On June 7, the U.S. EPA issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, announcing the agency is soliciting public input on whether and how to change the way it considers costs and benefits in making regulatory decisions.
On June 5, Waste Management unveiled the latest technology at its Outer Loop Recycling and Disposal Facility in Louisville, Kentucy. The technology converts waste from the landfill into usable, renewable natural gas (RNG).
Drax Power Station June 6 took a step closer to achieving its coal-free ambitions by taking its fourth coal-fired power generating unit offline as part of a planned outage program as it prepares to convert it to run on sustainable biomass.
Illinois-based Walz Scale has developed new volumetric measurement systems for the biomass industry. The non-contact laser based measurement systems provide high accuracy volume measurement for trucks and conveyor belts.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing that U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 570,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in February, with sales reaching 640,000 tons during the month.
Italy-based Turboden S.p.A., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group company, has announced the sale of its 300th Organic Rankine Cycle biomass plant, a 5 MWe plant sold in Turkey to AGT.
On June 4, a group of eight members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry sent a letter to committee chair Sen. Pat Roberts and ranking member Sen. Debbie Stabenow expressing support for the Farm Bill energy title programs.
Fortum has signed a low-NOx combustion technology agreement with Bord na Móna in Ireland for its Edenderry peat and biomass power plant. The agreement covers the whole turnkey project for the 128-MW cofired plant.
Pinnacle Renewable Holdings Inc. has entered into a new long-term, take-or-pay off-take contract with Japan-based Hanwa Co. Ltd. Under the contract, Pinnacle will supply Hanwa with 75,000 metric tons of wood pellet annually, beginning in 2022.
A group of senior policymakers and government officials has visited Drax Power Station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, to learn more about the U.K.'s largest power station and its plans to pilot new carbon capture technology.
Biomass' carbon neutrality and forest sustainability have been two topics of heated debate, especially over the past decade, as the global wood pellet industry has flourished.
On May 22, Portland General Electric Co. opened a request for proposals (RFP) seeking an additional 100 average megawatts of renewable power generating resources. Eligible projects must be at least 10 MW in size. Bids are due June 15.
Understanding the positions of those opposed to the wood pellet industry is critical to overcoming and reconciling differences.
There is no doubt that Asia's demand for biomass is growing rapidly, but a big unknown is how much of a role wood pellets will play in meeting the emerging demand, and where will those pellets come from.
The government of the Netherlands has filed a report with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network outlining current market opportunities for wood pellets, primarily those made of sawdust.
Drax has announced that it is to pilot the first bioenergy carbon capture storage (BECCS) project of its kind in Europe, which, if successful, could make the renewable electricity produced at its North Yorkshire power station carbon negative.
On May 16, USDA Forest Service Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen announced the award of almost $8 million in Wood Innovation Grants to expand and accelerate wood products and wood energy markets.
On May 18, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 198 to 213 to defeat the 2018 Farm Bill. One day prior to the vote, members of the House defeated a proposed amendment by a vote of 75 to 340 that would have repealed the Farm Bill's Energy Title.
The International Renewable Energy Agency has announced the renewables industry created more than 500,000 new jobs globally last year, a 5.3 percent increase from 2016. Approximately 10.3 million are now employed by the renewable energy industry.
The American Biogas Council in conjunction with the Agriculture Energy Coalition and the Biomass Power Association is urging Congress to oppose H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill.
On May 10, California Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order that aims to protect communities from wildfire and climate impacts. The California Biomass Energy Alliance said it is encouraged that Brown recognizes the importance of biomass energy.
On May 14, the Agriculture Energy Coalition sent a letter to the House of Representatives opposing the elimination of a stand-alone energy title and exclusion of mandatory funding for energy programs in the 2018 Farm Bill.
Arizona Public Service Co. is seeking competitive proposals for projects that utilize biomass feedstocks from high-risk forest lands in Northern Arizona to generate capacity and energy, pipeline quality biogas, or other suitable products.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the May edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting that nonhydropower renewables will provide more than 10 percent of electricity generation this year, up slightly from last year.
Air Products has acquired gasification technology from Shell. The acquisition includes Shell's associated patent portfolios for solids (coal and biomass) gasification and sharing of patent rights for residue and biomass gasification.
In April 2018, CEC signed a third biomass project contract with DP CleanTech whereby DP will provide its most advanced complete biomass solution to CEC. The 30 MW project will be in Nanyang Economic Development Zone, Baixiang County, Hebei province.
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May recently helped celebrate the opening of a new bioenergy training center at the U.K.-based Berkshire College of Agriculture. The new energy center will provide training in in biofuel engineering and related skills.
Asia's demand for biomass is growing rapidly. Wood pellet imports into South Korea and Japan have grown exponentially in the past few years. In 2017 South Korea imported 2.4 million tons (Mt) of wood pellets, 20 times more than was imported in 2012.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently announced that U.S. manufacturers of densified biomass fuel reported producing 620,000 tons and selling 600,000 tons of fuel products in January.
On April 30, Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and David Young, R-Iowa, launched a bipartisan House Food Waste Caucus to explore opportunities to reduce food waste. The American Biogas Council spoke at a recent briefing hosted by Pingree.
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