Developing Estimates of Potential Demand for Renewable Wood Energy Products in Alaska

Developing Estimates of Potential Demand for Renewable Wood Energy Products in Alaska
Author: Allen M. Brackley
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2011-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1437940005
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This report is concerned with the existing volumes of renewable wood energy products (RWEP) currently used in Alaska and the potential demand for RWEP for residential and community heating projects in the state. By using peak prices from the fall of 2008, the potential value of a British thermal unit (Btu) from various fuels has been calculated to identify those situations where wood-based fuels are economically competitive or advantageous when compared with alternative fuel sources. If fuel oil prices increase to the levels experienced in 2008, there would be a strong economic incentive to convert heating systems to use solid wood fuels. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find report.

Developing Estimates of Potential Demand for Renewable Wood Energy Products in Alaska

Developing Estimates of Potential Demand for Renewable Wood Energy Products in Alaska
Author: Brackley
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2015-02-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9781505915488
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Goal three of the current U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service strategy for improving the use of woody biomass is to help develop and expand markets for woody biomass products. This report is concerned with the existing volumes of renewable wood energy products (RWEP) that are currently used in Alaska and the potential demand for RWEP for residential and community heating projects in the state. In this report, data published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census and the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency have been used to build a profile of residential and commercial energy demand for Alaska census tracts. By using peak prices from the fall of 2008, the potential value of a British thermal unit (Btu) from various fuels has been calculated to identify those situations where wood-based fuels are economically competitive or advantageous when compared with alternative fuel sources.

Developing Estimates of Potential Demand for Renewable Wood Energy Products in Alaska

Developing Estimates of Potential Demand for Renewable Wood Energy Products in Alaska
Author: Allen M. Brackley
Publisher:
Total Pages: 31
Release: 2010
Genre: Biomass energy
ISBN:
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Goal three of the current U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service strategy for improving the use of woody biomass is to help develop and expand markets for woody biomass products. This report is concerned with the existing volumes of renewable wood energy products (RWEP) that are currently used in Alaska and the potential demand for RWEP for residential and community heating projects in the state. In this report, data published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census and the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency have been used to build a profile of residential and commercial energy demand for Alaska census tracts. By using peak prices from the fall of 2008, the potential value of a British thermal unit (Btu) from various fuels has been calculated to identify those situations where wood-based fuels are economically competitive or advantageous when compared with alternative fuel sources. Where these situations are identified, the Btu usage has been converted to equivalent volumes of wood energy products. Data have been presented so potential demand is available by census tract. No attempt has been made to define the rate of conversion or the time that it will take for total conversion to renewable wood energy. The ultimate rate of conversion is a function of government policies that encourage conversion, costs associated with converting, and price of alternative fuels. If fuel oil prices increase to the levels experienced in 2008, there would be a strong economic incentive to convert heating systems to use solid wood fuels. If all of the liquid fuels used by the residential and commercial sectors in Alaska were converted to solid wood energy, it is estimated that 1.3 million cords of material would be required annually.

The Potential for Wood Energy and Biomass Fuels in Alaska

The Potential for Wood Energy and Biomass Fuels in Alaska
Author: Dmitry S. Halinen
Publisher: Nova Science Publishers
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011-10
Genre: Biomass energy
ISBN: 9781614709909
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Goal three of the current U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service strategy for improving the use of woody biomass is to help develop and expand markets for woody biomass products. This book explores the existing volumes of renewable wood energy products (RWEP) that are currently used in Alaska and the potential demand of RWEP for residential and community heating projects in the state. Data published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census and the U.S. Department of Energy have been used to build a profile of residential and commercial energy demand for Alaska census tracts. If fuel oil prices increase to the levels experienced in 2008, there would be a strong economic incentive to convert heating systems to use solid wood fuels.

Wood Energy in Alaska

Wood Energy in Alaska
Author: David L. Nicholls
Publisher:
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2009
Genre: Biomass energy
ISBN:
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Biomass resources in Alaska are extensive and diverse, comprising millions of acres of standing small-diameter trees, diseased or dead trees, and trees having lowgrade timber. Limited amounts of logging and mill residues, urban wood residues, and waste products are also available. Recent wildfires in interior Alaska have left substantial volumes of burned timber, potentially usable for biomass energy. Motivated, in part, by rising fuel prices, organizations across the state -- including businesses, schools, and government agencies -- have all expressed an interest in wood energy applications. Numerous sites have pursued feasibility studies or engineering design analysis, and others have moved forward with project construction. Recent advances in biomass utilization in Alaska have been enabled by numerous factors, and involve various fuel sources, scales of operation, and end products. Already, thermal wood energy systems are using sawmill residues to heat lumber dry kilns, and a public school heating system is in operation. Management policies on national forests and state forests in Alaska could determine the type and amounts of available biomass from managed forests, from wildland-urban interface regions, and from salvage timber operations. Biomass products in Alaska having potential for development are as diverse as wood pellets, cordwood (firewood), compost, wood-plastic composite products, and liquid fuels. In addition, new technologies are allowing for more efficient use of biomass resources for heating and electrical generation at scales appropriate for community power. This case study review considers successes and lessons learned from current wood energy systems in Alaska, and also considers opportunities for future bioenergy development.

Wood Energy in Alaska-Case Study Evaluations of Selected Facilities

Wood Energy in Alaska-Case Study Evaluations of Selected Facilities
Author: United States Department of Agriculture
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2015-02-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9781506119403
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Biomass resources in Alaska are extensive and diverse, comprising millions of acres of standing small-diameter trees, diseased or dead trees, and trees having lowgrade timber. Limited amounts of logging and mill residues, urban wood residues, and waste products are also available. Recent wildfires in interior Alaska have left substantial volumes of burned timber, potentially usable for biomass energy. Motivated, in part, by rising fuel prices, organizations across the state-including businesses, schools, and government agencies-have all expressed an interest in wood energy applications. Numerous sites have pursued feasibility studies or engineering design analysis, and others have moved forward with project construction. Recent advances in biomass utilization in Alaska have been enabled by numerous factors, and involve various fuel sources, scales of operation, and end products. Already, thermal wood energy systems are using sawmill residues to heat lumber dry kilns, and a public school heating system is in operation. Management policies on national forests and state forests in Alaska could determine the type and amounts of available biomass from managed forests, from wildland-urban interface regions, and from salvage timber operations. Biomass products in Alaska having potential for development are as diverse as wood pellets, cordwood (firewood), compost, wood-plastic composite products, and liquid fuels. In addition, new technologies are allowing for more efficient use of biomass resources for heating and electrical generation at scales appropriate for community power. This case study review considers successes and lessons learned from current wood energy systems in Alaska, and also considers opportunities for future bioenergy development.

Drivers of Landscape Change in the Northwest Boreal Region

Drivers of Landscape Change in the Northwest Boreal Region
Author: Valerie Barber
Publisher: University of Alaska Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2020-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1602233977
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The northwest boreal region (NWB) of North America is a land of extremes. Extending more than 1.3 million square kilometers (330 million acres), it encompasses the entire spectrum between inundated wetlands below sea level to the tallest peak in North America. Permafrost gradients span from nearly continuous to absent. Boreal ecosystems are inherently dynamic and continually change over decades to millennia. The braided rivers that shape the valleys and wetlands continually change course, creating and removing vast wetlands and peatlands. Glacial melt, erosion, fires, permafrost dynamics, and wind-blown loess are among the shaping forces of the landscape. As a result, species interactions and ecosystem processes are shifting across time. The NWB is a data-poor region, and the intention of the NWB Landscape Conservation Cooperative is to determine what data are not available and what data are available. For instance, historical baseline data describing the economic and social relationships in association with the ecological condition of the NWB landscape are often lacking. Likewise, the size and remoteness of this region make it challenging to measure basic biological information, such as species population sizes or trends. The paucity of weather and climate monitoring stations also compound the ability to model future climate trends and impacts, which is part of the nature of working in the north. The purpose of this volume is to create a resource for regional land and resource managers and researchers by synthesizing the latest research on the historical and current status of landscape-scale drivers (including anthropogenic activities) and ecosystem processes, future projected changes of each, and the effects of changes on important resources. Generally, each chapter is coauthored by researchers and land and natural resource managers from the United States and Canada.

Use of Wood Energy for Lumber Drying and Community Heating in Southeast Alaska

Use of Wood Energy for Lumber Drying and Community Heating in Southeast Alaska
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 20
Release: 2004
Genre: Fuelwood
ISBN:
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The inadequate transportation infrastructure and undeveloped markets for sawmill residues in southeast Alaska are among the factors that limit the use of this forest resource. This study considers the potential use of sawmill residues to supply two bioenergy systems that would produce thermal energy for (1) community heating and (2) a lumber dry kiln in Hoonah, Alaska. The proposed community heating system would be a direct combustion system, burning approximately 1,450 green tons (1.315 green metric kilotons) of wood fuel per year to provide heating for seven centrally located buildings in Hoonah. Additional sawmill residues would be used in another system to provide process heat for a proposed 25,000 board foot (41.3 m3) dry kiln. The Hoonah sawmill typically produces as much as 5 million board feet (8,255 m3) of lumber per year, primarily from western hemlock and Sitka spruce. The processing of this amount of lumber would result in an adequate volume of residue to provide a fuel source for the heating requirements of the proposed projects. Wood residue from the sawmill is assumed to be available at no cost other than for transportation. Use of wood fuel for community heating would save an estimated 65,000 gallons (2.47 kL) of heating oil per year. Avoided fuel costs would be approximately $91,500 per year based on No. 2 fuel oil at a market price of $1.40 per gallon ($0.37 per liter). Based on a project life of 25 years and a contingency rate of 25%, the expected after-tax internal rate of return (IRR) for the community heating portion of the project is 29.6%. Total installed costs for the 1,195,000 Btu/h (350 kWthermal) community heating system, including distribution piping and its installation and backup oil systems, are estimated to be $631,000. For the lumber dry kiln, in the second heat-generating system, economic results were less favorable, with expected energy savings of $82,900 per year and an after-tax IRR of 24.1% (also assuming 25% contingency). Estimated installed cost of the 1,536,000 Btu/h (450 kWthermal) dry kiln system with a backup oil system is $513,800.