| Title: | Lake County, CO - School and Pool Biomass Heating Feasibility Study |
| Type: |
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| State: | Colorado |
| Program Description: | Lake County Middle School Biomass Feasibility Study
Feasibility Study for a Biomass Energy System at Lake County Middle School and Pool In 2005, using funds from the Department of Energy (DOE) allocated through the Western Governors' Association (WGA), Colorado conducted a feasibility study on heating the Lake County Middle School and community pool with wood fuel. The Middle School building also houses the community swimming pool, hot tub and showers, and both facilities share a common heating system. The building is currently heated with natural gas firing two boilers, and is in need of replacement. The feasibility study compared replacing the boilers with a biomass heating system with a new natural gas heating system. In evaluating the feasibility of a woody biomass system, the study considered the appropriate size of the wood chip system needed to heat the building and the spatial requirements of the new biomass system and fuel. The study estimated the annual wood fuel quantity needs, the delivered fuel costs, and the physical and chemical characteristics of the biomass. It estimated the capital cost of the wood chip-fired heating system, the cost for a building to house the boilers and wood-chip storage, and the cost of construction and engineering to integrate the wood system with the existing system. Additionally, annual costs for operations and maintenance of the system were estimated. Results The study predicted a peak heating load of 3MMBtu/hr, and estimated that a 1.7 MMMtu/hr wood-fired boiler would supply 88% of the annual heating energy. The remaining heat would be supplied by a natural gas-fired back-up boiler. The total cost for the wood-fired boiler, including the building addition and other necessary equipment was estimated at $276,000 more than the cost of replacing the existing natural gas boilers. The price of natural gas used in the study was $7.75/MMBtu, but was expected to rise substantially in the near future. Wood to fuel the boiler would come from nearby forest thinning projects to reduce wildfire hazard risk from beetle killed trees. It was estimated that 1,700 green tons of wood would be required annually for fuel. Estimates of the cost of wood fuel ranged from a low of $10./green ton to $30./green ton, with a moisture content of 55% Over the 30-year expected life of a wood-fired heating system, with a first year price of $10. per green ton, $4 million dollars can be saved by using wood fuel instead of natural gas. If the first year price of wood is $30 per ton, the green ton, then the 30 year savings would be $2.7 million. The study recommended further study be done for sizing and construction of the heating system and building to house it. Update Local proponents of the project have continued to work toward the goal of replacing the school and pool's heating system with a wood boiler. As of August, 2009 plans existing to build a wood pellet plant south of Leadville which would supply wood pellets for the boiler. This project is awaiting loan approval. The location of a wood pellet plant in the area will open up opportunities for more biomass use in the Leadville area. Contact Information For more information contact Robin Littlepage of the Leadville Institute of Science and Technology at 719.486.3488, or by email at Listresearch@hughes.net |
The Woody Biomass Utilization Database is a project of the Western Governors' Association
designed to increase awareness of the use of biomass resources for economic development and
environmental sustainability. Program objectives highlighted include biomass energy and
heating activities, education programs, and projects and technologies involving biomass
residue resulting from forest health treatments to reduce wildfire hazard risk.