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Announcements

Montpelier Wins $8 Million Federal Energy Grant: press releases from the Vermont US Congressional Office and the US Department of Energy. Read Montpelier Community Renewable Energy Project summary.
The 2010 Annual Vermont Woodchip Users Conference summary.
Our Carbon, Our Communities: A community-based vision for using wood biomass in an era of climate change.
BERC is part of grant-winning team to study biomass sustainability and carbon policy (click here).
New section for colleges and universities considering biomass options for their campuses (click here).

BERC Mission Statement

The Biomass Energy Resource Center (BERC) is an independent, national nonprofit organization located in Montpelier, Vermont with a Midwest office in Madison, Wisconsin, that assists communities, colleges and universities, state and local governments, businesses, utilities, schools, and others in making the most of their local energy resources.

BERC’s mission is to achieve a healthier environment, strengthen local economies, and increase energy security across the United States through the development of sustainable biomass energy systems at the community scale. BERC’s particular focus is on the use of woody biomass and other pelletizable biomass fuels.

FAQs

Q: What is biomass?
A: Biomass is any biological material that can be used as fuel. Biomass fuel is burned or converted in systems that produce heat, electricity, or both heat and power. Woodchips, wood pellets, and other low-grade wood wastes are the major type of biomass fuel. Other common biomass fuel sources are agricultural crop residues and farm animal wastes.

Q: What is BERC? How can you help us with our project?
A: BERC is a national nonprofit located in Montpelier, Vermont, that works on projects around the country to install systems that use biomass fuel to produce heat and/or electricity. BERC’s partners in these projects have included schools, communities, colleges, businesses, utilities, and government agencies. We offer services in program design and project assessment and implementation as well as a variety of technical resources. Program services include Fuels For Schools, Clean Energy Funds, state energy planning for biomass, and forest fire hazard reduction. BERC project work includes biomass energy feasibility studies, biomass energy project development and management, and technology development.

Q: What kinds of facilities use biomass?
A: Facilities suitable for biomass systems include schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, public buildings, hotels and motels, commercial buildings, greenhouses, large-scale agricultural operations, manufacturing plants, power plants, and community district energy systems (the latter being the use of a central heating plant to provide heat to multiple buildings using buried pipes to distribute the energy). BERC’s expertise is in ‘community-scale’ biomass systems in the 1-to-10 million Btu per hour (output) range.

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BERC Conference Activity

March 2010

Biomass for Communities
March 8, 2010, Hopkinton Town Library, Hopkinton, New Hampshire

BERC Assistant Program Manager Sarah Galbraith will present a general overview of community-scale biomass energy and how it can be used to benefit communities, local economies, and the environment. The event is part of a series entitled, Alternative Energy Evenings, sponsored by the Merrimack County Conservation District as part of the New Hampshire Farm Energy Initiative.

Biomass Energy Colloquium
March 10, 2010, Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont

BERC Program Director Adam Sherman will speak on wood supply issues at this evening event.

Addison County Green Energy Expo: Building Sustainable Homes and Businesses
March 13, 2010, Middlebury Union High School, Middlebury, Vermont

BERC Project Assistant Nikola Janjić will staff the BERC information booth, provide handout materials, and answer questions.

Globe 2010
March 24-26, 2010, Vancouver Convention Center - East, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

BERC Program Director Adam Sherman will moderate a session entitled, 'Bioenergy: Fueling the Development of a Low Carbon Economy.' The panel discussion will focus on bioenergy at the community and municipal level.

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