Latest news with #biomass
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
In rural Alaska, a village turns to solar and biomass energies to cut diesel and save money
Eric Huntington built his dream cabin nestled in the wilderness of central Alaska, eventually raising two daughters there. But over the years, he learned that living in this quiet, remote village came with a hefty cost. Every year, the Huntington family spent about $7,000 on diesel to heat the cabin during bone-chilling winters, and a few years back, a power outage at the town's diesel plant left residents freezing in –45 C. When power finally returned hours later, water pipes had frozen, leaving about two dozen homes without running water for days. "We just didn't open our door all morning until the lights came back on," said Huntington, a member of the local Louden Tribe. In Galena, a sprawling village of 400 people on the banks of the Yukon River, a community built around a former military base is shifting to clean energy in an effort to reduce its reliance on expensive, imported diesel. Local leaders say their nearly completed solar farm, along with an existing biomass plant, will boost the town's savings and protect residents from blackouts during extreme weather. The technology has the potential to provide clean backup power in emergencies and improve the power grid's resiliency, all while diversifying the village's energy sources and providing job opportunities for locals. The projects come at a precarious time for renewable energy transition in the United States. The Trump administration has canceled billions of dollars of clean energy grants in an effort to bolster fossil fuel production, and billions more in investments have been scrapped or delayed this year. So far, the village's federal grants for the solar array haven't been impacted, but local leaders know the risk remains. Whatever the future of public funding, the village is an example of how renewable energies can save costs, boost reliability during extreme weather and create jobs. Once online, the solar array will ensure that the village's power grid has a backup system, said Tim Kalke, general manager of Sustainable Energy for Galena Alaska — or SEGA — a nonprofit that will operate it. So when the power goes out, it doesn't result in tens of thousands of dollars in repairs, he added, and heat is guaranteed in times of extreme cold. "You're dealing with life, health and safety," he said. A biomass project keeps a bustling school heated In May, dozens of high school students in navy blue caps and gowns stood with nervous excitement in a locker-brimmed hallway, each waiting their turn to walk through yellow tinsel into a packed auditorium. It was graduation day for Galena Interior Learning Academy. The school's vocational training courses and cultural offerings attract some 200 students annually from across Alaska, boosting the village's population and energy needs. Students here can take classes on sustainable energy, aviation, carpentry and much more. But in order to keep it running — especially during long, cold winters — it needs heat. That's where the biomass project comes in. Every winter since 2016, trees (mostly paper birch) are locally harvested and shredded into wood chips that fuel a large boiler plant on campus, offsetting about 380,000 litres of diesel annually for the school district and the city, said Brad Scotton, a Galena City Council member who also serves on SEGA's board. It's notable as one of the state's first large-scale biomass plants and is the most rural, he added. Cost savings from using biomass has allowed the Galena City School District to hire certified professionals in trade jobs and do upkeep on campus facilities, said district superintendent Jason R. Johnson in an email. It's also created a local workforce and a job base the village never used to have. "It's keeping the money that used to go outside within the community and providing pretty meaningful jobs for people," Scotton said. A new solar farm to offset more diesel use In rural areas of Alaska, the costs for many goods can be high, as they must be brought in. Galena burns just under 1.5 million litres of diesel annually to produce electricity, and an energy price hike around 2008 helped the village realize something needed to change. Scotton remembered when a gallon of diesel was $1.64 and then skyrocketed to $4.58 another year. At that wholesale price, the city was paying more than $1.8 million to keep the lights on. "It was really quite a shock to everybody's system in terms of trying to operate with those elevated costs," said Scotton. "So that really got the community assessing whether or not we could continue business as usual with that reliance." That's when they started looking for grants to build a solar array. On an overcast May day, on a field flanked by boreal forests, workers in reflective safety vests slotted rectangular panels on a metal grid. They were working on the nearly-completed, 1.5 megawatt solar farm that will connect to a battery system. Once in use, the community will be able to turn off its diesel engines and run on 100 per cent clean, renewable energy on sunny summer days, and any excess power will be battery stored for nights, emergencies or heating the local indoor pool. The solar array will allow them to shut off the diesel operation between 800 to 1,000 hours a year, totaling about 380,000 litres. The solar farm won't necessarily lower people's electricity bills. But like the biomass plant, the hope is that it will stabilize energy costs, allowing those savings to go back into the community, all while providing work opportunities for residents like Aaren Sommer. Last year, the 19-year old graduated from the academy, where he learned about solar energy. Now he's helping to install the solar array. "That's going to reduce the diesel usage a whole bunch over at the power plant, which is going to help us out," he said. Tribe members save with energy-efficient homes In addition to the solar farm and biomass project, the Louden Tribe is building new energy-efficient homes that will help members be less reliant on diesel. Some of the siding used in the homes comes from wood harvested in the area. In November, the Huntington family moved into a new, stilted house with a solar-compatible roof, 33-centimetre walls and 46 centimetres of insulation to keep the cold at bay. When they lived in the cabin, the $7,000 a year Huntington spent on diesel was a good chunk of his annual income. The new home's energy-efficient features are already saving them money. The 1,130-litre diesel tank Huntington filled before moving cost him about $2,400. Six months later, he still has unused fuel in the tank. The Huntingtons are one of eight families the tribe has moved into sustainable homes, and they plan to turn over the keys to three more this year. Kalke, SEGA's general manager, is often asked what Galena produces. He used to just say education. "But since 2016 you can say education and wood chips. And soon, solar energy," he said.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Spain's power cut shows the risks of gas-free Britain
Britain's National Energy System Operator (Neso) has set an ambition to run the power grid without gas by the end of this year. It's just a trial period but Neso has said it is a glimpse of what the future holds. It has already boasted of running '95pc carbon-free', although this has only been possible because of a quirk of carbon accounting rules that designates the burning of wood at an industrial scale as zero carbon. That is despite the carbon dioxide emissions from so-called wood-pellet biomass being higher than for the coal it replaced. Go figure. Whether Neso's ambition to be totally gas-free will be possible even with the dodgy carbon accounting rules is unclear. In the summer months, gas power stations are often turned up by the system operator in order to stabilise the grid – not through the power they provide so much as the way they work. Gas power stations generate electricity through turbines, which generate something called inertia. This is important to control voltage across the network. The basis of our power grid is alternating current, linked to the speed of turbine rotation. But the way we generate out electricity is changing. The energy transition has seen a major deployment of wind and solar farms. These typically produce direct current, which is different to the alternating current our grid uses. It is converted to alternating current using electronic devices. Not only do wind and solar not produce the alternating current required by the grid, they also lack inertia. As we replace conventional generation with renewables, we reduce the amount of inertia on the grid. This makes it less resilient to faults, which can disrupt the frequency. Why? Because conventional gas or coal generators are big, heavy machines that resist changes to their speed of rotation. They act as a brake, slowing changes in grid frequency.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
In rural Alaska, a village turns to solar and biomass energies to cut diesel and save money
Eric Huntington built his dream cabin nestled in the wilderness of central Alaska, eventually raising two daughters there. But over the years, he learned that living in this quiet, remote village came with a hefty cost. Every year, the Huntington family spent about $7,000 on diesel to heat the cabin during bone-chilling winters, and a few years back, a power outage at the town's diesel plant left residents freezing in minus 50 F (about minus 45 C). When power finally returned hours later, water pipes had frozen, leaving about two dozen homes without running water for days. "We just didn't open our door all morning until the lights came back on,' said Huntington, a member of the local Louden Tribe. In Galena, a sprawling village of 400 people on the banks of the Yukon River, a community built around a former military base is shifting to clean energy in an effort to reduce its reliance on expensive, imported diesel. Local leaders say their nearly completed solar farm, along with an existing biomass plant, will boost the town's savings and protect residents from blackouts during extreme weather. The technology has the potential to provide clean backup power in emergencies and improve the power grid's resiliency, all while diversifying the village's energy sources and providing job opportunities for locals. The projects come at a precarious time for renewable energy transition in the United States. The Trump administration has canceled billions of dollars of clean energy grants in an effort to bolster fossil fuel production, and billions more in investments have been scrapped or delayed this year. So far, the village's federal grants for the solar array haven't been impacted, but local leaders know the risk remains. Whatever the future of public funding, the village is an example of how renewable energies can save costs, boost reliability during extreme weather and create jobs. Once online, the solar array will ensure that the village's power grid has a backup system, said Tim Kalke, general manager of Sustainable Energy for Galena Alaska — or SEGA — a nonprofit that will operate it. So when the power goes out, it doesn't result in tens of thousands of dollars in repairs, he added, and heat is guaranteed in times of extreme cold. 'You're dealing with life, health and safety,' he said. A biomass project keeps a bustling school heated In May, dozens of high school students in navy blue caps and gowns stood with nervous excitement in a locker-brimmed hallway, each waiting their turn to walk through yellow tinsel into a packed auditorium. It was graduation day for Galena Interior Learning Academy. The school's vocational training courses and cultural offerings attract some 200 students annually from across Alaska, boosting the village's population and energy needs. Students here can take classes on sustainable energy, aviation, carpentry and much more. But in order to keep it running — especially during long, cold winters — it needs heat. That's where the biomass project comes in. Every winter since 2016, trees (mostly paper birch) are locally harvested and shredded into wood chips that fuel a large boiler plant on campus, offsetting about 100,000 gallons (about 380,000 liters) of diesel annually for the school district and the city, said Brad Scotton, a Galena City Council member who also serves on SEGA's board. It's notable as one of the state's first large-scale biomass plants and is the most rural, he added. Cost savings from using biomass has allowed the Galena City School District to hire certified professionals in trade jobs and do upkeep on campus facilities, said district superintendent Jason R. Johnson in an email. It's also created a local workforce and a job base the village never used to have. 'It's keeping the money that used to go outside within the community and providing pretty meaningful jobs for people," Scotton said. A new solar farm to offset more diesel use In rural areas of Alaska, the costs for many goods can be high, as they must be brought in. Galena burns just under 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of diesel annually to produce electricity, and an energy price hike around 2008 helped the village realize something needed to change. Scotton remembered when a gallon of diesel was $1.64 and then skyrocketed to $4.58 another year. At that wholesale price, the city was paying more than $1.8 million to keep the lights on. 'It was really quite a shock to everybody's system in terms of trying to operate with those elevated costs,' said Scotton. 'So that really got the community assessing whether or not we could continue business as usual with that reliance.' That's when they started looking for grants to build a solar array. On an overcast May day, on a field flanked by boreal forests, workers in reflective safety vests slotted rectangular panels on a metal grid. They were working on the nearly-completed, 1.5 megawatt solar farm that will connect to a battery system. Once in use, the community will be able to turn off its diesel engines and run on 100% clean, renewable energy on sunny summer days, and any excess power will be battery stored for nights, emergencies or heating the local indoor pool. The solar array will allow them to shut off the diesel operation between 800 to 1,000 hours a year, totaling about 100,000 gallons (about 380,000 liters). The solar farm won't necessarily lower people's electricity bills. But like the biomass plant, the hope is that it will stabilize energy costs, allowing those savings to go back into the community, all while providing work opportunities for residents like Aaren Sommer. Last year, the 19-year old graduated from the academy, where he learned about solar energy. Now he's helping to install the solar array. 'That's going to reduce the diesel usage a whole bunch over at the power plant, which is going to help us out,' he said. Tribe members save with energy-efficient homes In addition to the solar farm and biomass project, the Louden Tribe is building new energy-efficient homes that will help members be less reliant on diesel. Some of the siding used in the homes comes from wood harvested in the area. In November, the Huntington family moved into a new, stilted house with a solar-compatible roof, 13-inch (33-centimeter) walls and 18 inches (46 centimeters) of insulation to keep the cold at bay. When they lived in the cabin, the $7,000 a year Huntington spent on diesel was a good chunk of his annual income. The new home's energy-efficient features are already saving them money. The 300-gallon (1,130-liter) diesel tank Huntington filled before moving cost him about $2,400. Six months later, he still has unused fuel in the tank. The Huntingtons are one of eight families the tribe has moved into sustainable homes, and they plan to turn over the keys to three more this year. Kalke, SEGA's general manager, is often asked what Galena produces. He used to just say education. "But since 2016 you can say education and wood chips. And soon, solar energy,' he said. ___ Pineda reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalist Alyssa Goodman in New York contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
In rural Alaska, a village turns to solar and biomass energies to cut diesel and save money
GALENA, Alaska (AP) — Eric Huntington built his dream cabin nestled in the wilderness of central Alaska, eventually raising two daughters there. But over the years, he learned that living in this quiet, remote village came with a hefty cost. Every year, the Huntington family spent about $7,000 on diesel to heat the cabin during bone-chilling winters, and a few years back, a power outage at the town's diesel plant left residents freezing in minus 50 F (about minus 45 C). When power finally returned hours later, water pipes had frozen, leaving about two dozen homes without running water for days. 'We just didn't open our door all morning until the lights came back on,' said Huntington, a member of the local Louden Tribe. In Galena, a sprawling village of 400 people on the banks of the Yukon River, a community built around a former military base is shifting to clean energy in an effort to reduce its reliance on expensive, imported diesel. Local leaders say their nearly completed solar farm, along with an existing biomass plant, will boost the town's savings and protect residents from blackouts during extreme weather. The technology has the potential to provide clean backup power in emergencies and improve the power grid's resiliency, all while diversifying the village's energy sources and providing job opportunities for locals. The projects come at a precarious time for renewable energy transition in the United States. The Trump administration has canceled billions of dollars of clean energy grants in an effort to bolster fossil fuel production, and billions more in investments have been scrapped or delayed this year. So far, the village's federal grants for the solar array haven't been impacted, but local leaders know the risk remains. Whatever the future of public funding, the village is an example of how renewable energies can save costs, boost reliability during extreme weather and create jobs. Once online, the solar array will ensure that the village's power grid has a backup system, said Tim Kalke, general manager of Sustainable Energy for Galena Alaska — or SEGA — a nonprofit that will operate it. So when the power goes out, it doesn't result in tens of thousands of dollars in repairs, he added, and heat is guaranteed in times of extreme cold. 'You're dealing with life, health and safety,' he said. A biomass project keeps a bustling school heated In May, dozens of high school students in navy blue caps and gowns stood with nervous excitement in a locker-brimmed hallway, each waiting their turn to walk through yellow tinsel into a packed auditorium. It was graduation day for Galena Interior Learning Academy. The school's vocational training courses and cultural offerings attract some 200 students annually from across Alaska, boosting the village's population and energy needs. Students here can take classes on sustainable energy, aviation, carpentry and much more. But in order to keep it running — especially during long, cold winters — it needs heat. That's where the biomass project comes in. Every winter since 2016, trees (mostly paper birch) are locally harvested and shredded into wood chips that fuel a large boiler plant on campus, offsetting about 100,000 gallons (about 380,000 liters) of diesel annually for the school district and the city, said Brad Scotton, a Galena City Council member who also serves on SEGA's board. It's notable as one of the state's first large-scale biomass plants and is the most rural, he added. Cost savings from using biomass has allowed the Galena City School District to hire certified professionals in trade jobs and do upkeep on campus facilities, said district superintendent Jason R. Johnson in an email. It's also created a local workforce and a job base the village never used to have. 'It's keeping the money that used to go outside within the community and providing pretty meaningful jobs for people,' Scotton said. A new solar farm to offset more diesel use In rural areas of Alaska, the costs for many goods can be high, as they must be brought in. Galena burns just under 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of diesel annually to produce electricity, and an energy price hike around 2008 helped the village realize something needed to change. Scotton remembered when a gallon of diesel was $1.64 and then skyrocketed to $4.58 another year. At that wholesale price, the city was paying more than $1.8 million to keep the lights on. 'It was really quite a shock to everybody's system in terms of trying to operate with those elevated costs,' said Scotton. 'So that really got the community assessing whether or not we could continue business as usual with that reliance.' That's when they started looking for grants to build a solar array. On an overcast May day, on a field flanked by boreal forests, workers in reflective safety vests slotted rectangular panels on a metal grid. They were working on the nearly-completed, 1.5 megawatt solar farm that will connect to a battery system. Once in use, the community will be able to turn off its diesel engines and run on 100% clean, renewable energy on sunny summer days, and any excess power will be battery stored for nights, emergencies or heating the local indoor pool. The solar array will allow them to shut off the diesel operation between 800 to 1,000 hours a year, totaling about 100,000 gallons (about 380,000 liters). The solar farm won't necessarily lower people's electricity bills. But like the biomass plant, the hope is that it will stabilize energy costs, allowing those savings to go back into the community, all while providing work opportunities for residents like Aaren Sommer. Last year, the 19-year old graduated from the academy, where he learned about solar energy. Now he's helping to install the solar array. 'That's going to reduce the diesel usage a whole bunch over at the power plant, which is going to help us out,' he said. Tribe members save with energy-efficient homes In addition to the solar farm and biomass project, the Louden Tribe is building new energy-efficient homes that will help members be less reliant on diesel. Some of the siding used in the homes comes from wood harvested in the area. In November, the Huntington family moved into a new, stilted house with a solar-compatible roof, 13-inch (33-centimeter) walls and 18 inches (46 centimeters) of insulation to keep the cold at bay. When they lived in the cabin, the $7,000 a year Huntington spent on diesel was a good chunk of his annual income. The new home's energy-efficient features are already saving them money. The 300-gallon (1,130-liter) diesel tank Huntington filled before moving cost him about $2,400. Six months later, he still has unused fuel in the tank. The Huntingtons are one of eight families the tribe has moved into sustainable homes, and they plan to turn over the keys to three more this year. Kalke, SEGA's general manager, is often asked what Galena produces. He used to just say education. 'But since 2016 you can say education and wood chips. And soon, solar energy,' he said. ___ Pineda reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalist Alyssa Goodman in New York contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
Fast Company
3 days ago
- Science
- Fast Company
Unlocking the potential of renewable energy for a sustainable future
When we talk about climate change, it often triggers resistance. For many, the topic comes loaded with political or ideological connotations. But beyond the labels lies an undeniable need to rethink how we operate—especially when it comes to managing waste and embracing renewable energy. The key isn't just about reducing carbon footprints; it's about reshaping our economic and industrial systems to create sustainable, circular economies where materials are reused, emissions are minimized, and communities thrive. Renewable energy has emerged as a cornerstone of this transformation. When people think about renewables, solar panels and wind turbines likely come to mind. Yet there's another powerful, often‑overlooked resource: wood waste. In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that roughly 15.9 million tons of wood waste entered municipal solid‑waste streams, with only 15% of that recovered for reuse or energy. Meanwhile, newer studies suggest that if you combine yard trimmings and wood waste, the total available is closer to 21.8 million tons annually. Why does this matter? Because every ton of wood waste represents embodied energy—energy we already invested growing, harvesting, and processing that timber. When wood ends up in landfills, that potential is simply buried. By contrast, processing wood waste into biomass fuel or bio‑products taps into a dispatchable renewable energy source, one that can complement intermittent wind and solar output. ADVANCES IN BIOMASS TECHNOLOGY Historically, biomass facilities struggled with emissions controls, leading to concerns about local air quality and particulate pollution. Today, however, cutting‑edge facilities are combining biomass combustion with advanced carbon capture and stringent particulate filters. Some pioneering projects have retrofitted old coal‑fired power plants, replacing coal feedstocks with sustainably sourced biomass and installing capture technology to trap CO₂ before it reaches the atmosphere. This approach can drastically reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions compared to traditional fossil‑fuel plants, making biomass a truly sustainable option when managed and regulated properly. Wood waste is just one piece of the larger waste‑management puzzle. In 2018, the EPA reported that 18.1 million tons of wood entered U.S. municipal solid waste—about 6.2% of all MSW that year—and only 17.1% of that was recycled (e.g., chipped for mulch), while 8.2% was combusted for energy recovery, and 8.3% was landfilled. Meanwhile, 50% of all U.S. MSW still ends up in landfills, despite recycling and composting rates climbing to around 32% and energy recovery to 12%. By integrating waste‑diversion strategies from the very start of projects—whether construction of a new manufacturing facility or operation of a large industrial site—companies can dramatically cut disposal costs, create local feedstocks for on‑site energy generation, and reduce environmental impact. Treating waste as a resource rather than a problem is the bedrock of a circular economy. BROADER HEALTH, ECONOMIC, AND JOB BENEFITS Switching to renewables yields far‑reaching co‑benefits beyond simply slashing CO₂. A 2024 Cell Reports Sustainability study found that, between 2019 and 2022, the U.S. increased wind and solar generation by 55%, raising their share to 14% of electricity supply. That shift cut 900 million metric tons of CO₂—equivalent to removing 71 million cars from the road each year—and avoided 1 million metric tons of SO₂ and NOₓ emissions, delivering $249 billion in combined climate and health benefits. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) forecasts that under a 1.5 °C‑compatible energy pathway, renewables could support 43 million jobs by 2050. Even more conservative estimates suggest 40 million total energy‑sector jobs—including manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and R&D—by mid‑century. On the health front, reducing air pollution from fossil combustion can cut premature mortality dramatically. Studies of low‑emission zones in European cities found sustained reductions in particulate pollution and NO₂, with downstream benefits including slower growth in chronic disease and healthcare savings—underscoring the broader social value of clean energy transitions. THE RIPPLE EFFECTS ON GLOBAL LOGISTICS An often‑overlooked ripple effect of cutting fossil‑fuel use is reduced international shipping of coal, oil, and gas. Nearly half of maritime bulk cargo volumes are energy commodities. By lowering demand for fossil‑fuel transport, ports would see less congestion, shipping emissions would fall, and carriers could repurpose vessels for other goods, all of which would benefit global trade efficiency and reduce ocean pollution. SCALING SOLAR, WIND, AND MORE While biomass and waste‑to‑energy capture crucial local resources, scaling wind and solar remains vital. Government and private‑sector partnerships—like those on public lands, where 96 utility‑scale wind, solar, and geothermal projects already generate over 5,000 MW powering more than two million homes and delivering over $660 million in rent and royalty payments since 1982—demonstrate the economic potential of strategic siting. Distributed solutions—such as solar mini‑grids in rural Africa—highlight how renewables can uplift communities far beyond traditional grids. A 2024 cohort study in Kenya and Nigeria found that households linked to solar mini‑grids saw median incomes quadruple, improvements in gender equality, and health gains from cleaner lighting sources. CHALLENGES AND THE PATH FORWARD Despite these promising figures, challenges remain: Up‑Front Costs And Infrastructure: Building new renewable capacity and modern grids demands capital. Yet costs continue to fall: Solar and wind have become cost‑competitive or cheaper than coal and gas in many regions. Grid Integration And Storage: Managing intermittency requires investment in storage technologies and smarter grid management. Policy And Regulatory Support: Clear, stable incentives—carbon pricing, renewable portfolio standards, tax credits—are essential to mobilize private investment and ensure long‑term project viability. The renewable‑energy revolution isn't just about swapping technologies; it's about a fundamental shift in how we value resources—seeing waste as feedstock, emissions as externalities to be captured, and energy as a vector for health, equity, and economic opportunity. From unlocking the latent power in wood waste to scaling solar farms and offshore wind, each step multiplies benefits: cleaner air, more jobs, economic savings, and a stable climate. As the world edges closer to critical climate thresholds, the urgency to act grows. But within that urgency lies unprecedented opportunity: to retool industries, revitalize communities, and ensure a liveable planet for generations to come. The future belongs to those who power it responsibly—and renewably.
