KEMA Sees Biomass Energy Key to Meeting US Carbon Objectives, Keeping Electricity Affordable

Thursday, Jul 02, 2009

Insights released on technical, economic and regulatory considerations for US implementation

KEMA today issued perspectives on leveraging co-firing biomass with coal to address carbon in the existing US power generation asset base. The Obama Administration and Congress’s historic focus on energy and climate change have introduced significant regulatory uncertainty in generation planning and operations. Biomass co-firing technology can provide a path to addressing climate change while mitigating costs to the nation’s coal-generation base and the customers served.

KEMA’s whitepaper, “Co-firing biomass with coal: Balancing US carbon objectives, energy demand and electricity affordability” provides insight into the technical, economic, and regulatory and environmental conditions to consider for implementing biomass co-firing. The paper is available for download at: www.kema.com/biomass-energy.

KEMA has been actively engaged in supporting biomass co-firing initiatives already underway in Europe and the Netherlands for over a decade. Full scale commercial co-firing of at least ten percent biomass - based on heat input - is a daily practice there, with a wide variety of bio-fuels and co-firing configurations.

While biomass co-firing technology has been demonstrated in many boiler types, the US currently does not use this approach due to a lack of incentives and a general reluctance to introduce new fuels into boilers. However, as the US government continues to actively pursue carbon and other environmental policies and regulations, co-generation from biomass, waste, and recovered fuels is beginning to be evaluated for use in US power generation assets.

KEMA has over 15-years extensive experience in direct and indirect co-firing of several biomass fuel types. The firm has examined the opportunity that co-firing provides in improving the operation of older units, increasing efficiency and optimizing use of assets, all while supporting environmental regulations.

In North America, KEMA has been working with a number of utilities to determine short-term strategies for introducing biomass into existing coal-fired units. The firm is also helping utilities develop long-term strategies to ensure that they are prepared for likely upcoming regional or national carbon dioxide reduction regulations.

About KEMA

Founded in 1927, KEMA is a global provider of business and technical consulting, operational support, measurement and inspection, testing and certification for the energy and utility industry. KEMA employs more than 1,800 professionals globally. KEMA, Inc is the US subsidiary of KEMA NV and serves energy clients throughout the Americas and Caribbean.

Source: Businesswire