Biomass Heating: - This Ain’t your

Grandpa’s Old Wood Stove

BC Sustainable Energy Association Webinar

January 15, 2015

David Dubois - Project Coordinator

Wood Waste to Rural Heat Project

What does Wood Waste to Rural Heat

(WW2RH) do?

• Source of independent information

based on best practises from Europe

and other regions.

• Free technical assistance to help

determine the best biomass heating

solution for the specific application

based on the proponents needs.

• Developing business cases to help

proponents make critical decisions.

• Commercial, institutional, and municipal

not residential

Wood Waste to Rural Heat –

Clients and Supporters Work with communities, First Nations and Not-

for-Profits assisting them to understand and adopt biomass heating solutions

Previously known as the Green Heat Initiative

Today's Agenda – Focus on

1. Biomass Basics

2. Biomass Heating

System – Components,

Design, and Cost

3. Biomass Fuel

4. Lillooet REC Centre

Case Study

5. Various Project

Reviews

6. Final Thoughts

7. Questions

What is Biomass?

- Biomass is any form of organically

produced material that can be

combusted to produce energy

- Focus on woody biomass (chips,

pellets, etc.)

One power

pole is about

1 m3 of

wood

Biomass Heating - Using Wood Chips or

Pellets as Fuel Enderby District Heating System

Baldy Hughes Treatment

Centre Biomass District

Heat

Before – Oil Fired

After – Biomass Fired

Tatla Lake School

Biomass Heating does not refer to…

http://planning.montcopa.org/planning/cwp/fileserver,Path,PLANNING/Admin%20-

%20Publications/Renewable_Energy_Series/Hydronic_heaters_web.pdf,assetguid,63

e45ed6-2426-4548-bc6dcfb59d457833.pdf http://www.thefullwiki.org/Beehive_burner

Energy Content of Softwood

• Wood species have similar energy content on a

mass basis (+/- 15%)

• Critical Factor is moisture content

• Typical higher heating value at 0 % MC is 19.8

GJ/tonne

• Energy used to harvest, process and transport is

only equivalent to 3% of total available

There are about 3

m3 of chips in one

tonne

Effect of Moisture Content on

Energy

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Hig

her

Heati

ng V

alu

e

GJ/

ton

ne

Moisture Content Wet Basis

Higher Heating Value of Softwood

HHV = HHVdry x (1 – MCwet/100)

Air drying from 50%-

40% moisture results in

20% more energy

Mountain Pine Beetle

killed wood is

typically has 20-25%

moisture at harvest

Fuel Storage/Handling

Boiler/Heat Exchanger

Heat Storage and Control

Emission Controls and Ash Handling

Why is this not my Grandpa's stove?

Automatic Operation – minimal operator input

Computer control of air and fuel flow

Integrated DDC Over 90% efficient with 4

to 1 turndown

How big a system do I need?

Design to average load not peak load

Most common mistake is oversize

Include peaking and backup

Maximise operational hours (3000+ hrs./year min.)

Most large heating systems now

use hot water and NOT steam

making them easier to operate.

Energy Usage by Month

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

January April July October

Mo

nth

ly E

nerg

y C

on

sum

pti

on

kW

h

Load Curve

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

0 2000 4000 6000 8000

Ho

url

y C

on

sum

pti

on

kW

Hours

Peak Load

Average Load

Risks of over sizing?

1) Higher capital cost

2) Less efficient

3) Higher operating

costs

4) Higher emissions

Heat Storage is CRITICAL

Reduce Peak Demand

Less Cycling = better boiler operation

Quicker response

Typically 10 litres per kW boiler capacity

0

50

100

150

200

250

0:0

0

1:4

5

3:3

0

5:1

5

7:0

0

8:4

5

10:3

0

12:1

5

14:0

0

15:4

5

17:3

0

19:1

5

21:0

0

22:4

5

Heat

Dem

an

d k

W

Emissions

Primarily talking about Particulate Matter (PM10

and PM2.5)

Regulations vary depending on municipality and

regional district

No clear rules from BC government

Most based on CSA B415.1-10 – Performance

testing of solid-fuel-burning heating appliances

Most European equipment far exceeds this

standard

Comparing Emissions Emission Austria - Fuel Capacity in MW

(emission limit/subsidy limit)

Metro Vancouver

Mg/Nm3 <0.1 >0.1-0.35 >0.35-2 >2-5 Agricultural

Boilers

Process

Boilers

Dust (Filterable

Matter)

150 150/75 150/50 50/20 35 18

CO 800 800 250 250

NOx 250-500 250-500

250

250-500

250

250-500

200

200 200

HC

(Condensable

Material)

50 50 20 20 15 15

Capital Cost

Typically more expensive than conventional

For smaller systems fuel handling larger factor

than boiler size

Highly dependent on site conditions

Roughly $800-1200/kW of boiler size

UNBC’s pellet boiler

operates at emission levels

similar to natural gas

How much do I need?

12,000 Truck Loads

5,000 Truck Loads

1,000 Truck Loads

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

400000

450000

500000

Pellet Plant Power Plant 5MW

Community

Electricity

District Heat

To

nn

es

of

Bio

mass

pe

r Y

ear

Typical Biomass Consumption by

Usage 1,000 Truck Loads

20 Truck Loads

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

5 MW

Community

Electricity

District Heat

20 Truck Loads

2.5 Truck Loads

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

District Heat Commercial

Building

So where do we get the 2.5-20

loads we need? – “Off the Shelf” Source Suitability Things to be aware of

Sawmills Low

• Most tied up in long term supply agreements

• Difficult to service small volume consumers

Larger Wood

Manufacturing High

• May be tied up in long term supply agreements

• May not be secure long term supply

Small Value-Added

Users Medium

• Lack of Infrastructure

• May not be secure long term supply

Construction

Debris High

• May have contamination

• Lack of local infrastructure

In Sweden, 32% of

ALL energy is

biomass based!

So where do we get the 2.5-20

loads we need? – “DIY” Source Suitability Things to be aware of

Roadside

Residuals Medium

• May be tied up in supply agreements or difficult to

access

• Depending on location maybe costly to access

• Lower quality fuel and contamination

Woodlots and

Private Land Medium

• Most do little or no thinning

• Sporadic supply

• Higher cost

Community

Forests High

• Secure supply, accessible and typically close

• Same fuel quality issues as Roadside Residuals

Wildfire

Mitigation High

• Costly to produce

Reducing Wildfire Risk =

Economic Development

How much does biomass cost?

How much can you pay

and how much do you

need?

need to understand

biomass supply chains ◦ What goes where?

◦ How much do they pay?

◦ How long is the contract?

cost is VERY local

market driven

Somewhere between

$30-120/tonne

It takes about 2

tonnes of chips to

make 1 tonne of

pellets

Biomass is one of least expensive form

of Energy in BC

Fuel Type

Unit

Sale

size

Energy Content

of Unit Retail Price

Typical cost

in BC2

Typical cost

in BC2

Natural Gas GJ 1 GJ/GJ $11-14/GJ $11-14/GJ $40-60/MWh

Propane Litres 0.0253 GJ/l $0.48-0.63/l $19-25/GJ $70-90/MWh

Electricity kWh 0.0036 GJ/kWh ¢6.8-8.3/kWh $19-23/GJ $70-80/MWh

Heating Oil Litres 0.0387 GJ/l $0.74-0.97/l $19-25/GJ $70-90/MWh

Ponderosa Pine 3 Cord 17.9 GJ/cord $200-250/cord $11-14/GJ $40-60/MWh

Wood Chips Green

Tonne 11.2 GJ/tonne $35-55/Tonne $3-5/GJ $10-20/MWh

Pellets (Retail) Tonne 19.2 GJ/tonne $175-210/tonne $9-11/GJ $30-40/MWh

1) Energy Values are reference values only

2) Based on GHI observations and assessments

3) Approximate values for wood based on a cord of firewood equal to 85 cubic feet and 20 % Moisture wet basis and $200-250/cord

Comparative Energy Prices in BC1

Chips vs Pellets

Pellets Chips

Positives Negatives Positives Negatives

Consistent

properties Higher cost

Cheaper than pellets

Variable properties

Ease of operation

Need to be kept dry

Readily available from

various sources

Require more

maintenance

Small footprint Larger footprint

Pellets have 2-3 times

the density of chips so

take 1/3 the space

Are we going to run out of

Biomass? In BC 5% of all energy used in

Commercial and Residential sector is wood (residential heating)

Tripling to 15%, primarily by switching propane, fuel oil, natural gas and electric heating (50%, 50%, 5% and 15% of current respectively) is approx. 1 million BDT/year

BC Government estimates 7-34 million BDT/year burned in slash piles NOT incl. milling residuals, clean construction debris, etc.

What about GHG’s

Province of BC says biomass is GHG neutral

BUT not a cut and dry question

How biomass is sourced is critical

Most non-residential biomass consumed in BC is

by-product of other activities

What level? Tree vs cut block vs forest

As long as biomass is being sourced as a by-

product of other activities, and NOT the

main driver of production, then it has to be

a positive because otherwise this material

would be wasted.

Lillooet REC Centre Case Study

Using propane to heat

swimming pool, arena, library

and gym

Installed 400 kW pellet boiler

with 45 tonne storage silo

Also did some building and

mechanical system upgrades

Full case study available at

www.ruralbcgreenenergy.com

Lillooet Capital Cost and Funding Capital Costs

Project Management and

Engineering $111,000

Biomass Boiler $312,000

Building Upgrades $207,000

Sub-Total $630,000

Taxes $75,000

TOTAL $705,000

Funding

Gas Tax Innovation Fund $467,000

District of Lillooet

Reserve $238,000

TOTAL $705,000

Lillooet Yearly Operating Costs

Cost Prior to

Biomass With Biomass

Fuel Propane1 $78,000 $11,000

Pellets $0 $31,000

Maintenance2,3 $0 $6,000

Staff $0 $0

Stack Testing $0 $4,000

TOTAL $78,000 $52,000

Carbon Footprint 250 t CO2e 57 t CO2e

1. Based on $0.46/l for propane

2. Assumes no maintenance for propane system

but old boiler required significant upkeep

3. Over the entire life of system

Rate of Return

Boiler Only Without

Grants

Total Capital $411,000 $411,000

DoL Investment $140,000 $411,000

Savings1 $26,000 $26,000

Payback 5 Years 16 Years

NPV2 $97,000 -$21,000

IRR 17% -1%

1. Does not include avoided costs of carbon

2. 15 years and 7%

Projects in BC

Fink District

Heating System

in Enderby

Projects in BC

Sourced: www.nexterra.ca Jan. 11/2013

Sourced: www.nexterra.ca Jan. 11/2013

Sourced: www.nexterra.ca Jan. 11/2013

Sourced: www.nexterra.ca Jan. 11/2013

UBC

Dockside Green

Projects in BC

Granisle Fire

Hall

Projects in BC

Alexis Creek

School

Projects in BC

Burns Lake

Arena

BC Equipment Suppliers

www.ventekenergy.com

www.finkmachine.com

www.evergreenbioheat.com

www.deltech.ca

www.pinnaclestove.com

www.akhurst.com

www.leiprod.com

www.nexterra.ca

Final Thoughts Biomass viable “off the shelf” alternative for

heating – 100,000’s of deployments in Europe

Design to average load not peak and include storage

Significantly lower fuel cost and cost effective

Biomass is sustainable and lower GHG

As a system operator YOU have

significant impact on efficiency,

GHG’s, sustainability –

YOU HAVE THE POWER

Contact

For more information

www.greenheatinitiative.com

Or Contact me

David Dubois, BSChE

Project Coordinator

David@greenheatinitiative.com

250-457-7319

Links – Added after Webinar http://woodsourcebc.com/

Clearing house website for people looking to sell/but wood including biomass fuel

http://www.communityenergy.bc.ca/resources-introduction/first-heat

Excel based tool to estimate biomass available from wildfire abatement and biomass district heating system size capital cost etc.

http://www.biomasscenter.org/resources/case-studies.html

Case studies of biomass heating in NE United states

http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/scol/ccenrgy.htm

Online Calculator to convert to/from BTU’s/kWh/GJ etc.

http://www.forestbusinessnetwork.com/green-ton-converter/

Green ton converter is an easy tool for $/ton and weight translations

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

Carbon Footprint Calculator includes wood