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REPP
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Biopower Basics, Stats and Definition
By Virinder Singh
According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), biomass is projected to account for more than three-fifths of all non-hydro renewable fuels between 2000 and 2020--increasing its contribution by 74% from 38 billion kWh in 2000 to 66 billion kWh in 2020. Biomass is expected to make up over three-fifths of all non hydro renewable energy between 2000 and 2020.
BIOMASS
Solar energy that is stored in green plants and other organic matter. Wood and forest residues, animal manure and waste, grains, crops and aquatic plants are some common living materials grown or produced expressly for use as biomass fuels. Biomass facilities burn wood, agricultural wastes and/or methane gases from landfills to spin a turbine that then generates electricity.
Biopower provides the most non-hydroelectric renewable energy in the U.S., contributing over 1.5% of total electricity supply. This compares to 0.4% for geothermal, and 0.1% for wind and solar combined. There are essentially two kinds of biopower—biopower for self-generation in pulp-and-paper facilities, and biopower facilities that produce power and heat not only for the on-site facility, but also for the grid.
Of the 10,000 megawatts (MW) in total biopower capacity installed nationwide, over 7,000 MW belongs to the pulp and paper industry.
Almost two-thirds of all biomass energy in the U.S goes to providing heat and power for industrial facilities, and for the pulp and paper industry in particular.
Less than a fifth of all biomass is consumed for electricity production, with a portion of this total consumed by pulp and paper operations.
Much of this biopower capacity in the U.S. came on-line in the 1980s in response to the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act of 1978 (PURPA), which guaranteed a market and favorable prices to certain non-utility power producers.
PURPA required regulated utilities to buy power from non-utility power producers if the latter could offer prices that were equal or less than the cost of power production avoided by a purchasing agreement. Nevertheless, PURPA encouraged substantial additions in the Northeast (particularly Maine) and California.
One important sector for electricity generation from biopower is the agricultural sector. Here, biopower plants arose in close proximity to packing and processing operations that yielded large amounts of residues.
For example, biopower plants in California’s Central Valley burn materials such as almond hulls and rice straw that farmers would otherwise burn openly. Here, industry concerns about future air pollution regulations spurred agricultural processors to burn biomass in a controlled power plant setting, rather than in the open air.
Finally, landfill methane projects represent that last active sector for biopower today. U.S. EPA estimates there are over 200 landfill methane recovery projects in the U.S. Most of these projects are much smaller in size than those in pulp and paper and agriculture, with sizes ranging from 250 kW to 20 MW.
Landfill methane projects benefit from a number of factors. First, the federal Renewable Energy Production Incentive (REPI) has supplied a subsidy of up to 1.5 cents/kWh to publicly owned facilities that generate electricity through renewable resources.
However, since REPI is wholly dependent on annual Congressional appropriations, it has had limited impact due inconsistent funding from year to year. Annual financial uncertainty makes it difficult for project investors to have confidence in the subsidy, and therefore its value is diminished when a project’s financing is under consideration.
Second, community attitudes toward landfill methane projects are generally positive, thereby encouraging governments who otherwise would not want negative publicity. In fact, attitudes have even supported voluntary, “green power” purchases of electricity from landfill methane.
While pulp and paper facilities, sawmills, in-forest residues, agricultural operations, and landfills dominate biopower today, trends in technology and fuels point to new and expanded directions for biopower.
For more information on Biomass, visit the US Department of Energy and American Biomass Association.
Bibliography:
NREL photo library
PIX number: 00311
Sugar cane field in Hawaii with ocean background. Sugar cane can be used to produce ethanol.
Credit: Gretz, Warren
Date: 5/1/93
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