How to Select Communities for Biomass Power Development

By Alan W. Hodges

University of Florida

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Basic Steps for Selecting Communities

• Identifying socioeconomic data sources available

• Evaluating local energy demand

• Selecting indicators for suitability

• Conducting a community screening

• Ground truthing

• Final selection of target market(s)

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Criteria for Screening of Woody Biomass Power Development Potential in Southern

U.S. Counties

• Forest Biomass Available, 5+ cm dia., incl. stumps, tops, unreserved forests (tons/ha, tons/capita)

• Urban wood waste generation (tons/capita, 7 states)

• Population Density (persons/sq.mi.)

• Population Growth 1990-2000

• Personal Income ($/capita)

• Income Growth 1990-2000 (%)

• Land area in wildland-urban interface/intermix (%)

• Electric Power Generation (2004): Total, Natural Gas and Biomass-Fueled (MWhr)

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Total Forest Volume Per HectareSource: USFS-FIA

Population Change (1990-2000)Source: US Census Bureau

Personal Income Per Capita (2002)Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis

Southern Region Wildland Urban Interface (2000)Source: Univ. Wisconsin, USFS-NCFES

Suitability Index for Biomass Power

SI = FBPH * [ PD + PG + IPC + IC + WUI + EGPC + WGPC]

Where…SI: Overall Suitability Index

FBPH Forest Biomass Per Hectare

PD Population Density

PG Population Growth

IPC Personal Income Per Capita

IC Personal Income Change

WUI Share of Area in Wildland-Urban Interface/Intermix

EGPC Electric Power Generation per Capita

WGPC Urban Woody Waste Generation Per Capita

Independent variables are expressed as rank scores (percent of maximum value)

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Selected Counties for Community Case Studies

State,County

Area (sq.mi.)

Population 2003

Pop. Chag Rank

Pop. Dens. Rank

Pers. Income

Per Capita Rank

Personal Income Change

Rank

Forest Biomass

Per Capita Rank

Forest Biomass Per Ha Rank

Share Interface /Intermix

Rank

Power Gen. Per

Capita Rank

Overall Suitabil. Ranking

AL Shelby 798 159,445 0.950 0.845 0.976 0.988 0.354 0.746 0.871 0.927 4.146

AL Lee 600 119,561 0.889 0.844 0.439 0.797 0.380 0.680 0.839 0.871 3.182

AR Saline 737 87,554 0.870 0.758 0.750 0.861 0.618 0.906 0.759 0.004 3.626

AR Union 1,061 44,829 0.110 0.425 0.914 0.192 0.873 0.949 0.428 0.914 2.831

FL Nassau 612 61,625 0.881 0.723 0.948 0.955 0.544 0.671 0.685 0.820 3.714

FL Leon 704 242,577 0.886 0.905 0.899 0.888 0.279 0.584 0.781 0.777 3.530

FL Santa Rosa 1,045 133,092 0.949 0.772 0.742 0.940 0.449 0.595 0.673 0.748 3.407

FL Clay 652 157,502 0.899 0.867 0.857 0.972 0.318 0.589 0.794 0.004 2.834

GA Douglas 200 102,015 0.862 0.926 0.827 0.947 0.294 0.920 0.988 0.004 4.190

GA Murray 355 39,446 0.937 0.743 0.319 0.901 0.554 0.898 0.797 0.908 4.135

KY Laurel 447 55,488 0.755 0.769 0.327 0.850 0.546 0.909 0.907 0.764 4.388

KY Trimble 152 8,759 0.905 0.546 0.058 0.360 0.754 0.879 0.833 0.987 3.621

LA Livingston 681 102,046 0.872 0.802 0.426 0.891 0.503 0.896 0.883 0.004 3.475

MS De Soto 499 124,378 0.981 0.872 0.878 0.963 0.308 0.548 0.548 0.788 3.270

NC Orange 400 118,183 0.824 0.889 0.970 0.861 0.372 0.911 0.991 0.753 5.616

NC Buncombe 653 212,672 0.695 0.899 0.879 0.576 0.377 0.953 0.972 0.824 5.336

OK Le Flore 1,639 48,896 0.491 0.283 0.252 0.603 0.775 0.538 0.243 0.901 1.492

SC Oconee 683 68,523 0.610 0.722 0.780 0.709 0.495 0.692 0.869 0.969 3.787

TN Sevier 605 75,503 0.937 0.769 0.746 0.927 0.454 0.913 0.906 0.797 5.335

TN Blount 569 111,510 0.782 0.842 0.791 0.709 0.374 0.870 0.790 0.785 4.581

TN Anderson 342 71,904 0.256 0.852 0.873 0.328 0.473 0.971 0.917 0.928 4.555

TX Montgomery 1,106 344,700 0.985 0.894 0.961 0.993 0.321 0.791 0.920 0.785 4.381

VA Chesterfield 437 276,840 0.793 0.939 0.972 0.947 0.262 0.881 0.944 0.879 4.823

VA Fluvanna 288 23,078 0.986 0.649 0.686 0.940 0.633 0.826 0.828 0.916 4.134

Characteristics of Counties Selected for Case Studies

Questions, concerns, or ideas?

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007