BY TODD MARTIN
The new biomass plant currently being constructed on the Green Mountain College Poultney campus will reduce the institutions dependence on oil as a fuel source and help the institution move towards climate neutrality. According to the College’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory conducted between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009, 71% of the college’s greenhouse gases are generated from burning 260,000 gallons of fuel oil each year, a process that releases high amounts of carbon and other pollutants into the atmosphere.
The biomass plant is slated to provide approximately 85% of the heating needs while the remaining 15% will be derived from oil. This is a major step towards reducing the college’s impact on the planet.
So what’s the current status of the biomass plant you ask? Will all that unsightly construction equipment be out of sight soon? According to Lucas Brown, Professor of Environmental Studies, the facility is roughly 25% complete and is projected to be finished on March 31, 2010. The construction crew has finished the concrete foundation, and has been erecting the steel frame. According to Joe Manning, Vice President for Finance & Administration here at Green Mountain, the construction crew will build the walls of the plant after the steel frame is erected and will work through the winter.
Lucas Brown believes that Chiptec, a biomass gasification technology company located in Williston, Vermont that was hired for the project, is in the process of fabricating the gasifier for the plant. The gasifier is a machine that converts biomass into carbon monoxide and hydrogen by reacting raw material at high temperatures with a controlled amount of oxygen and steam. The biomass plant here at Green Mountain will use green woodchips—a sustainable and renewable fuel source—to heat all campus buildings. The woodchips will be harvested from local sources, which will encourage growth of the local, sustainable wood chip market and the emerging bio-energy economy. In essence, the biomass plant will be a massive wood stove that will heat the entire campus.
Another feature of the biomass plant is connecting a steam turbine generator to the wood boilers which will produce 400,000 kWh of electricity annually. The co-generation plant will meet about 20% of the College’s power needs and, at certain times, provide surplus electrical energy capacity to the local utility, Central Vermont Public Service. The steam generator is currently on order and should arrive to the college soon.
