Wisconsin Biomass as a Sustainable Energy Resource

1
Wisconsin Biomass as a Sustainable Energy Resource

• Green Innovations Symposium 2009
• Joe Kramer

2
Increasing Sustainability Focus

• Renewable Portfolio Standard
• 10 renewables by 2015
• Wisconsins 25x25 goal
• Externalities internalization
• Sulfur dioxide trading
• Carbon markets / Carbon tax policies
• Difficulties siting new coal

3
Benefits to Utilities of Biomass Use

• Renewable, carbon neutral fuel
• Can directly substitute for coal
• Can be handled similarly
• Can be dispatched base load power
• Benefits to Wisconsin
• Large supply
• Benefits state economy dollars not exported
• Environmental benefits of production
• Supports supply industries and landholders

4
Xcel Energy Bay Front Plant

• Has been substituting woodfor coal for decades
• Proposed gasification system to allow100
  biomass-fired generation
• Add up to 20 M per year to regional economy
• Benefit bottom lines of businesses and utility

5
Wood Production Timeline
6
Challenges to Biomass Use

• Utilities tend to use the lowest value wood
  (e.g., slash and tops)
• Current practice is to leave on site
• Utility scale use is large
• Less energy density than coal cannot haul it
  very far economically

7
Challenges (continued)

• Market not established and will be local/regional
  location is very important
• May compete with large established users and
  future biofuel facilities
• Issues with harvest and sustainability practices
• Some forests unmanaged and ownership fragmented
  (many small landholders)
• Use of non-native species plantations limited,
  little-tested in Wisconsin

8
Energy Center Roles

• Address supply issues
• Feedstock supply studies
• Market studies availability
• Explore business models for supply/ aggregation
• Provide market enabling services
• Resource information
• Demand information

9
Market Assistance

• Biomass Mapping Tool
• Opportunityfuels
• Facilities
• Infrastructure
• Urban wastesheds

10
Agricultural Energy Research Station

• Repurpose portion of former UW Ashland Ag
  research station for energy crops
• Reserve acreage for production trials
• Advance agreement with sustainability research
  partners (UWSP, UW Madison)
• Meet need for regional testing of energy crops
  while fast-tracking sustainability knowledge of
  planting schemes

11
Agricultural Energy Research Station (continued)

• Benefits
• Regional biofuel companies
• Utility biomass users
• Paper companies
• Former dairy operations with idle lands
• Grow regional economic base

12
Need for Sustainability Research

• Biomass resources are limited
• Supply strategies must be sustainable in the long
  term
• Wisconsin (and Illinois) values forest resources
  for recreation and aesthetics
• Ecosystem services must be recognized (soil,
  water, habitat)
• Increased market for biomass should be used to
• Bring more stands into sustainable management,
• Expand working forests focused on production, and
  
• Restore native stands

13
Thank you.

• Joe KramerEnergy Center of Wisconsin608-238-827
  6x119jkramer_at_ecw.org