Use of wood as an energy source in the state of Maine

Technical Report · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6774757· OSTI ID:6774757

von Foerster, T.

A detailed study is presented of the availability and use of wood as an energy resource for the State of Maine. Although there are no good data on the total resources of Maine's forests, the best estimates indicate that one could obtain about 1/2 quad (10/sup 15/ Btu) per year from thinning overstocked stands and harvesting dead trees; current logging operations could produce about the same amount of energy in the form of logging residues and thinnings, an amount that could be increased manyfold by intensive forest management. The costs of wood for fuel can be estimated on the basis of current logging and transportation costs. The corresponding energy prices, while high, are competitive with current fossil fuel prices. Using any energy source requires not only the fuel but also a furnace. The total energy costs are thus not only the cost of current fuel use but also those of the capital investment in the furnace. We have estimated these for systems of two sizes, one for a small house, the other for an apartment building or small commercial establishment. In both cases, our estimated indicate, that woodfueled systems can be economically competitive. Wood is currently used as a fuel on a large scale in the pulp and paper industry. With some increase in wood harvesting efforts and some alterations of furnaces that industry could achieve energy self sufficiency. Other large-scale uses are still speculative but deserve further investigation. A state-owned energy corporation could serve to provide a market for currently wasted wood and to investigate the conversion of wood to other forms of energy. The combustion of wood is not associated with environmental effects that are different kind in magnitude from those associated with the combustion of fossil fuel.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Solar Energy
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 6774757
• Report Number(s): BNL--50898
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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APPLIANCES
AVAILABILITY
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
COST
ENERGY SOURCES
FURNACES
HARVESTING
INDUSTRY
MAINE
NORTH AMERICA
NORTH ATLANTIC REGION
OXIDATION
PAPER INDUSTRY
POWER PLANTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
USA
USES
WOOD
WOOD BURNING APPLIANCES
WOOD BURNING FURNACES
WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
WOOD-FUEL POWER PLANTS