Goddard College Woodchip Heating Project 2012 Vermont Woodchip and Pellet Heating Conference

Transcription

1 Goddard College Woodchip Heating Project 2012 Vermont Woodchip and Pellet Heating Conference Tim Maker Community Biomass Systems, Inc. January 16, 2012

2 Goddard College Mission: To advance cultures of rigorous inquiry, collaboration and life-long learning, where individuals take imaginative and responsible action in the world.

3 Goddard College Principles of Progressive Education Help foster among students the spirit of: The ideals of democracy Concern for the Earth s welfare Reducing our environmental footprint

4 Goddard College The campus and its use 23 heated buildings Building efficiency retrofits are on-going Each building now has its own oil boiler for heat Low-residency program (students on campus for two-week periods, not full-time)

5 What is this project all about? Getting the Goddard campus completely off oil, by constructing: 1. A new woodchip heating plant 2. Buried hot water pipe to distribute heat 3. Connection to the heating system in each building Two buildings need steam to hot water conversion

6 Project Status Committed project Financing package complete Engineering and design are complete Local zoning permit in hand Act 250 permit application being submitted in January (2012) Construction starts May 2012

7 Project Team Goddard College Leadership and decision making Financing Day-to-day project supervision (clerk of the works) Community Biomass Systems Engineering and architectural design Permitting and project support Project management Supply of woodchip system

8 What will the plant look like? Designed by Artichoke Design, Calais, Vermont

9 Where on campus will the plant be located? Edge of Dorm Area of Campus

10 Boiler Room Equipment Woodchip boiler (3.0 MMBH) Fuel handling equipment Emissions control equipment 2 backup oil boilers Circulating pumps and controls for campus hot water heat distribution

11 Woodchip Boiler Woodchip boiler with two backup oil boilers Provided by Messersmith Manufacturing (of Michigan) and Better World Energy (of Calais, Vermont)

12 What about air quality? Goddard will have only the second electrostatic precipitator (ESP) among Vermont s 60 plus woodchip heating plants. Goddard is voluntarily putting in the ESP (at a cost of $130,000) to guarantee very low emissions.

13 Will the Goddard woodchip plant be something entirely new for this part of Vermont? No. Goddard is in Washington County, Vermont, home to the greatest concentration of woodchip heating plants in the Western Hemisphere.

14 Is there anything special about the Goddard system? Yes. Goddard will be the first college campus in the US to build a new campus heat distribution system that moves completely off fossil fuels to local wood.

15 Plant Location & Pipe Layout Piping design by RDA Engineering, Marietta, Georgia

16 Pre-insulated Pipe Technology PEX flexible pipe US supplier, made in Switzerland

17 Why woodchips? Wood is a locally produced, non-fossil fuel that does not contribute to global climate change. Fuel dollars stay in the local economy. At current prices Goddard will reduce its fuel costs by 73%, compared to oil.

18 Where do the woodchips come from? Goddard plans to get all fuel from within 35 miles of Plainfield.

19 Is there enough wood? Goddard expects to burn 885 tons per year. According to a study by the Biomass Energy Resource Center (BERC), done for Goddard, there are over 500,000 tons available annually of un-used, low-grade wood in forests within 35 miles approximately equal to the amount being harvested today for other uses (lumber, furniture, paper, cordwood, etc.).

20 Project Budget $2.3 million Building and site work 22 % Wood system (including ESP) 26 % Backup oil boilers/other mechanical equip. 5 % Buried pipe system 27 % Building connections and steam retrofits 6 % Permitting, design and project management 14 %

21 Sources of Funds Grant (Vermont CEDF) 6.5 % 3 loans (CEDF, VEDA, VCLF) 85.6 % Goddard College funds 7.9 % Overall loan interest rate 3.65 %

22 Project Economics Year 1 fuel cost savings $143, year cash flow savings $5.8 million Net present value of savings $2.3 million Internal rate of return on investment 16.1 %

23 The Bottom Line With very little grant funding, in a down economy, with oil at $3.50 per gallon, the Goddard College project has excellent economics and is one of the best investments the college could make.

24 Questions about the project? Contact us: Tim Maker, Project Manager Community Biomass Systems (802) Montpelier, Vermont