in the areas that are not served by natural gas. However, most of the results can easily be applied to any individual building or region. The study starts off by providing an introduction to different biomass fuel resources and benefits of using biomass. The report then provides a detailed study of woody biomass which includes wood pellets and wood chips, and their supply chains. The report also provides a comparison between choosing wood chips, wood pellets, and grass pellets to assist the selection of biomass fuel. A comparison between the dollars per million Btu for the commonly used fuels in the Southern Tier region is also included in the report. Moreover, the report also includes results on the greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) from burning various fuels as well as some information on local job creation. In addition to biomass fuel and emissions, the study involved researching biomass conversion technologies, which range from wood furnace to boilers and gasifiers. The technology readiness level (TRL), capital cost, operation and maintenance cost for each biomass conversion technology are also discussed in the report. Furthermore, the report provides a flowchart that helps users to select the most suitable biomass combustion system for their application. The end product of this project is an interactive Excel spreadsheet that allows residents, business entities, and communities in Southern Tier region and elsewhere to see the potential economic benefits, greenhouse gas reduction, and local job creation with the substitution of biomass energy as a fuel source for heating and power. A detailed explanation on how to use the spreadsheet is also provided in the report. Lastly, the report includes several case studies on several biomass projects that have been successfully installed in New York. They are the BioMax100 at Morrisville State College, an ACT bioenergy boiler at Cayuga Nature Center, a Hurst biomass boiler at Wagner Lumber and lastly a grass pellet stove at the Big Red Barn of Cornell University. ©2014 A .R. George, Cornell University. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA Page 1 of 63 Biomass Heating Acknowledgements Many people helped to provide information and data. A special recognition goes to those that provide valuable resources, contacts and technical support for this project: Professor Albert R. George – J.F. Carr Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Systems Engineering, Cornell University Kenneth Schlather – Executive Director of Cornell Cooperate Extension, Tompkins County Elizabeth Keokosky – Energy Advocate of Danby Land Bank Cooperative Leslie Schill – Tompkins County Planning Department Katie Borgella– Tompkins County Planning Department Professor Jerry H. Cherney – E.V Baker Professor of Agriculture, Department of Corp & Soil Sciences, Cornell University Professor Benjamin D. Ballard – Director of Renewable Energy Training Center; Assistant Professor of Renewable Energy, Morrisville State College Mark Ranalli – Community Power Corporation David L. Kay – Senior Extension Associate of the Community and Rural Development Institute, Department of Development Sociology, Cornell University Kevin Pudney (Plant manager), Don Goodrich - Wagner Lumber Kevin B. Lanigan, Head of Maintenance, Cayuga Nature Center Page 2 of 63 Biomass Heating Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Project Goals Statement ................................................................................................................................ 6 About the Southern Tier Region ................................................................................................................... 7 Biomass Resources ....................................................................................................................................... 7 What is biomass? ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Types of biomass resources ...................................................................................................................... 7 Benefits of biomass ................................................................................................................................... 8 Biomass fuels and supply chains ............................................................................................................... 9 Wood pellets’ properties .................................................................................................................... 10 Wood chips ......................................................................................................................................... 11 Fuel selection – wood pellets or wood chips? .................................................................................... 11 Wood vs. grass pellets............................................................................................................................. 12 Wood logs ........................................................................................................................................... 13 Natural gas pipelines ................................................................................................................................... 13 Energy Consumption .................................................................................................................................. 14 Residential energy consumption ............................................................................................................ 14 Residential Fuel Prices ............................................................................................................................ 15 Other industrial energy consumption..................................................................................................... 17 Biomass Conversion Technology ............................................................................................................... 18 Rankine Cycle .......................................................................................................................................... 18 Boiler ....................................................................................................................................................... 19 Stoker boilers ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Fluidized bed boiler ............................................................................................................................. 20 Residential Wood Burning Outdoor Wood Boiler............................................................................... 21 Combined heat and power ..................................................................................................................... 24 Furnaces and stoves................................................................................................................................ 24 Homemade wood stoves .................................................................................................................... 25 Why advanced stoves are worth the extra cost?................................................................................ 26 Gasification ............................................................................................................................................. 27 Page 3 of 63 Biomass Heating Gasifiers characteristic ........................................................................................................................ 28 Heating system selection ........................................................................................................................ 31 Technology Readiness Level (TRL) ........................................................................................................... 33 Job creation ................................................................................................................................................. 34 Incentives and economic benefits ............................................................................................................... 35 European Incentives Examples ............................................................................................................... 36 United States Federal Tax incentives ...................................................................................................... 38 New York State programs ....................................................................................................................... 38 Spreadsheet ................................................................................................................................................. 39 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 45 Appendix A: Biomass projects in New York State ..................................................................................... 47 Project profile 1: Biomax100 at Morrisville State College, Morrisville, NY ............................................ 47 Project profile 2: ACT Bioenergy boiler at Cayuga Nature Center, Ithaca, NY ........................................ 49 Project profile 3: Hurst Biomass Boiler at Wagner Lumber, Cayuta, NY ................................................ 50 Project profile 4: Grass Pellet Stove @ Big Red Barn, Cornell University ............................................... 51 Appendix B: Technology Readiness Level descriptions ............................................................................ 53 Appendix C: List of NYS Certified Outdoor Wood Boilers Models .......................................................... 56 Appendix D: More resources on biomass ................................................................................................... 58 Appendix E: Works Cited ........................................................................................................................... 59 Page 4 of 63 Biomass Heating Introduction Many heating fuel bills have been increasing dramatically over the past few years due to the increases in prices of many fossil fuels. The upward price trend of fossil fuels not only affects individuals or homeowners, but also it impacts sectors such as commercial, industrial, greenhouse, educational institutions, etc., especially when the users are not located on natural gas pipelines. Biomass energy can provide a partial solution not only to this challenging problem but it also can reduce the net emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The abundant biomass resources including wood chips, wood pellets, and grass pellets in the Southern Tier region of New York State could provide a cheap renewable energy resource. Wood pellets and wood chips have substantially higher fuel heat content per dollar compared to many fossil fuels. Although wood pellets are priced at $200-$250 per ton (depending on the pellet manufacturer), the high fuel heat content range, from 15-17 million Btu per ton (depending on the moisture content and type of wood), makes biomass affordable at the average price of $18.94 per million Btu. Propane sells for around $2.40 per gallon but has significantly lower fuel heat content per dollar. Thus, if converted to dollars per million Btu, propane is priced around $33.55 per million Btu. Using same calculation method, heating oil is priced around $37 per million Btu. This shows that biomass is a very cost competitive energy resource. As a result, biomass energy resources have the potential to substitute for expensive fossil fuels such as propane or oil. In addition to its competitive prices, biomass is carbon neutral and it supports the local economy by creating local green jobs and businesses. The green jobs could range from growing and harvesting plants, to manufacturing pellets, or operating biomass facilities, etc. “Technology Readiness level” (TRL) is a measure used to assess the maturity of evolving technology during its development and in its operations1. There are a total of 9 levels associated with TRL. The higher the TRL, the more mature the technology is. The detailed description of each TRL level can be found in Appendix B. In this report the TRL’s of biomass utilization technologies are estimated. It is seen that many technologies are useful for widespread use. The common ways to utilize biomass energy are through combustion and gasification. Residential scale biomass systems use a boiler or furnace to burn the pellets to produce heat (typically 38,000 Btu - 68,000 Btu)2. The cost of a facility is approximately $2,400-$8,000 and requires labor for loading pellets daily, minor cleaning a few times a week, and maintenance twice per year. The TRL for a small biomass furnace or boiler is very high (Level 7 or 8) however more research needs to be done to increase their robustness for some fuels that contain 1 2 (Technology Readiness Level) (Pellet Stoves) Page 5 of 63 Biomass Heating corrosive elements (such as chlorine in grass pellets). Large scale biomass distributed generation may use combustion or gasification to produce heat and electricity. The cost of the facilities is roughly $450,000 to millions of dollars, depending on facility size. Usually larger scale facilities have automated feedstock loading systems with a few staff handling daily operations and only yearly or twice-yearly maintenance work. Some of the larger facilities only produce heat, some produce electricity, and some use combined heat and power (CHP) which uses waste heat recovery technology to supply process or space heating. This captures a significant proportion of the energy in the waste heat after the electricity generation which increases the overall efficiency of a system from about 50% to about 75%3. All of these heating and energy technologies have different levels of development, some are very established and reliable such as natural gas furnaces, other are still in development, such as biomass gasification with combined heat and power. This results in different reliabilities and maintenance requirements which will be discussed in various sections below. Project Goals Statement The goals of this project are to create a framework that individuals, business owners, communities or anyone with sensitivity to fuel price or emissions can use to learn about biomass use possibilities. In addition it supplies information and tools to determine the feasibility of biomass energy resources as fuel for generating heat and power and to develop cost-effective projects that use local biomass resources efficiently. In other words, this project also provides a practical guide for users who are interested in using biomass as feedstock for home and businesses heating and possibly electricity generation. This project developed an interactive Excel spreadsheet and supporting documents that aid in the identification of areas for dollar savings from using biomass energy resources, job creation in the region, emissions reductions, and appropriate technologies to produce a promising opportunity for biomass utilization. 3 (Method for Calculating Efficiency, 2013) Page 6 of 63 Biomass Heating About the Southern Tier Region The Southern Tier region is located near the Pennsylvania border of New York State. It contains a total of eight counties: Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties. The Southern Tier has abundant natural resources to house a booming tourism industry and several prominent educational institutions, for example, Cornell University and Binghamton University, which provide well-educated workforces. In addition, the region boasts some large engineering and industrial manufacturing companies such as Corning, Lockheed Martin, etc. 4 Biomass Resources What is biomass? Biomass is a renewable resource usually based on wood and other plant materials that can be used as a fuel for producing electricity and heat. Biomass for heating can be used in small scale units for individual houses, in commercial buildings, in district heating and in industry. The present small U.S. biomass industry is estimated to support more than 15,500 jobs, with many of those jobs based in rural areas5. Types of biomass resources Biomass feedstock or energy sources are any organic matter available on a renewable basis for conversion to energy. There are a large number of different sources of biomass. Each of these can be used to produce fuel. However not all forms are suitable for all the different types of energy conversion technologies. The main basic sources of biomass resources are6’7.        Grains and starch crops - corn, wheat, etc. Agricultural residues – wheat straw, corn Stover, etc. Food waste – waste produce, food processing waste, etc. Forestry materials – logging residues, forest thinnings, sawdust, wood chips, wood pellets, etc. Animal byproducts – fish oil, manure, etc. Energy crops – switchgrass, willow, wheat, etc. Urban and suburban wastes – municipal solid wastes, lawn wastes, etc. 4 (Inside Southern Tier) (About Biomass - Biomass Power is the Natural Solution) 6 (Types of Biomass Fule) 7 (Biomass Feedstocks) 5 Page 7 of 63 Biomass Heating Benefits of biomass8         Renewable source of energy Widely available sources of energy Reduces the dependence on imported oil Supports local economy, creates local green jobs Ideal for areas without access to natural gas pipelines (will be discussed in later sections) Relatively inexpensive compared to other fossil fuels (as discussed in later sections) Steady, reliable and Figure 1: Availability of Woody Biomass Worldwide (O'Carroll, 2012) dependable, is not affected by day to day changes in weather or environmental conditions Emits zero net carbon dioxide (exclusive of extraction and transportation of fuels) – The amount of carbon dioxide emitted during combustion is equivalent to the amount absorbed by trees or plants during photosynthesis. In other words, biomass is considered carbon neutral because it recycles carbon in the atmosphere9. Table 1: Comparison of emission produced by different fuels Fuel Type Heating Oil Natural Gas Propane Wood Kerosene Emission Gas (kg/MMBtu)10 CH4 (CO2 equivalent)11 0.075 0.025 0.075 0.8 0.075 CO2 N2O12 (CO2 equivalent) 73.96 53.02 61.46 0 75.2 0.1788 0.0298 0.1788 1.2516 0.1788 8 (Biomass Energy and its Benefits) (Mahajam & Shah, 2006) 10 (ghg Calculator Fuel Combust) 11 Carbon dioxide equivalent is used to reflect the time-integrated greenhouse effects of emission into the atmosphere. For methane over 100 years, the emission of 1 million metric tons of methane and nitrous oxide respectively is equivalent to emission of 25 and 298 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (Carbon dioxide equivalent). Note: The hidden costs of energy, including public health costs, are not within the scope of this project. For more information on those costs, please visit The National Academies Press (Hidden costs of energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use, 2010). 12 The health effects of methane and nitrous oxide are not in the scope of the project. The health effects of nitrous oxide can be found at (Akram). The health effects of methane can be found at (Methane, 2012) 9 Page 8 of 63 Biomass Heating Biomass fuels and supply chains The biomass energy sources this project focuses on are wood chips, wood pellets and grass pellets which are the most common type of biomass resources available on the market. Wood Pellets Wood Chips Sources:http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/business_impact/2008/ 09/large_pellets.jpg Sources: http://sequoiascape.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/05/Wood-Chip.jpg Biomass energy is produced by combustion (burning) or gasification. Biomass may be burned to produce hot water or steam in a boiler or hot air in a furnace for distribution throughout building(s). The amount of energy generated from woody biomass depends primarily on type of woods or plants, heat output, moisture content, ash content, and efficiency of the equipment. The amount of thermal energy produced by biomass is measured in British thermal unit (Btu) or million Btu (MMBtu). Premium wood pellets produce around 8000-8400 Btu for every pound of pellet. In other words, 1 ton of pellets can produce 16-16.8 MMBtu. The ash content and moisture content are measured as a percentage. Moisture content is the key factor determining the net energy content of biomass material. High moisture content means less energy available. Premium wood pellets have less than 8% of moisture. Ash refers to the non-combustible content of biomass13. High ash content leads to more fouling problems which mean more maintenance is needed. Premium wood pellets produce less than 1% of ash. At an average retail price of $250/ton, wood pellets offer a fuel cost per MMBtu of $18.60. Wood chips sell for on average of $125/ton with fuel cost of $12.60 per MMBtu. 13 (Biomass Burn Characteristics, 2011) Page 9 of 63 Biomass Heating Wood pellets’ properties Wood pellets are a clean and carbon neutral product that is made primarily of sawdust, wood shavings and fines left over after processing trees for lumber and other wood products. They are compressed under high pressure into a cylindrical shape with 0.23 – 0.285 inches in diameter and less than 1.5 inches in length. Since wood pellets are a highly standardized and energy-dense fuel, they have several key advantages over other fuel types:    Pellets can be cost-effectively transported Readily utilized in automatic boiler systems Ultra-low emission profile14 Below is a table of the technical fuel requirements for wood pellets according to Pellet Fuel Institute: Figure 2: Residential/Commercial Densified Fuel Standards 15 In New York, wood pellets are predominantly produced from hardwood. The major pellet mill in New York is New England Wood Pellet (NEWP) which opened a manufacturing plant in the United States in Schuyler, NY in December 2008. This plant planned to produce 850,000 tons of 14 15 (Christiane Egger; Christine Ohlinger; Bettina Auinger; Briqitte Brandstater; Nadja Richler; Gerhard Dell) (Pellet Fuel Institute) Page 10 of 63 Biomass Heating pellets per year which could heat 33,000 homes and businesses16. In June 2011, NEWP opened a new plant at Deposit, NY. This plant is scheduled to produce 85,000 tons of wood pellets annually for the domestic wood fuel pellet market17. A list of New York Woody Biomass Feedstock suppliers and processed biomass fuel manufactures can be found at www.nycwatershed.org18. Wood chips For decades, wood chips have been used to produce heat. Wood chips require more storage capacity because the volume is about four times that of wood pellets and require more operation and maintenance efforts. On the other hand, wood chips have a significant cost advantage over wood pellets19. Wood chips are primarily used in larger buildings where fuel storage space requirements are not a limiting factor. Homeowners who have extra space and are willing to invest more time in operations and maintenance can choose to use wood chips as a fuel source because it can be a very economical heating solution. One of the largest local wood chips mills in New York State is Wagner Lumber. They also burn wood chips as their primary energy source. The price of quality wood chips ranges from $90 - $125 per ton with moisture content between 20% - 35%. The transportation cost of wood chips is around $15 - $25 per ton20. Fuel selection – wood pellets or wood chips? Wood chips and wood pellets have different advantages and disadvantages for use as a fuel for a heating system. The state of Upper Austria in Europe has a leading position in biomass heating. It has more than 25% of all modern biomass boilers installed in the European Union and has one of the highest densities of small-scale automatic heating systems in the world. In Upper Austria, homeowners usually prefer pellet heating systems while owners of systems larger than 100kW usually use wood chips. The following table provides guidance on selecting the right fuel for your system21. 16 (Facilities and Ventures) (Facilities and Ventures) 18 (New York Woody Biomass Feedstock Suppliers and Processed Biomass Fuel Manufacturers) 19 (Christiane Egger; Christine Ohlinger; Bettina Auinger; Briqitte Brandstater; Nadja Richler; Gerhard Dell) 20 (Bergman & Zerbe, 2004) 21 (Christiane Egger; Christine Ohlinger; Bettina Auinger; Briqitte Brandstater; Nadja Richler; Gerhard Dell) 17 Page 11 of 63 Biomass Heating Figure 3: Comparison between wood chips and wood pellets 22 Wood vs. grass pellets In Northeastern region of United States, there is a considerable acreage of unused or underutilized agricultural land. New York States has about 1.5 million acres of unused or underutilized agricultural land; most of those lands have grass growing already. In 2008, some retired dairy farmers started Enviro Energy LLC that turned the weeds and briars growing on those unused lands into fuel pellets for heating building23. These grass materials made from lowgrade hay are called grass pellets. Grass has about 95% percent of the energy value found in wood and grass can be pelletized as easily as wood. Grass pellets produce 6,600Btu per pound which is equivalent to 13.2MMBtu per ton. Like wood pellets the grass pellets also produced much less greenhouse gas than fossil fuels. The challenges with grass are its relatively high ash content and a higher concentration of corrosion-causing elements (for instances, potassium, chlorine, and sulfur) compared with wood. Potassium is by far the most abundant in grasses. It reduces the melting temperature of ash and as a result could contribute significantly to corrosion potential. In addition, a corrosive reaction is catalyzed by chlorine elements that presents in grasses which could damage the furnace components. Furthermore, the reactions between sulfur and alkali metals will form deposits on heat transfer surfaces. 24 22 (Christiane Egger; Christine Ohlinger; Bettina Auinger; Briqitte Brandstater; Nadja Richler; Gerhard Dell) (Tietz, 2011) 24 (Cherney) 23 Page 12 of 63 Biomass Heating The lack of residential-scale appliances specifically designed to burn high ash pellet fuels is the primary technical stumbling block for a grass combustion industry in the United States. Large industrial sized ceramic-lined boilers (more than 1 MMBtu) are capable of burning 100% grass. However, residential scale boilers from Europe with ceramic-lined combustion chambers, electronically controlled shaker grates, auto cleaning of heat exchanger tubes, and auto de-ashing are also capable of burning pure grass pellets. However, the number of suitable appliances for grass combustion can be expanded by mixing grass with wood, corn or other biomass fuels25. Wood Pellets Timber harvesting or wood products manufacturing residue Energy content 8,400 Btu/lb = 16.8MMBtu/ton 0.5-3% Ash content Every appliance(stove, furnace, Appliances boiler for all sizes) Composites Price range Availability Corrosive elements Average at $250 Available all year round; easily accessible Relatively low corrosive elements (potassium, chlorine, sulfur) Grass Pellets Weeds and briars growing on unused land <8,400 Btu/lb = 16.8MMBtu/ton 3-8% Only work with industrial scale ceramic-lined boilers and residential scale boilers from Europe with ceramic-lined combustion chambers Average at $220 Seasonal; harvested in certain regions in Autumn High corrosive elements (potassium, chlorine, sulfur) Wood logs Many homeowners in the Northeast heat their house with wood (commonly known as logs or firewood). It is difficult to evaluate heat value of wood because it depends on types of wood, moisture content and how long have the logs been stored. Freshly cut Missouri hardwoods commonly have a 75% moisture content and the available energy content carried in the wood is 4,900 Btu/lb. Air-dried hardwood firewood typically contains about 20% moisture and available energy content is 7,100 Btu/lb26. Natural gas pipelines The primary sources for energy consumption in most homes, commercial, and industrial buildings are electricity and natural gas. They are supplied by local utility companies. NYSEG is an energy services and delivery company in upstate New York and New England. It owns the transmission and distribution rights in Tompkins County and throughout most of the Central New York27. 25 (Cherney) (Stelzer, 2012) 27 (Service area) 26 Page 13 of 63 Biomass Heating Natural gas is presently (2013) a very cost effective fuel and it is difficult for biomass to compete directly with it. However not all residences and business in the Southern Tier have access to natural gas service. The map below shows the service areas of NYSEG in the Southern Tier region28. The red colored areas are the areas where electricity and natural gas are served by NYSEG; the orange color regions indicate only natural gas is served; the yellow regions indicate only electricity is served in those region. It is seen from the diagram below that the majority of the Southern Tier region does not have natural gas service (yellow area). Even many local areas in the red or orange regions do not have natural gas distribution pipelines, such as the northern region of Tompkins County or in more rural areas away from the largest roads. Energy Consumption Residential energy consumption Electricity in Southern Tier region is supplied by three main local utilities, New York State Electric & Gas Corp (NYSEG), Steuben Rural Electric Cooperative and Corning Natural Gas 28 (Service area) Page 14 of 63 Biomass Heating Corporation. The average per capita monthly consumption of electricity in New York homes in 2011 is 611kWh29, which means the average per day electricity consumption is 20.4kWh. For home heating, the sources of fuels vary geographically and regionally. The sources for residential heating includes natural gas, kerosene, fuel oil, electricity, liquefied petroleum gases (LPG), wood and others. The graph30 below shows the proportion of each type of fuels used in houses and condominiums in Tompkins County. The graph shows utility gas (natural gas) is the most common fuel used in houses and condos and it accounts for 50%. 22% of houses and condos use fuel oil and kerosene for heating; 11% of heating come from bottled, tank or LP gas; 7% comes from electricity. Only 8% come from wood which includes logs, wood pellets and wood chips. Wood 8% Coal or coke 2% Electricity 7% Bottled, tank, LP gas 11% Natural gas 50% Fuel oil, kerosene 22% Figure 4: Most commonly used heating fuel for houses and condominiums in Tompkins County Residential Fuel Prices The cost of each fuel in terms of dollars per million Btu (MMBtu) is needed in order to calculate the cost of a given amount of heat and to increase the awareness of the consumer of the amount they pay for their heating fuel. The table31 below provides a comparison between the most commonly used fuels in term of fuel prices for New York State. The first column provides the information on type of fuel with its 29 (How much electricity does an American home use?, 2013) (Tompkins County, New York) 31 (Heating Fuel Comparison Calculator) 30 Page 15 of 63 Biomass Heating prices listed in column 3 and fuel unit listed in column 2. The value for fuel heat content listed in column 4 provided the information on the quantity of heat (Btu) released during the combustion process. The efficiency of the appliance is stated in column 5 of the table. Fuel price, $ per MMBtu (column 6) is calculated using the formula below: Fuel cost, $ per MMBtu = (Fuel price per unit x 1,000,000) ÷ (Fuel heat content per unit x appliance efficiency) For an example: Kerosene Fuel price ($ per MMBtu) = ($4.23 x 1,000,000) ÷ (135,000 x 75%) = $39.81 Wood pellets Fuel price ($ per MMBtu) = ($250 x 1,000,000) ÷ (16,800,000 x 80%) = $18.94 Priced at $1.07 per therm, natural gas contains high fuel heat content per dollar, thus natural gas has the lowest fuel price per MMBtu among fuels with $13.42 per MMBtu. Although propane presently sells for a low price per gallon, $2.39, the low heat content makes propane priced at $33.55 per MMBtu. Wood chips and wood pellets are selling at a nominally expensive price $125/ton and $250/ton respectively. However, the high heating values of these fuels per ton makes woody biomass economic and price competitive with natural gas, with wood chips having a fuel price of $12.60 per MMBtu and wood pellets having fuel price of $18.94 per MMBtu respectively. Based on this table, it seems feasible to replace other fossil fuels with wood chips or wood pellets for residences. The annual fuel savings for homeowner, especially for those homes which are not in the service region of natural gas will be quite significant. Sources: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/11-033.htm#3 Table 2: Heating Fuel Comparison Calculator Fuel Type Fuel Unit Heating Oil Electricity Natural Gas Propane Firewood (20% moist) Wood chip (20% moist) Gallon kW-hr Therm Gallon Fuel Price per Unit $4.0 $0.17 $1.07 $2.39 Ton Ton 32 32 Fuel Heat Content per Unit (Btu) Appliance Efficiency (%) Fuel Price per MMBtu Date listed Sources 138,690 3,412 100,000 91,333 78% 98% 80% 78% $36.98 $51.62 $13.42 $33.55 Feb 2013 Feb 2013 Feb 2013 Jan 2013 NYSERDA EIA EIA NYSERDA $142 12,400,000 55% $20.82 Apr 2013 Oregonstate.edu $125 12,400,000 80% $12.60 2011 Forest2market (Heating Fuel Comparison Calculator) Page 16 of 63 Biomass Heating Wood Pellets Grass Pellets Kerosene Coal Ton Ton Gallon Ton $250 $220 $4.3 $200 16,800,000 13,175,000 135,000 25,000,000 80% 80% 80% 75% $18.94 $20.87 $39.81 $10.67 Fall 2012 Woodburners 2010 Trace.tennessee.edu Jan 2013 NYSERDA Hearth Other industrial energy consumption The energy used by other economic sectors such as commercial, industrial, and educational institutions, greenhouses or high tunnel crop farming, varies dramatically, and depends on the size and type of businesses. However, on average, the energy consumption used by each business in the commercial and industrial sector is much higher compared to a residential household. The graph below shows the energy consumption used by each sector in New York State in 2010. The commercial sector is the largest consumer of energy among all sectors and accounted for 32.8%. The residential sector is the second largest energy consumer which accounted for 30% of the total energy consumption. Below is a list of some biomass systems that have been installed in or near the Southern Tier: Sector Facility Name Residential/Institution Big Red Barn Commercial Commercial Commercial Arnot Ogden Medical center Cayuga Nature Center Veteran Affairs Location Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Elmira, NY Description Grass pellet stove that burns grass pellets (more info see Appendix) Biomass boiler that burns wood chips Ithaca, NY Biomass gasifier (more info see Appendix) Canandaigua, NY Biomass steam-generation CHP Page 17 of 63 Biomass Heating Greenhouse Institution Industrial Greenhouse Medical Center Intergo Greenhouse, Inc. Morrisville State College Wagner Lumber Plainview Growers Albion, NY Morrisville, NY Cayuta, NY Allamuchy, NY system Biomass boiler burning waste wood Biomass gasifier CHP (more info see Appendix) Biomass boiler that burns sawdust or wood chips (more info see Appendix) Biomass boiler and pellet mill Biomass Conversion Technology The term biomass conversion refers to the process of converting biomass into energy to generate electricity and/or heat. The two primary categories of biomass conversion technology are simple combustion systems and gasification systems which can be used to provide heat, power or combined heat and power (CHP). Rankine Cycle The Rankine cycle, in the form of steam turbine engines generates about 90% of all electric power used throughout the world33. This cycle is mainly based on the conversion of input heat energy into output power. It involves repeating four processes34,35. Step A: Dry saturated steam from the boiler is expanded isentropically (entropy remains constant) in a turbine and produces work by rotating the shaft connected to an electric generator Step B: Wet steam from the turbine is fed into a condenser for condensation (cooling) where heat is rejected from the steam into atmosphere or sometimes for heating Step C: Water from the condenser is pumped into the boiler using a pump and is compressed isentropically to the operating pressure of the boiler. This process increases the pressure in the water Stage D: The saturated water from the pump enters boiler as a compressed liquid and is heated in the boiler until it reaches super-heated condition. At this stage the water is changed from liquid into vapor. 33 (Rankine Cycle)) (Simple Rankine Cycle) 35 (Vapor and Combined Power Cycle) 34 Page 18 of 63 Biomass Heating The figure below provides a better illustration on how simple Rankine cycle works in a thermal power plant. Figure 5: How simple Rankine cycle works at a thermal power plant 36 Boiler The boiler is the one of the major components in the steam Rankine cycle. The boiler is used to convert fuel into thermal energy resulting in superheated steam vapor which will be sent to a steam turbine. There are numerous types of boilers used to convert the energy in the fuel to steam. According to the Council of Industrial Boiler Owners (CIBO), the general efficiency range of stoker and fluidized bed boilers (the two most commonly used types of boilers for biomass firing) is between 65%-85% efficient. The major factors affecting efficiency are fuel types, availability and operation of the boiler. Biomass boilers are generally designed to accept wide variation in moisture content with a practical limit of approximately 60% moisture content37. Typical fuel supplies for biomass generation are bark, sawdust, wood chips, and wood pellets. Some of these might leave a high level of non-combustible constituent after combustion. Therefore, a biomass boiler must be able to handle a high level of non-burnable constituents that are inherent with a low grade fuel 36 37 (Thermodynamics) (Biomass Technology Review, 2010) Page 19 of 63 Biomass Heating resource. The fuel and then the “ash” can also contain non-carbon containing minerals like rocks and inert gravel38. Two most common types of boilers are stoker boilers and fluidized bed boilers. Stoker boilers Figure 6: Stoker boiler (RenewableEnergyWorld.com) Stoker boilers use direct fire combustion of solid fuels with excess air to produce hot flue gases which then produce steam. The stokers are designed to feed fuel onto a grate where it burns with air passing up through it. The stoker is located within the furnace section of the boiler and is designed to remove the ash residue after combustion. Stoker units use mechanical movement to shift and refill fuel to the fire that is located near the base of the boiler. There are two general types of systems which are underfeed and overfeed. Underfeed stokers supply fuel and air from under the grate whereas overfeed stokers supply fuel from above the grate and air from below. The residual ash is discharged from the opposite end. The most common type of stoker boiler is the spreader stoker. It introduces combustion air primarily from below the grate but the fuel is thrown or spread uniformly across the grate area39. Fluidized bed boiler Fluidized bed boilers are the most recent type of boiler developed for solid fuel combustion which focuses on reducing SO2 and NOx emission from combustion. Fuel is burned in a bed of hot, inert particles suspended by an upward flow of combustion air that is injected from the bottom of the combustor to keep the bed in a floating or “fluidized” state. The scrubbing action of the bed material on the fuel can strip away the ash and char that 38 39 (Biomass Technology Review, 2010) (Biomass Conversion Technologies) Page 20 of 63 Figure 7: Fluidized bed boiler (Canadianbiomassmagnize.ca) Biomass Heating normally forms around the fuel particles. With this design, more oxygen can reach the combustible material more readily and thus the rate and efficiency of the combustion process increases. The efficient mixing of fuel with air for combustion enables the fuel to be quickly heated above its ignition temperature; it ignites and becomes part of the burning mass40. The table below provides a comparison of combustion characteristics and fuel issues for stoker and fluidized bed boilers. Stoker boilers are a relatively basic technology while fluidized bed technology is newer and more complex but offers more flexibility and operating control. The fluidized bed systems not only offer significant operating flexibility in terms of range of load conditions but also they maintain efficiency during system turn-down. TRL for both types of boilers are level 8-9 because the systems have been proven through routine successful mission operations. Moreover, a boiler is very reliable; the issues associated with boiler are rare thus boilers are rated 1 for the likelihood and severity of the issue. Figure 8: A comparison between stoker and fluidized bed boiler (Biomass Conversion Technologies) Residential Wood Burning Outdoor Wood Boiler Outdoor wood boilers (OWBs) are simple fuel burning devices designed to burn wood and other materials. They are used to heat building space and/or water through the distribution, typically through pipes, of a gas or liquid heated in the device41. Smoke emitted from OWBs contains fine particulate matter (PM) which can cause short-term effects such as eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, running nose and shortness of breath. Exposure to fine PM also can affect lung diseases such as asthma, allergies 40 41 (Biomass Conversion Technologies) (Residential Wood Burning) Page 21 of 63 Biomass Heating and heart disease. In addition, wood smoke contains carcinogens including benzene, formaldehyde, dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons42. In December 29, 2010, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation adopted 6 NYSRR Part 247 which are numerous municipal laws enacted across the state regarding OWBs. Section 247.3 and 247.4 provides a list of approved and prohibited fuels for OWBs43: Appendix B provides a list of certified OWBs in New York States. Approved fuels Seasoned clean wood Wood pellets made from clean wood Heating oil in compliances with Subpart 225-1, LP gas or natural gas may be used as starter fuels Non-glossy, non-colored papers (including newspaper) may be used only to start an OWB . Figure 9: Residential Outdoor Wood Boiler (Wood Fired Hydronic Heaters) Prohibited fuels Unseasoned wood Garbage; Animal carcasses; Yard waste Wood containing preservatives or other coatings Tires; Household chemicals; Coal; Plywood Equipment and capital costs A biomass boiler system is a complex installation with many interrelated subsystems. The table below provides total capital estimates (equipment and installation) for stoker and circulating fluidized bed steam system for three biomass fuel feed rates-100tons/days, 600tons/days, 900tons/days. The installed cost varies significantly and depends on        42 43 Scope of the equipment Output steam conditions Geographical area Competitive market conditions Site requirements Emission control requirements Prevailing labor rates (Residential Wood Burning) (Requirements for OWB Owners) Page 22 of 63 Biomass Heating The estimates presented in the table are budgetary estimates based on published data and discussion with equipment suppliers and developers in 2003 (Biomass Conversion Technologies). Figure 10: A comparison of different size boiler (Biomass Conversion Technologies) O&M costs The O&M costs include the labor for prep-yard, and labor, materials and parts for the boiler system itself. Figure 11: A comparison in the O&M costs (Biomass Conversion Technologies) Page 23 of 63 Biomass Heating Combined heat and power Conventional thermal power plants typically only convert about one-third of the fuel energy into electricity. The rest is lost as heat. Combined heat and power (CHP) facilities recover the waste heat emitted from the steam or gas turbine or other engine for direct heating. As a result, CHP provides more efficient use of fuel, producing both electricity and useful heat; typically more than four-fifths of the fuel’s energy is converted into usable energy, resulting in both economic and environmental benefits. In other words, CHP is the consecutive production and exploitation of two energy products, electrical and thermal, from a system utilizing the same fuel44. Furnaces and stoves The pellet stove is the most common type of wood pellet burner. It is a “spot heat” type of system. The stove is usually installed in the common area that people are generally in, for instance, the living room. A pellet furnace is usually sited in an attached garage, utility room or basement45. Pellet stoves are specially made stoves that have a hopper, auger system, burn pot, combustion blower, circulation blower, and ash system46. General steps are fill the hopper with fuel, turn on 44 (Mohammed Shehata) (Kacvinsky) 46 (Kacvinsky) 45 Page 24 of 63 Biomass Heating the stove and the fire starts automatically. Some stoves require manual lighting of the fire and others have an igniter47. The input panel of the stove controls the blowers, igniter, and an auger system which feeds wood pellets to the burn pot. If you need more heat, you adjust the stove to feed more pellets into the burn pot. The combustion blower functions to deliver a constant source of air to the burn pot and to double as the exhaust blower for the stove. Wood pellets would not stay lit on their own and would smolder out without the combustion blower or some other type of system to keep them lit. Some wood pellet stoves or furnace require use of outside air for the combustion process48. The stove heats up as the fire burns in the burn pot. Air is draw into the stove by the circulation blower and it circulates through chambers in the stove. After that, the circulation blower directs the heated air out of the stove and into the room. Larger furnaces direct the air into the ductwork of the house49. Ash is created as the fire burns in the burn pot. This kind of ash is called fly ash in a wood pellet stove. The fly ash is blown or pushed by incoming pellets from the burn pot when the weight of the burned pellet becomes light enough through the combustion process. Most fly ash will go into the ash system and a small amount of it escapes into the exhaust system50. Homemade wood stoves Homemade wood stoves were usually made using old 55 gallon drums. Even today, there are people still make their own wood stoves using 55 gallon drums or recycled hot water tanks because they are cheap to make (around $100.51). There are also several problems52 with simple wood stoves. They are: 47 (Kacvinsky) (Kacvinsky) 49 (Kacvinsky) 50 (Kacvinsky) 51 (Homemade Wood Stoves) 52 (Homemade Wood Stoves) 48 Page 25 of 63 Biomass Heating 1. Efficiency Commercialize wood stoves are expensive because they have an advanced and high efficiency combustion system which you won’t be able to duplicate with a homemade welded box. 2. Legality Using homemade wood stove may not even be legal depending on where you live because the wood stove may not be up to local building or fire codes. 3. Not economical in the long term The efficiency of a homemade wood stove is likely to be only to half of an EPA certified stoves. Over time, you will lose money in the extra amount of firewood that you will have to burn to heat up the house. 4. Aesthetics Homemade wood stoves often look pretty ugly. Most of today’s commercial stoves have glass doors so that you can enjoy watching the fire and ensure that it is burning efficiency. Why advanced stoves are worth the extra cost?53 1. EPA certified stoves are 1/3 more efficient This means that you can save 1/3 cost from purchasing fuel. Moreover, the extra cost of advanced technology is about $200 per stove. Therefore, after a few seasons of wood burning, the greater efficiency of stove will more than compensate for the higher initial cost. 2. Produce 90% less particulate matter The particulate matter is referred to smoke. Less particulate matter is better for health and you will not see visible smoke from the chimney. Furthermore, the chance of a chimney fire is eliminated if the stove in operated correctly and reasonable maintenance is done. Less frequent cleaning is needed for flue pipe and chimney which save time and money. 3. Fires ignite more easily and burn more completely This results in a more convenient and pleasurable wood burning experience. You can also monitor the fire through the glass panel in stoves’ door and adjust it periodically to get a perfect burn. 53 (Wood Stoves: The Most Popular Wood Heating Option) Page 26 of 63 Biomass Heating Installed and capital cost & Technology readiness level (TRL) For customers who are interested in upgrading their own facilities from a fireplace to a wood pellet stove to enhance the efficiency of the heat generated for their home, there are multiple models of stoves, inserts and central heating units burning wood, pellets, corn or other alternative biomass fuels. Older wood pellet stoves have an average of 65% efficiency rating whereas the newer stoves have efficiency rating over 80%54. As boilers, wood pellet stoves have a high TRL level (level 8-9). However, if they are to be used for burning grass pellets more research is required to enhance the robustness of the pellet stove to corrosive materials. Pellet stoves are a very reliable technology with rating of level 1-2 in the severity and likelihood of issues. Typical cost for a pellet home heating system  Investment cost: $2,419 - $3,826 (Harman pellet stove)  Installation cost: $600 - $1,20055  Fuel costs: (fuel) $250 - $279//ton, bulk delivery with min 3 tons $49 - $6956  Heat generated: 8,000 – 500,000 Btu/hour input (Harman pellet stoves) O&M costs If you own or are interested in upgrading or switching your current heating system to a pellet stove, stove manufacturers provide step-by-step installation, cleaning instructions, and manuals for cleaning pellet stoves by customers themselves. This can save money compared to hiring workers to work on installation, operation, and maintenance. The instructions are direct and easy to follow and can be found on most websites including at Harman stoves website.57 In general, the average pellet stove’s ash system needs to be cleaned approximately every 5-10 days for stoves that burn 24/7. A thorough cleaning is required at the end of each heating season or every 10-12 weeks, whichever is shorter. The cost of cleaning a chimney can range from $382 to $56858 Gasification Biomass gasification for power production involves heating solid biomass in an oxygen-starved environment to produce a low or medium calorific combustible gas. The advantage of using gasification over directly burning the biomass is the gas can be cleaned and filtered to remove 54 (Kacvinsky) (Consumers - Frequent Questions) 56 (Pelletsdirect) 57 (Cleaning Instructions) 58 (How much does it cost to clean chimney) 55 Page 27 of 63 Biomass Heating problem chemical compounds before it is burned and the gas can be easily used for power generation in internal combustion engines such as gas turbines or reciprocating engines. The fuel output from the gasification process is generally called syngas or biogas. The gasification process takes 4 steps59: Dehydration: Drying is the first and perhaps the most important stage of biomass gasification. During this step moisture is removed from the bio matter so that it can be heated to temperatures above 100C in future stages. Pyrolysis: During pyrolysis, the bio matter is further heated to temperatures above 240C. This process is done without any air so that the bio matter breaks down into charcoal and a mixture of gasses and of liquids called tars. Gases and tars contain hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon molecules while charcoal contains carbon-carbon chains. Reduction: Reduction is the reverse of the general combustion process. Instead of combining a hydrocarbon with oxygen to release heat, carbon dioxide Figure 12: 4 Processes in Gasification (How Gasification Works) and water vapor, heat is used to remove oxygen from a hydrocarbon. This uses carbon dioxide already present in the air and water vapor to combine with the charcoal that was produced in the previous stage to produce hydrogen gas, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Combustion: This process varies depending on the reactor being used. In general, combustion is used to provide the heat from the process as well as some of the carbon dioxide and water vapor used in the reduction. The fuel sources for the combustion process include either the tar gasses or charcoal produced in pyrolysis. Gasifiers characteristic There are two main types of gasifiers: fixed bed gasifiers and fluid bed gasifiers. Fixed bed gasifiers typically have fixed grate inside the gasifier. Biomass fuel is placed on top of the pile of fuel, char and ash inside the gasifier. The direction of air flowing inside of the gasifiers is determined by the reactor type. 59 (How Gasification Works) Page 28 of 63 Biomass Heating Reactors There are several different kinds of reactors available to manufacture producer gas. Each of these types has its own advantages and disadvantages, such as in efficiency, unwanted byproducts, and start times. The three reactors we will be focusing on are updraft, downdraft, and crossdraft gasifiers. Updraft In this type of reactor, air flows upwards through the reactor as shown in the figure. This method doesn’t produce as much usable gas, but it is the most efficient60. The gas that is produced provides heat to help dry the bio matter61. However, the gas that is produced must be cleaned of tars and methane before it can be used in an internal combustion engine. Figure 13: Updraft Gasifier Downdraft As shown in Figure 5, a downdraft reactor has the air flowing downwards through the combustion zone. Downdraft reactors have a lower energy efficiency rating compared to the updraft reactor62. However, this method is much cleaner with few tars being produced making it an ideal choice for use in internal combustion engines63. Downdraft reactors can also be ignited and started sooner than updraft reactors. Figure 14: Downdraft Gasifier Crossdraft In a crossdraft reactor, as shown in Figure 6, air travels sideways through the reactor. Crossdraft 60 (What is gasification?) (Gas Producers (Gasifiers)) 62 (Gas Producers (Gasifiers)) 63 (What is gasification?) 61 Page 29 of 63 Figure 15: Crossdraft Gasifier Biomass Heating reactors have the quickest start up time and produce the most gas, but the gas comes out at a very high temperature and contains high amounts of carbon monoxide64. This type of reactor operates best with dry fuel and dry air. Fluidized bed gasifiers are more complex and offer higher performance than fixed bed gasifiers but they are more expensive. Similar to fluidized bed boiler, the biomass fuel is burned in a bed of hot inert material suspended by an upward flow of air and the bed become fluidized as the amount of incoming oxygen increased. High pressure from incoming oxygen increases the throughput. On the other hand, this also increases the cost and Figure 16: Bubbling fluidized bed gasifier (Bubbling fluidized bed gasifier) complexity of the gasifier65. In short, a fluidized bed gasifier has high productivity in producing syngas. It can handle a wider range of biomass feedstocks with moisture contents on average up to 30%66. TRL, Equipment and Installed Cost The TRL for a gasifier is also very high (level 8 and 9). Similar to a boiler, it is a mature technology and very reliable. The TRL rating for severity and likelihood of issues are very low with rating of level 1-2. The reactor is the main cost for the gasifier. Table 17 (Biomass Conversion Technologies) below shows the capital cost of a gasifier for a biomass plant. 64 (Gas Producers (Gasifiers)) (Biomass Conversion Technologies) 66 (Biomass Conversion Technologies) 65 Page 30 of 63 Biomass Heating Figure 17: Biomass Gasification Capital Costs to Produce Syngas (Biomass Conversion Technologies) O&M costs Table below are the estimated cost of O&M for gasification for biomass plant. Figure 18: O&M Cost Estimates for Syngas Production (Biomass Conversion Technologies) Heating system selection The flow chart67 below provides a guide for a user to select the most appropriate combination of biomass fuel and heating system for their homes and facilities. 67 (Palmer & Tubby I. Hogan, 2011) Page 31 of 63 Biomass Heating Page 32 of 63 Biomass Heating Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Technology Readiness level (TRL) is a measure used to assess the maturity of evolving technology during its development and operations68. Below is a table listing the summary of definition of each level. Technology Readiness Level Definition69 Basic Research: Initial scientific research has been conducted. Principles are TRL 1 qualitatively postulated and observed. Focus is on new discovery rather than applications. Applied Research: Initial practical applications are identified. Potential of material TRL 2 or process to solve a problem, satisfy a need, or find application is confirmed. Critical Function or Proof of Concept Established: Applied research advances and TRL 3 early stage development begins. Studies and laboratory measurements validate analytical predictions of separate elements of the technology. Lab Testing/Validation of Alpha Prototype Component/Process: Design, TRL 4 development and lab testing of components/processes. Results provide evidence that performance targets may be attainable based on projected or modeled systems. Laboratory Testing of Integrated/Semi-Integrated System: System Component TRL 5 and/or process validation is achieved in a relevant environment. Prototype System Verified: System/process prototype demonstration in an TRL 6 operational environment (beta prototype system level). Integrated Pilot System Demonstrated: System/process prototype demonstration in TRL 7 an operational environment (integrated pilot system level). System Incorporated in Commercial Design: Actual system/process completed and TRL 8 qualified through test and demonstration (pre-commercial demonstration). System Proven and Ready for Full Commercial Deployment: Actual system TRL 9 proven through successful operations in operating environment, and ready for full commercial deployment. Below are tables that can be used to measure the severity of issues. The higher the rating, the more sever the issues and the more likelihood the issues will happens. Severity of issues rating definition 4 Catastrophic: Whole system crashes, need more than a month to repair 3 Critical: System doesn’t work, partial system crashes, need more than 2 weeks to repair to setup 2 Moderate: System might or might not work but need more than 3 days to repair 1 Negligible: System can still work but might need short repair time The reliability of appliances measures how likelihood do people need to clean or do maintenance on the appliances. For example, some pellet stoves (depends on the size and manufacturer) need to be fueled on daily basis, to be cleaned on weekly basis (such as scraping out and taking out the 68 69 (Technology Readiness Level) (Technology readiness level definitions and descriptions) Page 33 of 63 Biomass Heating ash) and to be cleaned by professionals on a seasonal basis. The table below provides the rating for the likelihood of issues. Reliability- Likelihood of issues rating definition Likely to occur: once a day Probably occur: once a week May occur: once a month Unlikely to occur: once a year/yearly maintenance Improbable: more than a year 5 4 3 2 1 In addition to introducing the idea of TRL, severity and reliability of issues, the table below provides a rough estimate of TRL, severity and reliability of issues for all the conversion technologies that mentioned in the Biomass Conversion Technologies section. Technology Pellet furnace and stove Homemade wood stove Boiler Gasifier Grass pellet TRL 8-9 7-8 8-9 7-9 7-9 Severity of issues 1-2 1-3 1 1-3 1-2 Likelihood of issues 4-5 4-5 1-2 3-4 4-5 Job creation The biomass industry significantly benefits the national economy and particularly benefits local economies. In the region of the New England and New York State, it has been estimated that for every 100,000 tons of pellets manufactured, 342 direct jobs are generated which include logging, chipping, and trucking70. Another study estimated that 3-5 jobs are created per MW produced through biomass71. An “economic multiplier” is a value used to estimate the economic impact with the changes in direct employment in an industry. Each multiplier is a quantified measurement of the strength of the economic linkage between a specific industry job with the rest of the regional economy. As the strength of the linkage increases, the size of the multiplier is greater and therefore the greater the employment impact of the given sector to the overall economy72. The economic multiplier for biomass energy varies regionally, based on fuel sources, scope of the energy project, population density and other factors. One study found an economic multiplier of 3.2 for the entire supply chain. In other words, for every job created directly in the industry, another 2.2 jobs 70 (Biomass and Rural Economies) (Using local fuel contributes to local economy, job creation and community security) 72 (Kay, 2002) 71 Page 34 of 63 Biomass Heating are created in other industries or business as a result73. Examples of indirect jobs supported by the fuel cost savings include hiring of new workers at gas stations and auto repair shops and hiring of more waitresses as result of opening new restaurants near pellet mills. (Another reference related to job creation is “The economic benefits of an energy efficiency and onsite renewable energy strategy to meet growing electricity needs in Texas”74) Incentives and economic benefits A new report by ECOPROG GmbH says that while China, India and the U.S. will experience the most biomass power growth over the next five years, Europe will continue to possess the largest market in biomass industry75 and remain the biomass power leader. Residential wood heating especially in the form of ultra-clean pellet stoves and boilers increased substantially in many countries in Europe. This is because of strict policy measures combined with generous incentives. As a result, the adoption and Figure 19: Savings on a $10,000 Biomass Appliance (Residential technological advancement of biomass Appliance Incentives) appliances are more widespread in European countries compared to United States76. The mandatory directive from the European Union (EU) Parliament to increase the renewable energy production is the reason for providing such strong incentives for home biomass heating in Europe. The European mandates required each nation within the EU to commit to the directive by drafting Energy Action Plans. In the United States, Renewable Portfolio Standards only target electricity production. Europe, on the other hand, has provision for renewable fuel heating in European standards. As a result, incentivizing biomass appliances is the method that European nations used to meet their renewable energy targets77. 73 (Biomass and Rural Economies) (John Laitner, 2007) 75 (Simnet, 2012) 76 (Residential Appliance Incentives) 77 (Residential Appliance Incentives) 74 Page 35 of 63 Biomass Heating European Incentives Examples Schemes to support uptake and new installations in many European countries, including UK78: Scheme Carbon Trust Biomass Heat Accelerator Trust Energy Efficiency Finance CO2Sense Investment Fund Community Sustainable Energy Programme Energy Entrepreneurs Fund Scheme E.ON Sustainable Energy Fund Energy Saving Scotland - small business loans (formerly Loan Action Scotland) Enhanced Capital Allowance Feed-in tariffs 78 Notes Business Availability NonPublic profit sector Private Individuals A technology accelerator project from the Carbon Trust announced in April 2006, with a £5m budget over 5 years. It aims to examine and address the key barriers to the uptake of biomass in the UK. Flexible loans for SMEs to allow investment in energy saving equipment. Investment funding will normally be provided on a 'revenue share' basis, where the funding is repaid within a defined period, plus a small royalty on related product sales / savings. The Community Sustainable Energy Program provides funds to community-based organizations for feasibility studies and the installation of micro-generation technologies DECC launched the 1st phase of the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund scheme on 23 August 2012. This is a competitive funding scheme to support the development and demonstration of innovative, new technologies, products and processes in the areas of:  Energy efficiency and building technologies  Power generation and storage A grant from E.ON for community groups and not-for-profit organizations planning to install sustainable energy projects The scheme allows a business to borrow between £1,000 and £100,000 interest-free and repayable up to 4 years and would be used to help a business to reduce its energy consumption, saving both money and CO2. Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs) enable a business to claim 100% first-year capital allowances on their spending on qualifying plant and machinery. A mechanism to support small scale generators of renewable electricity, up to 5 MWe to complement the Renewables Obligation for large scale generators. Applies to AD but not currently Yes Yes Yes Yes, within Yorks & Humber Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes (Grants and support) Page 36 of 63 Biomass Heating Forestry MicroEnterprise Grant East Midlands Forestry Microenterprise Grant Rural Development Program Renewable Heat Incentive Renewable Heat Premium Payments Scottish Community and Householder solid biomass. Grants of between £2,500 and £25,000 will be available towards buying new machinery or equipment, building handling or storage facilities or installing wood fuel systems. It is funded by the Rural Development Program for England and is administered jointly by the Forestry Commission and the East Midlands Development Agency. If you are interested please call Anne Garner on 01673 843461 for a prospectus. Grants of between £2,500 and £25,000 will be available towards buying new machinery or equipment, building handling or storage facilities or installing wood fuel systems. The RDP is significant European funding for the development of rural areas. Funding is available for a wide range of activities including the development and diversification of land based businesses and the installation of biomass boilers. Schemes are administered differently in different areas of the UK: England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) opened for applications in November 2011, and provides financial assistance to generators of renewable heat, and producers of renewable biogas and biomethane. RHI is now also available in Northern Ireland. Phase 1 is for non-domestic installations, with support for domestic to follow in phase 2, expected Summer 2013. The Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme is a government scheme that gives money to householders to help them buy renewable heating technologies – solar thermal panels, heat pumps and biomass boilers. As of next year, the Renewable Heat Incentive will expand to cover the domestic sector and the Green Deal will come into force, so this is a short-term scheme making one-off payments that will also allow us to learn more about what people think of these technologies and how they perform in a variety of conditions. New schemes for communities and households in Scotland; follow link on left for details Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Phase 2 Yes Yes Page 37 of 63 Biomass Heating Renewables Initiative Wood Energy Business Scheme WRAP Anaerobic Digestion Loan Fund A Forestry Commission Wales initiative which aims to establish a network of wood fuelled installations across Wales, producing clean heat and electricity and strengthening the timber supply chain. The ADLF offers direct financial support to organizations building new AD capacity in England. It aims to ensure that food waste is diverted from landfill or from other, less environmentally sustainable operations, up the waste hierarchy. The purpose of the loan fund is to leverage or top up private sector funding (not to replace it) or to materially accelerate the projects. Yes Yes Yes United States Federal Tax incentives The 2011 Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency offers a 10% tax credit (up to $500 or a specific amount from $50- $300) when you retrofit your primary residence with a new, high efficiency wood pellet stove by December 31, 2011. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 retroactively renewed this tax credit, expiring again on December 31, 2013. This credit applies to energy efficiency improvements in the building of existing homes and for the purchase of high-efficiency heating, cooling and water-heating equipment79. New York State programs 1. Solar, wind & biomass energy system exemption80 The law encourages the installation of equipment that generated electric energy from biogas produced by the anaerobic digestion of agricultural waste with 100% tax exemption for 15 years between 1991 and 2014. This tax incentive is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2014. 2. Residential wood heating fuel exemption81 New York exempts 100% retail sales of wood used for residential heating purposes from the state sales tax 3. Commercial and Industrial efficiency program82 79 (Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit, 2013) (Local Option - Solar Wind & Biomass Energy Systems Exemption, 2013) 81 (Residential wood heating fuel exemption, 2012) 82 (NYSEG(Gas) - Commercial and Industrial Efficiency Program, 2013) 80 Page 38 of 63 Biomass Heating NYSEG and RG&E offer rebates to non-residential customers installing energy efficiency equipment that pay a natural gas systems benefits charge. For example: Furnaces: $100 (92% efficiency) Steam boiler: $200 (82% efficiency) Condensing boiler: $1000-$6000 (90% efficiency), and many more 4. Energy Conservation Improvements property tax exemption83 Qualifying energy-conversation improvements to homes are exempt from real property taxation to the extent that the addition would increase the value for the home. The exemption includes general municipal property taxes, school district taxes and special ad valorem taxes. Spreadsheet An Excel spreadsheet was created that accompanies this report to provide fuel cost comparisons between different fuels, to calculate the savings from using biomass, and to estimate the total jobs created directly and indirectly from biomass and reductions in carbon dioxide and other emissions. This section provides a detail explanation of each section/step in the “User Interface” worksheet in the Excel spreadsheet. Introduction The “User Interface” worksheet is highlighted in several colors: pink, green and yellow. The section that is highlighted in pink is a brief instruction and reference(s) for the section below. The yellow highlighted section ask for user’s input which could ranges from asking the user to select an option from a top down menu or to put an value in this section. Lastly, the green highlighted section contains formulas to calculate the required calculation. The data in this section will change automatically based on user’s input or the default value. Users should not change any formulas or value in this section; the cells are locked. 83 (Energy Conservation Improvements Property Tax Exemption, 2013) Page 39 of 63 Biomass Heating Step 1 Step 1 asks the users to select the county that they are interested in. Users can select the county by clicking B9 and a top down menu will show up. The counties in B4 represent the 8 counties in the Southern Tier region in the New York. User’s input in this section will change some values in step 6. Step 2 Step 2 asks the users to select the sector that they represent. Two options are available for users to select: Residential or non-residential. This step affects the fuel cost in step 3 automatically. Step 3 Step 3: Specify the amount of fuel(s) you have been using for heating every year at column C. If your fuel price is different from the default price, please specify at column E. The total fuel cost for current heating is listed at G29 and total BTU produced from fuels is listed at G30. Note: reference for this section is based on EIA fuel comparison calculator (www.eia.gov/neic/experts/heatcalc.xls) 3 Your current summary of heating Fuel Type Fuel unit Heating Oil Electricity Natural Gas Propane Firewood Wood Chip (20% moist) Wood pellets Grass pellets Kerosene Coal Gallon kWh Therm Gallon Cord Ton Ton Ton Gallon Ton Total fuel unit used in 1 year 500 5 200 Default price $4.00 $0.17 $1.07 $2.39 $142.00 $125.00 $200.00 $220.00 $4.30 $200.00 Your fuel price if it is different from default price Fuel Price per MMBtu ($ per MMBtu) Fuel Cost $37.0 $51.6 $13.4 $33.5 $20.8 $12.6 $15.1 $20.9 $39.8 $10.7 Total fuel cost Total Btu $2,000.0 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $1,000.0 $0.0 $860.0 $0.0 $3,860.0 141,689,286 Percentage of your home/ facility is heated by fuel 38% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 47% 0% 15% 0% Price Reference http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Energy-Prices-Data-a http://www.eia.gov/beta/state/data.cfm?sid=NY#P http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/#pric http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Energy-Prices-Data-a http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lincoln/sites/def http://www.forest2market.com/blog/Northwest-W http://www.thewoodburners.com/fuel_pellet.php http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?ar http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Energy-Prices-Data-a www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/fuels/ Page 40 of 63 Biomass Heating Step 3 requires users to fill out the total amount of fuel that they use each year at column C based on the units given in column B. Column A represents the common fuels in the region. The default price is given in column D. If users think the price they are paying for is different from the default price, users can input their price at column E. The fuel price per million Btu is listed at column F. Column F will update automatically if the user’s fuel price is different from the default price. Fuel cost for heating is calculated by multiplying total fuel unit with the fuel price and it is listed at Column G. Column F represent the percentage of your house or facility is heated by each type of fuel. The reference for the fuel price is listed at Column I. G30 represents the total Btu your facility or house uses each year for heating. Step 4 Step 4: Specify the percentage of fuels to be used at column C (be sure to consider some percentage for biomass). Make sure the total percentage is 100%. Total fuel cost is listed at E46. 4 Your summary if switch to use partial biomass Fuel Type Fuel unit Heating Oil Electricity Natural Gas Propane Firewood Wood Chip (20% moist) Wood pellets Grass pellets Kerosene Coal Gallon kWh Therm Gallon Cord Ton Ton Ton Gallon Ton Percentage of Total fuel unit home/facility is should used in 1 year heated by this fuel 30% 392.9 0% 0.0 0% 0.0 0% 0.0 0% 0.0 0% 0.0 70% 7.5 0% 0.0 0% 0.0 0% 0.0 100% Total Fuel Cost $1,571.7 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $1,502.8 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $3,074.5 Step 4 asks the users to specify the desired new percentage of each fuel that their facility or home will be heated with at Column C. In this step, the users should generally input some percentage or increase in the percentage of house or facilities heated by biomass. The users should make sure that the total percentage (C46) is 100%, otherwise, a warning sign will be shown at the cell C47. The table will update automatically at column D and E based on user’s input in column C. The new total fuel cost for heating with biomass is listed at E46. Page 41 of 63 Biomass Heating Step 5 Step 5: Individual fuel savings listed at B50 5 Individual savings when using new fuel percentages Savings/year $785.5 B50 in step 5 represents the individual savings when using biomass. This savings is calculated by using the original fuel cost in step 4 subtracts the new fuel cost with biomass in step 5. Comparison of fuel cost for original and modified system $4,500 $4,110.00 $4,000 Coal $3,450.18 $3,500 Kerosene Grass pellets $3,000 Wood pellets $2,500 Wood Chip $2,000 Propane $1,500 Natural Gas $1,000 Electricity $500 Heating Oil $0 Orignal Fuel Cost Fuel Cost with biomass Total This chart represents a comparison between the original fuel cost and the new fuel cost with using biomass. The bar chart on the left represents the fuel cost for your original system. Each color represents a fuel type and the total cost of the system is listed on the top of the bar chart. The bar chart on the right represents the fuel cost of the new system with biomass (or more biomass percentage) based on your input in step 4. Based on the chart above, it is clearly shown that the total fuel cost for the system with more percentage of biomass is lower than your original system. Page 42 of 63 Biomass Heating Step 6 Step 6: This section is only applicable for the residential sector. Assuming every house/condo in the county reduces only the percentage of oil and propane the same percentage that you listed in section 4, the total fuel cost savings for the county is listed at B61. Note: reference for this section is at line 24, AE-AM in this worksheet. Residential sector: If all households in your county changed to the percentage of biomass that you chose 6 County Tompkins Houses/Condos # 19,583 Fuel type Utility gas Heating oil, kerosene Propane Wood Electricity Coal or coke Fuel percentage 49.60% 21.90% 11.30% 7.80% 7.30% 21.90% Original fuel cost (million dollars) $14.99 $18.24 $8.54 $3.66 $8.49 $5.26 Fuel cost with your model (million dollars) $14.99 $5.47 $2.56 $3.66 $8.49 $5.26 County's Fuel Savings (million dollars) $18.74 This section is only applicable to residential sector. Assume every house/condominium in your county reduces only the percentage of oil and propane in the same percentage the user listed in step 4, while other fuel remains unchanged. The resulting total fuel cost savings in the county is shown in B61, be aware the unit is in terms of million dollars. G56 lists the total number of houses in the county. Line 58 lists the percentage of each fuel used by average houses/condos in the county. The reference for the number of houses/condos in the county and percentage of each fuel is listed at row 19 and columns AE-AM of this worksheet. Note: wood is assumed to be firewood. Fuel cost (million dollars) at your county if every house reduced the percentage of oil and propane same percentage as you did $60.00 $50.77 $50.00 $40.04 Coal or coke Electricity $40.00 Wood $30.00 Bottled, tank,LP gas Fuel oil, kerosene $20.00 Utility gas $10.00 Total $0.00 Original Your fuel percentage The chart on above provides a comparison between the total fuel cost for the original system in term of million dollars at the user’s county and the new system that every house reduce the percentage of oil and propane same percentage as the user did. Similar to the chart in step 5, the left bar chart represents the original system and the bar chart on the right represents the system Page 43 of 63 Biomass Heating with the percentage reduction of oil and propane. The total fuel cost is listed on the top of the bar chart. According the chart above, less money is used on the fuel for heating in the new modified system compared to the original system. Step 7 Step 7: This section is only applicable for the residential sector. Total job created from the county's fuel savings is listed on row 64. There are mainly three ways to calculate job creation: jobs created with every 100,000 toms of pellet being manufactured, jobs created with every million dollars savings with using biomass, and lastly direct and indirect job created using economic multiplier (3.2 for biomass in New York). You can change the parameters in row 69 if you would like to use different numbers. Note: Rerence for this section is: Biomass and Rural Economies (http://biomassthermal.org/resource/PDFs/Fact%20Sheet%205.pdf ) 7 Economic Impact based on county's fuel savings Measures Range Default Your value Direct jobs/ 100,000 tons of pellet Low end High end 342 350 Direct jobs/million dollars Low end High end 7 22 Multiplier - direct job Low end High end 1 1 Multiplier - indirect jobs low end high end 2.2 4 This section provides an estimate on the amount of jobs created both directly and indirectly through entire biomass supply chain. There are three different ways to calculate job creation in the region:    A range of jobs created per 100,000 tons of pellet A range of jobs created per million dollars (from fuel savings) A range of jobs(directly and indirectly) created using economic multiplier The range of jobs created is shown in line 65. If the users feel the parameter for job creation is different from the default value, the user can provide their values on line 64. Step 8 Step 8: Amount of reduced carbon dioxide from using biomass is listed at F88 and F90. Note: Reference for this section is: http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/climate/docs/ghgCalculatorFuelCombust.xls Your current emission Your emission with biomass 8 Emission Gas Emission Gas Fuel Type CH4 (CO2-equivalent N2O (CO2-equivalent CH4 (CO2N2O (CO2CO2 (kg) CO2 (kg) kg) kg) equivalent kg) equivalent kg) Heating Oil 5.2 5128.8 12.4 4.1 4030.5 9.7 Electricity Natural Gas 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Propane 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Firewood 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Wood Chip (20% moist) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Wood pellets 66.0 0.0 103.3 99.2 0.0 155.2 Grass pellets 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Kerosene 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Coal 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Individual-Total emission 71.2 5128.8 115.7 103.3 4030.5 164.9 (kg) Individual-Reduced CO2 (kg) 1098.3 County-Total emission (kg) 1,394,327.1 100,436,777.5 2,264,890.0 2,022,330.4 78,929,579.5 3,229,528.2 County-Reduced CO2 (kg) 21,507,198.0 * The health effect of methane and nitrous oxide is not in the scope of the project. For more information on the health effect of methane, please visit: (http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/eh/chemfs/fs/Methane.htm); nitrous oxide please visit (http://ehs.columbia.edu/NitrousOxideHealthHazards.pdf). For other health effects from burning fuels and biomass, please see: "The Hidden costs of energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use," The National Academies Press, 2010) Page 44 of 63 Biomass Heating Step 8 represents the amount of greenhouse gas emission (methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide) from burning each fuel. The table on the left represents the total emission from your current house or facility. The table on the right represents the total emission based on your input in step 4. Since carbon dioxide contribute the most to the global warning, the spreadsheet focuses on the reduction of carbon dioxide instead of other emissions. The total reduction in carbon dioxide is listed at F83. Note: the emissions here exclude the processes of fuel extraction and transportation. Greenhouse Gas Emission (CO2-equivalnet kg) Comparison of Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Systems 6000 Current emissions Emissions with biomass 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 Series1 CH4 (CO2equivalent kg) CO2 (kg) N2O (CO2equivalent kg) CH4 (CO2equivalent kg) CO2 (kg) N2O (CO2equivalent kg) 71.2 5128.8 115.7 103.3 4030.5 164.9 The chart above presents a comparison of greenhouse gas emission between the current system and modified system (with (more) biomass). The left hand side of the chart represents the emission from the original system and the right hand side of the system represents the emission from the modified system. The chart shows that the amount of carbon dioxide emitted through combustion is dominant compared to methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Moreover, the modified system produced less carbon dioxide than the original system. Conclusion This report has reviewed and analyzed the potential benefits of using regionally available biomass for heating and perhaps cogeneration of electricity. A spreadsheet was developed to allow individuals, businesses, and institutions to evaluate and chose biomass heating systems by quantifying the individual savings and benefits. It also shows the overall benefits for the example region, the Southern Tier of New York State. The results show that large cost savings, regional economic benefits, and greenhouse gas Page 45 of 63 Biomass Heating reductions would accrue with wider use of biomass heating to replace oil, propane, and kerosene fuels. Even more benefit would accrue if heating were combined with cogeneration. The review of the available technologies and capital costs shows that technologies are generally available and mature for large scale users who have some personnel and space available for operations and management. Also mature technologies are available for pellet heating for widespread small scale applications such as home heating. We hope that this work will assist in the adoption of cost-effective and environmentallybeneficial energy usage by individuals, businesses and institutions. Page 46 of 63 Biomass Heating Appendix A: Biomass projects in New York State Project profile 1: Biomax100 at Morrisville State College, Morrisville, NY In December 2012, Morrisville State College installed a new biomass gasifier (BioMax 100), a combined heat and power (CHP) system near the Commons I residence hall. The BioMax system was designed and installed by Community Power Corporation (CPC) of Colorado. It can gasify wood pellets, wood chips and other biomass resources to generate heat and electricity to two oncampus residence hall buildings. The efficiency of this CHP system is over 61% and requires an average of 2.4 tons of feedstock per day. In optimal operation, it can produce 100kW continuous power to 125kW peak capacity. At 75% availability, it will produce more than 657,000 kWh each year and at least 350,000 Btu of heat in every hour. This CHP system guaranteed a 15% - 20% savings to Morrisville College. Although the BioMax 100 runs on wood chips and wood pellets, Morrisville State College is planning testing the feasibility of the system using waste products as feedstocks -- like cardboard, paper, cartons, etc. Eventually the system will switch its feedstock from wood chips to waste material produced at school to further save fuel cost and create a more sustainable environment. Different types of feedstock that will be tested in the BioMax 100 Page 47 of 63 Biomass Heating BioMax 100 system Page 48 of 63 Biomass Heating Project profile 2: ACT Bioenergy boiler at Cayuga Nature Center, Ithaca, NY A 0.5 MMBtu wood chip boiler was installed at Cayuga Nature Center in 2009 to heat the facilities of the center. This boiler supplied by ACT Bioenergy replaced heat previously provided by propane boilers which remain in place as back-up. The total system installed cost was approximately $155,000. The boiler provides an annual savings of $13,000 in heating costs and uses locally available wood chips as feedstock. The heat transfer efficiency of the system ranged between 80% - 90%. The feed system typically requires minor attention about once a day A 10 foot x 10 foot chip storage bin was built next the containerized boiler and hold fuel that lasts for 3 days. A larger barn was also built that allows a dump truck to deliver loads of up to 10 ton of chips at a time. The boiler is estimated to reduce net carbon dioxide emission by 45 tons per year which is equivalent to carbon dioxide emission from eight average-sized cars. Facility crew & wood chip boiler Chip bin auger/stirrer Page 49 of 63 Biomass Heating Wood chip boiler and storage bin Project profile 3: Hurst Biomass Boiler at Wagner Lumber, Cayuta, NY Wagner Lumber is a groups of sawmills in New York and Pennsylvania that help clients in logging and timber management as well as serving lumber customers around the globe. A 15.05MMBtu (450 horsepower) Hurst boiler is installed at a facility of Wagner Lumber located at Cayuta, New York. For fuel the boiler uses green waste such as sawdust or wood chips from the sawmill. They have moisture content of around 28%. The boiler facility uses 25-30 tons of wood chips per day and generates around 11.72 MMBtu of heat per day (350hp) in winter. The steam generated from the boiler system is used to heat up its facilities. 15-18 tons of ash is generated and is removed once a year. The feed system typically needs minor attention about once a day. The boiler is inspected once per year and shut down for maintenance twice every year. During the inspection and shutdown period, the personnel in the facility start up their backup system. The backup system is an oil boiler which uses #2 heating oil. The cost of the heating oil is $3.65$3.75/gallon and it is loaded by a 45-50 gallons truck. It is much more expensive to supply the needed heat from the oil boiler backup and they try to carry out the maintenance time of the biomass boiler as quickly as they can. Page 50 of 63 Biomass Heating Heating system to control the moisture of wood Sawdust as the feedstock Hurst boiler Moving wood Project profile 4: Grass Pellet Stove @ Big Red Barn, Cornell University The grass pellet stove installed at Big Red Barn is the Quadra Fire Mt. Vernon AE Fireplace insert pellet stove. The heat output of this stove is between 14,600 and 60,200 Btu/hour depending on the feed rate setting used. It has a 7day programmable wall thermostat that allows automatic room temperature control. The pellet feed rate is around 1 to 5 lbs/ hour depending on the feed setting (1-5 settings). However, it is used more for ambiance than heat. It Page 51 of 63 Biomass Heating only runs when people are present which is often in the evening. The cost of this facility was around $4,198. Once a year, a technician come in from Hearth & Home comes to clean and inspect the stove. So far, there has only been one time that Hearth and Home was called in for a problem with the unit’s controller over the past 5 years. Therefore, the technology readiness for this facility was very high. Page 52 of 63 Biomass Heating Appendix B: Technology Readiness Level descriptions84 TRL 1 Definition Basic Research. Initial scientific research begins. Examples include studies on basic material properties. Principles are qualitatively postulated and observed. TRL 1 Description Basic principles are observed. Focus is on fundamental understanding of a material or process. Examples might include paper studies of a material’s basic properties or experimental work that consists mainly of observations of the physical world. Supporting information includes published research or other references that identify the principles that underlie the material process. TRL 2 Definition TRL 2 Description Applied Research. Initial Once basic principles are observed, practical applications can practical applications are be identified. Applications are speculative, and there may be identified. Potential of material no proof or detailed analysis to support the assumptions. or process to satisfy a technology Examples are still limited to analytic studies. Supporting need is confirmed. information includes publications or other references that outline the application being considered and that provide analysis to support the concept. The step up from TRL 1 to TRL 2 moves the ideas from basic to applied research. Most of the work is analytical or paper studies with the emphasis on understanding the science better. Experimental work is designed to corroborate the basic scientific observations made during TRL 1 work. TRL 3 Definition TRL 3 Description Critical Function, i.e., Proof of Analytical studies and laboratory-scale studies are designed to Concept Established. Applied physically validate the predictions of separate elements of the research continues and early technology. Examples include components that are not yet stage development begins. integrated. Supporting information includes results of Includes studies and initial laboratory tests performed to measure parameters of interest laboratory measurements to and comparison to analytical predictions for critical validate analytical predictions of components. At TRL 3 experimental work is intended to verify separate elements of the that the concept works as expected. Components of the technology. Examples include technology are validated, but there is no strong attempt to research on materials, integrate the components into a complete system. Modeling components, or processes that and simulation may be used to complement physical are not yet integrated. experiments. TRL 4 Definition TRL 4 Description Laboratory Testing/Validation of The basic technological components are integrated to establish Alpha Prototype that the pieces will work together. This is relatively "low Component/Process. Design, fidelity" compared with the eventual system. Examples include development and lab testing of integration of ad hoc hardware in a laboratory and testing. technological components are Supporting information includes the results of the integrated performed. Results provide experiments and estimates of how the experimental evidence that applicable components and experimental test results differ from the component/process performance expected system performance goals. TRL 4-6 represent the 84 (Technology readiness level definitions and descriptions) Page 53 of 63 Biomass Heating targets may be attainable based bridge from scientific research to engineering, from on projected or modeled systems. development to demonstration. TRL 4 is the first step in determining whether the individual components will work together as a system. The laboratory system will probably be a mix of on-hand equipment and a few special purpose components that may require special handling, calibration, or alignment to get them to function. TRL 5 Definition TRL 5 Description Laboratory Testing of The basic technological components are integrated so that the Integrated/Semi-Integrated system configuration is similar to (matches) the final System. Component and/or application in almost all respects. Supporting information process validation in relevant includes results from the laboratory scale testing, analysis of environment- (Beta prototype the differences between the laboratory and eventual operating component level). system/environment, and analysis of what the experimental results mean for the eventual operating system/environment. The major difference between TRL 4 and 5 is the increase in the fidelity of the system and environment to the actual application. The system tested is almost prototypical. An example in PV might be the fabrication of devices that closely match or exceed the expected efficiency targets but is fabricated in the lab manually with minimal automation. Scientific risk should be retired at the end of TRL 5. Results presented should be statistically relevant. TRL 6 Definition TRL 6 Description Prototype System Verified. Engineering-scale models or prototypes are tested in a relevant System/process prototype environment. This represents a major step up in a technology’s demonstration in an operational demonstrated readiness. Examples include fabrication of the environment- (Beta prototype device on an engineering pilot line. Supporting information system level). includes results from the engineering scale testing and analysis of the differences between the engineering scale, prototypical system/environment, and analysis of what the experimental results mean for the eventual operating system/environment. TRL 6 begins true engineering development of the technology as an operational system. The major difference between TRL 5 and 6 is the step up from laboratory scale to engineering scale and the determination of scaling factors that will enable design of the final system. For PV cell or module manufacturing, the system that is referred to is the manufacturing system and not the cell or module. The engineering pilot scale demonstration should be capable of performing all the functions that will be required of a full manufacturing system. The operating environment for the testing should closely represent the actual operating environment. Refinement of the cost model is expected at this stage based on new learning from the pilot line. The goal while in TRL 6 is to reduce engineering risk. Results presented should be statistically relevant. Page 54 of 63 Biomass Heating TRL 7 Definition Integrated Pilot System Demonstrated. System/process prototype demonstration in an operational environment(integrated pilot system level). TRL 8 Definition System Incorporated in Commercial Design. Actual system/process completed and qualified through test and demonstration- (Pre-commercial demonstration). TRL 9 Definition System Proven and Ready for Full Commercial Deployment. Actual system proven through successful operations in operating environment, and ready for full commercial deployment. TRL 7 Description This represents a major step up from TRL 6, requiring demonstration of an actual system prototype in a relevant environment. In the case of a new PV module, this will include a full-scale pilot line capable of producing such modules. Examples include manufacturing the PV devices on a manufacturing pilot line with operations under primary control of manufacturing. Significant amount of automation is expected at the completion of this phase if the cost model for full-scale ramp requires it. 24-hour production (at least for a relevant duration) is expected to discover any unexpected issues that might occur during scale up and ramp. Supporting information includes results from the full-scale testing and analysis of the differences between the test environment, and analysis of what the experimental results mean for the eventual operating system/environment. Final design is virtually complete. The goal of this stage is to eliminate engineering and manufacturing risk. To credibly achieve this goal and exit TRL 7, scale is required as many significant engineering and manufacturing issues can surface during the transition between TRL 6 and 7. TRL 8 Description The technology has been proven to work in its final form and under expected conditions. In almost all cases, this TRL represents the end of true system development. Examples include full-scale volume manufacturing of commercial end product. True manufacturing costs will be determined and deltas to models will need to be highlighted and plans developed to address them. Product performance improvement plan needs to be highlighted and plans to close any gap will need to be developed. TRL 9 Description The technology is in its final form and operated under the full range of operating conditions. Examples include steady state 24/7 manufacturing meeting cost, yield, and output targets. Emphasis shifts toward statistical process control. Page 55 of 63 Biomass Heating Appendix C: List of NYS Certified Outdoor Wood Boilers Models85 Manufacturer Model Certified Emission Rate (lb/MMBtu, heat output) Classification Minimum Setback (feet) Fuel Woodmaster 30KW 0.04 Residential 100 Cord wood Woodmaster 60KW 0.04 Residential 100 Cord wood Central Boiler Maxim 250 0.066 Residential 100 Wood pellets Heatmor 200 SSP 0.07 Residential 100 Wood pellets Polar Furnace G3 0.08 Residential 100 Cord wood Central Boiler E-Classic 3200 0.08 Commercial 200 Cord wood Central Boiler E-Classic 2400 0.12 Commercial 200 Cord wood Hawken Energy, Inc. GX10 0.14 Residential 100 Cord wood LEI Products Bio-Burner BB-100 0.145 Residential 100 Wood pellets Woodmaster 60KW 0.16 Residential 100 Wood pellets Central Boiler E-Classic 1450 0.18 Residential 100 Cord wood Polar Furnace G2 0.19 Residential 100 Cord wood Hardy Manufacturing KBP270 0.20 Residential 100 Wood pellets Nature's Comfort LLC GT-6000 0.22 Residential 100 Cord wood Piney Manufacturing Optimizer 250 0.23 Residential 100 Cord wood Pro-Fab Industries Empyre Pro Series 200 0.23 Residential 100 Cord wood Greentech Manufacturing Crown Royal RS7400-E 0.236 Commercial 200 Cord wood 85 (List of NYS Certificed Outdoor Wood Boiler Models) Page 56 of 63 Biomass Heating Piney Manufacturing Optimizer 350 0.291 Commercial 200 Cord wood Heatmor 200 SSR II 0.315 Residential 100 Cord wood Piney Manufacturing Economizer 100 0.315 Residential 100 Cord wood Hardy Manufacturing KB165 0.316 Residential 100 Cord wood Central Boiler E-Classic 2300 0.320 Residential 100 Cord wood Central Boiler E-Classic 1400 0.32 Residential 100 Cord wood Page 57 of 63 Biomass Heating Appendix D: More resources on biomass  A guide to feasibility studies Palmer, D., Tubby, I., Hogan, G. and Rolls, W. (2011). Biomass heating: a guide to feasibility studies. Biomass Energy Centre, Forest Research, Farnham. Websites: http://www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/BEC_TECHNICAL/BES T%20PRACTICE/38215_FOR_BIOMASS_3_LR.PDF  A guide to medium scale wood chips and wood pellet systems Palmer, D., Tubby, I., Hogan, G. and Rolls, W. (2011). Biomass heating: a guide to medium scale wood chip and wood pellet systems. Biomass Energy Centre, Forest Research, Farnham. Websites: http://www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/BEC_TECHNICAL/BES T%20PRACTICE/37821_FOR_BIOMASS_2_LR.PDF  A guide to small log and wood pellet systems Palmer, D., Tubby, I. Hogan, G. and Rolls, W. (2011). Biomass heating: a guide to small log and wood pellet systems. Biomass Energy Centre, Forest Research, Farnham. Websites: http://www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/BEC_TECHNICAL/BES T%20PRACTICE/36491_FOR_BIOMASS_1.PDF Page 58 of 63 Biomass Heating Appendix E: Works Cited (n.d.). 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Primer on Wood Biomass for Energy. Retrieved February 2013, from USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry Technology Marketing Unit: http://www.esf.edu/scme/wus/documents/primer_on_wood_biomass_for_energy.pdf Biomass and Rural Economies. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2013, from Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC): http://biomassthermal.org/resource/PDFs/Fact%20Sheet%205.pdf Biomass Burn Characteristics. (2011, June). Retrieved February 2013, from Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/11-033.htm#3 Biomass Conversion Technologies. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2013, from EPA Combined Heat and Power Partnership: http://www.epa.gov/chp/documents/biomass_chp_catalog_part5.pdf Biomass Energy and its Benefits. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2013, from The Public Utilities Commision of Ohio: http://www.puco.ohio.gov/puco/?LinkServID=07F1E2BB-0AA7-FBD8-20C111EC567E4C99 Biomass Feedstocks. (n.d.). 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