HTM National Bioenergy Day on 10/23/09 a Success!
This celebration was a collaborative effort of Heating the Midwest, AURI's Minnesota Renewable Energy Roundtable, and KODA Energy LLC.
|
|
Did you know that the heat and power from combusting biomass at Koda Energy supports the production of enough malt at Rahr Malting to brew ~ 10 Billion 12 ounce cans of beer each year? If that many beer cans were laid end to end, they would circle the earth over 30 times! That is over 749,000 miles of beer cans, and enough beer to fill over 1400 Olympic size swimming pools!
That’s some impressive use of biomass that folks should know! While we also had great visit at St. Paul District Energy and Len Busch Roses, I bet less than 1% of the use population knows that they are using and marketed beer that has been touched by renewable biomass thermal energy. We as an industry need to emphasize such examples whenever we get a chance..
We also are excited about the
Midwest Biomass Exchange(MBioEX)
that HTM has develop to utilize residuals better throughout the Midwest helping connect provider and users. Please check out the site as it continues to develop and grow. Also let us know if you may be interested in advertising on the site if you are involved in the biomass thermal industry, as a manufacturer or service provider as you’ll see in the short time we’ve been operational there are hundreds of folks connecting with that site.
May you each have a blessed Thanksgiving and stay connected with HTM.
Tony "T.J." Morice
|
|
- Agenda Released for 2020 International Biomass Conference & Expo
- DOE Awards $3 million for R&D to Wood Stove Manufacturers
- EPA Urges Manufacturers to Stick to May 2020 Deadline
- Whither Biomass? Michigan Wood-Fired Power Plants Face Uncertain Future
- Industry Publications
- National Funding Opportunities
- Minnesota Funding Opportunities
- Social Media
- Free Publications
- Become an Action Team Volunteer
- Call for news
|
|
Agenda Released for 2020 International Biomass Conference & Expo
|
|
Biomass Magazine
announced this week the agenda for the 13th annual
International Biomass Conference & Expo
taking place February 3-5, 2020 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The three-day agenda will be divided into four tracks covering pellets & densified biomass, biomass power & thermal, biogas & waste-to-energy, and advanced biofuels & biobased chemicals, as well as a pre-conference event titled, the Biomass Preparation, Handling and Storage Workshop. The pre-conference event is a full-day session taking place Monday, February 3rd, prior to the evening opening reception in the expo hall and will detail the latest advancements in material handling.
More information can be found
here
.
|
|
DOE Awards $3 Million for R&D to Wood Stove Manufacturers
|
|
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected only two companies – MF Fire and ISB Marketing – to receive $3 million for research and development (R&D) through the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The DOE had $5 million for stove and boiler manufacturers but decided to only award $3 million this year.
The two manufacturers are working on next-generation controls and designs for wood stoves that have barely entered the marketplace. Both companies are focusing their efforts on how to make stoves cleaner in the hands of consumers – not just in the test lab – which has become widely recognized as the Achilles heel for the millions of Americans who heat with cord wood.
|
|
EPA Urges Manufacturers to Stick to May 2020 Compliance Deadline
|
|
On October 15 the EPA provided an update on its wood heater website page urging “affected entities to continue efforts to certify compliance with the NSPS in light of the upcoming May 15, 2020, compliance date.” According to NSPS legal experts, the EPA sometimes issues such updates to provide more transparency when stakeholders need certainty due to an approaching deadline.
The update is widely interpreted to mean that there will be no sell-through for whole house heaters or any other significant changes in the regulations issued by the EPA in 2015. However, the details of any changes to the 2015 rules will come later this fall when the EPA issues the Final Rule.
Read the full story
here.
|
|
Whither Biomass? Michigan Wood-fired Power Plants Face Uncertain Future
|
|
Without policy support, plant operators in Michigan say they can't compete with wind, solar and natural gas.
Wood-fired power plants across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula will continue operating through the 2020s, but their life beyond that is uncertain amid declining wind and solar prices.
A September ruling by Michigan regulators created a competitive bidding process for one of the state’s largest utilities, Consumers Energy, that will force biomass producers to compete directly with wind and solar once their contracts expire over the coming decade.
Consumers has argued in recent years that contracts with independent producers under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) are too expensive. This includes wood-fired power plants as well as small hydropower and waste-to-energy.
Read the full story
here
.
|
|
New Publication
Poultry-Barn-Heating-with-Wood-Energy
Recent Publications:
Other publications:
|
|
National Funding Opportunities
|
|
DOE: No-cost technical assistance.
The DOE Office of Indian Energy provides federally recognized Indian tribes with technical assistance to advance tribal energy projects at no cost.
|
|
Minnesota Funding Opportunities
|
|
HTM has joined LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter
|
Heating the Midwest Incorporated has created a LinkedIn page and also a Facebook page. Follow the page to stay up to date with what we're working on! Also follow us on Twitter.
Click
here
to follow us on LinkedIn
Click
here
to follow us on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter @HTM_BiomassHeat
|
|
Biomass Magazine and Pellet Mill Magazine
are free to subscribers in the USA. Here's the link to sign up for the magazine and free e-newsletters, free webinars and more:
BTEC Newsletter
: If you are interested in receiving the Biomass Thermal Energy Council's weekly biomass newsletter and other news releases, you are encouraged to sign-up at:
http://biomassthermal.org/mailingForm.asp
|
|
Heating the Midwest- Become an Action Team Volunteer!
|
|
If you have a specific area of interest related to biomass thermal, we welcome your participation in one or all of HTM’s three action teams-Biomass Combustion Technologies, Biomass Policy & Benefits, and Biomass Resources & Demographics. Is your time often stretched? No problem. Time committed to the HTM effort is volunteer time. Joint action team calls are held monthly via conference call, and calls are limited to one hour in respect of members’ time and busy schedules. Members may choose to volunteer more of their time individually to support Action Team specific projects as they arise.
Individuals with a passion for biomass thermal energy are being sought to lead the Biomass Resources & Demographics Action Team or the Biomass Combustion Technologies Action Team. This is a great opportunity to share your leadership skills in furthering the mission of HTM and to directly connect with the biomass industry sector and other agencies—all with a goal of growing market opportunities for biomass and specifically for biomass as a fuel for thermal heating and cooling, and combined heat and power.
The work of the action teams involves developing “boots on the ground” projects for spurring action, discussing industry challenges in each sector and how to possibly address, networking and supporting the overall goals and vision of the Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass initiative in an effort to grow demand and expand marketing opportunities in the biomass thermal sector, and create awareness of biomass thermal.
HTM Joint Action Team calls are held the >>
Third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. CST
<<. Separate action team calls are scheduled as needed.
For more detailed information on the Biomass Policy & Benefits Action Team, please contact Gregg Mast (
Gregg_Mast@earthtechenergy.com
). Questions pertaining to the Biomass Resources & Demographics Action Team & the Biomass Combustion Technologies Action Team can be forwarded to the action team chair noted, or feel free to contact Becky Philipp (
bphilipp@auri.org
), steering committee member.
|
|
Call for Your Midwest Biomass Stories and Events for December Newsletter
|
|
As you've seen month after month; companies, governments, and communities around the Midwest are making progress on biomass heating and combined heat and power (CHP) programs and projects. If you have a story or event to contribute for next month, please submit by close of business the 3rd Wednesday of the month to
kloeffler@heatingthemidwest.org
. And, if you'd like to be on the list to receive upcoming newsletters, please contact Kelsey Loeffler at
kloeffler@heatingthemidwest.org
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
