Opening Q1 2011: Aspen Power's 50 MW Biomass Green Power Generator - cleanest in US

The Aspen Power 50-megawatt biomass green power generation facility in Lufkin, Texas will be the first merchant-scale biomass plant to open in Texas, and the cleanest biomass facility among over 110 in the United States.

There is only enough waste wood and wood pellets in Texas to fuel about 12 to 18 of these 50 MW biomass plants; 350 MW of biomass are already under development in Texas.

Amidst rising commodity prices, deficits, inflation fears, and energy prices, Aspen is doing its part for Texas by offering municipalities, electric cooperatives, REPs, power marketers and others a practical way to hedge against these risks while creating green jobs in Texas. However, the Public Utility Commission's proposed ruling about Texas' Goal for Renewable Energy (Project 35792; the non-wind carveout creating a tiered Renewable Energy Credit system, which could have rewarded innovators like Aspen) may actually threaten further green power innovation and economic development in Texas.

See http://www.puc.state.tx.us/rules/rulemake/35792/35792.cfm.

Nonetheless, Aspen still hopes that, during the first two quarters of 2011, the PUCT and Texas Legislature will carefully evaluate how best to structure the ruling and update Texas law in order to incentivize proactively and conservatively Texas' green jobs, economic development, increases in tax receipts, energy leadership (just as Texas achieved with wind generation), and improved air quality for kids (see http://www.airnow.gov and http://www.stateoftheair.org/), especially since ERCOT's new Nodal system's focus on price (not emissions) may put at risk Texas cities' economic development opportunities, federal highway funding and more worth billions of dollars each year.

NOTES:
Aspen's power will be unit contingent, baseload (7 x 24), North Zone at the bus bar / Lufkin node, with ten days per year of scheduled outages for maintenance. Aspen opens ~March 1, 2011 (possible soft opening St. Patrick's 3/17/11 & grand opening Earth Day 4/22/11). Based on projections from EIA energy data for Texas, industrial all-in electricity prices over the next 20 years may average ~$120 / MWh, assuming a conservative 4.91% compounded annual growth rate and linear trend.

CLEAN AIR and GREEN JOBS for KIDS:
The owners of Aspen are eager to inspire and educate others about green power. As such, Aspen looks forward to hosting fieldtrips / tours at no additional charge in March & April 2011 on behalf of the first purchasers of the first 10 MW for Texas' 5+ million students at 10,000+ K-12 schools.

A handful of forward-thinking buyers could include CPS Energy, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the City of Houston, and the City of Dallas.

BACKGROUND:
Since this new RPS goal is set at only 5,880 MW -- well below current 10,000+ MW capacity achieved in March 2010 -- the Texas legislature could raise our Goal for Renewable Energy beyond the 10,000 MW current performance so it is actually a goal again, e.g., 20% by 2020 or 30% by 2030. Only 2.5% of Texas' power generation is from new renewable energy resources, like biomass, biogas, geothermal, solar, wind and small hydro.

If the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature allows the proposed Goal for Renewable Energy to become an official ruling, they could put at great economic risk. The maximum $1.7 billion cost (for 2014-2030 in today's dollars) may pale in comparison to:

a) the $700 million of mothballed biomass projects and related future green jobs / local economic development taxable revenues (an additional $1 billion)

b) $6 billion federal highway funding tied to Texas' air quality

c) lost corporate investments, like Toyota's $1.4 billion + 2,800 jobs that chose San Antonio for its Tundra plant rather than Dallas, due to Dallas' poor air quality

d) more volatile near-term electricity prices thru December 2014, due to the EPA's proposed CATR and MAC rules which are expected to cause owners of 20% to 40% of the nation's coal plants to shut the plants down, since adding scrubbers to reduce NOx, SOx and mercury emissions will be too expensive by December 2014.


AUSTIN ENERGY'S BIOMASS PURCHASE PROCESS:
Finally, here is a link to Austin Energy's procurement and public comment process for their $2.3 billion / 20-year / 100 MW biomass purchase from a plant opening in Nacodoches (just 20 miles away from Aspen in Lufkin) in 2013 or 2014:

http://www.austinenergy.com/About%20Us/Company%20Profile/nacogdochesBiomassPr...


If your muni, coop, G&T, REP or power marketer would like to secure up to a 32% discount relative to the price paid by Austin Energy -- as low as $77.77 / MWh for up to 20 years and 10 MW of bundled baseload biomass power + RECs + 1st right for follow-on purchases + sponsorship / naming rights -- contact Mark Robinson at GREEN POWER 4 TEXAS, the exclusive seller's representative, at 877-ECO-TEXAS (877-326-8392).

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• non-wind
• biomass
• urban
• wood
• waste
• slash
• forest
• green power
• green energy
• electricity generation
• baseload
• 7 x 24
• air quality
• sustainability
• health
• kids
• legacy
• right thing to do
• Project 35792
• Goal for Renewable Energy
• non-wind carveout
• 500 MW
• 500 megawatt
• RPS
• Renewable Portfolio Standard
• Clean Energy Standard
• environment
• climate change
• generator
• solar
• wind
• geothermal
• biogas

[MomentumBay]

Turbines begin to turn at Aspen Power August 10, 2011

[GODBLESSAMERICA71]

@bmb102485 Plant closed dummy! So much for "represent" huh dipshit! I love posting that I told you so!

[GODBLESSAMERICA71]

@stickeyfingers639 a troll is a piece of shit recently made up channel like yours that posts stupid shit like you just did. Do you even proof read your shit? I understand its you tube and there is no good grammer on here but come on man. You have the edmucation of a 5 year old. No one can understand what your trying to post dummy. Now mind your own fucking business and get back to cleaning that fat ass vines toilet with your tongue.

[stickyfingers639]

@GODBLESSAMERICA71 Troll piece of shit? I dont know what that is, but Im sorry east texas is deep in you, i mean youre deep east texas. I live far from there or i would say we could meet, just how big a boy are ya? Yes i am sticking up for mr. vines because i know him and he has bigger things to do (like killing giraffe) than feud on this stupid website to trash like you dont have a clue about what theyre talking shit about HATERS Hate All Those Everywhere Reaching Success.

[silo833]

@MomentumBay

Hi can you give more information on the turbines? Model, size, supplier, back pressure or condensing, impulse or reaction type, steam conditions.

I am interested to know more on the power side and would appreciate your help

[GODBLESSAMERICA71]

@bmb102485 a respected small town family? Listen here you just made up troll piece of shit channel. No one respects that fat piece of shit showboating asshole dummy. That guys a piece of shit. Take for example his office. Who the fuck kills a giraffe and puts the neck and head on display? An asshole thats who! But then we can discuss this in person fuck nut since i obviously know deep east texas. We can see if your fucking keyboard can help pull "my head our of my ass" dummy! You game?

[bmb102485]

@GODBLESSAMERICA71

God Bless America please pull your head out! Cause burnt trash is the same amount of pollutants as burying it or burning it yourself! just wasted energy potential! it is funny that you blame a respected/ smart/ small town family for all of your problems...GodBlessAmerica...l­ook at your gov. and oil industry and talk to me about greed and the future (what about the world?)

[bmb102485]

This is the f Burning waste whether that is from crops, timber, or humns; means not ending up in a landfill or wasted btu's. IIf you disagree please save your breath, conspiracies? Greed? Look at yourself and your own government; what are you doing to be better? ***THE CLEANEST BIOMASS PLANT IN THE NATION....Lufkin/ Hudson, TX represent, what can you say about BP and Fukoshima...hypocrites! ^

[OBAMABInlaDENrublind]

@thombanjo look you cant get something from nothing, trees die and fall to the ground. They rot and die. Thus they produce Co2. Hey lets cut down every plant and kill all life and freeze it so it wont produce Co2's! Cut it, burn it, and it does this wonderful thing called regrowing, renewable. come on now, shut up and think.

[ndavy731]

@thombanjo

They're not burning forests. They're taking waste products from a the timber industry that would end up in landfills and convernting them into electricity via a closed combustion process. The timber industry is responsible for deforestation.

The process is considered non-polluting because the CO2 released from the wood is the same CO2 that the trees absorbed from the atmosphere while they were growing. So the whole cycle doesn't contribute CO2, unlike coal or crude oil.