The Biomass Thermal Energy Council has announced plans to release a draft of the first thermal efficiency test method designed specifically for commercial-sized boilers that utilize solid biomass as a fuel stock.
On July 22, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources introduced a bipartisan energy bill, titled the "Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015." The committee was scheduled to hold business meetings on the bill on July 28 and July 30.
On July 28, Drax Group plc released its half-year results for the six months ended June 30, delivering Europe's largest decarbonization project, on time and on budget, while also producing 8 percent of the U.K.'s electricity.
AWWRA, a nonprofit association established in 2012, promotes sustainable, environmentally and economically sound, closed-loop wood waste recycling practices and reuse initiatives through its industry membership and resource tools.
Adequately drying wood chip fuel is an important component of maximizing heat and power production, and techniques vary widely.
New Holland Agriculture is supplying equipment to the State University of New York that will aid in U.S. Department of Energy-funded research focused on finding ways to reduce the cost of delivering biomass for refinement.
An update of the proposed wood-to-energy (WTE) checkoff program was provided at the 2015 Pellet Fuels Institute conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. The concept is under review by industry, and a draft is expected late this year or early 2016.
Viridis Energy Inc. recently announced that its subsidiary Okanagan Pellet Co. Inc. has commenced a major plant upgrade to address new regulatory requirements for safe storage and management of wood pellets.
The Dewar's Aberfeldy Distillery in the heart of the Scottish Highlands installed a biomass boiler in late 2014. According to John Dewar & Sons, the system has cut the carbon footprint of the site by 90 percent.
German Pellets has completed the commissioning of the first construction phase of its pellet plant in Urania, Louisiana. Work on the second construction phase, which will increase capacity from 578,000 to 1,156 million metric tons, is now underway.
The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change has announced several measures that aim to deal with a projected over-allocation of renewable energy subsidies, including changes to grandfathering provisions for biomass cofiring and conversions.
Despite a sluggish quarter that saw a 3 percent decrease in net sales, a drop to $268 million compared to $277.3 million for Q2 2014 and a 19 percent decrease in earnings, Astec Industries Inc. continues to see activity in its pellet plant business.
The Pellet Fuel Institute annual conference is being held July 19-21 in Williamsburg, Virginia, hosting 185 attendees, 31 exhibitors and 11 sponsors. This year's conference began with an overview and analysis of the global pellet market.
In early June, I blogged about the fact that Canada's Pinnacle Pellet successfully fully loaded a Panamax-class vessel with wood pellets, and a couple of days ago, I got an update from John Singleton at Handy Shipping Guide.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has selected five renewable energy projects to receive NextGen Energy grants. The grants were specifically targeted at projects using woody biomass to replace propane as a heat source.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is soliciting nominations for candidates to fill vacancies on the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee. Nominations are due Aug. 14.
U.S. EPA's New Source Performance Standards for new residential wood heaters is now in effect, although Wiberg says there are ambiguities. He shares what the Pellet Fuels Institute and others know about the NSPS rule.
The July/August issue of Pellet Mill Magazine covers both plant efficiency and policy matters, as inventory is built up in preparation of the 2015-'16 heating season and upcoming policy issues arise with potential to shape the future of pellet fuel.
Macquarie Capital and Macquarie's Commodities and Financial Markets group have recently signed an agreement to support MGT Power Limited in the financing of the 299 MWe Teesside Renewable Energy Plant.
The third pellet stove design challenge, led by the Alliance for Green Heat, entered phase one this summer to help consumers identify the most efficient stoves and how best to operate them.
The world's largest ever single shipment of biomass has been discharged on the quayside at Associated British Ports' Humber International Terminal at the Port of Immingham ready for onward transit to Drax power station.
Several regulatory schemes in the U.S. should perk up pellet producers' ears. Hear from industry leaders why.
Planned weekly or monthly and annual outages are essential to running a high-performing, efficient pellet mill.
A three-year partnership between Lloyds Register Rail, U.K. manufacturer WH Davis and Drax has reached a significant milestone as Drax takes delivery of its 200th specially designed biomass rail freight wagon.
Once a highly manual process, bagging and stacking finished product has greatly improved with automation.
In a recent report, FutureMetrics aims to debunk two common myths regarding the use of wood pellets as a substitution for coal: that they release more carbon dioxide during combustion, and that they create a carbon debt that takes decades to repay.
The U.K. government has announced it will remove the Climate Change Levy exemption for renewable electricity generated after Aug. 1. The move is expected to impact Drax and other renewable energy producers in the country.
Four years ago, Aurora Wood Pellets Ltd. began the development of a 200,000-metric-ton pellet plant in the Northwest Territories of Canada. With two Forestry Management Agreements in hand, CEO Brad Mapes hopes to purchase the site's land this month.
On July 2, the White House issued a memo on modernizing the regulatory system for biotechnology products to heads of the U.S. EPA, USDA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It outlines several actions the agencies will take over the next year.
The University of Louisville Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research has formed a partnership with a South Carolina company to accelerate commercialization of a coal-like product made from wood and biomass materials.
Advertisement
@ Copyright 2026 - BBI International - All rights reserved.