ReEnergy Holdings: Offering Markets for Biomass in the Northeast

ag energy, newbio, willow
Biomass fuel is loaded into boilers at ReEnergy’s green energy facilities. Photo: ReEnergy.

ReEnergy Holdings LLC works with willow growers and uses waste and shrub willow wood to generate electricity.

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Introduction

As a vertically integrated renewable energy company, ReEnergy Holdings LLC is an important link in the Northeast’s bioenergy supply …

Maximizing Planted Area and Biomass Production in Shrub Willow Bioenergy Fields

Willow Stand Density biomass
Willow stand density. Photo: SUNY-ESF.
A portion of the land area in commercial willow bioenergy fields must be left unplanted for headlands to facilitate efficient machinery operation. Other unplanted areas, if not functional, should be minimized through best-practice targets in order to maximize biomass production and revenues.

 

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Introduction

An important consideration for commercial shrub willow crop …

EcoWillow 2.0: An Updated Tool for Financial Analysis of Willow Biomass

Model input output

 

 

 

EcoWillow is a financial analysis tool developed by SUNY-ESF that allows users to model the costs and revenues of willow biomass production through every stage of the feedstock life cycle from site preparation through planting, harvesting, and transport to an end user for renewable energy

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double row planter willow
Figure 1. Planting a willow crop in northern New York State using

Justin Heavey, State University of New York

Justin Heavey is a senior research support specialist for the Willow Project at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse, New York. Since 2008, he has been managing energy and sustainability projects in higher education.
 
In his present work, Justin helps landowners and other stakeholders who grow, use, or are simply interested in bioenergy crops. The expanding willow bioenergy industry in New York State and the Northeast benefits from his technical and

New Holland Agriculture Expands Offerings for Biomass Harvest and Handling

Renewable energy production options are growing thanks to expanded farm equipment capabilities for harvesting biofuel feedstocks like shrub willow. 

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Willow harvester
Case New Holland’s 130 FB coppice header harvesting shrub willow by cutting and chipping the crop in one pass. Photo: SUNY-ESF.

Introduction

Harvesting is the single most expensive operation in the production of shrub willow biomass, …

Double A Willow Strengthens Biomass Supply Chain by Providing Willow Plantings to Biofuels Industry

As the largest supplier of shrub willow planting stock in the United States, Double A Willow is a critical link between research and the commercial development of renewable energy.

Double A Willow owner, Dennis Rak, with some of his original plantings.

 

 

 

 

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Introduction

Double A Willow in Fredonia, New York, is the main source of shrub willow planting material for biomass energy …

Research Summary: Characteristics of Willow Biomass Chips Produced Using a Single-Pass Cut-and-Chip Harvester

Harvest method impacts wood chip quality–use a single-pass cut-and-chip method and willow makes the grade.

Sample of willow biomass chips produced from a single pass cut and chip harvester based on a New Holland forage harvester.
Sample of willow biomass chips produced from a single pass cut and chip harvester based on a New Holland forage harvester. Photo: Timothy Volk.

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Introduction

Biomass for bioenergy and/or bioproducts can be sourced from forests, agricultural crops, various residue streams,

BCAP Helps Commercialize Shrub Willow for Bioenergy in Northern New York

Three-year old willow biomass crops on a four-year old root system prior to first harvest (Auburn, NY).
Three-year old willow biomass crops on a four-year old root system prior to first harvest (Auburn, NY). Photo: Timothy Volk, SUNY ESF.

Farmers growing shrub willow for bioenergy are helped by a BCAP project in New York State that aims to make the biomass crop more financially viable.

 

 

 

 

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Timothy Volk, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Dr. Timothy Volk has more than 25 years of experience working in the fields of forestry, agroforestry, short-rotation woody crops, bioenergy, and phytoremediation in the Northeastern United States and Africa. He is responsible for a series of research projects focused on the development of shrub willow biomass cropping systems as a feedstock for bioproducts and bioenergy and the use of willow as an alternative cover for industrial waste sites. He is also actively involved in research and development of sustainability …

Research Summary: Development of a Single-Pass Cut-and-Chip Harvesting System for Short Rotation Woody Crops

Three-year old willow biomass crops on a four-year old root system prior to first harvest (Auburn, NY).
Three-year old willow biomass crops on a four-year old root system prior to first harvest (Auburn, NY). Photo: Timothy Volk, SUNY ESF.

Woody biomass throughput is tripled using a new single-pass cut-and-chip harvesting system.  Operator experience, crop characteristics, ground conditions, and speed all affect throughput.

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Introduction

Many types of specialized machinery for harvesting short rotation woody crops …