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n 2000, Richard Bain was working on a report that looked at existing plants to identify what is required to successfully produce biomass power. Fuel issues topped the list in the report, titled “Lessons Learned from Existing Biomass Power Plants.” The fuel issues included acquiring a low-cost fuel, while paying attention to where the biomass is piled and how it’s fed into the plant and planning for feedstock flexibility. The lessons are valid today, says Bain, who is with the National Bioenergy Center within the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Even though Bain’s work is now focused on
biofuels, managing the biorefinery analysis group at the NREL, he has kept an eye on the development of the biopower industry. Some of the lessons learned were from the McNeil Generating Station in Burlington, Vt., which has a quarter century of experience turning wood chips into power. It was one of the first and biggest public utility biomass generators when it started up in 1984. About 5 percent of its feedstock is waste wood— shipping pallets, yard waste and Christmas trees—supplied by local residents and businesses. Another 25 percent comes from area manufacturers—saw mills, furniture factories and a veneer
rlington on at Bu ti ta S g neratin
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manufacturer. About 30 contractors supply the remaining 70 percent from forest residues—byproducts of the harvest for timber, pulp or firewood. The contractors use a mobile chipper on-site and truck the wood chips to McNeil’s railhead storage yard. Because the McNeil station is within the Burlington city limits and next to a residential district, the plant is required to receive 75 percent of its feedstock by rail, which adds 20 percent to the cost of wood, says John Irving, manager of the McNeil station. The McNeil plant is configured to burn wood chips, natural gas or fuel oil, and switches fuels based upon cost and availability. The plant’s wood cost was sta8|2007 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 29