The new plant will use locally-sourced woodchips to provide 85% of the school’s heat and generate 20% of its electricity. Fuel oil will be used mainly as a backup to heat campus buildings.
GMC estimates it will burn about 4,000-5,000 tons of locally harvested woodchips each year as the primary fuel — the $5.8m plant will pay for itself over eighteen years through savings on fuel costs.
In the new plant, woodchips will be fed into a boiler and heated at a very high temperature with low oxygen, until the fuel smolders and emits gas. Oxygen being added and the gas ignited, the resulting steam will be circulated through existing pipes for heat and hot water. The steam will activate a turbine which is expected to produce 400,000 kWh of electricity.
Paul Fonteyn, president of GMC, said: “This new structure — our new biomass plant, is more than just a facility to provide heat and electricity. It’s a demonstration of how we are remaining faithful to our principles of sustainability, and maintaining our position as one of the leading environmental liberal arts colleges in the country.
