Biomass Power

June 21, 2017

Perdue names 3 to USDA leadership roles

BY USDA Found In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsSecretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently named three individuals who will take on leadership roles as the USDA continues the reorganization announced on May 11. READ MORE

June 19, 2017

Nevada governor vetoes bill to increase RPS to 40 percent by 2030

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Power, BiogasOn June 16, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval vetoed a bill that aimed to increase the state’s clean energy standard to 40 percent renewables by 2030, up from the current requirement of 25 percent renewable energy by 2025. READ MORE

June 16, 2017

ARC awards $1.5 million to support biorefinery center at ASC

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded $1.5 million to New York-based Alfred State College to support its Biorefinery Development and Commercialization Center project, which aims to leverage wood resources to create sustainable business. READ MORE

June 16, 2017

Biogest builds fifth gas-to-grid biogas plant in the UK

BY Biogest Found In:Power, Thermal, BiogasBiogest recently announced a contract for the construction of its fifth gas-to-grid biogas plant in the U.K. The plant has an output of 1,400 standard cubic meters of biogas per hour, which corresponds to a thermal output of approximately 7 MW. READ MORE

June 15, 2017

Enviva considers building pellet facility in Virginia

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, PowerThe city of Danville, Virginia, recently announced the approval of a purchase agreement with Enviva Development Holdings LLC for a 168-acre tract of land in the Berry Hill Industrial Park in Pittsylvania County. READ MORE

June 15, 2017

Students attend pop-up Drax virtual tour

BY Drax Group Found In:Pellets, PowerSchoolchildren at a North Yorkshire primary school recently experienced a unique new “pop up” planetarium developed by Drax to support STEM learning—science, technology, engineering and math—in the curriculum. READ MORE

June 15, 2017

DOE names new director of ORNL

BY U.S. Department of Energy Found In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsU.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry recently announced the appointment of Thomas Zacharia as the new Director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He was unanimously selected by the UT-Battelle board of governors to succeed Thom Mason. READ MORE

June 14, 2017

Hazlett selected to lead USDA Rural Development agencies

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsAgriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has named Anne Hazlett to lead USDA’s Rural Development agencies. Hazlett, who’s title will be assistant to the secretary for Rural Development, will report directly to Perdue. READ MORE

June 12, 2017

ElectraTherm generates biomass power in Maryland

BY ElectraTherm Found In:Power, ThermalElectraTherm recently shipped a Power-plus Generator 4400 to Maryland, where it will utilize waste heat to generate emission-free electricity. This is the first application of its kind to cleanly burn chicken manure to generate clean energy. READ MORE

June 09, 2017

EIA updates short-term bioenergy forecasts

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, BiogasThe U.S. Energy Infrastructure Administration has released the June edition of Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting nonhydropower renewables will provide 9 percent of U.S. electricity generation in 2017, increasing to nearly 10 percent in 2018. READ MORE

June 09, 2017

Veolia awarded O&M contract for North Carolina biomass facility

BY Veolia Found In:Power, ThermalThrough a $9 million annual operations and maintenance contract with North Carolina Renewable Power–Lumberton LLC, Veolia Energy Operating Services LLC will manage a cogeneration plant that plant that converts poultry litter and wood chips to energy. READ MORE

June 08, 2017

NYSERDA, NYPA issue record renewable energy RFP

BY Anna SimetFound In:Power, BiogasThe New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and New York Power Authority have issued requests for proposals (RFP) for up to 2.5 million megawatt-hours of renewable power, totaling the largest renewable RFP issued by any state. READ MORE

June 08, 2017

Opinion: Setting the record straight on the Paris Agreement

BY M. Seth Ginther Found In:Pellets, PowerEven though President Trump has chosen to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, U.S. pellet producers will still be able to participate in mitigating the negative impacts of climate change by continuing to supply wood pellets to Europe. READ MORE

June 07, 2017

USDA, DOE open $9 million BRDI funding opportunity

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe USDA and U.S. Department of Energy are making up to $9 million in funding available through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative to support the development of bioenergy feedstocks, biofuels and biobased products. READ MORE

June 07, 2017

Port of Tyne takes delivery of 2 eco-hoppers

BY Port of Tyne Found In:Pellets, PowerThe Port of Tyne took delivery of two new purpose-built eco-hoppers June 6 at a cost of £4.5 million, marking a major milestone in the development of around £100 million of new infrastructure at the port’s South Shields base in northeast England. READ MORE

June 07, 2017

Enviva Forest Conservation Fund awards 2017 grants

BY Enviva Holdings LP Found In:Pellets, PowerThe Enviva Forest Conservation Fund recently announced it is awarding $500,000 to three projects that will help conserve more than 8,000 acres of environmentally sensitive bottomland and wetland forests. READ MORE

June 07, 2017

Drax Biomass awarded Lantern Award

BY Drax Biomass Found In:Pellets, PowerDrax Biomass recently received the Lantern Award for its dedication and commitment to Louisiana communities. The award was handed out personally by Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson. READ MORE

June 07, 2017

Xergi’s largest biogas plant makes milk production greener

BY Xergi Found In:Power, BiogasXergi has announced plans to deliver its largest biogas plant to date. The facility will supply Danish dairy company Arla Foods with green energy for the production of milk powder in Videbaek in the western part of Denmark. READ MORE

June 06, 2017

Nevada bill aims to increase RPS to 40 percent by 2030

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:PowerOn June 5, the Nevada Senate voted 12 to nine in favor of legislation that aims to increase the state’s clean energy standard to 40 percent renewables by 2030. The Nevada Assembly passed the bill, AB 206, by a vote of 30 to 12 in late May. READ MORE

June 05, 2017

USDA report provides background on Japan’s Clean Wood Act

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, PowerA report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network provides background information Japan’s recently implemented Clean Wood Act, which aims to ensure domestic and imported wood are harvested legally. READ MORE

June 05, 2017

Opinion: The Sustainability Standoff

BY Tim PortzFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced FuelsCommercial forests in the Southeast are owned by millions of private individuals and families who are currently struggling to see the value in taking on the cost of certification. READ MORE

June 02, 2017

Trump pulls US out of Paris Agreement

BY Anna SimetFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsIn what he described as a move to fulfill his duty to protect America and its citizens, President Donald Trump has officially begun the process to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord. READ MORE

June 02, 2017

In Depth: Stimulating Sustainability Certification in North America

BY Ron KotrbaFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalThe Dutch are motivated buyers of North American wood pellets, but the lack of sustainability certification of small forest owners in the U.S. and Canada has created an intense need for intercontinental collaboration. READ MORE

June 01, 2017

EPA grant supports development of California biomass project

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:PowerThe U.S. EPA has awarded $56.8 million in fiscal year 2017 brownfields funding through its assessment and cleanup grants. A portion of that funding will benefit a bioenergy project in California. READ MORE

May 31, 2017

Georgia-Pacific mill completes boiler upgrade

BY Anna SimetFound In:Power, ThermalGeorgia Pacific has finished a $388 million boiler system overhaul at its Brewton, Alabama, containerboard mill. The project has enabled the mill to generate all of its own energy by burning a mix of biomass and natural gas. READ MORE

May 31, 2017

UK ADBA: RHI reform delays expected to impact biomethane projects

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced FuelsIn the U.K., the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association has lowered its forecast for new biomethane plants expected to be commissioned this year, citing a delay with Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) reforms. READ MORE

May 30, 2017

DTE acquires two renewable natural gas facilities

BY Anna SimetFound In:Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced FuelsDTE Biomass Energy has acquired two renewable natural gas projects in Texas. Ford Bend Power Producers LLC, located near Rosenberg, is currently operating, while the Seabreeze project in Angleton, Texas, is expected to begin construction in June. READ MORE

May 30, 2017

In Depth: Feedstock Sustainability Regulations in the EU

BY Hannes Lechner and John Dawson-Nowak Found In:Pellets, Power, ThermalSustainability of biomass supply is already a well-monitored, efficiently managed issue in some European countries, regarding supply chains for industrial-scale power and heat generation. READ MORE

May 26, 2017

DOE announces biomass committee meeting, solicits members

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe U.S. Department of Energy recently announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee and has published a notice soliciting nominations for new members. READ MORE

May 25, 2017

U.S. Forest Service grants expand wood energy markets

BY U.S. Forest Service Found In:Pellets, Power, ThermalU.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell recently announced over $8.3 million to substantially expand and accelerate wood products and wood energy markets. Federal funds will leverage almost $37 million in matching funds. READ MORE