| Title: | AZ - Pathway to Building Arizona's Renewable Energy and Forestry Industries of the Future |
| Type: |
|
| State: | Arizona |
| Program Description: | Arizona Biomass Study
Using a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE), through the Western Governors’ Association, Arizona investigated opportunities to convert state owned facilities to biomass heating and hot water heating. The study is called “A Pathway to Building Arizona’s Renewable Energy and Forestry Industries of the Future”. It identifies eight Arizona State facilities that are most adaptable to woody biomass retrofit, and discusses ways to promote forestry to biofuel industries in Arizona. The “Pathway” study recommends four steps to expand the use of biomass in Arizona: * Educate facility managers to consider woody biomass as a viable fuel resource for all upgrades, expansions, retrofits and equipment replacement as a matter of policy. * Consider on site woody biomass delivery and storage during design of new State facilities as a matter of policy. This will eliminate the primary obstacles for future retrofits. * Require consideration for use of water heat-exchange systems for heating and cooling during design of new State facilities as a matter of policy. * Retrofit the Arizona State Prison, Pioneers Home, and Arizona State Hospital to use wood pellets as a fuel source for heating processes. The State Prison, Pioneers Home, and State Hospital are the three top state facilities identified for a mechanical retrofit to use woody biomass as fuel and show a simple payback for retrofit within the projected lifetime of the equipment. These payback ratios were derived based on projected fuel costs for both fossil fuels and wood pellets. Arizona State Hospital Central Plant Cost benefit analysis of the Arizona State Hospital Central Plant in Phoenix showed that a retrofit to woody biomass to fulfill base load requirements can reduce overall fuel costs by $4,450 per year, while also removing 117 tons of hazardous fuels form Arizona forests and providing $14,625 in retail sales per year to the forest stewardship industry. The cost to purchase, install and incorporate a 300,000 Btu pellet fired system is approximately $90,000 which could be offset by savings over 20 years. Arizona State Hospital Camps has room to locate the silo, boiler and feed mechanisms required for woody biomass retrofit. Arizona Pioneers Home The Pioneers Home in Prescott is also a good candidate for retrofit to a biomass boiler system for heat and hot water. The study recommends that when one of the aging gas boilers needs replacing, that it should be replaced with a biomass boiler. Replacing one of the two boilers would use 145 tons of pellet fuel per year with a savings of $2,580 in fuel costs. Replacing both boilers would use 365 tons of wood pellets and save approximately $6,482 a year. There would result in a payback period of 21 years. Arizona State Prison: Eyman Complex: SMU I and II The State Prison is the third state facility that shows the most promise for retrofitting to biomass for heat and hot water heating. Retrofitting both SMU I and SMU II would require 1,424 tons of pellet fuel per year, saving $52,440 in fuel costs annually. The cost to purchase, install, and incorporate a pellet fired system is approximately $926,00, resulting in a payback of 18 years. Biomass Education Section In addition to the cost/benefit analysis of the eight state facilities, the “Pathways” document includes supplemental educational information on biomass utilization. The “Technical Sections” discuss types of biomass, including the differences between hogged fuel, wood chips and wood pellets. The technical section also discusses various biomass fuel technologies, including methanol, syngas, pyrolysis and cellulosic ethanol, and it discusses different types of furnaces and boilers. Powerpoint Presentation An added bonus of the “Pathways” book is an educational powerpoint which shows the complete process of biomass harvesting, transportation and use. The powerpoint discusses forest health issues such as wildfire risk reduction and it includes pictures of fuels treatment projects and mechanical equipment used in fuels reduction. It shows pictures of chippers in use, wood chip trucks, pellet manufacture, pellet delivery, pellet boilers and indoor storage of pellets, indoor heat distribution, a three mega watt APS electric generator that burns hogged fuel, and an explanation of how energy moves from the generator to the electrical grid. The study includes an instructional DVD. Contact Information For more information, contact ( to be added) |
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.