by Bruce Goodman

Verso Paper’s U.P. Quinnesec Mill in Breitung Township has been designated a Forest Products Processing Renaissance Zone by the state.  It is expected to double its capacity to turn wood products into electricity through a $43 million renewable energy project.  This will allow the mill to meet 95 percent of its energy needs using biomass.  The project will include a new Siemens turbine generator, and is expected to start up by December 2011.  As a Renaissance Zone, the company will operate free of virtually all state and local taxes for fifteen years.

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by Bruce Goodman

A few months ago I wrote about the potential for Michigan to become a leader in converting biomass to energy.  We now are reading a lot about the occupant of the new Renewable Energy Renaissance Zone in the City of Kentwood which has various projects underway to convert biomass to energy. Heat Transfer International, Inc. specializes in biomass gasification/electric power generation systems that convert solid and semisolid biomass, such as animal waste, municipal solid waste, and forestry residues, into a combustible gas that can be used to power generators, dryers, heating and cooling equipment.

One of its Michigan projects, converting turkey litter to steam and electricity, is set for commercial operation in mid-October.  An energy developer is negotiating to install the HTI technology at a Michigan landfill site to process municipal solid waste. 

A key element of the patented processes is powering a jet turbine engine with hot air to produce electricity. The MPSC has awarded HTI $2.3 Million in grants to establish testing operations to facilitate the gasification technology and measure emissions from various biomass feedstocks.  It can therefore provide all the information needed for air quality permitting prior to installation taking place.  It will simply run samples of the fuel to be used through its testing facilities and get a printout of the air emissions.  It is thinking and planning like that which will make this Michigan based engineering group a success in the already crowded biomass to energy field.

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