An Integrated Village Based Biomass

Energy Program for Rural Alaska

April 15, 2014

Bill Wall, PhD Sustainability, Inc.

Alaska Village

Initiatives

Building the Vision & Program – Funding Partners

USDA RBEG

Forest Stewardship Plans

DOE Feasibility

2008 DOE Earmark

2009 DOE Earmark

Denali Commission Equipment Grant – CATG

AEA – Alternative Energy Fund - GZ

Denali Commission Training Grant

DNR Private Forestry Training Grant - CATG

LL: Agencies have focused Missions and Funding Multiple Agencies in a project creates Complexity

Cannot get it done without them

AVI’s Village Approach

Village approach – not buildings Integrated economically – economy of scale – create a real

business

Integrated ecologically – biomass = moose habitat

Integrated culturally/socially – it takes a village

Fort Yukon & McGrath were the initial focal points

Create the vision: CHIP VS STICKS in the Bush

Both and - not Either or : create choices for optimization

LL: Project Momentum is very important: Took 10 years to get it on the ground with village ownership

AVI Biomass Projects

Two Forest Stewardship Plans

Two Forest Inventories Developed

Two Forest Harvest Plans

Breaking the Chip Barrier Workshop

Engineers, foresters, loggers, equipment experts, village reps

Eight Village Feasibility Studies

GIS Tech support for CATG

AVI Projects

Kodiak Biomass availability and cost study

FY Harvest Equipment Support

Scaled Harvest Equipment Report – in progress

Village Integrated Biomass Technology Review – in progress

Forestry technician training - FY

Harvest operations training – FY

CHIPS VS STICKS

Breaking the Bush Chip Barrier

LL: Incentives, Champions, Trainings, Right People

Fort Yukon Harvest for Chips

Devany – I got the night shift covered

Wood Energy Goals: Village Sustainability

Stabilize heat energy costs – Displace maximum amount of Fuel Oil – based on local capacity

Create sustainable jobs

Benefit to local economy

Enhance local business management capacity

Enhance natural resources management capacity

Fully integrated from forest to boilers to end users

CommunityCommunity

BiomassBiomass

UtilizationUtilization

ProgramProgram

Wildfire

Mitigation

Energy

Cost

Reduction

Habitat

Enhancement

Rural

Economic

Development

Environmental

Improvement

VBECS Value

Beyond Energy

Cost Savings

LL: Promotes Cultural Integrity – through empowerment for use of local natural resources

LL: VBECS are as important as ENERGY COST SAVINGS

Community Involvement

Community must understand program and embrace it fully.

Local communication is critical

LL: Do not take 10 years to put something on the ground….

Community Based Sustainability The Bigger Picture

Alaska Village Sustainability

Security! Local Food Local Energy

Energy Management Energy

Security

Cultural Integrity

Interdependency between the Well-being of the Traditional Lands of the Yukon Flats and the

Koyukon and Gwich’in People

Physical Health

Spiritual Health

Culture

Subsistence Livelihood

Land

Words of Traditional Chief and Reverend Trimble Gilbert, Arctic Village.

CATG Slide

Program Components Sustainable System

Village Energy Assessment

Resource Assessment

Business Structure

Harvest Plan

Harvest System

Training and Operations Support

Village Energy Assessment Economic Sustainability

Fuel Use: LL – Get accurate data on usage

Model energy project scales and all alternatives

Sticks, chips or pellets

Waste heat included

District heat or buildings

Optimization Modeling

Greg’s Genius Wonder Model More later…..

Resource Assessment Ecological Sustainability

LL: Link forest, harvest system, fuel type & quality to boiler type and delivery design

FY: Cotton wood target for chips

CW not good for Sticks or stoves

Chip Quality is Critical for performance

Fort

Yukon

2004 Fires

Ecological Sustainability 12MM acres statewide in 2004-2005

Fires 1950-2004

Fires: 1950-2004

Cottonwood/Hardwood Management

Grows 30-40+ tons/acre in 40 yrs

Reduces Acres Required Coppice Regeneration Chip systems

Business Structure Business Plan

LL: Economic Incentives in the right places…

Develop Business Structure with the energy optimization model

Who owns and operates the boiler/boilers

Who harvests the wood and how who pays whom

Who are the customers and what do you charge per BTU?

LL: Be careful of waste heat charges vs. biomass charges:

Inappropriate expectations

Forest management

plan

Contractual

agreements with

timber owners

Village Wood

Distribution

Contractual

agreements with

wood consumers

Wood consumed for

energy for heat and

power generation

Harvest

contractual

agreement

Map the System Flow Place Based

District Heating System

Austria

Chip Delivery Systems & Storage Conceptual Design Document

Harvest Plan

Five year – updated annually

Forest inventory – GIS

TCC Forestry has been great support

Stand selection connects:

Boiler type

Harvest equipment

Regeneration

Training LL: Have equipment put together First

Village Feasibility Studies

Fort Yukon McGrath

Venetie Chalkyitsik

Arctic Village Wrangell

St Maries Hydaburg

Glennallen Tazlina

Yakutat Ahtna Building

Village Feasibility Studies Created a Standard

AVI, Sustainability, Inc., E4 engineering

Village based optimization, alternatives and what “ifs”

Created a feasibility approach

Compares 3 fuel/boiler types = sticks, chips, pellets

Individual buildings, small districts, large districts

How much wood and how many acres / year

How much ash, how much emissions

Garn Stick Fired Boilers

Right Boiler for Right Reasons

In Right Places Venetie & Arctic Village

Weisman – Pyrtec Grate Chip Boiler

50%+ Moisture Chips Fort Yukon – Bush Boiler

Weisman – Pyrot Chip/Pellet Boiler

35% Moisture or less Chips or Pellets @ 10%MC

Chistochina

AVI Biomass Accomplishments

LLL: Lots of Lessons Learned too many to report here

Still Breaking the Chip Barrier in the Bush in partnership with GZ and CATG

Linked all components for integrated biomass model

Developed Village based Integrated Model for VBECS

Supported development of Village Biomass Alternatives and Optimization Model by E4/Sustainability, Inc.

Many village meetings and presentations on biomass

Top 3 LL Integration of Components

Integration Integration

Integration Forest Plan Harvest Methodology Fuel Type Fuel Delivery Boiler Design End User Business Structure Business Plan Training

Fort Yukon “Current” Champions

(There have been many over the years)

Frannie Hughes – GZ General Manager

Gerald James - Boat Captain and logger extraodinar…

Derrick Carroll – Magnum Equipment Operator & New Logger

Kelda Britton - CATG – Resource Director