Several legislators have again introduced an act that would level the playing field for biomass heating technologies—and potentially, some biomass power facilities.
Cogeneration technologies are poised to play an increasingly important role in the energy mix of the future.
Wood pellet imports to Asia reached an all-time-high in the Q4 2016, when Japan and South Korea together imported 630,000 tons of pellets.
A northern California biomass plant readying to recommence operations is seeking fuel suppliers. Blue Lake Power LLC, a 12-MW power station in Blue Lake, California, issued a call for fuel suppliers last week.
Elecnor has been awarded the contract to build two biomass-fueled plants in Portugal. Each plant will have a power capacity of 15 MW and run on forest-based fuel. Both facilities are expected to be operational within 24 months.
On June 21, the European Commission announced it has found that Danish support for the biomass conversion of a cogeneration plant owned by Dong Energy Thermal Power A/S is in line with state aid rules.
Officials from East Kentucky Power Cooperative and Bavarian Waste Services recently dedicated the expansion of the cooperative's power plant, which is fueled by methane gas from the landfill.
Reps. Rom Reed, R-N.Y, and Ron Kind, D-Wisc., recently introduced the House version of the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act, which provides incentives for farmers and rural electric cooperatives to invest in biogas.
In the U.K., Ofgem has announced it will reduce a specific payment to some small electricity generators receive for producing electricity at peak times. Embedded generators with less than 100 MW capacity are among those impacted.
In the wake of political actions impacting U.S. clean energy development, leaders of a variety of renewable energy organizations have banded together to further the growth of the renewable industry via a shared vision for the national power grid.
The Water Environment Federation and the American Biogas Council are partnering to expand the conversion of organic waste into renewable energy and valuable soil products at facilities across the U.S.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently named three individuals who will take on leadership roles as the USDA continues the reorganization announced on May 11.
Estonia-based Nelja Energia recently announced the opening of a wood chip-fueled cogeneration facility and 120,000 metric-ton per year pellet plant in Brocēni, Latvia. Most of the pellets produced at the plant are exported to the European market.
The U.S. Department of Energy is awarding 263 grants totaling $116 million to 184 small businesses under the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. Several of the awards support bioenergy projects.
On 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.
Biogest 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.
The 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.
U.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.
Schoolchildren at a North Yorkshire primary school recently experienced a unique new “pop upâ€� planetarium developed by Drax to support STEM learning—science, technology, engineering and math—in the curriculum.
The 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.
Agriculture 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.
ElectraTherm 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.
Through 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.
The 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.
Even 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.
The 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.
The 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.
Xergi 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.
Drax 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.
The 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.
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