Herald Biomass story - page 2

Biomass to the rescue?
•Interview with executive director of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Stephen Smith
By JOHN DORSCHNER
dorschner@MiamiHerald.com
« Previous Page 2 of 4 Next »
What biomass is not is food. ''No one is talking about using food for power,'' says John Bonitz of the Southern Alliance. ``This is not corn and ethanol.''

A growing number of critics are speaking out against subsidies for ethanol, saying they've raised food prices and contributed to food shortages in some parts of the world. ''Food into fuel is clearly a dumb idea,'' says Lester Lave, an energy expert at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

In Florida, biomass already produces 1,100 megawatts of power, according a recent study by Navigant Consultants. About half of that comes from 11 waste-to-energy plants that process local garbage and trash.

The other half comes from the leftovers in the timber and sugar-cane industries, which use the power first for their own needs, then sell the remainder to utilities. The biggest plant is run by Florida Crysta1s near South Bay, producing 140 megawatts of power from bagasse, the term for cane waste after the sugar is squeezed out, and from Miami-Dade yard trash.

Florida Power & Light, the state's largest utility, reports that in 2007 it purchased 1.5 million megawatt-hours from biomass plants totaling 303 megawatts of capacity -- a tiny fraction of the 25 million megawatts that the utility uses.

COSTS -- CHEAP

Around the nation, biomass plants have a long, well established history. More than half -- 53 percent -- of all renewables nationwide in 2007 came from biomass, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Biomass advocates point out that this waste produces baseload power -- meaning it can fuel plants around the clock -- while solar power usually operates about 20 to 25 percent of the time.

In Burlington, Vt., the 50-megawatt McNeil power station has been operating successfully since 1984, using mostly left-over branches, leaves and stumps generated by people harvesting firewood or lumber.

Plant manager John Irving says McNeil breaks even at 5.5 cents per kilowatt/hour. (To compare, the typical Florida utility customer pays the utility 10 to 13 cents/kWh.)

The price for McNeil power fluctuates depending on alternative sources. ''There were some times when oil/gas was very cheap when I'm sure our owners were thinking maybe we should have done something else,'' wrote Irving in an e-mail. But lately, the utility has been getting 10 or 12 cents/kWh, plus a three-cent bonus from Connecticut for providing clean energy. ''They're pretty happy now,'' Irving says of the owners.

What's more, much of the plant's costs are in labor -- harvesting the wood waste and getting it to the plant. ``So that's economic development, compared to sending all your money to the Middle East.''

Meanwhile, Georgia Power proposes changing its 96-megawatt Mitchell Plant from burning coal to biomass. This would not only eliminate a source of the worst emitter of greenhouse gases but would also reduce fuel costs by 30 percent and operating-maintenance costs by 13 percent over the life of the plant, according to spokesman Jeff Wilson.

Most of the wood fuel would come from sources considered unusable by timber companies, Georgia Power says. The switch to biomass is estimated to create 50 to 75 new jobs.

In Florida, Biomass Gas & Electric has deals to build three plants, including a 42-megawatt generator in Tallahassee. BG&E spokesman Keith McDermott says the contract will pay BG&E 7.2 cents/kWh. ``Obviously we know we can make the economics work. We're in the business to make money.''