In August of 2009, the two RC&D Councils of north-central Florida sponsored a Field Day in Live Oak. The U.S. Forest Service in Auburn Univerisity made the event possible. Auburn’s Dr. Tom Gallagher, the Forest Service’s Dr. Bob Rummer and Dr. Dana Mitchell were prsent to supply technical details on the machine’s productivity. John Deere hopes to have a field model of this machine by the end of 2010. It can bundle approximately 20 tons/hour and may be part of the Outreach Field days this year. Stay tuned!
The BIG question being asked in 2010 is: Is there enough supply of woody biomass for electircal generation especially in north-cntral Florida? A new study has just been posted on the FL Division of Forestry’s web site (side bar Helpful links) and is in 3 parts. The Executive Summary of the “Woody Biomass Economic Study” states that there is supply for sure and that good old American competition will drive the value of woody biomass up for all industrial users. We believe that this would mean a sea-change for economic development in our region. Will pulp mills be able to comepete if millions of tons began flowing into electrcal generation and chemical plants using trees? We believe so. And the competition will stimulate more acres planted. Planted acres are WAY down in our region. And new companies are bringing in faster growing trees like sweet gum, poplar and approved Eucalyptus species. But are these studies credible? The models used by the expert academics are based on assumptions which some have questioned. Most in the RC&D Council believe that small generators in or around our small cities using technolgies that capture waste heat for heating and cooling those same towns and cities and provide new sources of food production make the most sense. Is 100 MW too big? It is not too big for Gainesville but it is too big for Lake City or Live Oak.