News

In Bristol, England, UK, the installation of a new biomass boiler is saving Portishead Open Air Pool £6,000 (€4,203) a year on fuel bills. The pool previously used the equivalent of 1 litre of oil per swimmer per year. The installation of the new boiler will see 80% less fossil oil burned at the site, with a saving of more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon throughout the pool's…
Read More »

In Wales, UK, the threat of rising energy costs could see residents switch from using fossil fuels to renewable energy in their homes. A price surge of 15% in the upcoming months is expected to encourage home owners to install biomass boilers in their homes. According to Andrew Boroughs, owner of Welshpool-based Organic Energy, the sales of wood pellet burners has increased by 20% in Q1 2011…
Read More »

In Texas, US, the state's inaugural biomass power plant is to soon begin producing electricity. Owned by Aspen Power, the $107-$112 million (€76-€80 million) plant will generate 57MW of power a year from 60-70 truck loads a day of biomass. Between 50 to 52MW of the overall power produced at the site will go into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid, from which 75% of…
Read More »

In the UK, a supplier of timber-based biomass fuel Stobart Biomass has agreed commercial terms for a long-term supply and logistics contract with Iggesund Paperboard. The contract will see Stobart Biomass source, supply and transport biomass for use at the new £100 million (€114 million) biomass-fired power plant at Iggesund's paper mill. According to Andrew Tinkler, CEO of the Stobart…
Read More »

In Hungary, Germany-based biogas plant constructor Weltec Biopower has broken ground on a biogas plant in Szeged. With the capacity to generate 1MW of energy, the plant consists of two CHPs with an output of 600kW/h each, which will produce heat and power from pig manure and maize silage. The heat produced will be used to heat office buildings. Local farmers will supply the material for the plant…
Read More »

In Rothes, Scotland, UK, construction is due to start on a $60.5 million (€69 million) biomass CHP plant. Utilising by-products sourced from Scotch Whisky distilleries, the facility will generate 7.2MW of electricity, produce animal feed and slash carbon emissions. Most of the electricity generated at the site, which is enough to power 9,000 households, will be transported to the national…
Read More »

With the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) announced, increased levels of Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) proposed for anaerobic digestion (AD) and the coalition government's promise to deliver a significant amount of energy from waste sources through the process of anaerobic digestion, all eyes are on the AD industry right now. On 6-7 July 2011, Hall 10, NEC, Birmingham will be home to UK AD & Biogas…
Read More »

Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, US, has been given a grant from the Biofuels Center of North Carolina worth more than $145,000 (€97,500). The money will be used to expand the university’s testing facilities for biofuels catalysts. The grant is for one year’s worth of research and will be used to produce biodiesel from cheap feedstocks and other sources. The university is…
Read More »

UK-based recycling and renewable energy firm Viridor has completed its state-of-the-art energy recovery facility (ERF) in Peterborough. The plant, which is operated by Viridor, is now operational on the city's Fengate industrial estate. Making a significant step towards its zero waste ambitions, Peterborough City Council is now able to divert up to 95% of its non-recyclable waste from landfill,…
Read More »

In the US We Energies and paper company Domtar are developing a $225 million (€156 million) biomass plant in Rothschild. The companies can now progress with the next stages of development after the state Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the plans. Despite receiving a unanimous vote from the panel, consisting of three members, We Energies and Domtar are to raise an additional $10…
Read More »

New terms to the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) will see funding capped at $112 million (€77.7 million) for the 2011 financial year. James Barber, New York's US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency state executive director, announced the provision. 'Both matching payments and annual payments will be affected by the reduction in programme funding,' Barber says. 'At…
Read More »

An opening ceremony for a $50 million (€35 million) biomass plant in Eugene, Oregon, US, owned by Seneca Sawmill, took place on 5 May 2011. The plant has been operational since February 2011. With the ability to handle woodchips, bark and slash material sourced from the logging industry, the plant generates 19MW of renewable energy, benefitting around 13,000 households in Lane County.…
Read More »

In Canada, renewable energy producer Rentech is looking to develop a biomass plant in White River, Ontario that will produce jet fuel and create 400 fulltime jobs. 'This will be the largest renewable clean jet fuel programme in the world,' says the CEO of RenTech Hunt Ramsbottom. 'This will be the first of its kind where the province, the federal government, local communities and a private…
Read More »

Privately owned company Greenergy is to start reducing the levels of waste sent to landfill and has partnered with waste food recycling company Brocklesby to produce biodiesel from food leftovers. In a bid to reduce the environmental impact of the fuel that the company produces, while also creating a new alternative source of fuel, the joint venture will covert edible oils and unsalable food into…
Read More »