Biomass Digest» California

Global Greenstream proposes biomass-to-steam power plant in California

Jim Lane — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:01:36 +0000

In California, Global Greenstream Inc. plans to build a biomass-to-steam power plant at Aera Energy LLC’s Belridge oilfield near Bakersfield and has submitted an application with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District for approval of the project.

The facility will replace Aera Energy’s current fossil fuel-based steam production and will save an estimated 348,000 tons of CO2 per year.

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California’s Sierra Pacific Industries announce shutdown of biomass-powered facility

Jim Lane — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:16:26 +0000

In California, Sierra Pacific Industries announced the immediate shutdown of its biomass-powered facility in Loyalton. The company said that lower off-take prices for the energy from NV Energy as well as reduced timber sales from the US Forest Service led to the mothballing of the facility.
The facility had only re-opened in January after shutting down in September last year due to economic difficulties. The company is exploring ways to re-open the facility later on. The plant has the capacity to generate 20MW, and has averaged about 16MW. It took in about 120,000 tons of biomass a year, about half diverted from landfills, and much of it from forest thinning and fire prevention projects in the greater Tahoe area.

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BioCentric Energy Holdings files patent for Algae Pro Closed-Loop Photobioreactor

Jim Lane — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:20:26 +0000

In California, BioCentric Energy Holdings, Inc. filed a patent for version #4 of its Algae Pro Closed-Loop Photobioreactor system. In the coming weeks, the system will first be used at the company’s commercial site in Death Valley Junction, California, and then at subsequent sites later in the year.
The system includes 8 skids of proprietary plastic tubing that are inoculated with the company’s proprietary algae strain for Omega-3 with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The company is also finalizing its process of concentrating the algae biomass (separating the algae from water) using a proprietary electrolysis device, and will be scaling up to concentrate large volumes of algae later this week. The speed and consistency of the new concentration process will greatly benefit BioCentric Energy on the commercial scale.

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Martifer Renewables withdraws application to build solar and biomass plant

Jim Lane — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:57:21 +0000

In California, Martifer Renewables has withdrawn an application to build a 106.8MW hybrid solar thermal electrical generation and biomass power plant. Martifer told the California Energy Commission that it couldn’t resolve “project economics and biomass supply amongst other things.”
In June 2008, the company signed a 20-year offtake agreement for the electricity with Pacific Gas & Electric. The project included two 53.4MW hybrid parabolic trough array solar thermal and biomass plants that would have produced power for roughly $4.53 million per megawatt.

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Renewable Energy Development buys 30MW biomass power plant in California

Meghan Sapp — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:17:43 +0000

In California, Chicago-based Renewable Energy Development has purchased a 30MW biomass-fired power plant in Wendell, CA. The facility uses geothermal power to process forestry residue and wastes, selling its electricity under a long-term contract to Pacific Gas & Electric.

RED expects to boost the plant’s efficiency and energy output upon acquisition through significant capital investments, including the installation of a waste heat recovery system. The company expects the enhancements to equate to the removal of 8,000 cars from the road annually.

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California’s PG&E signs 25-year deal with DTE Stockton for 45 MW biomass power plant

Meghan Sapp — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:16:32 +0000

In California, Pacific Gas & Electric has signed a 25-year power supply with DTE Stockton LLC. DTE plans to convert an existing coal-fired plant in Stockton to a 45MW biomass-fired plant.

The plant is expected to begin supplying PG&E at 80% capacity in 2013. The facility is currently owned by NextEra Energy Inc. but upon completion of the PG&E offtake contract, it will sell the plant to DTE.

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Waste Management honored by EA for Altamont Landfill Gas, producing LNG

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:32:33 +0000

In California, Waste Management has received a recognition award from the US EPA for its innovation and creativity in the development of the Altamont Landfill Gas to Liquefied Natural Gas Facility in Livermore, CA. The recognition was awarded at the EPA’s 13th annual Landfill Methane Outreach Program Conference and Project Expo. Waste Management developed the project in a joint venture with Linde North America, a global gases and engineering company.

WM collects the gas from decomposing organic waste in the landfill, which Linde then purifies and liquefies into liquefied natural gas (LNG). The gas is then used to fuel 300 of Waste Management’s LNG waste and recycling collection vehicles in surrounding California communities. Producing up to 13,000 gallons of LNG per day, the Altamont Landfill is the world’s largest landfill gas-to-liquefied natural gas facility in the world.

The scale of the project and the innovation involved in developing this clean, renewable vehicle fuel is what has garnered the distinct recognition of the US EPA, according to a WM spokesman.

Christmas tree recycle program could power 8500 homes for a month: report

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:30:57 +0000

In California, ABC published a story on the disposition of Christmas trees and conversion to biomass-based power. According to ABC, According to the National Christmas Tree Association, approximately 2.8 million Christmas trees are sold each year in California. If each of those trees is recycled, together their biomass could produce about 21,000 tons of fuel. With that amount of fuel, a biomass-fired power plant can generate enough energy to power 8,500 homes for one month.”

Meanwhile, the Waste Management San Leandro station recycled 368 tons of Christmas trees collected from Alameda County customers this year.

Ceres, Choren, partner to optimize crops for fuels, chemicals, power

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:57:38 +0000

In California, Ceres announced an agreement with Choren, to optimize energy crops for thermochemical conversion to advanced low-carbon biofuels. The two-year bioenergy project is funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The thermochemical process does not require enzymes or microorganisms; instead, the biomass is gasified under certain heat and pressure conditions producing synthesis gas, a carbon monoxide and hydrogen-rich gas that can be converted into high quality synthetic fuels, intermediate chemicals or electricity.

In its role, Ceres will evaluate the composition of a broad range of switchgrass and willow plants, and provide biomass samples to Choren for thermochemical processing. Choren USA’s leadership said that the results of the work would be used to help the company select its initial US project site.

Buena Vista Biomass Power, Sacramento Municipal Utility District sign 20-year, 16 MW deal

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:54:46 +0000

In California, Biomass Magazine is reporting on an agreement reached between the Buena Vista Biomass Power station in Ione, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, in which the biomass plant will supply SMUD with 16 MW of power for 20 years. The facility will utilize 210,000 of wood biomass; agriculture residues including orchard wood, pits, shells and urban wood waste. USDA Forest Services awarded Buena Vista Biomass Power a Wildland Fire Management grant of $2.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds in association with the project.232