Case Studies

Large Commercial and Industrial

Rothschild Biomass Cogeneration Plant

We Energies has installed a 50MW biomass cogeneration plant at Domtar Paper Company’s Rothschild mill. The biomass fuel would consist of clean, untreated wood waste such as logging residue, bark and shavings from paper and saw mills and municipal yard waste and right-of-way clearings.

Gundersen Lutheran Biomass Boiler: A Key Part of Gundersen Energy Independence Goal

The biomass boiler represents 38% of Gundersen’s energy independence goal. The boilers create steam that is used to heat buildings in the winter and is used in the laundry and kitchen, as well as to dehumidify the air and sanitize medical equipment.

Muscoda Protein Products and Meister Cheese

This wood energy system provides process heat for the Meister Cheese plant and the nearby whey drying facility.

Medium Commercial and Industrial

Superior Kiln

This system provides process heat for drying dimensional lumber, and eliminates issues with inconsistent natural gas supply and interruptible service.

Granite Valley

A wood energy system that provides process heat for wood drying.

Small Commercial and Industrial

Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin: Conservation Boiler Project

The Tribe installed a wood pellet boiler and necessary equipment to provide heat to two workshops.

Barron School District

Learn about the wood energy system provides steam heat for the town’s high school, elementary school, hospital and medical center, and the Maple Crofts Senior Rest Home.

Sunny Slope Greenhouse

The wood energy system provides heat for 4,000 square feet of greenhouse space.

Nine Mile Recreation Area: Wood Pellet Boiler Implementation Program

The wood pellet boiler system provides heat for the ski chalet.

Grass Creek Greenhouse LLC: Wood Pellet Boiler Implementation Program

The wood pellet system provides heating for 4,680 square feet of greenhouse space with in-floor heating for plant growth, even in winter months.

School, Hospital, and Institutional Case Studies

Heating with Biomass: A Feasibility Study of Wisconsin Schools Heated with Wood
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Fuels for Schools: A Detailed Case Study from Darby, Montana

The Fuels for Schools program grew out of the recognition that using hazardous fuels for heating public facilities like schools was a win–win situation for local communities.

Mount Wachusett Community College Biomass Project

The college broke ground in April 2002 for the construction of a new wood biomass heating system that came on line for the 2002-03 heating season, replacing the current all electric system.

Community Wood Energy Case Study: Jericho, Vermont

A look at woodchip harvesting, delivery, and usage in a wood energy system at Mt. Mansfield Union High School in Jericho, Vermont to determine the opportunities and constraints around applying the Community Wood Energy model of sustainable production, efficient use, local sourcing, and fair access (SELF) to a typical wood energy system.
The college, located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, replaced a 1970’s inefficient wood-fired boiler with a new wood chip boiler. Their campus covers 12 acres with 225,000 square feet of heated space. Summary here.

Other Case Studies and Resources

UW-Extension Greenhouse Case Studies

Learn about your options for reducing greenhouse heating costs, including energy conservation measures, fuel switching, and changes in production methods.

Biomass Energy Resource Center Case Studies

BERC drew on existing expertise, recent experience, thorough research, and active communications with its broader established networks to identify and review “best-in-class” applications (with accompanying case studies) in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Scandinavia. Case Studies are broken down into 9 categories.

Case Studies – NYSERDA

Hidley Farm Case Study: This installation of the Econoburn two-stage gasification boiler, integrated with thermal storage and a solar-thermal system at Hidley Farm, is an example of maximizing the efficiency of two complementary renewable heating systems.

North Country School Case Study: The new 1.4MMBtuh wood chip boiler system is located in a utility building at the core of the campus. Piping leads to the 32,000 square foot main school building, which was previously heated with oil and propane. The wood chip boiler heats the main school building, and is expected to be expanded in the future to encompass an additional four buildings.

The Wild Center Case Study: Advanced Climate Technologies LLC (ACT) in Schenectady manufactured and installed the wood-pellet boiler with 500 kW (1.7MMBtu/hr) capacity paired with solar thermal and thermal storage.