by jboullion | Jun 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Xcel Energy:
Test stations to be used to educate local farmers, public on woody biomass development and costs
ASHLAND, WIS. – Plantings began today on two innovative woody biomass energy plantations in the Lake Superior basin that will be testing hybrid species of poplar and black willow trees. The plantations at the Ag Experiment Station in Ashland and Morning View Farm in Port Wing were made possible by grants from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Xcel Energy. The Lake Superior Woody Biomass Initiative (LSWBI) will promote the scientific research and development of the two biomass energy plantations.
The LSWBI includes a number of research-based projects that are necessary to support sustainable biomass production and utilization in northwest Wisconsin. To be sustained, production and harvest of woody biomass must protect or enhance soil quality, surface and groundwater quality, and biodiversity. The LSWBI will:
* Evaluate advanced selections of woody biomass crops by establishing hybrid poplar and black willow germplasm clone trials. The trial will be conducted in cooperation with Bill Berguson, Natural Resources Research Institute, Duluth, Minn., who has one of the largest hybrid breeding programs in the United States.
* Optimize woody biomass production systems by establishing poplar and black willow production trials to evaluate and demonstrate management and harvest options. The trials will be used to demonstrate basic site preparation, planting and weed control management options to farmers and the public.
by jboullion | Jun 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kevin Murphy in the Wausau Daily Herald:
MADISON — D.C. Everest Area School District wants to be more involved in decision-making on a proposed $250 million biomass power plant planned in Rothschild.
In a letter to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission dated Monday, Milwaukee attorney William Mulligan asked that the district be granted “intervenor” status, which would allow district representatives to see all communications in the case.
In her affidavit filed with the PSC, Superintendent Kristine Gilmore said the district should be involved in the case because it is obligated to protect the health and safety of its 5,702 students, 720 teachers and staff in 11 schools.
“Rothschild Elementary School is within one half mile and D.C. Everest Junior High School is within one mile of the site of the biomass-fired cogeneration plant Wisconsin Electric Power Company proposes to build in Rothschild,” she wrote in the affidavit.
by jboullion | Jun 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Wisconsin power projects spark questions about emissions from biomass vs. fossil fuels
How green can the energy produced by a biomass power plant be if it releases carbon dioxide into the air just like a coal or natural gas-fueled plant?
That’s the question being raised about biomass projects, including one proposed by We Energies in Rothschild and another Xcel Energy Corp. is considering in Ashland.
“You can’t assume that biomass is carbon-neutral. It depends on how many trees you plant and how fast they grow, and all sorts of variables,” said Katie Nekola, energy program director at the conservation group Clean Wisconsin. “It’s right to look at it case by case to see exactly what the carbon balance is going to be for any plant. . . .”
Milwaukee-based We Energies is proposing a $255 million, 50-megawatt power plant at the Domtar Corp. paper mill in Rothschild. Some residents in Rothschild, south of Wausau, have objected to the project because of concerns about air pollution that would be released by a new power plant located not far from a $770 million coal-fired power plant in Weston and south of Rothschild.
The utility said it proposed the biomass project as a way to help it comply with Wisconsin’s renewable power mandate because it can generate electricity around the clock, unlike a wind farm. The project would supply steam to Domtar’s paper mill and create up to 150 jobs, the utility said.
Critics call for a review
Critics of the project are asking the state Public Service Commission and Department of Natural Resources to do a full environmental review of the project.
A detailed review is not required and was not performed for the proposed Xcel Energy biomass plant in Ashland.
The agencies have not decided whether the review, known as an environmental impact statement, will be done for the We Energies project.
“Stop this biomass project now, please,” Rebecca Simms of Rothschild said in a public comment filed with the state. “Biomass should no longer be considered an alternative to fossil fuels and should no longer be considered carbon-neutral, because it is not.”
In a filing last week in response to an inquiry by state regulators, We Energies disclosed that carbon dioxide, or CO2, emissions from the Rothschild plant would be about 590,000 tons a year.
The utility says that will be offset by the replanting of trees in the forest that will absorb carbon dioxide. . . .
In Madison, the state of Wisconsin has proposed a $250 million biomass and natural gas plant to replace a coal-fired plant that serves the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In Ashland, Xcel Energy would replace a coal-fired power plant with a biomass gasifier. The status of that project is uncertain, however, after the utility’s cost estimate for the project ballooned by nearly 37% to $79.5 million.
by jboullion | Jun 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Wisconsin power projects spark questions about emissions from biomass vs. fossil fuels
How green can the energy produced by a biomass power plant be if it releases carbon dioxide into the air just like a coal or natural gas-fueled plant?
That’s the question being raised about biomass projects, including one proposed by We Energies in Rothschild and another Xcel Energy Corp. is considering in Ashland.
“You can’t assume that biomass is carbon-neutral. It depends on how many trees you plant and how fast they grow, and all sorts of variables,” said Katie Nekola, energy program director at the conservation group Clean Wisconsin. “It’s right to look at it case by case to see exactly what the carbon balance is going to be for any plant. . . .”
Milwaukee-based We Energies is proposing a $255 million, 50-megawatt power plant at the Domtar Corp. paper mill in Rothschild. Some residents in Rothschild, south of Wausau, have objected to the project because of concerns about air pollution that would be released by a new power plant located not far from a $770 million coal-fired power plant in Weston and south of Rothschild.
The utility said it proposed the biomass project as a way to help it comply with Wisconsin’s renewable power mandate because it can generate electricity around the clock, unlike a wind farm. The project would supply steam to Domtar’s paper mill and create up to 150 jobs, the utility said.
Critics call for a review
Critics of the project are asking the state Public Service Commission and Department of Natural Resources to do a full environmental review of the project.
A detailed review is not required and was not performed for the proposed Xcel Energy biomass plant in Ashland.
The agencies have not decided whether the review, known as an environmental impact statement, will be done for the We Energies project.
“Stop this biomass project now, please,” Rebecca Simms of Rothschild said in a public comment filed with the state. “Biomass should no longer be considered an alternative to fossil fuels and should no longer be considered carbon-neutral, because it is not.”
In a filing last week in response to an inquiry by state regulators, We Energies disclosed that carbon dioxide, or CO2, emissions from the Rothschild plant would be about 590,000 tons a year.
The utility says that will be offset by the replanting of trees in the forest that will absorb carbon dioxide. . . .
In Madison, the state of Wisconsin has proposed a $250 million biomass and natural gas plant to replace a coal-fired plant that serves the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In Ashland, Xcel Energy would replace a coal-fired power plant with a biomass gasifier. The status of that project is uncertain, however, after the utility’s cost estimate for the project ballooned by nearly 37% to $79.5 million.
by jboullion | Jun 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Wisconsin power projects spark questions about emissions from biomass vs. fossil fuels
How green can the energy produced by a biomass power plant be if it releases carbon dioxide into the air just like a coal or natural gas-fueled plant?
That’s the question being raised about biomass projects, including one proposed by We Energies in Rothschild and another Xcel Energy Corp. is considering in Ashland.
“You can’t assume that biomass is carbon-neutral. It depends on how many trees you plant and how fast they grow, and all sorts of variables,” said Katie Nekola, energy program director at the conservation group Clean Wisconsin. “It’s right to look at it case by case to see exactly what the carbon balance is going to be for any plant. . . .”
Milwaukee-based We Energies is proposing a $255 million, 50-megawatt power plant at the Domtar Corp. paper mill in Rothschild. Some residents in Rothschild, south of Wausau, have objected to the project because of concerns about air pollution that would be released by a new power plant located not far from a $770 million coal-fired power plant in Weston and south of Rothschild.
The utility said it proposed the biomass project as a way to help it comply with Wisconsin’s renewable power mandate because it can generate electricity around the clock, unlike a wind farm. The project would supply steam to Domtar’s paper mill and create up to 150 jobs, the utility said.
Critics call for a review
Critics of the project are asking the state Public Service Commission and Department of Natural Resources to do a full environmental review of the project.
A detailed review is not required and was not performed for the proposed Xcel Energy biomass plant in Ashland.
The agencies have not decided whether the review, known as an environmental impact statement, will be done for the We Energies project.
“Stop this biomass project now, please,” Rebecca Simms of Rothschild said in a public comment filed with the state. “Biomass should no longer be considered an alternative to fossil fuels and should no longer be considered carbon-neutral, because it is not.”
In a filing last week in response to an inquiry by state regulators, We Energies disclosed that carbon dioxide, or CO2, emissions from the Rothschild plant would be about 590,000 tons a year.
The utility says that will be offset by the replanting of trees in the forest that will absorb carbon dioxide. . . .
In Madison, the state of Wisconsin has proposed a $250 million biomass and natural gas plant to replace a coal-fired plant that serves the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In Ashland, Xcel Energy would replace a coal-fired power plant with a biomass gasifier. The status of that project is uncertain, however, after the utility’s cost estimate for the project ballooned by nearly 37% to $79.5 million.
