Projects

The use of Biomass as an energy source not only works toward the protection of the earths’ natural resources, its use in our schools provides hands-on lessons to our kids through a comfortable learning environment and first-hand knowledge of how renewable energy can be used.

The use of biomass technology while common on the East coast has been slow to be pursued throughout the United States. The Jemez Mountain School Biomass Project is the first of its kind in the Southwest.

Many advances have been made in the use of geothermal, biomass, wind, and solar energies. With an abundance of renewable energy resources, New Mexico has the opportunity to give proof to the effectiveness of these alternative fuels.



State of New Mexico program initiatives in
the use of Biomass For Heat and Energy

Project: Jemez Mountain School Biomass Heating, Gallina, New Mexico

This Biomass for Heat and Energy project is the first of its kind in the Southwest and utilizes wood chips obtained from forest thinning projects as the principal fuel source for a public facility.

Key to success in controlling energy consumption was analyzing the schools’ mechanical system and surroundings and using them to craft a project that benefited the school district and surrounding community.

This project grew from the School Districts need for operational upgrades and the desire to provide those upgrades without substantially increasing the districts energy consumption. Not only was the school district able to make these upgrades, they were able to reduce their energy consumption through the use a biomass fuels allowing for an actual savings in energy costs.

Though still in its initial start-up phase it is estimated that this 1.6 million capital improvement project will achieve .5 million in energy cost savings.

The Jemez Mountain Public School District was able to engage in this long-term project through the use of the Public Building Energy Efficiency Act and has applied and received state grant funds for renewable energy projects.

The delivery system used at Gallina High School uses the burning of biofuels to provide heat. These fuels can consist of; agri by-products, sander dust, wood chips, animal waste, particleboard, bark, and all other clean biomass. Wood chips provided through the grinding of forest debris is the media of choice for the Jemez Mountain Schools and the district has entered into agreements with local loggers to provide the Gallina Schools with softwood chips. The system has a second combustion process which virtually incinerates all matter and holds the combustion gases for an extended dwell time creating a low emission form of heat to the school.

Project Details:

Projected Fuel Consumption and Energy Cost Savings
The Gallina School is currently using LP Gas as the fuel source for heating. Rising Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) prices over the last few years, coupled with energy inefficiencies of the buildings, have led to a significant economic drain on Jemez Mountain School District. The Gallina School presently consumes approximately 66,000 gallons of LPG at cost of $55,400 per year and spends about $51,700 for 490,000 kWh of electricity every year. This project will save approximately $41,000 in LP Gas, $10,000 in electricity and $3,000 from operations and maintenance savings each year.

The Furnace System Efficiency and Emissions
The furnace which has been installed in the Gallina School was provided by Advanced Recycling Equipment www.advancedrecyclingequip.com and is rated at 300 HP. The combustion unit is capable of utilizing 1,400 pounds of biomass per hour at peak operation which is expected to occur during the months of December and January. It has an automatic fuel feed based on temperature demands controlled at various facility locations and an automatic De-Ash feature which significantly simplifies maintenance. It is estimated that 400 tons of wood chips (forest thinning) will be utilized during a normal year.

The combustion unit burns at 1800 degrees F with air supplied at different stages of combustion. The system has an extended combustion zone allowing for complete combustion of all carbon from the fuel. Over the course of a year, the system will generate less that 6 tons of ash from the 400 ton of fuel or approximately 6 cubic yards of ash from 1,600 cubic yards of fuel. Relative to the desired heat output the combustion process should generate less than a 55 gallon drum of ash per month. Approximately 99% of the ash will be captured through the Auto De-Ash system and approximately 1% will be captured through the cyclone dust collection system.

The Challenger Combustion System is capable of burning a wide range of woody biomass waste up to 50% moisture content. The combustion unit and associated system has been tested and certified to meet EPA emission standards. For all practical purposes the system is smokeless.

Jobs in the Community
To fill the Jemez Mountain School Districts’ need of Biofuels for consumption, the hiring of local persons for the collection and preparation of biomass resources would be required. With the success of this program it is projected that additional needs will arise as the community embraces this new, clean, renewable source of energy.

Biomass Project Initiative:

The Biomass for Heat and Energy initiative emerged from the National Fire Plan, following a landmark wild land fire season of 2000. The intent of the National Fire Plan is to actively respond to severe wild land fires and their impacts on communities while ensuring sufficient firefighting capacity for the future.

Jemez Mountain School Heating System Project commenced as an Economic Action Program NFP grant to the Jemez Mountain School District from the USDA Forest Service in 2001.

Since inception the partnership and funding commitments have grown and solidified. Direct contributions now total $1,803,000 and embraces the following contributing partners:
Jemez Mountain School District / NM Energy & Minerals, Energy Division / Energy Control, Inc. / La Jicarita Enterprise Community / Hurd Brothers Logging / USDA Forest Service, Santa Fe National Forest and Coyote Ranger District

Partner Project Objectives:

• Serve as a biomass-to-renewable energy model that can showcase the use of forest thinnings in an energy project
• Provide a case-study demonstration that can be replicated at other state and federal facilities;
• Reduce the energy costs at public facilities.
• Advance State and federal goals regarding renewable energy, forest health and tax dollar savings
• Encourage collaboration among federal, state and local governments and the private sector
• Reduce the wildfire risk to communities and improve forest health;
• Create jobs in rural communities
  

Jemez Mountain School District - http://www.jmsk12.com  - Route 96, Gallina, NM received a $450,000 Economic Action Program NFP grant in 2001 from the USDA Forest Service to retrofit the existing propane heating system and utilize wood chips as its primary heating fuel supply. The school district has contributed as its’ share $183,000 in cash, a building worth $100,000 plus $75,000 in project design and engineering towards the completion of the project. The project contact is Superintendent Robert Archuleta 505-638-5419

New Mexico Energy and Minerals, Energy Division - http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/ecmd/ - worked with the New Mexico State Legislature in Fiscal year 2003 to appropriate $450,000 in an effort to obtain the necessary funding for the project. The Energy Division also worked with the Jemez Mountain School to secure the assistance of the Performance Contractor. The project contact is, Harold Trujillo, Bureau Chief Energy Technology, 505-476-3318

Energy Controls Incorporated (ECI) - www.energyctrl.com - 2600 Pan American, Ste.110, Rio Rancho, NM is the Performance Contractor for the Jemez Mountain School District. ECI performed the energy audit and final design necessary to size the furnace and boiler system. ECI also provided a variety of energy savings modifications and upgrades to improve efficiency of the entire heating system for the Jemez Mountain School District. All total ECI provided $542,000 in financial assistance under provisions of the Public Facility Energy Efficiency Act. This amount will be repaid from the cost savings generated by the project over a 10 year period. ECI will also provide monitoring and technical assistance for operation of the system. The project contact is Pat Gibson 505-890-2888.

La Jicarita Enterprise Community - www.jerrysimpson.com/ljec - PO Box 546, Panasco, NM is contributing $63,000. They are providing the Fuel Supply and Storage Trailers to the Jemez Mountain School. In exchange, the Jemez Mountain School District and Energy Controls Incorporated are providing technical assistance and project design assistance towards the retrofitting of the Mora High School with a similar system. The project contact is Ben Sanchez, Director La Jicarita Enterprise Community 505-387-2298.

Hurd Brothers Logging - 991 Grove Street, Chama, New Mexico Hurd Brothers is a local small business and has collaborated with the Jemez Mountain School District and received an Economic Action Program National Fire Plan grant in 2001 from the USDA Forest Service for the procurement of a wood chipper. Under the grant, Hurd Brothers Logging will provide chips at cost to the Jemez Mountain School Retrofit Pilot Project for a two (2) year period. Estimated cost of this contribution is $15,000. Contact is Andrew Hurd, 505-756-2284.

USDA Forest Service, Santa Fe National Forest - www.fs.fed.us/rs/sfe - provided a $450,000 Economic Action National Fire Plan grant for the project and has ensured a steady supply of fuel.

The Coyote Ranger District - www.fs.fed.us/rs/sfe/districts/coyote/index.html - has available a total of 10,000 acres of National Forest Land within 10 miles of the school ready for thinning. These acreages have received the appropriated environmental reviews and have been approved for treatment through the National Fire Plan. (The Jemez Mountain School will utilize approximately 400 tons from 40 acres) of wood chips annually. Contact on the Santa Fe National Forest, is the Rural Community Assistance Coordinator, Reuben Montes, 505- 438-7892 and Coyote District Ranger, Francisco Sanchez, 505-638-5526

• Firefighting,
• Rehabilitation
• Hazardous Fuels Reduction
• Community Assistance
• Accountability

Biomass for Heat and Energy resides under the Community Assistance component of the National Fires Plan. Community Assistance is comprised of two (2) key elements, Community Capacity to thin and remove the woody biomass material and Utilization of Woody Biomass Material.

www.fireplan.gov