The Doyle administration today has been receving all sorts of accolades from bioenergy supporters and environmental groups about a proposed biomass power plant at the University of WIsconsin-Madison campus.
They're praising the administration for vowing to build a power plant capable of burning up to 100% biomass.
There's one part of the story that just became clearer as my reporting went on this afternoon -- that the entire Charter Street power plant wouldn't be burning biomass.
One new boiler at the plant would be 100% biomass, and another boiler at the campus would be converted so it could burn biomass or natural gas.
But the power plant includes five coal-fired boilers today, and four of those would be converted to natural gas, Department of Administration spokesman Linda Barth said.
So, come 2012 -- when the new plant would open -- if all boilers were operating at the same time, about 40% to 50% of the steam supplied to the UW-Madison campus from the plant would be from biomass, and the remainder would be from natural gas, Barth said.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel that when burned also emits carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas. Natural gas power plants generally emit half as much carbon as a coal plant.
While that's not fully biomass, biofuels supporter Brett Hulsey says the administration's announcement still makes today a big day for the emerging bioindustry.
"You've got to walk before you can run," he said. "By saying you're getting one 100% biomass in southern Wisconsin, that really moves things in the right direction."
© 2009, Journal Sentinel Inc.
