Benton Area School District

1
Benton Area School District
Utilization of Biomass for Heating Benton Area
School District

• Fueling our school and our future with renewable
  energy.

2
Grant preparation, application process, and
acquisition completed by

• Gary Powlus -Superintendent BASD
• Beverly Ribble -Business Manager BASD
• Ryan Koch Pocono Northeast RCD
  Coordinator
• Scott Singer USDA Wildlife Biologist

3
Project partners

• Benton Area School District
• USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation and
  Development Council
• PA Department of Environmental Protection

4
Additional Project Support

• Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
• Pennsylvania Game Commission
• Columbia County Conservation District
• Pheasants Forever
• Fishing Creek Watershed Association
• Senator John Gordner
• Representative David Millard
• Commissioners of Columbia County
• Penn State Cooperative Extension

5
Project Overview

• PEDA grant received in the amount of 350,000 to
  install necessary equipment needed for supplying
  two school buildings with biomass heat.
• Flexible fuel capability
• biomass materials such as native grass, wood
  products, and corn can be utilized in this
  flexible fuel system.

6
Project Goals

• Reduce fossil fuel consumption by at least 37,000
  gallons annually
• Save at least 50,000 annually in fuel cost
• Reduce air pollution emitted by 88
• Growth for the local economy

7
Project Goals

• Provide education opportunities for students and
  the community relating to renewable energy
  systems
• Provide additional opportunity for farmers to
  market products locally
• Facilitate growth of sustainable, renewable
  energy cropping systems in the local area
• Increase or maintain the amount of wildlife
  habitat in the area

8
Fuel from the Farm

• Local area has well established agricultural base
• It is possible to purchase fuel from the local
  community.
• money spent by the school district for annual
  heating needs is currently gt 100,000 dollars
  annually
• 107,648 in 2005
• last year fuel oil was purchased _at_ 1.54/gallon,
  2006 prices have risen to 2.32/gallon (50
  increase in cost)
• purchasing fuel from the local producers will
  keep spent for energy in the community

9
The Benefits of Grass Farming

• Provide outstanding environmental benefits
• Water quality improves measurably when perennial
  grasses are grown instead of, or in conjunction
  with, row crop systems
• Wildlife habitat and associated recreation
  opportunities increase
• Soil stability and health are protected to ensure
  long term viability and productivity levels of
  farmland
• Carbon storage in soil further reduces the amount
  of CO2 in the atmosphere to help slow global
  climate change
• Provides opportunity for farmers to safely apply
  manure as fertilizer to the crop, meeting
  nutrient management requirements while protecting
  water quality.

10
The Benefits of Grass Farming

• Cropping systems revolving around dedicated
  energy crops can help local farmers keep a larger
  of retail value of crop by reducing inputs
  needed to grow energy products on the farm.
• Native grasses are an extremely low risk crop due
  to drought tolerance, wide range of soil
  adaptation, and longevity of stands after
  establishment
• Can be integrated into existing farming
  operations, utilizing existing farm machinery and
  knowledge
• Provides increased revenue potential on land
  which is marginal for traditional crop
  production
• Harvest can be completed in traditionally slow
  time of year for farmers, without taking time
  away from existing operations

11
Mobile Pelletizer

• Energy Harvest Grant received to construct and
  demonstrate technology for pelletizing grasses
  with farm scale equipment
• Facilitating farmer involvement and providing
  opportunity for farmers to get involved in solid
  fuel production without capital investment up
  front
• Pelletize first stocks of grass pellets for
  distribution and tests in combustion appliances
• Process two years worth of heating fuel for BASD

12
Timeline

• Project coordination, implementation, and
  outreach have begun and will continue through the
  grant period (2007-2009)
• Background engineering and selection process to
  be finalized by end of 2007
• Construction, testing, and boiler operation
  expected to be completed by 2008 heating season