Bioenergy is the use of natural renewable organic matter, such as forest thinnings, residues, agricultural wastes or wood wastes to create energy for heating, cooling or electricity. Every year, different bioenergy systems around the country are open for public viewing on National Bioenergy Day, which this year is on Wednesday, October 23rd.
This year, the Massachusetts Statewide Wood Energy Team will hold a Bioenergy Tour in Windsor and Dalton in Berkshire County to demonstrate how a new modern wood heat technology can provide clean low cost heat while reducing fossil fuel emissions.
The free Bioenergy Day tour will begin at 10 am at TTC Energy, LLC on Route 9 in Windsor which has recently built a new wood chip drying facility which creates a new type of fuel – semi-dry wood chips – that can be used in new, state-of-the-art modern wood heating equipment. We’ll explore the process and benefits of drying wood chips and how prices compare to propane and oil, as well as learn about incentives and grants that make modern wood heat even more affordable.
At the second stop on the tour, we’ll see how the semi-dry chips can reduce the use of fossil fuels. Holiday Brook Farm in Dalton is installing a new chip-fueled district heating system to heat multiple farm buildings with one central system. We’ll learn how the system works and why farms, or other places with multiple buildings, are good candidates for this type of heat.
The Massachusetts Statewide Wood Energy Team (MA SWET) is coordinated by the Massachusetts Forest Alliance with funding from the USDA Forest Service.
The tour has been approved for the following continuing education credits:
- 1.0 Mass Forester CFEs in Category II
- 1.0 Connecticut Forester CEUs
- 1.5 Mass Timber Harvester Continuing Education Credits
- SAF CFEs are still pending – check back here before the event for more information
The tour is completely free, but we encourage you to register so we have a count for refreshments. See https://bioenergyday-tour.eventbrite.com to register.