Schools convert to wood heating

A wood-pellet silo this size, Rahsch said, has an auger feed system to load pellets into the hopper on the boiler. This makes the whole process of using pellets highly automated, making it competitive with the convenience of oil and gas boilers.

Web Site: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/

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MA -- A flatbed trailer hauling five tons of shiny white steel rolled through the Strong Elementary School parking lot on Wednesday.
Mark Rahsch and flag-car driver Kate Flanagan delivered the first 28-foot-long pellet silo to Tim Sorel and Mel Bouboulis, who were siding a newly-constructed building to house the boiler in December.

The pair planned to deliver the second silo to the Kingfield Elementary School, wrapping up the first phase of a plan to convert the two School Administrative District 58 schools to wood-pellet heat.

"This is about the height of a two-story building," Rahsch said. "It looks pretty big now, but it looks way bigger standing up."

A wood-pellet silo this size, Rahsch said, has an auger feed system to load pellets into the hopper on the boiler. This makes the whole process of using pellets highly automated, making it competitive with the convenience of oil and gas boilers.

The wood-pellet boilers at Strong and Kingfield Elementary Schools were purchased with a $1.08 million USDA grant. Skanden Energy, Inc., based in San Diego, Calif., with an office in Sumner, worked with the school system through its conversion to wood thermal energy.

"Maine people have a great appreciation for the benefits of biomass heating, and we also look forward to bringing new job opportunities to the state," company president Laura Colban said.

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, $11.4 million has been awarded to the Maine Department of Conservation to provide grants through its Wood-to-Energy Initiative.

"We help applicants through the grant application process, and then, we guide them through installation, training local contractors and helping them develop expertise in the industry," Colban said. "This maximizes the economic and environmental benefit to the local community."

The grants, aimed at rural schools and public entities converting to wood heating, can be used to fund the purchase and installation of Skanden equipment, she said. Residential use of pellet heat has become more common, but few public systems have been able to afford the cost to convert from oil and gas systems.

Additional Information

Web Site: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/

Category: Forestry>Wood Pellets

Region: Maine

Ad Running: 11/9/2009-12/5/2011

Ad Posted: 11/5/2009 8:06:12 PM

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