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| Sat, 8th Aug 2020 15:50:00 |
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Can Renewable Biomass Power a Coal Plant? |
In the prevailing quest for low emission renewable energy sources, a classic is making its way back into the mix. Man has been burning wood to cook food and keep warm for thousands of years, but wood and other forms of biomass lost favor in generating energy as fossil fuels like coal and oil powered the industrial revolution forward. Now, energy companies are rethinking biomass as perhaps a more desirable alternative in terms of emissions and regenerative capacity to run coal fired power plants.
United States utilities giant Dominion is actively planning to convert three of its aging Virginia coal plants to run on waste biomass sourced from local timber operations. The switch would boost the state of Virginia’s renewable capacity by 150 MW and increase the efficiency of two of the plants, allowing operation 90 percent of the day versus 25 percent while fueled with coal.
"The converted units will provide low-cost, renewable, base load energy, while promoting economic development through the use of a locally produced fuel," says Dominion Generation CEO David Christian.
In fact, Dominion’s transition to biomass from coal would create 250 direct and indirect jobs and cost ratepayers only 14 cents per month.
There are several reasons to make the switch to biomass. Economically, waste biomass can be significantly cheaper than coal, especially if the source is relatively nearby the power plant, thus reducing transportation costs. Also, EPA mercury and air toxin regulations currently exclude biomass, and with coal power under the regulators’ microscope, an energy source with less regulation is an obvious attraction to businesses. However, if biomass were substituted for coal on a nationwide scale, it is safe to assume that the regulations would catch up quickly.
Read original full article
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