The project team’s recommendations to overcome the challenges listed include continued research to comprehend technical solutions and expanded outreach to inform market actors and regulatory agencies of the value of biomass in the renewable energy space. Biomass processing has an important role to play in the future world of electricity production, heating, and cooling; however, there is a need to continually communicate effectively the benefits to early adopters as well as other institutions (e.g. policy makers, regulatory agencies, industry standards groups). Many of the technical challenges posed by the research were compounded by difficulties communicating this important work to regulatory agencies.
Technology/Knowledge Transfer/Market Adoption (Advancing the Research to Market)
The project team was able to leverage existing community outreach endeavors such as open houses and industry events to publicize the advances of the biomass CCHP. Additionally, the researchers and site host have been active in promoting this work to their respective communities. All Power Labs and site host Skysource won an award for a novel combination of the two entities’ technologies increasing attention on All Power Labs’ work. The disaster relief setting also allowed the project team to be introduced to agencies that can procure the technology to meet other policy goals in addition to the mission of the California Energy Commission.
Benefits to California
Biomass gasification power generation provides ratepayers with a new energy option, one that is on-demand, renewable, and not weather dependent. This project, built entirely of technology designed and manufactured in California, demonstrated a cost-effective way to address the light industrial and commercial market’s dependencies for natural gas powered CCHP equipment, as well as a myriad of issues associated with climate change, including drought, wildfires, and the need for more renewable energy. This was achieved by the utilization of forestry waste to produce renewable power, heat, cooling and water while simultaneously sequestering carbon in the form of biochar. This project illustrated the viability of mobile gasification systems to fit into this market, while avoiding the use natural gas and sourcing the fuel from fire remediation efforts. The team demonstrated how this technology provides the potential for significant reduction of harmful emissions compared to using grid electricity and natural gas fueled equipment.
The CCHP Power Pallet offers benefits to California ratepayers through 1) offset consumption of electricity and natural gas, 2) economic value of offset energy use, and 3) avoided greenhouse gas emissions. Large-scale use in forestry management would reduce risk of wildfires and contribute to the responsible processing of wood waste.
Table ES-1 summarizes the reduced energy demand totaling more than $42,000 from each mechanism for a single CCHP Power Pallet prototype.
