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VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Wood Energy in Vermont
January 2005VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Non-forest Land
Forest Land
Vermont’s Forests
4,630,300 acres of forestland
78% of the state
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Federal6%l
OtherPublic
8%
ForestIndustry
6% Farmers6%
Corporations11%
Private
63%
Distribution of Timberland
Area by Ownership
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Acres Owned
Number of Owners
Total Acres
1-9 40,900 111,900
10-49 19,700 360,700
50-99 10,800 699,200
100-499 8,500 1,496,700
500-999 500 286,400
1,000+ 100 846,900
All size classes
80,500 3,801,800
Number of Private Timberland Owners and Acres Owned, by Size Class, 1993
The number of owners with 50 acres or less has doubled since 1983.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Vermont’s Annual Forest Product Harvest
• Total Harvest in 2002… 791,000 cords (sawlogs, pulpwood & chips converted to cords). In addition, +/- 250,000 cords of firewood annually.
• During the last decade, statewide, forest growth volume has been nearly been double that of removals (1.8 : 1).
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
•VT Forest Resource Harvest Summary- 2002•Forests of the Green Mountain State, USFS-2003
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Harvest by Product
Firewood19%
Pulpwood30%
Sawlogs39%
Whole-Tree Chips6%
Mill Residues6%
Vermont Forest Resource Harvest Summary… 2002
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Wood Fuel: ResidentialResidential Fuel Wood Survey: 1997-98• 31% of VT households burned some
wood (down from 48% in 85-86 survey).• More households reported use as
supplemental than primary fuel.• Oil, Wood, Natural Gas/Propane (in
order) were most used fuels. 92-98, oil, wood, electric decreased… propane/natural gas increased.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & RecreationVT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Wood Fuel: Electric Utilities
• In Vermont, 2 wood energy plants use roughly 500,000 tons of wood fuel (mill & whole-tree chips, sawdust & bark) annually.
• +/- 60 Megawatts
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Wood Fuel: Industrial Co-Generation & Heating
• Wood Industry … about 20 industrial heating and 3 cogeneration systems
• 175,000 tons residues
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Wood Fuel: Biomass District Energy
• Three state office complexes heated by central boiler plants with wood chips.
• These utilize roughly 9,000 tons of chips per year.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Wood Fuel: Institutional & Commercial Systems…
• Three additional state buildings and 26 schools combined use roughly 14,000 tons of chips
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Vermont Wood Fuel Use in Context…
• All wood fuel use in Vermont (including residential) roughly 1.3 million tons.
• Berlin, NH paper mill utilized about 1.5 million tons of wood per year (nearly 500,000 cords and 300,000 green tons chips).
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Why Vermont:
Advantages and challenges of utilizing wood for energy in
Vermont.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Environmental
• Wood systems of less than 90 boiler horse power do not need air quality permits.
• Ash is generally considered non-hazardous.
• Utilities must adhere to harvesting standards.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Utility-Scale
• Larger plants can meet stringent air quality standards more economically.
• Year-round demands supports harvesting infra-structure.
• Difficult to site & permit (availability of cooling water, neighbors, traffic issues)
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Industrial Heat/ Cogeneration
• Wood industry can often use residues produced on-site.
• Cogeneration requires high demand for heat to be cost effective.
• Capital costs can be high. Price paid for excess power is very low.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Industrial Heat/ Cogeneration
• Seen as a new, risky enterprise.
• Fluctuating fuel prices affect payback.
• Additional staffing may be required, though in most cases “boiler operators” are not required in Vermont.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Institutional/ Commercial
• 15+ years of experience with schools.
• Heating cost savings is commonly 25-40% savings compared to oil.
• 20 year life-cycle-cost typically less than oil.
• Automated systems require minimal maintenance.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Institutional/ Commercial
• High capital costs, but “State-Aid” is 90% of incremental cost.
• Seasonal demand makes supply more difficult.
• Requires self-unloading vans and chip storage.
• High-tech emissions controls are cost prohibitive.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Biomass District Energy
• Heat could be provided by existing boilers.
• Large boilers improve efficiency and cost effectiveness of emission control systems.
• High initial capital cost and reliability concerns.
• Customer’s resistance to change.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Wood Chip Supply
• Excellent market for low-grade wood.
• Seasonality & delivery issues with small systems.
• Competition from other markets (pulp).
• Lack of logging infrastructure?
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Wood Chip Supply
• Seasonal demand.
• Requires self-unloading vans and chip storage.
• Increased value/ reduced trucking may not offset handling and marketing costs.
• Small scale customers can be difficult.
VT Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation