From an article in the Ashland Current:
The Lakewoods Resort is receiving a clean energy award from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
Secretary of Tourism Stephanie Klett announced the $163,650 award on Wednesday. The award stems from the resort installing a bioenergy heating project, where the resort will use locally-produced wood pellets and wood chips from nearby forests to fuel its heating system. The resort is retiring an old propane boiler system and upgrading to a commercial-scale pellet boiler, which will be completed by December 2012.
According to the Department of Tourism, the project is expected to save the resort about $72,000 in fossil fuel costs in its first year of use.
“I am pleased that one of our most prominent resorts located in the Chequamegon National Forest will be investing in a local renewable energy source,” Klett said. “The project will protect the natural beauty of northern Wisconsin, provide local jobs, and invest in Wisconsin’s renewable resources.”
The use of wood biomass can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of a commercial facility, the department reports.