“Wood chip” energy could be part of city heating
The Ely City Council got a look at an alternative community energy source that has been environmentally friendly in European cities for several years.
Mechanical engineers Dave Olson and Chuck Hartley presented an overview of Organic Rankine Cycle power that uses wood waste biomass like chips, sawdust and bark to generate heat and electrical energy.
According to their literature, ORC power continually renews itself in a closed cycle system with an efficiency that is approximately twice as high as conventional electrical generation.
A one-megawatt district heating system installed in Ely could serve Vermilion Community College, the high school, the hospital and perhaps a few government buildings and homes.
Benefits include a reduced local carbon footprint, reduced wildfire hazard from improved forest management and enhanced local economics with as much as 70 percent of energy revenues staying in the community.
The operation facilities typically require one and a half acres and use 22 cords of wood waste, or two truck loads, per day to produce the energy.
Olson said the United States is 10 years behind the technology that’s being used in Europe. During a trip to Italy, they discovered that home heating costs were reduced by approximately 40-50 percent with the biomass system.
Other benefits could include an economic uplift for logging operations in the area. Olson told council members that three logging plants in the region have been shut down. This translates to one million cords of wood that are not being harvested. Upon starting up again, acquiring local wood waste would not be a problem.
Ely Mayor Roger Skraba added that the U.S. Forest Service is looking into a study on their forests to determine if they can support systems in locations such as Grand Marais, Ely and Fortune Bay.
Hartley said he felt timing was a factor in project development for the system.
“Long-term, I think it’s a matter of time before this type of system is in this type of community,” he said. “And I think there may be opportunities right now with the stimulus money...to get one of these systems going.”
The council approved the formation of a community task force to study the feasibility of establishing an ORC district heating facility. The committee would look into costs and study-funding that would be brought back to the council for review and approval.
Area residents who are interested in participating on the task force are encouraged to sign up at city hall.
