Tanana River School Districts- Converting Wood into Educational Dollars and
Economic Development
July 29, 2013
Presenters:
Daisy Huang, Research Engineer
Alaska Center for Energy and Power
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Art Nash, Energy Specialist
Cooperative Extension Service
University of Alaska Fairbanks
1
Outline


Why woody biomass?

Alaskan context

Why biomass is a
solution
Three examples of woody
biomass usage in Interior
Alaska

Tok

Delta Junction

Tanana
2
What is the problem?




Alaska has a rural population of 200,000.

Communities range in population from ~10s to ~1000s.

Most of them run isolated diesel-fired generator sets.

Most are not on the road system and are accessible by air or boat only.
The median household income in rural Alaska is $40,000.
Highest heat loads in the U.S., with temperatures regularly reaching -50 (F
or C hardly matters at this point!).
Both electricity and fuel oil costs are high and volatile.

Electricity:

$0.22/kWh in Fairbanks

$0.40-1.00+/kWh in rural Alaska

Fuel oil:

$4.00/gallon in Fairbanks

$4.50-$12+/gallon in rural Alaska
3
Why are we interested in biomass heating?
80% of energy in Alaska is used for heating*
Biomass is local, renewable, may be sustainably harvested.
*WHPacifc Report: “Alaska Energy Authority End Use Study: 2012”, April 30, 2012
4
Why are we interested in biomass heating?


Biomass is often widely available:

Land that is being cleared for development

Forest that is being cleared for fire remediation

River drift logs (unverifiable anecdotes indicate that 200,000
cords come down the Yukon each spring)

Unusable waste product from lumber mills

Wind and beetle kill
Even when biomass is deliberately harvested, it may be done so
sustainably.
5
For example…
A phenomenal wind event in September 2012 brought down 70-90% of
the trees around Tanacross and Dry Creek (~15 road miles from Tok)
Photo credits: Jeff Hermanns, AK DNR
Example I: Tok
Tok, population 1300, on the road system
7
Example I: Tok
Tok has an arid climate and is surrounded by thick forest—a recipe for fire disaster.

In the past 25 years, 2 million acres in the area have burned, costing $60
million for fire suppression and causing 6 evacuations

In 1990, a single fire burned over 100,000 acres (400 km2); in 2004, the fire
almost destroyed the school and other city buildings.

Over 1000 firefighters could not stop the fire in 1990.
Bitter Creek fire currently burning east of Tok:
Photo by AK DOF
Photo by Gordon Amundson
8




Example I: Tok
Wood is cut and deliberately burned for fire remediation (3,000 acres is the
target); wood is low quality (small trees) and can’t be used for lumber.
In 2010, a 5.5 million Btu chip-fired Messersmith biomass boiler system was
installed in the 88,000 square foot Tok High School.
In 2011, a steam turbine was added that currently produces 60 kW, matching
the average load of the school (it still needs grid power during peak times) and
covering 75% of electricity needs.
Excess heat is still available; a greenhouse is being built to provide vegetables
to school lunches, and a district heating system to neighboring city buildings is
under assessment.
Photo courtesy of Alaska
Department of Natural
Resources
9
Example I: Tok




Annual heating and fire remediation costs before installation of the biomass
boiler:

53,000 gallons of oil at $5.50/gallon

$300,000 total

DOF spent $1000/acre for tree removal.
Annual heating costs after installation of the biomass boiler:

300 tons of chips at low variable costs.

75% of electrical power usage also displaced.
Funding sources:

$3.2 million grant from Alaska Energy Authority

$750,000 from the State of Alaska
This savings to the school has enabled the recovery of Tok’s preschool
program, as well as the rehire of three staff members for the school—a
music teacher, counselor, and boiler operator
10
Example II: Delta Junction
Delta Junction, population 1000, on the road system, 110 road miles from Tok
11
Example II: Delta Junction

Delta Junction leveraged the expertise developed in Tok and installed the
same 5.5 million Btu chip-fired Messersmith biomass boiler system in its
Delta High School, a 77,000 square-foot building, which serves 200 students.

Chips are purchased from Dry Creek Lumber, which rents Tok’s chipper to
make chips out of scrap wood.
12
Example II: Delta Junction



Annual heating costs before installation of the biomass boiler:

102,000 gallons of fuel oil at $4/gallon

Cost: $408,000
Annual heating costs after installation of the biomass boiler:

500 tons of chips at $60/ton

25,500 gallons of fuel oil at $4/gallon

Cost: $132,000

Efficiency increases annually as local skill increases; 1st year, 50% of oil
was displaced, 2nd year, 75% of oil was displaced.
Funding sources:

$2 million grant from Alaska Energy Authority

$800,000 from the State of Alaska
13
Example III: Tanana
Tanana, population 300, not on the road system, 180 air miles from Fairbanks
Tanana City Hall (source: Nicholas School of the
Environment, Duke University)
14
Example III: Tanana



In November 2007, the City Manager, Bear Ketzler, kicked off Tanana’s now
burgeoning biomass program with the installation of two 425,000 Btu/hour
cordwood-fired Garn boilers in its city washeteria.
The cost of installation of that first project, which included a new boiler
building, was under $100,000.
It has displaced annually about 6000 gallons of diesel with 50 cords of wood.
The first project has reduced oil consumption in the washeteria by about 50%.
Photos courtesy of State of AK Division of Community & Regional Affairs
15
Example III: Tanana


More biomass!

2 Garn boilers installed to heat the city office.

2 Garn boilers installed in the senior center.

4 Econoburn boilers to heat the city shop and the teachers’ housing.

3 more Garns are slated to be installed into various city buildings within
the next year.
Ketzler’s goals were:

To reduce reliance on diesel fuel (which costs about $6.50 per gallon in
Tanana

To create a healthy local economy around biomass. In order to achieve
this, he set the price of wood at $250 per cord (which has since been
raised to $300 per cord), and informed the locals that the city would
purchase wood from anyone who cared to harvest it, either by pulling
driftwood from the river, or by harvesting it on legal lands.
16
Example III: Tanana
Example III: Tanana Washeteria





Annual heating costs before installation of the biomass boiler:

12,000 gallons of fuel oil at $4.50/gallon

Cost: $54,000
Annual heating costs after installation of the biomass boiler:

40 cords of wood at $250/cord: $10,000

6,000 gallons of fuel oil at $4.50/gallon: $27,000

Cost: $37,000
This savings has enabled:

Building a new children’s playground.

Improvement and weatherization of the school and teacher housing;
weatherization of the school has resulted in saving 7000 gallons of oil
annually; it is next to be retrofitted with wood heat.
Money used to purchase firewood is now being circulated in the community
rather than being sent Outside by oil purchase.
Full-time maintenance person now employed by the City.
18
Tanana project area woody biomass cost per ton
The regions in the left column are economically feasible at oil cost of greater
than $4/gallon.
Thank you!
Daisy Huang, dhuang@alaska.edu
Art Nash, alnashjr@alaska.edu
20
Background of AEA biomass program
 Alaska Wood Energy Development Task Group
(AWEDTG)
 “a coalition of federal and state agencies and not-for-profit
organizations… to explore opportunities to increase the
utilization of wood for energy and biofuels production in
Alaska.” (AEA website)
 In 2000- 2008, and 2012, over 60 communities have
applied for grants for community heating projects.
21
ACEP biomass data collection program
objectives
 Interview communities/applicants regarding their status
and progress of AEA’s pre-feasibility biomass program.
 Document the current status of and collect available
fiscal, operational, and mechanical data from those 50+
communities who received a pre-feasibility study.
 Interview key community members to get an idea of what
it takes to make a biomass program succeed.
22
Typical situations
 Schools or tribal halls to start; plan to extend to other
community buildings, such as clinic, washeteria, etc.
 Former usage was diesel; diesel heater is left in place as
backup.
 ~$5-7 per gallon
 ~10,000 – 50,000 gallons per year
 A typical community saves $80,000-$400,000 per year.
 Most buildings currently heated with wood-fired boilers
are not using full capacity; there is excess heat; district
heating loops may be installed.
23
Background: How do these things work?
GARN system:
Source: http://garn.com/how-garn-works-full/
Load up and fire away!
24
Background: How do these things work?
Messersmith:
It loads itself!
25