Biomass Week - January 28, 2011

Obama sets 80 percent by 2035 clean energy goal In his State of the Union address Jan. 25, President Obama challenged the nation to join him in setting a new goal that 80 percent of America's electricity be produced from clean energy sources by 2035. READ MORE SHARE
New Wisconsin governor ends UW-Madison biomass project A $251 million biomass power project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been nixed by new Republican Gov. Scott Walker, on account of the project's high cost. The plan was to replace coal with natural gas and eventually switch to biomass. READ MORE SHARE
	Detroit Edison to grow its renewable portfolio Power utility Detroit Edison Co., whose parent company is DTE Energy Co., is the winning bidder to purchase electricity from a landfill gas-to-electricity project at Smiths Creek Landfill in St. Clair County, Mich. READ MORE SHARE
Credit wraps could de-risk biomass feedstock supply Some biomass projects are not investment-grade quality in today's finance market for a few reasons, the main one being the lack of long-term feedstock supply contracts. A new financial instrument could change how lenders look at supply risks. READ MORE SHARE
Construction begins on California landfill gas expansion project An expansion of an existing landfill gas-to-energy project in Orange County, Calif., will increase its electricity output from 5 MW to 37.5 MW. Broadrock Renewables LLC will own and operate the $130 million plant at the Olinda Alpha Landfill. READ MORE SHARE
AD plant permitted for South Carolina Columbia, S.C., will soon be the home of an AD facility that will process organic waste streams from a multitude of industrial sources to eventually generate 3.2 megawatts of clean power. The project has just received its final solid waste permit. READ MORE SHARE
New Hampshire expands pellet heat incentive The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has made improvements to its biomass boiler rebate program, which should encourage more system installations. The PUC lowered the efficiency standard and will allow for systems requiring routine cleaning. READ MORE SHARE
Radian completes preliminary engineering on torrefaction process Radian BioEnergy has completed preliminary engineering on a commercial-scale proprietary torrefaction system, which can convert wood and other biomass into biochar. Biochar burns similar to coal so it can be integrated into coal‐fired power plants. READ MORE SHARE
Wisconsin tribal organization plans biomass plant A proposed waste-to-energy facility in Ashwaubenon, Wis., has run into local opposition, and while the developing company does not need approval from the municipality, it is going through the public input process as a courtesy and to gather feedback. READ MORE SHARE