Project Feasibility
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Project
Feasibility
Elements of a Good Project
Feasibility Assessments
Project Feasibility
Biomass
is a versatile energy option that can work in a variety of applications
including heating, cooling, and electricity generation—alone or in combination.
Systems
are available at all scales, including:
·
Small,
manual-fed cordwood furnaces
·
Commercial
pellet-fired boilers starting at 100,000 BTUs/hr
·
Automated
wood chip systems starting at 1 million BTUs/hr
·
Industrial
combined heat and power (CHP)
Integration
of biomass boiler systems within the Fuels for Schools and Beyond program range
from a 600,000 BTU/hr pellet system at Townsend
Schools, Montana to a
30 million BTU/hr wood-chip fired combined heat and power (CHP) system at the
Northern Nevada Correctional Center, Nevada.
Elements
of a Good Project back to
top
There
are a few things that can make a facility well suited for biomass energy:
- High heat demand and high fossil fuel
costs. Generally,
if a facility is not using at least 2,500 dekatherms/year of natural gas or
spending at least $20,000 annually on heating fuel (natural gas, propane,
fuel oil) they won’t be likely candidates for conversion. However,
there are exceptions if installing very small furnace systems.
- Proximity to a wood fuel source can be important
in that generally, the closer the supply, the cheaper the fuel. A
haul distance from a forest source of 30-50 air miles (est. 50-80 road
miles) can generally keep costs of wood fuel reasonable at a rate of
$35-40/ton. Other biomass fuel sources can include wood pellets,
sawmill residues and municipal wood waste such as clean demolition waste
and urban trees which may be nearby.
- Space available for the biomass
burner, fuel storage, and access for delivery trucks.
- It’s more cost-effective to install a
biomass boiler system in the new construction of a facility compared
to integrating it into an existing system.
- A simple payback on investment within 10
years is desirable.
- Enthusiasm of the facility staff and community
Feasibility Assessments back to
top
Located in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, or North
Dakota?
You
may be eligible for a Preliminary Engineering Assessment sponsored by your
state Fuels for Schools Program Coordinator.
Click
here for details and links to each state’s Pre-Feasibility Assessment
Application form.
Located outside of
these states? Or want to conduct your own assessment?
The
following resources may be helpful:
Listing of other state forestry biomass programs
Wood
Energy Calculator Michigan Wood Energy
Conduct
a quick preliminary feasibility assessment using a simple online
calculator.
Developed by CTA
Architects and Engineers and Southeast Michigan
RC&D.
Wood-Fueled
Boiler Financial Feasibility Analysis
An
interactive spreadsheet program that allows facilities or consultants to input
facility specific data into the spreadsheet and receive an output of a
preliminary feasibility assessment. Developed by Bob Govett at the U of
Wisconsin-Steven’s Point.
View
and download the User’s Manual
and Interactive
Spreadsheet
Wood-Chip
Heating Systems Guide Tim Maker, Biomass Energy
Resource Center (BERC)
Wood
Pellet Heating Guide Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources
Where Wood Works Flexible Energy Communities Initiative
List of Consultants who may offer
feasibility assessments
