Partnering to cofire woody biomass in central Florida

In central Florida, numerous partners have combined to demonstrate the potential for growing short rotation woody crops (SRWC) for cofiring at utilities with up to 13,000 MW of capacity. Since 1997, the Common Purpose Institute has conducted cofiring studies and developed partnerships for SRWC planting and use. These partnerships build on more than two decades of SRWC research by the School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida (UF) that has identified species and cultural options for commercial cropping [1,2,3]. Cofiring up to 5 % SRWCs is the most cost effective means of creating renewable energy while using existing power plant infrastructure. A 123 acre SRWC demonstration planting on a clay settling area (CSA) near Lakeland is one fruition of this collaboration. Approximately 160,000 ha of similar mining sites and unimproved pastures are a potential SRWC land base in central Florida [4]. Initiated in 2000, the SRWC demonstration is 1) documenting “real world ” SRWC costs and yields, 2) developing guidelines for establishing and managing SRWCs on CSAs, and 3) evaluating genetic, cultural, and harvesting options for further improving the cost effectiveness of using cottonwood (CW, Populus deltoides), Eucalyptus amplifolia (EA), and E. grandis (EG) as SRWCs