Sulfur Dioxide (S02) 0.15 lb/BDT 360 0.15 lb/BDT 360 0.15 lb/BDT 360 Carbon Monoxide (CO) 1 7.5 lb/BDT 18,000 150 360,000 280 672,000 0.025 lb/BDT 60.0 24 lb/BDT 57,600 23 lb/BDT 55,200 Particulate Matter 0.45 lb/BDT 1,080 15 lb/BDT 36,000 21 lb/BDT 50,400 Methane (CH4) 25 0.25 lb/BDT 15,000 8 lb/BDT 480,000 7 lb/BDT 420,000 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 1.78 Tons/BDT 4,272 1.69 Tons/BDT 4,056 1.69 Tons/BDT 4,056 (Table above derived from 1999, Dr. Gregg Morris, “Value of Biomass Power” and from CO2e conversion for Methane) Notes: 8,000 bone dry tons of wood residue produces 1 megawatt of electricity (MW) Hydrocarbons, Particulate Matter, and Methane are the primary differences in the 3 Alternative Scenarios Methane is 25 times more potent as a Greenhouse Gas compared to Carbon Dioxide Current 600 MW operating capacity in the industry consumes 4.8 million bone dry tons of wood residue annually A 1,200 MW operating capacity would consume 9.6 million bone dry tons of wood residue annually Current market value for CO2e on ARB Cap-and-Trade Offsets Program is $11/ton Estimate for value of Particulate Matter (PM) from Morris (1999, p.21) is $2,500/ton although, based on the incentives in the Carl Moyer Program, the State has put a much higher value than this on PM Synthesis of the above Table: For the current 600 MW Operating Capacity, Biomass Powerplants, versus Open Burning or “left in the forest to decompose” scenarios, the Powerplant Industry annually reduces
Emissions Reduction 9.62 36.39 28.74 350 1,965 16.7 2,315 % Reduction 54% 96% 99% 97% 15% 96% 17% The Springsteen publication used a factor of 21 for how potent Methane (CH4) is compared to CO2. The transport distance in a chip van was 60 miles one-way. NOx = Nitrous Oxide; PM = Particulate Matter; NMOC = Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compounds; CO= Carbon Monoxide; CO2 = Carbon Dioxide; CO2e = Carbon Dioxide Equivalent For the existing 600 MW operating powerplant industry, consuming 4.8 million bone dry tons (BDT)/year: 16.7 tons CO2e/6,096 BDT X 4.8 million BDT = 1.8 million tons CO2e reduction X $11/ton on offset cap-and-trade market = $19.8 million 36.39 tons of particulate matter reduction/6,096 BDT X 4.8 million BDT = 28,654 tons reduction X $2,500/ton =$71.6 million. Note the $2,500/ton figure comes from Morris, 1999. The Carl Moyer Program today values PM2.5 at up to $16,000/ton. Summary: Utilizing woody residues (agriculture, forest, and urban) to generate heat and power compared to open burning or above ground decomposition has over 11 cents/kW of uncompensated ancillary benefits. Considering biogenic boiler emissions no different than fossil emissions will lead to increasing rather than decreasing emissions Incentivizing reduced forest harvest levels will lead to greater use of fossil fuels and increased emissions than can be offset by forest carbon stores National Forests that were thinned and maintained closer to historic tree densities could produce as much as a 16% increase in water yield or over 2 million acre-feet annually from the Sierra Nevada Mountains The reduced criteria pollutants with the current 600 MW operating capacity of the Biomass Powerplant industry compared to open pile burning is about 17% (1.8 million tons of CO2e) and 96% (28,000 tons) for particulate matter. If the 2012 Bioenergy Action Plan were fully implemented increasing the operating capacity to 1,200 MW, the values of reduced criteria pollutants would double.