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

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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,

Resources from NEWBio: The Northeast Woody/Warm-season Biomass Consortium

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Funded by AFRI. Learn More.

    The Northeast Woody/Warm-season Biomass Consortium (NEWBio) is a regional network of universities, businesses, and governmental organizations dedicated to building robust, scalable, and sustainable value chains for biomass energy in the Northeast. Driven by the broad societal benefits that sustainable bioenergy value chains could provide, NEWBio aims to overcome existing barriers and dramatically increase the sustainable, cost-effective supply of lignocellulosic biomass while reducing net greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing ecosystem services, and building vibrant communities.

     

     

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    NEWBio

    Research Summary: Triploid Hybrids of Shrub Willow Yield More Biomass Than Diploids and Tetraploids

    Research finds triploid hybrids of shrub willow yield the highest biomass, leading to improved cultivars for renewable energy.

    Fred Gouker, Cornell Univ.; 3rd season shrub-willow selection trial in Geneva, NY. 2011. Photo: L. Smart.
     

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    Abstract

    Research into the genetics and biomass composition of shrub willow shows that triploid hybrids generally outperform diploid and tetraploid hybrids. This …

    Larry Smart, Cornell University

    Larry Smart, a professor in Cornell University’s Department of Horticulture since July 2009, is a plant geneticist and physiologist who has been a leader of efforts in genetic improvement of fast-growing shrub willow as a bioenergy crop since 1998. He has assembled a large and diverse collection of willows, which serves as a basis for traditional breeding.

    Using optimized techniques for pollen extraction and controlled pollination, his group has produced more than 450 new families of willow varieties, including a …