ASERTTI News
ASERTTI Receives Two New
Project Awards
ASERTTI recently entered into a new CHP
partnership project with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency designed to provide strategic CHP
deployment assistance for wastewater treatment
facilities. The project will engage ASERTTI and
select members from three regions to utilize
operating data from three wastewater treatment
facilities using anaerobic digestion and utilizing
waste heat in a CHP mode to assemble a real world
lessons learned guidance document. The project will
also involve developing technical assistance
materials and strategically disseminating the
information through presentations at up to three
state, regional, and national meetings and online
via the ASERTTI website.
ASERTTI also received a grant from the Blue Moon
Fund for the project, “Pilot Performance and Cost
Database for Anaerobic Digestion Systems for
Livestock Manures.” The project will allow ASERTTI
to move forward with the second phase of our
anaerobic digester program and establish a database
on digester performance using the protocols created
under the first phase. The data will be analyzed by
ASERTTI and others and lead to improved success
rates for digester implementation and operation.
New GTI Research Aimed at
Building a Better Brand of Biomass
The Gas Technology Institute (GTI), an ASERTTI
member, announced two new, complementary research
projects they are leading focused on economically
converting any leafy or woody biomass into a
uniform, densified feedstock that can be easily fed
into any thermal gasifier or pyrolyzer for
conversion into syngas, fuels, and value-added
chemicals. The projects will look at the development
of pretreatment technologies for processing a wide
range of biomass types into a single, uniform
feedstock of similar consistency and character.
Experts note that reliable feeding systems must be
engineered to accommodate different forms of
biomass, a significant barrier that continues to
hinder the global deployment of biomass-based energy
production.
The initiatives are sponsored by the DOE and GTI
partners for the projects include Changing World
Technologies, Inc. and the Desert Research
Institute. One project will focus on biomass of
Alabama and the southeastern United States, while
the other project will address biomass
characteristics of Nevada and the American West.
"This work will directly address the nation's high
priority of increasing the supply of domestic and
renewable energy by integrating advanced technology
that improves the conversion of biomass into fuels
and power," said Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. For more
information about the initiatives, please visit
www.gastechnology.org.
Pennsylvania Governor
Rendell Signs Bill Establishing $650 Million Energy
Fund
Governor Edward G. Rendell signed into law a new
fund that will save families and small businesses
money on their energy bills by supporting
investments in energy conservation and efficiency.
As part of the $650 million package, residential
consumers and small businesses will be eligible for
$92.5 million in loans, grants, reimbursements and
rebates to support energy conservation and
weatherization projects that can ultimately reduce
energy bills. Another $40 million is available to
provide financial assistance through the state’s
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or
LIHEAP, and establish an energy efficiency loan fund
through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
Households and small businesses can also qualify for
$100 million to support the installation of solar
energy technology. Solar power is a key cost-saving
technology that enables homes and businesses to
generate their own electricity and sell any excess
power back to the grid through net metering.
Carnegie Mellon University estimates the technology
could help reduce electricity demand by 5 percent
during the 100 most expensive hours of the
year—typically, times when the sun is most intense
and temperatures the highest—which would save
Pennsylvania ratepayers $1.9 billion annually.
Electricity rates can be 15 to 30 times more during
periods when demand is highest. To find out more
about Governor Rendell's initiatives, visit
www.governor.state.pa.us.
Florida and United Kingdom
Sign Climate Change Agreement
As reported in E&E Daily, Florida signed a
cooperative agreement with the United Kingdom aimed
at advancing low-carbon technologies and encouraging
economic development that minimizes climate change
risks. The agreement signed by Gov. Charlie Crist
(R) and the U.K.-based Carbon Trust commits Florida
and the United Kingdom to technology transfers and
sharing expertise in energy efficiency, alternative
fuels and greenhouse gas reduction. The agreement
builds on a 2007 partnership aimed at identifying
strategies for reducing warming gases and promoting
"climate-friendly commerce" between Florida and
Great Britain.
Crist said he looks forward to sharing new ideas
from Florida businesses and research institutions,
and in turn gaining additional knowledge from the
London-based Carbon Trust, a company set up by the
British government to accelerate the country's shift
to a low-carbon economy. Florida and the United
Kingdom have economic ties, with an estimated $2.8
billion in annual trade. In 2005, the United Kingdom
had $4 billion in direct investment in Florida. |
