BEYOND COAL
Biomass: Some unknowns
Like North Carolina, Wisconsin has a
well-developed forest products industry,
which heightened the appeal of biomass.
“Part of our goal was to be able to grow
our own fuel within the state of Wiscon-
sin,” Harrod said. “Spending our money
within our state will help with the overall
economy of the state.”
But turning to biomass also raises new
challenges for Harrod and his colleagues.
For starters, Wisconsin will have to burn
two to three times more biomass because it
is not as energy-dense as coal. That means
bringing at least twice the number of rail
cars in to supply the plant, which like
UNC’s is located in the center of a con-
gested university town. And it means
increasing the amount of on-site storage.
NCSU forestry expert Hazel foresees
similar issues in Chapel Hill. And he believes
that the University will be challenged to
find that much material within the 50-mile
radius that is considered cost effective, particularly if it must come from sources that
are certified by a third party to be sustainable, as the energy task force recommended.
Turning to biomass also raises
challenges. For example,
Wisconsin will have to burn two
to three times more biomass because
twice the number of rail cars to supply
the plant that, like UNC’s,
is in the center of a congested
university town. It also means
increasing the amount of
on-site storage.
“Getting enough fuel in there to dis-
place that much coal, that is going to be
sort of a concern,” Hazel said. “That is an
awful lot of woody biomass to get into
central Orange County.”
In fact, even figuring out how much
biomass will cost is hard to pin down at
this early stage. Says Wisconsin’s Harrod, “It
is really difficult to determine a price right
now because there is no market for bio-
mass here.”
A question others are raising is just how
environmentally friendly biomass really is.
While it is cleaner than coal in some
respects, burning biomass releases every bit as
much carbon dioxide, if not more. Its carbon
neutrality hinges in large part on how
quickly those carbon emissions can be
absorbed into new growth, and a recent
report from the Manomet Center for Con-
servation Sciences indicates that it might take
longer than previously thought. The study,
commissioned by the Massachusetts Depart-
ment of Energy Resources, found that using
biomass instead of coal to produce electricity
would cause a 3 percent increase in green-
house gas emissions over a 40-year period.
Conversion is expensive
UNC’s Ray DuBose is well aware of all
these issues and then some. He also points
out that any big changes on Cameron
Avenue will be expensive, a tricky issue in a
down economy. Duke’s $25 million conver-
continued on page 46
When you purchase products that bear
UNC logos, please look for the "Officially
Licensed Collegiate Product" hologram. This
hologram assures that the product has been approved by
UNC and that a portion of its proceeds will be directed
toward University programs. Revenue generated through
the sale of UNC merchandise helps to fund both need-based and academic scholarships.
44
November/December 2010
