Austin Energy is ready to strike a major biomass deal
While most of the renewable energy hype in Texas goes to the massive wind resources in the west, wind is certainly not the only clean energy option on the table for the green-minded capital city. To reach its goal of switching to 30% renewable power by 2020, Austin Energy is hammering out a deal with a biomass development company called Nacogdoches Power, providing carbon-neutral energy from East Texas pine forests. If the Austin City Council approves the $2.3B contract, Nacogdoches Power will begin construction a 100MW biomass plant which would be up and running by 2012. Its fuel source: the waste wood from the numerous logging and mill operations in the area. According to the Austin Business Journal, the plant would bump Austin's renewable energy mix up from 11% to 18%. In addition, biomass is considered firm capacity because it burns consistently at about 95% capacity. Compare that with wind or solar which typically operate at around 35-40%.
[via Treehugger]
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