Wood Power Project Delivers Big Results

There is a power plant in New Hampshire that is doing big things for the environment, even if the story doesn't get the press that solar, wind and tidal projects receive. In 2003, Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) announced the Northern Wood Power Project, a plan to build a fluidized-bed boiler that would run off of wood chips. This facility, when completed, would replace one of the three 50MW coal boilers at Schiller Station in Portsmouth, NH (see below). The wood plant was completed in December 2006, and is delivering big environmental and economic returns.

The plant burns wood chips derived from what the forestry industry does not use: trees unsuitable for logging, scraps from the milling process, and even sawdust. Essentially the plant uses wood that was wasted in the past. What's more, this wood burns very clean. According to PSNH, the wood burner emits 75 percent less nitrogen oxide, 90 percent less mercury, and 95 percent less sulfur dioxide than a coal plant.

The wood burner is defined as carbon neutral because it only releases what the trees capture during their lifetime, and does not bring additional carbon dioxide to the atmosphere (as coal or oil does). This enables PSNH to sell Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to traditional power plants, bringing down the cost of the wood burning process. 

Assuming sustainable foresting practices, this is a renewable energy that's powering 50,000 homes today. That's pretty exciting. This story represents a great idea being put into practice to make a difference today. In an ideal world we would have limitless, zero-impact sources of energy. But while we wait, I wish more plants like this one would be built. 

Click here to learn more about the Northern Wood Power Project.