HM3 Energy, Inc.
Comparing Costs
As utility companies expand their portfolios of power sources, they may consider adding wind and solar power sources, or modifying their coal-fired power plants to accept biomass. In some instances, they may choose to build a small power plant from scratch which burns only biomass. These decisions all involve paying for the addtiional infrastructure for these additional sources of power, including transmission infrastructure. This downloadable PDF shows the costs associated with building solar, wind or new biomass infrastructure.
Power utilities are already making assumptions of the future cost of carbon in their investment horizon. If limits on CO2 emissions are imposed via a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system, the operating cost of fossil-fuel based power plants will substantially increase. And since the burning of coal releases more CO2 per unit of energy than any other energy source, coal-fired power plants would be hit the hardest. A review of the levelized cost of electricity illustrates the various scenarios facing coal-fired plants. The downloadable PDF chart demonstrates the additional plant construction and operating costs necessary to remove at least 90% of harmful exhaust and CO2 or just remove harmful exhaust without removing CO2 but paying Carbon Tax on the power cost vs. burning HM3 Energy's TorrB™ torrefied woody biomass, which is clean and CO2 neutral.
The biomass sources HM3 Energy uses, such as agricultural residue, wood waste and dedicated crops, are sustainable, and greenhouse gas neutral. (According to the EPA, forest waste feedstock is also considered greenhouse gas neutral.) The primary sources we will use, agricultural residue and wood waste, have low to no commercial value. HM3 Energy TorrB™ pellets will be cost competitive to coal for two main reasons: 1) The feedstock is very cheap and will remain relatively so. 2) We’ll produce our torrefied biomass briquettes near the source of the feedstock, near large farming regions with ample agricultural residue or in production plants located close to where forest waste is gathered, greatly reducing transportation costs.
NEWS
MAR 2012: HM3 Energy Northwest Cleantech Open 2011 regional finalist, helps launch 2012 competition in Northwest. READ MORE
AUGUST 2011: HM3 Energy featured in Biomass Power & Thermal magazine. READ MORE
JUNE 2011: HM3 Energy awarded SBIR-USDA Phase 2 grant, worth $460,000. READ MORE
HM3 Energy receives US Endowment for Forestry and Communities grant, worth $241,000. The award will be used for pilot plant operation and key commercial scale equipment design and fabrication... READ MORE
Successful test burn completed with 100% torrefied biomass in pulverized coal-fired combustion facility proves torrefied biomass can replace coal directly in coal-fired power plants... READ MORE
Torrefied biomass energy can come from a variety of feedstock sources.... READ MORE
Torrefied biomass energy costs compare very favorably with other clean energy forms, such as solar and wind...READ MORE