News

In the US, lumber firm Allengheny Wood Products, based in Preston County, West Virginia, is to start up a new wood pellet company. Appalachian Wood Pellets will manufacture wood pellets for use as heating fuel in residential pellet stoves. The wood pellet company will acquire the sawdust needed to produce the pellets from Allengheny, which will be transported from the mill to the plant via…
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The EU’s target to source 20% of its energy from renewable materials by 2020 may be exceeded, according to the 27 National Renewable Energy Action Plans analysis of the European Wind Energy Association. As 25 of the 27 EU countries aim to meet or exceed their renewable energy objectives, 20.7% of the EU’s total energy consumption could come from renewable sources. 34% of its…
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A UK-based producer and exporter of biomass has entered into a long-term partnership with Africa-based SIFCA’s subsidiary. Africa Renewables (AfriRen) and Ghana Rubber Estates (GREL) are to collaborate for eight years in order to develop renewable energy projects in Africa. During the agreement biomass in the form of woodchips will be extracted from GREL’s rubber tree plantation near…
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In China, a provider of distributed power generation systems, A-Power Energy Generation Systems has been awarded a RMB218 million (€24.4 million) engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build a biomass power plant in the region. Hainan Century Light Investment is behind the project, which will be located in Baisha County, Hainan. The plant will be fired by straw and,…
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While a number of anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities are springing up all over Europe, in the US it is a different story. However, Portland-based Columbia Biogas is planning to break the mould and construct an AD plant that will convert commercial food waste into methane gas for the production of electricity. The plans will see the AD plant constructed on an 11-acre site. It will be designed…
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In Germany a biogas plant has begun transporting biogas to a gas grid. Based in Zörbig, Saxony-Anhalt, and owned by Verbio Vereinigte Bioenergie AG, the €40 million facility is now feeding 2500m3 of biogas every hour into Mitgas Netz’s high pressure grid. Upon completion the plant will have the ability to produce 370GWh of biogas from agricultural waste for use in the gas grid.…
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The first anaerobic digestion (AD) plant to be constructed in London, UK has received a grant from the London Waste and Recycling Board. Dedicated to developing and operating energy projects, TEG is behind the Dagenham-based facility. The £1.9 million (€2.2 million) grant will help TEG develop the 30,000 tonne-a-year AD plant, in addition to a 20,000 tonne silo cage in-vessel composting…
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In Sweden the Volvo Group has collaborated with Schmidt and Swedavia as part of a field test to trial a snow sweeper powered by biogas. The Volvo Group’s snow sweeper is fitted with two nine-litre Volvo engines, which are currently powered on a 50:50 mix of biogas and conventional diesel. However this fossil fuel could eventually be switched with biodiesel, resulting in zero carbon emissions.…
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FCC Environment, a UK-based waste management company, has announced that its Buckinghamshire energy-from-waste (EfW) plant has taken its first delivery of residual waste and is generating power. Staff at Greatmoor EfW site, near Calvert, welcomed the first batch of bulked waste recently after passing all the relevant inspections. It means the plant — which will treat up to 300,000 tonnes of…
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The US Supreme Court on Tuesday barred President Obama’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) from taking effect until legal challenges against the legislation are solved. In a tight vote of 5-4, the court decided to put the plan on hold after receiving a request from 27 US States, led by Texas and West Virginia, and several businesses to block the CPP. The regulation is intended to lower US power plant…
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An anaerobic digestion plant in Canada has received a C$1,500,000 (€1.1 million) grant from The BC Bioenergy Network, a provincially-funded company supporting the growing bioenergy sector in British Columbia. The grant enables Elemental Energy to demonstrate Paradigm Environment Technologies' MicroSludge and anaerobic digestion at Catalyst Paper's Crofton-based pulp and paper mill on…
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Germany's energy wood and pellet sector had a difficult year in 2015 as falling oil and gas prices impacted on investment, according to a report by the Germany Energy Wood and Pellet Association (DEPV). In its annual report entitled Pellet market 2015 and Forecast 2016, the industry association said the "massive drop" in oil prices has "hampered" the pellet trade with only around 16,000 boilers…
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Along the Catawba River in North Carolina, US, commercial real estate development firm Forsite Development is currently developing a 20MW biomass plant, for which it has recently finalised some crucial decisions. The plant will form part of the ReVenture Park – 667 acres of land, including a solar field, a wastewater treatment facility, energy crop demonstration stands, an ethanol mixing…
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One of the largest biomass facilities in California has changed hands. Owner and operator of biomass power plants Greenleaf Power has reached an agreement to purchase 100% of Colmac Energy stock including the 47MW facility which sells its electrical output to Southern California Edison under a long-term agreement. The plant is fuelled primarily using clean diverted wood waste, green waste and…
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