3194 Chapter 26 



Readers interested in cogeneration are referred to papers on the subject pub- 

 lished by the Forest Products Research Society (1979, p. 10-36; 1980). 



Pingrey and Waggoner (1978) estimated that in the United States the overall 

 generating capacity of electrical generating plants using wood and wood derived 

 fuels is about 4,500 MW (table 26-10). Many of the plants, however, use fossil 

 fuels at the same time they are burning wood and wood derived fuels. For 

 instance, it is estimated that on an annual basis, the pulp and paper industry 

 bums 54 percent fossil fuels to generate electricity, while wood residues and 

 pulping liquors supply the remaining 46 percent. On the other hand, solid wood 

 products mills are estimated to use 98 percent wood fuel and only 2 percent fossil 

 fuel. 



But outside the forest products industry, few wood-fueled electrical utilities 

 are in operation. They are located in Eugene, Oregon; Libby, Montana; Burling- 

 ton, Vermont; Ashland, Wisconsin; and Kettle Falls, Washington. Others are 

 under construction. 



The Eugene utility has been using hogged fuel since the 1940's to generate 

 electricity. The steam generated not only is used to run turbines, but is distribut- 

 ed to the central part of the city, where it is used to heat businesses and homes 

 and provides process steam to plants such as laundries (Anonymous 1977). 



Readers interested in construction costs and operating expenses of large 

 steam-electric plants should find useful the comprehensive study by the U.S. 

 Department of Energy (1978c) of major steam-electric plants of the electric 

 utility business. 



Table 26-10. — Estimated generating capabilities of electric generating plants in the 

 United States that use wood and wood derived fuels^ 



Producers Generation capability 



Megawatts 



Pulp and paper mills 3,600 



Solid wood products 800 



Utilities 60 



Other^ 40 



Total 4,500 



'Data from Pingrey and Waggoner (1978). 



^Miscellaneous users of small wood fired plants which included a rubber plant, sugar mills, and a 

 resort. 



DOMESTIC STOVES AND FIREPLACES 



High oil, natural gas, and electricity prices have renewed the public's interest 

 in home and shop space heating with wood. Wood is readily available and 

 improvements in woodstove design and devices to make stoves and fireplaces 

 more efficient have come about with the renewed interest in wood burning 

 (Shelton 1976; and Lew^). Annual wood usage for such space heating is substan- 

 tial — equivalent to perhaps 0.8 quads in 1983. 



^V. Lew, "Wood Burning Stoves", a staff report to the Fuels Office, Alternatives Division, 

 California Energy Commission, June 14, 1978, Sacramento, California) 



