Greenhouse Biomass - Washington State University

Greenhouse Biomass
Heating
April 9, 2015
Chris Callahan
UVM Extension Ag Engineering
chris.callahan@uvm.edu 802 773 3349
http://blog.uvm.edu/cwcallah
UVM Extension helps individuals and communities put research-based knowledge to work. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative
Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of
Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont. University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer
education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political
beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.
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The Project(s)
• Incentivized installation of biomass boilers
and furnaces for greenhouses; to displace
propane and fuel oil.
• Six year program, 21 sites
• “Typical” Vermont greenhouses
• $80,000
• Technical and engineering support
• Staged trials; early/simple, late/complex
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“Gigantor” – Clear Brook Farm, Shaftsbury, VT
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“Gigantor” – Clear Brook Farm, Shaftsbury, VT
The Bottom Line
• Typical install displaces 600 gallons of propane
annually.
• 10 year payback
• Avoids 3.6 tons of carbon, 7300 miles eq.
(annually)
• Reduced criteria pollutants (per COMET)
• New ways of delivering heat to crop
• Learning community
• Need for multiple uses to reduce payback
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Fuel Choices
• What factors would you consider?
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Fuel Choices
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•
•
•
Availability & Control
Appliances & Maintenance
“Cost per Million BTU”
Other impacts
– CO2 emissions
– Particulate emissions
Delivered Heat
Cost (per million
BTU)
Fuel
BTU Content
Cost
Cord
Wood
18-20 million
BTU/cord
$160 –
200/cord
$11.1
@ 85%
efficiency
Readily available & familiar; can
generally be sourced on farm.
Manual handling; batch loading
Wood
Pellets
8,600
BTU/lb
$294/ton
$20.1
@ 90%
efficiency
Automated feeding with auger and
bin; available in bags and (in some
locations) bulk delivery.
Higher cost per BTU than cord wood;
limited bulk delivery options currently
Wood
Chips
9.9 million
BTU/ ton
$56/green ton
$15.9
@ 65%
efficiency
Inexpensive.
Generally high moisture compared to
other fuels; limited small scale
appliance availability.
Corn
8,500
BTU/lb
$300/ton
$23.9
@ 90%
efficiency
Can be grown on farm; automated
feeding with auger and bin.
Can form clinkers more easily than
other biomass fuels.
Grass
Pellets
8,600
BTU/lb
$250/ton
$16.1
@ 90%
efficiency
Can be grown on farm; automated
feeding with auger and bin when
densified.
Relatively high ash content, needs
automated removal system; clinkers
possible.
Propane
92,000
BTU/gal
$2.80/gal
$33.8
@ 90%
efficiency
Common, easy to use; no ash.
Not renewable; net CO2 and
greenhouse gas contributor.
Fuel Oil
129,500
BTU/gal
$4.00/gal
$34.3
@ 90%
efficiency
Common, easy to use; no ash.
Not renewable; net CO2 and
greenhouse gas contributor.
Biodiesel
118,296
BTU/gal
$4.18/gal
$39.3
@ 90%
efficiency
Fuel oil replacement can be
sustainably produced.
Some seals and materials may need
to be changed.
Pros
Cons
Old Athens Farm, Putney, VT
Field Day - River Berry Farm, Fairfax, VT
Clear Brook Farm, Shaftsbury, VT
Jericho Settlers Farm
Jericho, VT
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Atlas Farm, Deerfield, MA
Greenhouse & Tunnel Tour
Spring farmer-farmer education
project, delivered jointly with
NOFA-VT, funded by NE-SARE.
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What We Learned
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You generally get what you pay for.
Simple and cheap sometimes isn’t.
Qualified fuels lag practice.
When designing incentive programs, avoid
restricted uses.
• Technical assistance / support is critical.
• Learning community. Farm to farm
learning is highly effective.
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eNewsletter
web
blog
Chris Callahan
Rutland Office / chris.callahan@uvm.edu / 802-773-3349
http://www.uvm.edu/extension/agriculture/engineering/17
http://blog.uvm.edu/cwcallah/