Gary Melow, state projects coordinator for the Biomass Power Association, said at a roundtable discussion on industry growth at the International Biomass Conference & Expo in Denver that one of the BPA’s focuses this election year is emphasizing the benefits of biomass power to lawmakers, and making sure that energy policies include biomass in an “all-of-the-above” strategy.

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Dan Nolan, U.S. Army veteran and CEO of Sabot 6, told the crowd at the International Biomass Conference & Expo in Denver that renewable energy from biomass-based power and thermal present a huge opportunity for the military to acquire efficient and inexpensive energy.

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Writer Dennis K Bohannon says the Army expects to sign agreements for alternate energy that are twice the value required by presidential order. And because the new projects are designed to solve energy needs with minimal up-front costs, the new projects are expected to raise the amount of Army investments to almost $2.5 billion — all at no additional expense to the taxpayer.

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Writer J.D. Leipold writes that the Army will be partnering with renewable energy providers and industry — in wind, solar, biomass and geothermal — up to $7 billion.

“Speaking at a media roundtable March 15, Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy & Environment, said the cumulative investment will help the Army reach its goal of having 25 percent of the Army’s energy come from renewable sources by 2025.

“In addition to energy conservation, installations will strive to establish alternative forms of energy that will allow them to “island” or continue to operate should the power grid fail.”

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A test project, using fuel pellets that were made from farm-grown biomass, is the latest step toward building a agricultural-based, renewable energy industry in Franklin, MI.

Replacing LP and electric systems, the trial is projected to reduce heating costs for city buildings up to 50 percent.

It’s a win for the city — lower fuel costs — a win for the agricultural community — they are producing the crops used to make the biomass fuel — and for the taxpayers.

It also keeps the money local and circulating in local communities.

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Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark has unveiled the results of a comprehensive state forest biomass study that shows only about one-third of the state’s commercially available biomass is currently being used.

The Washington Forest Biomass Supply Assessment commenced in 2010, and Goldmark said a major conclusion is that 4.4 million bone dry tons (BDT) of forest biomass was produced by state logging operations in 2010, and out of that number, 1.4 million BDT, or roughly 30 percent, was potentially available for commercial use.

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In Washington, Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced The Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012, introducing a Clean Energy Standard (CES), requiring a percentage of nation’s electricity to come from renewable sources such as biomass.

The bill summary says: “U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) analyses suggest that this plan will drive a substantial increase in clean energy generation from a wide variety of clean sources. Early in the program, much of the clean generation is projected to come from existing natural gas plants running at higher capacity and from renewables (primarily wind and biomass). Later in the program, new clean generation comes primarily from renewables, nuclear, and coal and gas with carbon capture and storage.

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After learning that Massachusetts officials required a merged utility company to buy a percentage of their power from wind, regional officials and unions are asking the state of Connecticut to require another merger be conditioned on purchasing power from a proposed biomass plant.

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The Summer Biomass Internship Program, a collaboration among three upstate New York organizations, will give undergraduate and graduate students a chance to work in the biomass industry.

Through the program, interns can earn up to $5,000 from a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture higher education challenges grant program. The Syracuse Center of Excellence, the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), and CenterState Corp. for Economic Opportunity have all partnered to help run the internship program.

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They will be responsible for leading ReEnergy’s engineering team to increase power generation capabilities across the portfolio through improvements to plant reliability, capacity and efficiency.

In December, ReEnergy acquired a portfolio of five U.S. biomass energy-production facilities in Maine and New York from Quebec-based Boralex Inc., growing to approximately 260 employees in four states and a total energy portfolio of 240 megawatts.

“A.J. and John come to us with strong expertise in optimizing the performance of power-generating facilities,” said James White, Director of Energy Operations. “In order for us to effectively meet the needs of our communities for renewable energy, it will be critical for us to maximize facility performance.”

Both men have more than 20 years’ experience in power plant operations, maintenance, planning, engineering and supervision.

Mr. James began his career with the U.S. Naval Service, and then worked for 10 years at American Ref-Fuel in increasingly senior positions. He also worked for AarhusKarlshamn USA and InnovativEnergy. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and also attended Drexel University and the Naval Nuclear Power School.

Mr. Sawyer most recently for Bluewater Energy Solutions as a project manager. Prior to that, he worked for Calpine Corporation for eight years in increasingly senior positions. He has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering from the Maine Maritime Academy.

About ReEnergy Holdings LLC

ReEnergy Holdings LLC, a portfolio company of Riverstone Holdings LLC, owns and operates facilities that use biomass and waste residues to produce renewable thermal and electric energy. ReEnergy was formed in 2008 by affiliates of Riverstone Holdings LLC and senior management/co-investor team comprised of experienced industry professionals. ReEnergy employs 260 and generates 240 megawatts of energy.

The ReEnergy energy facilities include: a 40-megawatt biomass facility in Ashland, ME (ReEnergy Ashland); a 36-megawatt biomass facility in Fort Fairfield, ME (ReEnergy Fort Fairfield); a 40-megawatt biomass facility in Livermore Falls, ME (ReEnergy Livermore Falls); a 50-megawatt biomass facility in Stratton, ME (ReEnergy Stratton); a 22-megawatt biomass facility in Lyons Falls, NY (ReEnergy Lyonsdale); a 20-megawatt biomass facility in Chateaugay, NY (ReEnergy Chateaugay); and a 31-megawatt tire-to-energy facility in Sterling (ReEnergy Sterling).

ReEnergy also owns two construction and demolition waste and waste wood processing facilities that service the eastern New England/Boston metropolitan area marketplace (ReEnergy Gateway/LL&S in Salem, NH and ReEnergy Gateway/ERRCO in Epping, NH).