The Potential for Biomass District Energy Production in Port Graham, Alaska

Charles Sink, Chugachmiut ; Keeryanne Leroux, EERC

关键词: ALASKA;    BIOFUELS;    BIOMASS;    BOILERS;    COGENERATION;    COMBUSTION;    ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT;    ECONOMICS;    ENERGY ACCOUNTING;    ENERGY SYSTEMS;    FURNACES;    GASIFICATION;    HEATING;    IMPLEMENTATION;    IMPORTS;    MITIGATION;    PETROLEUM;    PRODUCTION;    RELIABILITY;    WOOD tribal energy;    biomass;    district heating;    alaska;   

DOI  :  10.2172/927962
RP-ID  :  None
PID  :  OSTI ID: 927962
Others  :  Other: None
Others  :  TRN: US200816%%710

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

This project was a collaboration between The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) and Chugachmiut – A Tribal organization Serving the Chugach Native People of Alaska and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Tribal Energy Program. It was conducted to determine the economic and technical feasibility for implementing a biomass energy system to service the Chugachmiut community of Port Graham, Alaska. The Port Graham tribe has been investigating opportunities to reduce energy costs and reliance on energy imports and support subsistence. The dramatic rise in the prices of petroleum fuels have been a hardship to the village of Port Graham, located on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. The Port Graham Village Council views the forest timber surrounding the village and the established salmon industry as potential resources for providing biomass energy power to the facilities in their community. Benefits of implementing a biomass fuel include reduced energy costs, energy independence, economic development, and environmental improvement. Fish oil–diesel blended fuel and indoor wood boilers are the most economical and technically viable options for biomass energy in the village of Port Graham. Sufficient regional biomass resources allow up to 50% in annual heating savings to the user, displacing up to 70% current diesel imports, with a simple payback of less than 3 years for an estimated capital investment under $300,000. Distributive energy options are also economically viable and would displace all imported diesel, albeit offering less savings potential and requiring greater capital. These include a large-scale wood combustion system to provide heat to the entire village, a wood gasification system for cogeneration of heat and power, and moderate outdoor wood furnaces providing heat to 3–4 homes or community buildings per furnace. Coordination of biomass procurement and delivery, ensuring resource reliability and technology acceptance, and arbitrating equipment maintenance mitigation for the remote village are challenges to a biomass energy system in Port Graham that can be addressed through comprehensive planning prior to implementation.