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Quick Assessment Tool for Planners and Community Leaders

1. J Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 slash refers to tree tops and limbs remaining on the forest floor after merchantable timber is harvested and removed S02 sulfur dioxide SO2 annual average standard measurement of exposure to sulfur dioxide during a period of 12 months SOx oxides of sulfer refers to sulfur related emissions sq mi square miles a standard measurement of area SRWC short rotation woody crop refers to cultivated biomass such as willow or poplar stack a chimney or smokestack standing inventory refers to the volume of woody material present before any contemplated harvest is undertaken structure thermal a QAT expression referring to estimates of energy required to heat a building as MMBTU per efficiency square foot per year stumpage price refers to the cost to purchase standing trees for harvest surplus tops amp limbs refers to tree tops and limbs remaining on the forest floor after merchantable timber is harvested amp removed AND after some tops amp limbs have been removed for processing in the initial logging operation ug m3 micrograms per cubic meter t hr tons per hour temporary jobs a QAT expression referring to jobs created only during the construction phase of a project that are no longer available after construction is complete thermal efficiency a QAT expression referring to estimates of energy required to heat a building or st
2. E Microsoft Excel WERGbojlers berahi E x Tools Data Type a question forhep X Hl ole i 140 BE til Owl ETE E Bira Be hE TAE WS Wi Aid ya P 0 037291654186398 ED A AA A E AE A A OO Z43 page 26 Forest expert detail 2 244 F 245 Describe existing timberland characteristics net growth removals total live default values from FIA data trees 5 dbh annual growth existing high existing existing green Sawtimber 15 rate live annual removals annual mortality value sawtimber pulpwood fuelwood tons acre dbh inventory yr GT a yr GT yr harvest GT a yr harvest GT a yr harvest GT a yr 248 Example County NY 48 0 14 19 3 02 0 31 0 16 0 04 0 02 0 26 Sherwood Forest 5 5 4 95 2 29 0 05 0 0 04 _ 252 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 254 Adams County PA I 255 45 5 14 95 2 29 0 05 0 33 0 04 0 01 0 00 257 B SSS See 258 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 261 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 264 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 00 266 a D ae CE a Ready p start g ces 23 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 After completely entering data describing Sherwood Forest our Adams County PA guidelines may no longer be needed Remove by simply returning to page 8 highlight the Adams County dropdown box and select the null indicator Forests
3. a standard measure for velocity machine hours refers to cumulative time a piece of equipment has been operated or must be operated to accomplish a particular task 39 1Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 market value MBF MBTU MJ hr Mib MMBTU MMBTU hr MMBTU SF monetized NPV monetized value incentive MPG mph MW nameplate capacity net cost refers to the prevailing price to buy or sell some item of value thousand board feet a standard measure for volume of wood products thousand British thermal units a standard measurement of energy miles U S a standard measure for linear distance megajoules per hour a standard rating measurment for capacity of boilers thousand pounds a standard measurement for volume of steam million British thermal units a standard measurement of energy million British thermal units per hour a standard rating measurement for capacity of boilers million British thermal units per square foot a QAT expression referring to energy typically required to heat a building through the course of 12 months monetized net present value refers to the relative dollar value of some future benefit if its equivalent could be received today in cash refers to the net present dollar value of some benefit received for example a tax abatement over several years volunteer labor rebate to be
4. load suppled by capacity as each system component 100 0 me MN RESULTS input defaults of peak heat demand delivery volume delivery volume repair insurance etc for calculated Intended total annual MMBTU from selected fuel 0 Calculated annual fuel consumption units unit 0 IB In the illustration above by apportioning woodchips at 100 only woodchips will be used in the analysis excluding wood pellets To run an assessment using only wood pellets simple apportion woodchips to 0 setting wood pellets to 100 thereby excluding them from the analysis Comparing different QAT assessments To compare two or more assessments side by side open both files and simply use Excel s built in features for displaying multiple windows displaying split screens etc as you desire These standard Excel techniques are described in any good Excel handbook The QAT preserves the fullest possible native Excel functionality as a convenience for the advanced user who has a solid working familiarity with the conventions constraints and conflicts inherent to the operation of Microsoft Excel workbooks To easily contrast and compare many QAT assessments the Biomass Project Compiler tool conveniently gathers and arranges multiple project reports in a list easily edited and readily populated with user defined project attributes The Biomass Project Compiler can be download
5. to be replaced by new heating subsidy grant annual fuel biomass systems biomass boiler system system selecttype of selecttypeof rebate etc consumption identify by name years heating system fuel S unit fuel units 2 For page 20 ambient air quality data for your location can be found at http www epa gov On the lower left of the opening page you will see the MyEnvironment tool as seen on the next page Follow the instructions for your project location Click go The results will include a My Air section shown below If you click on More air a more detailed page will open with an Air Quality Index AQI number specifically for PM2 5 29 1Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 As you can see in the summary for Tuscaloosa AL the pollutants of concern for ambient air quality are Ozone and PM2 5 However for the purposes of the Assessment Tool onlyPM2 5 levels are needed Ozone levels do not factor into the calculations Kead More EPA Where You Live Get local information on EPA activities in your state donee cle ome ISCALOOSA Coun Ag Air Quality Current Good Forecast Good Alabama October Average Data 2006 2008 Ozone 80 6 More info October Historical Data 2000 2002 86 1 Once you have the PM2 5 AQI go to http www airnow gov in dex cfm action resources aqi conc calc a convert
6. 17 you will need the accessible unreserved timberland in acres for each county included in your forest harvest this value can be found in each county s FIA data On page 26 you will need the data from the FIA below The headings are taken directly from the FIA total live existing high trees value existing existing Sedbh annual growth annual annual sawtimber pulpwood fuelwood green Sawtimber rate live removals mortality harvest harvest harvest tonsfacre 15 dbh inventorylyr GTtatur GTtatyr GTratyr GTtatur GTtatuyr Now you are all set 311Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 PRINTING Each input and results worksheet is laid out in pages that can be printed in Excel with no additional formatting Please examine the worksheet in print review mode to determine which pages should be printed Printing boundaries do not need to be adjusted the pages are already formatted to print Interpreting the Results After completing the input pages in the assessment tool you can see your results in under the RESULTS Tab This section will guide you through the results provided after completing the inputs The results from using the tool include detailed economic information regional forest information emissions sustainability information and demographic information Note All yellow cells with blue text on the RESULTS pages are drop down menus These drop
7. Biomass Project Evaluator BPE available at www nefainfo org BPE html BPE is a project level decision support tool for the assessment of available wood supply in the Northeastern U S NEFA website e EcoWillow An Economic Analysis Tool for Willow Short Rotation Coppice for Wood Chip Production available at http www esf edu willow download htm e UK based Carbon Trust s Biomass Decision Support Tool to assess biomass heating system sizing and integration available at http www carbontrust com resources tools biomass decision support tool 46 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013
8. an example of a 1000 acre tract we will call Sherwood Forest 1 Make your first entry on the page 8 of the INPUT Tab as shown E Microsoft Excel C WERGbojlers beta a x E z 7 Type a question forhelp amp X E G a Le R B OO Forests _ E z i i Phep 7 Write in Select counties for forest overrides default counties harvest or selection from economies Resulting input Selectideselect Final roster Example County NY Example County NY include Example County NY Sherwood Forest Sherwood Forest a i include 258 259 a 261 262 264 265 266 5 A z e z M 4 gt N RESULTS input defaults i z gt omm h Aoswpess gt a O ic d larr ae eB 211Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 2 Enter all forest specifications on page 26 It may be helpful to use data from a similar county to guide your data input just select an appropriate county we will use Adams County PA in this example from which to copy values as shown Microsoft excell WERGDOJIErE m Efex Type a question forhep X Bi aria no Adams County PA Forests Write in Select counties for forest overrides default counties harvest or selection from economies Resulting input Select deselect Final roster Example County NY Example County NY include Example County NY Sherwood Forest in
9. down options allow you to look at different results within each of the RESULTS pages For example in the Air Quality Results page the type of pollutant can be selected that you would like to model the choices are PM 2 5 CO NOx SO2 Economic Information The results tab in the assessment tool will guide the user through the total temporary and permanent jobs created and the average payroll for those positions project costs payback information and supporting infrastructure costs This information will be displayed in both graphs and tables Regional Forest Information Regional Forest information provided include the potentially suitable acres for sustainable harvesting activities and square miles included in sustainable harvest analysis total woodchips required annually wood chips from a regional source total accessible acres percent harvested annually years for regeneration percent currently in harvest current harvest as standing proposed harvest percent existing tons of saw timber fuel wood and pulp and both existing and proposed sustainable timberland utilization information Emissions Sustainability Information The assessment tool will guide the user through several components of sustainability including air quality estimate in comparison to national ambient air quality standards for the proposed and existing projects pollutant concentrations GHG emissions GHG life cycle residual ash production fuel independence
10. modifications can be made and each preserved by using the save as feature in Excel and giving the modified version a unique file name v Insert Format Tools Data Window Help ore SPSS Seles ky 125 ie Be a Print Preview _ Properties Acquire Text OmniPage SE 4 0 E E G H J K A 1 Acquire Text Settings OmniPage SE 4 0 2 EJ OODY BIOMASS ENERGY PROJECTS 3 l Assessment Tool for Planners and Community Leaders New York 4 Se a Biomass Energy 5 Woon EDUCATION Alliance 6 RESOURCE CENTER if ORIENTATION spreadsheet conventions NAVIGATION icons indicating shortcuts to various screens 8 9 input cells are yellow with blue font Boiler fuels click on these titles to jump to the corresponding input screen 10 lt adjacent in green font is the default value 11 main _eticking returns to this administrative main screen 12 eave input cell blank to accept default value 13 100 this configuration uses 100 in calculations next jumps to the next BASIC input screen in the input tab 14 15 0 0 populate input cell to override default value back returns to the previous BASIC input screen in the input tab 16 100 this configuration uses 0 in calculations 17 expert detail_ jumps to the corresponding EXPERT DETAIL input screen 18 hep 7 anticipates questions and confusion 19 feturnto summary jum
11. received in the future etc miles per gallon miles per hour a standard measurement of velocity megawatts a standard rating measurement for capacity of boilers industry convention designating the maximum rated capacity of any piece of equipment such as a boiler this rating is typically printed on the nameplate affixed to the equipment a QAT expression referring to the final expense incurred in acquiring a product or service after any grants subsidies or discounts are applied 40 Page Quick Leaders Assessment Tool for v 1 02 9 2013 Biomass Planners Woody J Projects amp Community net growth new structure NO2 NO2 annual average NOx NPV OP amp OH cost operating cost overhead cost particulate emissions peak burn rate peak output rating permanent jobs person years person yrs PM 2 5 a USFS FIA designating gross growth minus loss of volume due to mortality a QAT expression referring to newly constructed floor space distinct from existing floor space or remodeled existing structure nitrogen dioxide a gas emitted during combustion of various fuels standard measurement of exposure to nitrogen dioxide during a 12 month period oxides of nitrogen refers to nitrogenous emissions net present value value of a future revenue if it were received today operating and overhead cost refers to the total expense of achieving some business objective including b
12. you have specific project information for the moderate and expert detail pages it is appropriate to use the project information rather than default values The moderate and expert detail pages are designed for you to obtain site or project specific information often with the assistance of local experts in each field Please keep in mind that you do not need to complete all of the moderate and expert detail pages to use the assessment tool you can complete as much or as little moderate and expert detail as you are able and still run the assessment These detailed inputs are designed for professionals and should be used in instances where you need very site and project specific information to analyze your new system s impacts More specific instructions can be found in the instruction boxes and in the pop up windows on the INPUT Tab For more information and expert assistance see the following recommendations Emissions http epa gov State Environmental Agency Project Details Manufacturer of the proposed biomass system Your project s facilities manager Consulting engineer Forestry Information http www fs fed us State forester State environmental agency Local logging enterprise Transportation Information http www dot gov contact us State transportation department Demographic Economic Information http www census gov 2010census and http www factfinder2 census gov Regional County or local economic developmen
13. 0 11 19 amp 20 the model calculates fuel requirements for the new proposed system These are shown as default values in green font incolumn K79 K83 alongside your fuel selections Ifthese are satisfactory select use calculated fuel reqt from thedropdownin cell 177 Calculated values can be manually overridden if desired From the dropdown in cell 177 select manual input overrides calculated and onthe corresponding fuel line in column 79 182 enter an altemative fuel svalvefoy ection does not apply to your project annual MMBTU annual fuel from selected consumption NE the designated units The model will now use the manually entered value fo that fuel in the placeofthe calculated value NOTE manually entering a fuel volume changes thetotal fuel consumption of the system calculated values are not reformulated The model canbe run using only manually input fuel consumption by selecting use manualfuel reqt from the dropdown in cell I77 This setting f z page 4 Fuels Describe fuel criteria table continued on page 13 Fuel Prices i Stunit i delivered ir ir Instructions for pages 4 amp 13 oie ls se f het arAnEN za Hereis where you describe characteristics of your selected fuels including included on defa delivered retail price moisture content where applicable renewability where fuels gt galior are produced relative to your local and regional economies where
14. 3 03 15 03 0 09 10 0 50 24 8 0 83 coal lignite ton 12 3 213 03 03 22 03 0 09 10 0 50 24 10 0 83 electricity kWh 0 003412 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 Default values default designe avg number max number default value ction jot Carbon Nitrogen miles from fuel units per industryystd GHG life cycle jobs per 100 100 Carbon dioxide monoxide CO oxides Nox Sulfur dioxide PM2 S distribution delivery MPGfor CO2 equivalent fuel deliveries project 23 motor fuel unit MMBTU unit CO2ib MMBTU Ib MMBTU Ib MMBTU SO2Ib MMBTU Ib MMBTU point truckload delivery truck Ib MMBTU person years person A enad dinnal fial anllan N4132 470 D6 N4A2 ANNIE ANIA an ENNN B DI ne a a 1 4 gt nN RESULTS A hout defaults Ko m gt 2 The new fuels will now appear on the INPUT Tab pages 4 amp 13 where all remaining specifications MUST be entered as illustrated below 17IPage Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 icrosoft Excel WERGboilers betat x Type a question for help X PE Sto defaults C15 Describe fuel criteria Prices regional avg S unit all Sunit processing processing delivered water content drying Fuel type edit fuel type names on taxes units editunits moisture as pelleting default tab included on default tab delivered renewable o age storage etc al 116 117 118 Describe market value of cogenera
15. 3 will need to be manually input The data can be found at the U S Census Bureau s American FactFinder site http www factfinder2 census gov Follow the FactFinder instructions Identify the townships and counties within the FactFinder geographies function and then select economic characteristics This will generate data that can be viewed on the web page or downloaded as an Excel file The data needed for each of the townships for pages 14 is shown below The data needed for the counties on page 23 is the same as the township data in red brackets except that it is for each county that makes up your project s regional economy rather than each township These headings are taken directly from the Census data The data should be entered in the yellow cells page 14 Local economy expert detail All families Mean Median whose income Civilian labor Civilian labor Total household household below poverty force force Population 16 Township households income dollars income dollars level percent employed unemployed years and ow Example town Example County NY default value 3985 83127 62581 48 4787 303 7782 Tuscaloosa Note on page 8 be sure to EXCLUDE the example county from the counties for forest harvest 5 On page 15 if you know your state county and local sales tax enter these figures in 0173 P173 and Q173 respectively 6 For pages 17 amp 26 go to www fia fs fed us to access the FIA data by county In row P251 272 on page
16. 58 6 330 0 o electricity kWh 0 003412 0 A 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 600 0 0 16 30 21 0 i J J 30 A 36 continue tofueltables inputpags4 stoves would De one OWS teonnaiogy would be anomnar example When to Use Default Values Default values should be used when you do not have access to certain information Using all or a majority of default values will produce more generalized results Using values specific to the project will produce more accurate results That being said there are default values from the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis National Program FIA and air quality data from the Environmental Protection Agency EPA that should only be changed in consultation with a professional of that field i e a local forester in the case of altering the default FIA data values 161 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 SPECIFIC SCENARIO INSTRUCTIONS To help you navigate the tool and input all necessary information below are described a few scenarios that will be common for users to model Please check the web site for additional scenarios hints and frequently asked questions http biomassenergyqat wordpress com How to Create Custom Fuels in the QAT Custom Boiler Fuels Often you will need to work with fuels that are not included among the basic selection The Quick Assessment Tool makes it easy to create custom boiler fuels in just 2 simpl
17. Adams County PA Addison County VT Albany County NY Allegany County NY Allegheny County PA Androscoggin County ME Armstrong County PA Sherwood Forest Write in Select counties for forest overrides default counties 247 harvest or selection from economies Resulting input 248 Example County NY Example County NY 3 Our Sherwood Forest tract is now included in the QAT analysis Microso Ecel WERGBorlers aE i Type a question forhelp X ey 8 E Arial a i Truck and equipment fuels AK AL AM _ AN AO AQ AR AS AT AU AV AW AX AY _ AZ BA BB BC B REGIONAL FORESTS unreserved timberland in entire region 308 square miles potentially suitable for sustainable harvest activities timberland in selected portion of region 310 square miles included in this analysis of sustainable harvest activities return to main menu Tetum to summar Woodchip fuel production Employment in fuel production proposed existing net impact proposed existing net impact tons regionally sourced woodchips desired annually 0 i 0 Total regional permanent jobs 0 0 0 0 0 tons woodchips harvested from regional forests annually 0 0 0 avg payroll per job 34 000 harvest as proposed total currently currently proposed proposed harvest as accessibl harvested approxyrsto inharvest standing toharvest approxyrsto in harvest standing e acres annually regenerate queue inventory annuall
18. ESULTS Tab you would be able to see all of the information that is displayed on this tab The Schematic below identifies what each part of the RESULTS Tab is and where it is located in relation to the other components Orientation Navigation General Project Info Economic Impacts Economic Impacts Administrative Checklists Basic Inputs C O Detailed Inputs Fuel Distribution Air Quality AERMOD Detailed Results C C Preliminary Results Summary Page 1 Sustainability Regional Forests Sustainability cont d Regional Forests cont d OLUO Summary Page 2 At the top of page one of the RESULTS Tab is a green field in the top left of this field there is an orientation that explains how to identify and use input cells and default values as well as information about navigation top right and help buttons A detailed explanation of the information in the orientation box follows Input cells are yellow with blue font e Input cells may be left blank to accept the default value which is located in an adjacent cell with green font e Pop up Help boxes are either blue with red font or simply have a little red triangle in the upper right corner hover over the cell and a helpful tip or explanation will pop up e Click on white cells with purple font to jump to the corresponding input screen e Click Main to return to the orientation navigation page on the RESULTS Tab e Clicking Next takes you to the ne
19. TS input defaults ia lz Bl Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 19 Page Tool for The model will automatically calculate default specifications for each new fuel and the new fuels will be available for selection in corresponding dropdown boxes throughout the model a Type a question forhep X Fuel distribution Describe boiler fuel deliveries Scheduled truck Jobs in default jobsin Select type of default value Avg delivery deliveries per delivering fuel delivering fuel delivery truck Avg miles from miles from 213 For EXISTING system Fuel type volume units year rsi fuel distribution hub distribution hub 219 For PROPOSED new system 220 type project name here 21 ton 221 222 223 224 225 auxiliary boiler 1226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 aaa M 4 MN RESULTS input defaults z Bi Read 201Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Creating Custom Tracts of Regional Forest When you select counties from drop down boxes the QAT automatically assembles your regional forest complete with pertinent data from FIA On occasion you may desire to include a specific tract of forest not synonymous with any county The QAT makes it possible to do that by using the write in feature Here s how to do it using
20. The Local Impact of Woody Biomass Energy Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners and Community Leaders User Manual The work upon which this user manual and the accompanying software is based was funded in whole or in part through a grant awarded by the Wood Education and Resource Center Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Forest Service U S Department of Agriculture Award number 11 DG 11420004 362 In accordance with Federal Law and U S Department of Agriculture policy this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race color national origin sex age or disability Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA Director Office of Civil Rights Room 326 W Whitten Building 1400 Independence Avenue SW Washington DC 20250 9410 or call 202 720 5964 voice and TDD USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer Disclaimer The Local Impact of Woody Biomass Energy Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners and Community Leaders has been developed by the New York Biomass Energy Alliance in collaboration with the New York Farm Viability Institute as a pre feasibility decision support tool for planners development officials municipal leaders and other community leaders Users of this tool should refer to the detailed guidance contained in this manual before use The Assessment Tool is not intended to short cut state and federal permitting standard
21. clude Sherwood Forest Adams County PA Adams County PA 22 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 ge 1000 acres in our Sherwood Forest example on page 17 soft Excel WERGH FULL Sepii ex Type a question for heip X Enter the acrea g ec E go A x A 3 page 17 Forest expert detail 1 page 26 Describe existing timberland harvest activities baseline values Describe ex Portion of gt estimated of county accessible estimated typical estimated of estimated harvested timberland unreserved live trees harvested tops amp limbs fuelwood from defau select counties comprising harvest capacityto timberland remaining post sawtimberboles extractedat standing dead 247 region access acres FIA harvest as high value harvest trees 248 Example County NY Exame 249 portion county values 197424 45 0 85 0 25 0 5 0 250 entire county values 197424 Sherwood Forest Sher 252 portion county values 253 entire county values 254 Adams County PA Adam 255 portion county values 124395 256 entire county values 124395 257 portion county values x entire county values 0 portion county values TRF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 entire county values 0 portion county values 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 entire county values 0 lc Orr Appropriate values on page 26 are easily entered by referring to our selected county with similar forest attributes
22. d to trap solar radiation in the earth s atmosphere most notably carbon dioxide and methane a QAT expression referring to the total expense incurred in acquiring a product or service before any grants subsidies or discounts are applied a QAT expression referring to the average pace of regrowth of forest after harvesting for example a combination of FIA net growth plus annual removals green tons refers to measurement in tons of wood products at their naturally occuring moisture level usually about 45 50 water 37 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 GT a yr GT acre GT yr GVW harvest queue heat load high value highway infrastructure hp IMPLAN indirect impact induced impact green tons per acre per year green tons per acre green tons per year gross vehicle weight a standard rating measurement of combined weight of a motor vehicle and any payload for example semi trucks when fully loaded typically have a gross vehicle weight or GVW of about 40 000 pounds a QAT expression referring to forest land held in reserve to meet demand for future sustainable harvest for example for each acre harvested of forest with a regrowth time of 40 years another 40 acres must be available in the harvest queue if one acre is to be sustainably harvested each year without interruption a QAT expression referring t
23. e Lite version of the Quick Assessment Tool is sufficient the Full version should be used for larger projects and when the user is interested in modeling the project in great detail to assess the air emissions forest impacts traffic impacts and local economic impacts Both versions of the Quick Assessment Tool can be used with Windows 2003 or newer systems and saved on the users computers in Excel file format without Macros enabled for future use It is also possible to save multiple completed assessments to easily compare different scenarios Go to page 28 of the User Manual to learn about how to compare multiple assessments using the NYBEA Biomass Project Compiler This User Manual is intended specifically for the Full Version of the Quick Assessment Tool and will discuss in detail how to enter the necessary information and how a user can adjust the parameters of an assessment to fit his or her project evaluation needs From this point in the manual on unless otherwise noted Quick Assessment Tool means the Full version of the Quick Assessment Tool Happy Assessing 6 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 KEY FEATURES e The Quick Assessment Tool can be used by novice users using minimum inputs and default values e The Quick Assessment Tool can be modified by experts to override default values to better assess local impacts e The Quick Assessment Tool can asse
24. e steps 1 On the DEFAULTS Tab new fuels can be entered on rows 15 20 In the example below we have entered custom fuels wood pellets and grass pellets including all fuel specifications PPAT ton 0 004 i 100 0 E Microsoft Excel WERGbojlers_beta ULL Sepii BE AEN Yew I at Tools Data Window Help Ty forhep xX i PIRRE AN IEAA IX A NNE Bi AE AEE TEE ER ETE E AE EE E e ranges End Review fi C16 grass pellets 1 2 Default values P25 MMBTUIn fuel avg number max number Carbon Nitrogen PM2 S modem obsolete boiler age yrs OMCRIMOM mies from fuel units per typical bone dry HHV Carbon dioxide monoxide CO oxides Nox Sulfur dioxide boiler boiler for product mil distribution delivery ashresidueas combustion bulk de 3 Energy Sources unit MMBTU unit COZ Ib MMBTU Ib MMBTU IDMMBTU SO2 Ib MMBTU IbMMBTU IbIMMBTU obsolescence residue or SRWC point truckload efficiency R3hor 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 heating fuel oil gallon 0 138 165 0 35 0 28 0 5 0 014 0 096 20 0 20 5000 0 0 80 6 LoS heating fuel oil gallon 0 138 170 0 35 0 143 0 015 0 014 0 096 20 0 20 5000 0 0 80 T natural gas 1000 ft3 1 025 120 0 08 0 09 0 001 0 007 0 007 5 0 0 0 0 0 80 8 propane gallon 0 0913 140 0 025 0 165 0 016 0 004 0 004 5 0 20 800 0 0 80 coal anthracite ton 30 228 0 3 03 0 09 03 0 09 10 0 50 24 4 0 83 coal bituminous ton 26 206 03 03 22 0 3 0 09 10 0 50 24 6 0 83 coal sub bituminous ton 21 3 214 0
25. easy to work with similar fuels perhaps with different suppliers and different prices woodchips as an example by simply creating unique custom woodchip fuels to represent chips sourced from each supplier Later in setting up the analysis these fuels can easily be included or excluded to compare them as alternate fuels or they both can be included in their respective proportions in cases where both are necessary to supply annual fuel demand of a proposed boiler Custom Truck amp Equipment Fuels Custom biodiesel blends are easily created on the INPUTS Tab page 22 Truck amp Equipment Fuels Simply enter the desired percent biodiesel in the custom blends in cells Z102 and Z103 a ac AD AE A a AH p A AK AU lo page 22 Truck amp Equipment fuels E Blend biodiesel fuels and describe truck amp equipment fuel criteria Fuel Prices Regional Local Regional In state S unit delivered unit Renewable source distributor distributor distributor On road diesel fuel gallon biodiesel B100 gallon B20 biodiesel blend gallon 19 0 B50 biodiesel blend gallon 47 5 Off road diesel fuel gallon 0 0 Describe truck amp equipment fuel criteria Fuel tax Fuel tax Fuel tax Sales tax Sales tax Sales tax revenue per unit revenue per unit revenue per unit revenue to revenue to revenue to state On road diesel fuel gallon biodiesel B100 gallon 0 iodiesel blend all gt mH A RESUL
26. ects Quick Assessment Tool for J Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 salesmen etc all considered to be induced impact industry std MPG industry standard miles per gallon as a QAT expression MPG refers to a default value for quantity of fuel consumed each mile a fuel delivery truck is operated km h kilometers per hour knot as used in the QAT a standard measure for wind velocity kW kilowatts a standard measure of electrical energy KW ton kilowatt per ton a standard measure for capacity of air conditioning unit kWh kilowatt hours a standard measurement quantifying electrical energy lb pound U S a standard measure for weight lb gal pounds per gallon a standard measurement quantifying the density of some liquid life cycle greenhouse As a QAT expression refers to greenhouse gases generated not only when fuel is consumed but gas emissions also greenhouse gases generated when that fuel was initially produced a popular but inexact predictor of environmental impact live inventory a USFS FIA designation for living trees present on a parcel of forested land local economy a QAT expression referring to selected townships comprising a designated concise economic region LoS Heating fuel oil low sulfer heating fuel oil refers to reduced sulfur heating oils commonly available in the U S retail market m meter metric a standard measure for linear distance m s meters per second
27. ed from here http compiler Woody Biomass Planners biomassener at wordpress com biomass project 28 1Page Projects Quick Assessment Tool for amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 How to use the Quick Assessment Tool if your project is located outside of the nine pre loaded Northeastern states The Quick Assessment Tool is loaded with geographically associated data for 9 Northeastern States Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Rhode Island and Vermont This includes data from the FIA the U S Census Bureau and the EPA In the future if funding is available the project team will expand the Quick Assessment Tool to other regions of the country For example there could be a Southeastern version of the Quick Assessment Tool with data loaded for Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Future updates will be well publicized In the mean time if your project is located outside of the nine Northeastern states mentioned above this section will describe how to load necessary data to run your assessment The ability to write in geographies expands the functionality of the model for all users in that it may be occasionally useful for a user when considering regional economies and harvesting areas that may cross state boundaries beyond the 9 preloaded states Note Write ins amplify the power of the model but average users in t
28. er from AQI to pollutant concentration Enter the AQI into the input cell and the concentration ug m3 will be generated This number can then be entered into AE43 on page 20 Get a cross section of environmental data for your local community MyEnvironment Enter your location Enter an address ZIP city or place name gt More searches gt Raw data Good 88 9 88 9 m ran 3 Local and Regional Economies On page 5 you are asked to define your local and regional economies Since your location is outside of the preloaded states you will need to type in the township and county information as shown below Note EXCLUDE the Example town and Example County page 5 Local amp Regional Economies write in overrides Townships in Local Economy selection at select or write in or left selectideselect_ Final roster Example town Example County NY DE zs mE itd Tuscaiooss Broo two include Brookwood Northport include Northport a include y include default county ____ Final roster Example County NY h oo i a Tuscaloosa County AL Allegheny County PA include Tuscaloosa County AL Walker County AL Jefferson County PA include Walker County AL Jefferson County AL include Jefferson County AL 301Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 4 Local and regional economic data on pages 14 amp 2
29. ering strategy of project EP For EXISTING heating cooling cogeneration system s to be degfmmissioned and replaced by biomass boiler describe for each of these Direct incentive Existing Heating Cooling Cogen Age of to fuel system s to be replaced by new heating subsidy grant annual fuel Typical fuel default value biomass boiler system system selecttypeof selecttypeof rebate etc consumption delivery fuel delivery Total square identify by name years heating system fuel S unit fuel units unit volume units volume feet heated Electricity to operate system s and all system controls For EXISTING heating cooling cogeneration system s to be replaced by biomass boiler describe for each of these Typical number of fuel lf remodeling EXISTING structure Change in change in Hint To blank an input cell that contains data simply highlight the cell and press lt delete gt or lt backspace gt and lt enter gt Entering lt 0 gt zero will not invoke the default value but will cause the model to calculate using a value of zero 121Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Detailed instructions for each of the input pages can be found adjacent to or near the corresponding input page and within pop up help boxes indicated by a little red triangle in the top right corner of a cell For examples see the instruction boxes for page 3 and page
30. excess of those held in reserve for future harvest necessary for a sustainable harvest rotation United States Forest Service United States Forest Service s Forest Inventory and Analysis database a massive database containing detailed observations of American forests refers to the process of harvesting and delivering entire trees including limbs leaves but without the stumps or roots to be chipped or otherwise processed yard a standard measure of linear distance 44 Page Woody Biomass Projects J Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 yd3 cubic yards a standard measurement of volume yr year years to regenerate a QAT expression referring to number of years for a harvested forest to regrow to pre harvest inventory or volume 45 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 REFERENCES amp OTHER RESOURCES The Default Values have been developed by the project team through reviewing various papers and reports for relevant values These values were then reviewed and vetted by our advisory panel and modified when necessary The finalized values were used to construct the Default Tab of the Quick Assessment Tool We encourage you to investigate more specific information for your project and location Modeling inputs are from the following sources Environmental Protection Agency AirData Web 2012 Natio
31. f the Assessment Tool default values are appropriate to use in the assessment or if there is better data local available The Quick Assessment Tools are available in a Lite version and a Full version The Lite version uses the Full version calculations with the data and default values described above in the background In the Full version assumptions as well as default values can be readily modified to test impacts display them in both tabular and graphic formats and compare multiple complex models If a user is curious about biomass heating systems but does not have detailed 5 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 information on a particular proposal it is possible to use estimated information for user inputs rely upon defaults in the Full version of the assessment tool or use the Lite version of the Assessment Tool which can be found at http biomassenergyqat wordpress com lite version of qat Users should first run the Lite version of the Quick Assessment Tool If after using the Lite version there are specific questions or scenarios that cannot be sufficiently addressed within the Lite version users should then move to the Full version of the Quick Assessment Tool It is good to take a look at the Lite version to get an idea of how the Tool works and the kind of results it produces before proceeding to the more complex Full version For most biomass energy projects th
32. formation While completing the basic input pages in the assessment tool you will be prompted for some basic economic information if you do not have the information for which you are prompted you can accept the default values by simply leaving input cells blank As explained earlier the more information you can provide specific to your project the more accurate the results will be Information you will be prompted for includes but is not limited to payroll and expenses information fuel and transportation costs definitions of regional and local economies operating costs and capital investments etc Biofuels and Fuel Distribution The final portion of the basic input section will prompt the user for information regarding the distribution of fuel that is used in the existing system and about fuel that will be used in the proposed system The user will also be prompted for information about any biofuels that will be used Default values are automatically used by the model wherever user information is not provided Information you will be prompted for includes but is not limited to type of fuel used sustainable harvest criteria moisture content of wood chips counties in which forest harvest takes place etc 8IPage Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for J Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 USING THE TOOL After you gather information outlined in the Basic Input Check List the Quick Assessment Tool QAT can be down
33. fuels are processed when applicable relative to yourlocal and regional economies where the respective fuel distributor is located relative to your local andregional economies nuances of taxation when applicable and an indication of foreign ie outside the USA production To ease data entry onlyfuels you have selected foryouranalysis are shownin boldfont These fuels require you to review and edit all corresponding input values Fuels that youhave not selected are showni faded font and do not require any attention or editing since they will not affect model calculations foryour analysis Custom fuels can be created see user manual for detailed instructions to match specifications of any existing fuel or biomass fuel you may be contemplating 131Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Schematic of INPUT Tab If you were to zoom out on the INPUT Tab you would see all of the input pages that are displayed on this tab The Schematic below shows how you can navigate through the input pages keep in mind you can use some moderate and expert detail input pages and ignore others if that suits your project Air emissions expert detail 1 amp 2 Assessment Assessment Assessment Complete Complete Complete Woody Biomass Planners Projects Quick Assessment v amp Community Leaders 1 02 141Page Tool for 9 2013 Detailed Inputs When
34. he Northeast do not need to use the write in function The write in feature and these instructions are to accommodate users in the 41 states not pre loaded and the small portion of users in the 9 states whose economic and harvesting regions are partially outside of the preloaded area The input pages layout necessarily places the write in input cells adjacent to the dropdown boxes however you do not need to use write ins at all if you are working within the 9 Northeastern states just select townships and counties from the drop down boxes Here are the instructions on how to provide write in economic air quality and forestry information 1 On page 1 on the INPUT Tab type in the name of the township with the state abbreviation in cell D4E4 and the name of the county in cell D5E5 as indicated by the arrows below page 1 a Project Description Project location select Select the engineering strategy of Example town Example County NY Replace a single existing heati or write in township Tuscaloosa AL q_ On page 10 average annual county if writing in town Tuscaloosa Project name write payroll information for existing po workers you will need to input l For EXISTING heating cooling cogeneration system s to be decommissioned and replaced by biomass b from real figures for existing x fc systems there will be default IMPLAN values for new Direct incentive Existing Heating Cooling Cogen Age of to fuel system s
35. he modules the NYBEA staff would like to acknowledge the following individuals who served on the Quick Assessment Tool advisory panel Matthew McArdle Mesa Reduction Engineering and Processing Eric Carlson Empire State Forest Products Association Charles Niebling Innovative Natural Resource Solutions James K Waters Catskill Forest Association Daniel Conable Cato Analytics Timothy Volk PhD State University of New York College of Environmental Science amp Forestry Gerry Ruestow Fermata Consulting Jon Montan New York Biomass Energy Alliance David Dungate Bioenergy Project Partners LLC J Michael Hagin Honeywell For his development of the air emissions model incorporated into the Quick Assessment Tool the NYBEA staff acknowledges Philip Hopke director of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment at Clarkson University For her facilitation of field testing in New Hampshire the NYBEA staff acknowledges Maura Adams energy program director of the Northern Forest Center For her assistance with the development of the User Manual the NYBEA staff acknowledges Gabrielle Bender 31Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Table of Contents Introduction 5 Key Features 7 Prior Knowledge 7 Basic Input Checklist 7 Using the Tool 9 RESULTS Tab 9 Schematic of RESULTS Tab 10 INPUT Tab 12 Schematic of INPUT Tab 14 Detailed Inputs 15 DEFAUT Tab 16 W
36. hen to Use Default Values 16 Specific Scenario Instructions 17 How to Create Custom Fuels in the QAT 17 Custom Boiler Fuels 17 Custom Truck amp Equipment Fuels 19 Creating Custom Tracts of Regional Forest 21 Comparing Various Scenarios 25 Exploring various configurations of local and regional economies regional forests 26 Exploring various boiler fuels 27 Comparing different QAT assessments 28 How to use the QAT if your project is located outside of the nine pre loaded Northeastern states 29 Printing 32 Interpreting the Results 32 Glossary of Acronyms amp Terms 33 References amp Other Resources 46 4 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 INTRODUCTION The Local Impact of Woody Biomass Energy Projects Quick Assessment Tools for Planners and Community Leaders the Assessment Tool are user friendly software tools to help planners development officials municipal leaders and other community leaders evaluate proposed woody biomass based energy projects and engage other community members concerning the measured impacts that increased use of woody biomass would have in e the condition of local forests forest health e air quality e highway traffic and e local economic activities such as tax revenues and employment The Quick Assessment Tools are designed to prepare local officials to engage with project developers and interested members of the pub
37. herever possible to closely support the non specialist user These default values are adapted from many credible sources and are notintendedto chronicle or document regulatory standards or industry best practices In mostinstances default values are clearly displayed and can easily be edited The user is encouragedto consult experts as needed andis advisedto review pertinent academicliterature in order to confirm data inputs and validate any results this analysis might generate The general instructions to the left can be found in cells M1 M13 of the INPUT Tab Of the 27 pages in the INPUT Tab the first 9 pages are the basic input pages and need to be completed the remaining 17 pages page 24 is intentionally left blank are to enter moderate to expert level detail as much detailed information as you possess can be entered on the moderate and expert detail pages As explained in Navigation by clicking the detail or the expert detail buttons on the bottom of each page the user can navigate to the corresponding moderate and expert detail input pages to provide additional information for more precise results Input should begin on page 1 by identifying the project location and selecting the engineering strategy of the project as shown by the red arrows below Both cells indicated by the arrows are drop down menus pae page 1 Project Description or write in township _ county if writing in town Select the engine
38. ical cooling of a building or structure air conditioning unit mechanical device to cool a building or structure a USFS FIA designation for wooded land that contains merchantable timber is not part of any forest preserve and is potentially available for commercial management including harvest a QAT expression referring to increased fuelwood harvest as modification of existing high grade logging practices for example at woodchip price of 25 per ton loggers may high grade a woodlot leaving potential fuelwood standing whereas at a price of 35 per ton for woodchips or for some other remuneration loggers may follow sustainable harvest prescriptions calling for removal of cull trees to improve a woodlot for the future a QAT expression referring to a boiler fuel that may be substituted for the primary fuel or that may be co fired with the primary fuel a QAT expression referring to predictions of routine economic activity associated with normal operation of a boiler system post construction a QAT expression referring to the average pace of regrowth of forest after harvesting for example a combination of FIA net growth plus annual removals 331Page Assessment Tool for v 1 02 9 2013 Biomass Planners Woody J Projects Quick amp Community Leaders annual mortality annual removals APR ash residue auxiliary AC system auxiliary boiler auxiliary heating system b h p backup fuel British therma
39. iciency of water chilling equipment the sequential or simultaneous generation of multiple forms of useful energy usually mechanical and thermal in a single integrated system for example a biomass boiler may serve to heat a building and provide domestic hot water etc or in the case of a combined heat power CHP plant a biomass boiler might heat buildings with waste heat being captured and used to generate electricity a QAT expression referring to the effectiveness of emissions abatement technology expressed as of pollutant removed a measure of useful heat extracted from a fuel source by an operating heating appliance a QAT expression referring to forested acres held in reserve for future harvest necessary for a sustainable harvest rotation coefficient of performance cubic yards a standard measurement for volume cubic feet a standard measure for volume cubic feet per year days per year 351Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for J Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 dbh decommission direct impact disposable income wage distribution amp delivery efficiency effective electric efficiency effective stack height efficiency of electricity generation EPA establishment cost existing heating system felling transfer amp handling FIA FLEH diameter at breast height a standard measurement for dimension of standing trees referring
40. l unit BTU Btu hr building thermal efficiency capital investment a USFS FIA designation for trees expected to die from natural causes in a tract of forest during any 12 month period a USFS FIA designation for trees expected to be felled and carried away from a tract of forest during any 12 month period annual percentage rate refers to interest accrued during 12 months expressed as a percent of the principal balance a QAT expression referring to charred material remaining in the firebox of a boiler post combustion that must be removed handled and ultimately disposed of a QAT expression referring to stand alone air conditioning unit supplementing the biomass boiler in a proposed installation a QAT expression referring to stand alone boiler unit supplementing the biomass boiler in a proposed installation for example when adding a new biomass boiler to supplement an existing heating system for purposes of the QAT model the new biomass boiler becomes the primary biomass boiler is considered to be of primary interest and the existing boiler becomes the auxiliary boiler boiler horsepower a standard rating measurement for capacity of boilers a QAT expression referring to a standby fuel source utilized by a biomass boiler in situations where primary and alternate biomass fuels are unavailable or inadequate for example a biomass boiler may be configured to burn woodchips and have built in a means of burning heating oil o
41. lic in grounded discussions on the measured impacts of woody biomass projects on their communities rather than the perceived impacts often reported The Quick Assessment Tools also are intended to help local leaders achieve a degree of independent perspective without demanding months of discussion and outside analysis by producing credible reasonably accurate estimates of local impacts that do not require extensive prior knowledge of technical matters by local officials Using an Excel workbook format the Quick Assessment Tools use user defined inputs combined with data from the Forest Service Forest Inventory Analysis FIA Environmental Protection Agency EPA the project location s state transportation agency when available IMPLAN multipliers and the U S Census to populate the Tool with default values for harvest activities air quality traffic and economic conditions The Quick Assessment Tools then forecast the impact of implementing a proposed biomass based energy project on the baseline data The Assessment Tools are intended to produce reasonably accurate results of changes in harvest activities air quality traffic and economic conditions The Assessment Tools should not be used in place of full feasibility studies Through gathering of the data for the assessment it is beneficial for you to contact forestry economic transportation and air quality experts in your region to discuss the details of your specific project and determine i
42. loaded from http biomassenergyqat wordpress com full version of gat When the download is complete save the Excel file on your computer you can work with and save any progress in the Quick Assessment Tool once it has been saved on your computer To save your assessment simply use the save as function in Excel and save the Quick Assessment Tool in an appropriate folder on the hard drive of your computer Choose a file name specific to the project in the event you assess multiple versions of the same project it is important to differentiate the assessments by file name The file type should be the most recent version of Excel that your computer possesses DO NOT ENABLE MACROS when saving the Quick Assessment Tool The file does not need macros enabled to run As you input information into the Quick Assessment Tool periodically save the file so if the program is interrupted for whatever reason your most recent inputs are not lost It is recommended that you download a new copy of the tool from the web site for each assessment you conduct RESULTS Tab When you open a new copy of the Quick Assessment Tool there will be three tabs you can view within the Quick Assessment Tool shown by the red arrows below The RESULTS page is the first Tab When you open the Quick Assessment Tool you will see the first worksheet or tab labeled RESULTS This is where the results of the assessment will be displayed after all the inputs are ente
43. n Example County NY 144 ae je 145 Counties in Regional Economy default county Final roster 146 Example County NY Example County NY Example County NY VESER Addison County VT K z gt 26lPage Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Exploring various boiler fuels Several boiler fuels can be handily compared by including them as primary and alternate fuels on the INPUT tab page 3 as shown E Microsoft Excel WERCboilers_betaRULL Sepii x Fle E Yr Window Help Type a question forhelp X gyon P isini itaca POCE ear ee 3 E EOE EE E EE A EAn AE a Proposed biomass system Describe for PROPOSED new system Fuel direct Annual incentive miscellaneous Select fuels subsidy pmt default value Annual expense operating Type of used directly by Intended role of rebate etc Typical fuel typical fuel to maintain amp expense heating biomass boiler ii S unit fuel delivery volume delivery volume repair insurance etc type project name here 69 70 backup fuel 71 Describe auxiliary heating system 72 Describe solar geothermal etc 73 Describe auxiliary AC system electricity 74 75 76 Describe for PROPOSED new system apportion the heat load to the auxiliary boiler TE apportior portion of total annual heat load nameplate suppled by each ca
44. nal Renewable Energy Laboratory Jobs and Economic Development Impact JEDI model Web 2012 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey Web 2013 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program Data Web 2012 13 The following sources were also reviewed to inform the development of the Quick Assessment Tools Environmental Protection Agency National Ambient Air Quality Standards Particulate Matter PM Standards Fact Sheets and Publications Web 2012 National Renewable Energy Laboratory Life Cycle Assessment Harmonization Project Web 2013 Pace University Energy and Climate Center and Cornell University New York State New York State Energy Research and Development Authority New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Renewable Fuels Roadmap Albany 2010 Web Yellow Wood Associates and Biomass Energy Research Center North Country Resource Conservation and Development RC amp D Area Council Community Roadmap to Renewable Woody Biomass Energy 2009 Web And vehicle traffic counts from assorted Northeastern state departments of transportation data and other sources as indicated within the Quick Assessment Tool Other good tools reviewed for the development of the Quick Assessment Tool and publicly available on line follow These tools can be used to extend Quick Assessment Tool results are e Northeast State Foresters Association NEFA Northern Forest
45. ng them for processing Forest Inventory and Analysis Database refers to detailed database complied and managed by US Forest Service abbreviation of full load equivalent hours a standard capacity rating designation for air 36 1Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for J Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 ft3 ft s FTE fuel delivery volume fuelwood g m3 gal hr gal ton GHG green tons greenhouse gas gross cost growth rate GT conditioning systems cubic feet a standard measure for volume feet per second full time equivalent a standard measure of jobs where one full time worker during 12 months represents a full time equivalent or FTE a QAT expression referring to size of average fuel deliveries for example an oil fired system might be resupplied by frequent deliveries of say 800 gallons per visit refers to trees harvested and processed for eventual combustion to release thermal energy includes cordwood woodchips and woodchips processed into pellets grams per cubic meter gallons per hour n gallons per ton greenhouse gas refers to airborne molecules believed to trap solar radiation in the earth s atmosphere most notably carbon dioxide and methane a QAT expression referring to measurement in tons of wood products at their naturally occurring moisture level usually about 45 50 water refers to airborne molecules believe
46. o energy requirement that must be met by a boiler system demand for energy placed by space heating requirements appliances such as domestic hot water coils water chillers steam offtakes etc a QAT expression referring to that portion of trees yielding merchantable saw timber distinct from that portion of trees yielding only pulpwood or fuelwood or cull trees to be felled and left on the forest floor for ground cover refers to presence and load rating of roadbeds bridges underpasses intersections traffic control devices safety devices etc horsepower popular commercial software used by economic planners to predict number of jobs and economic impacts to an economy resulting from some direct activity an IMPLAN designation referring to jobs and economic activity necessary to support entities engaged in direct impact for example if our direct impact activity is woodchip production then the logging crew is supported for example by the seller of chipping machines whose impact in turn on the economy is termed indirect an IMPLAN designation referring to jobs and economic activity resulting from a rippling of direct impact through an economy for example if our direct impact activity is woodchip production then out of wages paid to a member of the logging crew that portion which is spent for a pleasure boat induces supporting activity in the regional economy among boat dealers marinas insurance 381Page Woody Biomass Proj
47. pacity as of system peak heat component demand for calculated Intended total Calculated annual MMBTU annual fuel from selected consumption fuel units unit 100 0 78 type project name here 79 Describe bioimass boiler system 80 100 81 g M 4 gt MN RESULTS input Z defaults 7 cy 7 gt i Later on page 3 you can include or exclude a boiler fuel by apportioning as 100 or 0 as shown 27 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Fe 100 E G H page 3 lelg Describe for PROPOSED new system 67 type project name here 69 70 71 Describe auxiliary heating system 72 Describe solar geothermal etc Type of Select fuels used directly by Intended role of biomass boiler Proposed biomass system Fuel direct Annual incentive miscellaneous subsidy pmt default value Annual expense operating rebate etc Typical fuel typical fuel to maintain amp expense fuel S unit fuel 73 Describe auxiliary AC system 75 76 7 Describe for PROPOSED new system 78 79 type project name here Describe bioimass boiler system 81 82 83 Describe auxiliary heating system electricity apportion the heat load to the auxiliary boiler apportion using portion of total annual heat nameplate
48. permit requirements it is important to note that you should always check with the environmental agency of your state to determine what the permitting process is for your location Demographic Information Demographic information provided includes township and county 2010 census information in reference to household incomes and unemployment rates and sales tax revenue to the county for existing and proposed projects infrastructure changes 321Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS amp TERMS MMBTU S ton live inventory yr 1000Ib 5 dbh AC AC unit accessible unreserved timberland additional harvest existing acres alternate fuel annual direct sustained net economic impact annual growth rate dollars as used in the QAT refers to nominal U S dollars dollars per million British thermal units a measurement for cost of energy in U S dollars dollars per ton percent live inventory per year refers to a subset of living trees expressed as a percentage thousand pounds a standard measure for volume of steam generated and delivered refers to standing trees five inches and greater diameter at breast height of 4 5 feet above ground level 10 dbh refers to standing trees ten inches and greater diameter at breast height and so forth air conditioning as used in the QAT refers to mechan
49. ps back to the corresponding section of RESULTS summary 20 21 22 administrative checklist 1 BASIC INPUTS 23 Basic input status reviewer s input contributors 24 Project Description 25 Project Construction 26 Proposed Biomass System 27 Proposed system detail 28 Boiler fuels 29 Boiler fuels detail 30 Local amp Regional Economies aa innaniopina amas sled i gt w RESULTS input X defauks i Bi 7 m Ready 25 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Exploring various configurations of local and regional economies regional forests The QAT offers several features to simplify trial and error analysis and to accommodate simple comparisons among towns and counties selected to make up regional forests and local amp regional economies It is possible to select up to 6 townships and 8 counties to include in local and regional economies respectively Likewise it is possible to select up to 9 counties for inclusion in a regional forest In each case individual selections can be included or excluded from the analysis the final roster shows only selections included in the current analysis Local amp Regional Economies write in overrides Townships in Local Economy selection at 131 select or write in or left selectideselect Final roster 132 Example town Example County NY include Example tow
50. r propane to assure the biomass boiler always can meet demand a standard measure for quantity of energy British thermal unit a standard measurement for quantity of energy British thermal units per hour a standard rating measurement for capacity of boilers a QAT expression referring to estimates of energy required to heat a structure as MMBTU per square foot per year refers to money expended to purchase assets like land buildings equipment or alternatively refers to current market value of those assets 341Page for 9 2013 Assessment Tool v 1 02 Biomass Planners Woody J Projects Quick amp Community Leaders co CO 8hrs co2 CO2 equivalent GHG CO2eq coefficient of performance cogeneration collection efficiency combustion efficiency committed timberland COP cubic yds cuft cuft yr days yr carbon monoxide a gaseous chemical byproduct of incomplete combustion of fuel standard measurement of exposure to carbon monoxide during an eight hour interval carbon dioxide a gaseous chemical byproduct of fuel combustion carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas a relative measure of all emission gases with varying capacities to possibly cause heat to be trapped in the earth s atmosphere summed together an expressed in terms of how much carbon dioxide would be required to have the same effect a standardized rating for chilled water technology refers to the mechanical eff
51. red A Schematic of the RESULTS Tab can be found on page 10 D L 2 C F w nm F iiin New Y ork i A Quick Assessment Tool for Planners and Community Leaders T Woop EDUCATION farm viability AND RESOURCE CENTER ORIENTATION spreadsheet conventions NAVIGATION icons indicating shortcuts to various screens 100 0 inputcells are yellow with blue font 100 lt adjacent in green font is the default value C Jeme input cell blank to accept default value 100 this configuration uses 100 in calculations clicking returns to this administrative main screen jumps to the next BASIC input screen in the input tab back returns to the previous BASIC input screen in the input tab Orientation Navigation populate input cell to override default value expert detail jumps to the corresponding EXPERT DETAIL input screen 100 this configuration uses 0 in calculations anticipates questions and confusion return to summary jumps back to the corresponding section of RESULTS summa Boiler fuels click on these titles to jump to the corresponding input screen administrative checklist 1 BASIC INPUTS Basic input status reviewer s input contributors Project Construction Project Description r 9 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Schematic of RESULTS Tab If you were to zoom out on the R
52. ructure as MMBTU per square foot per year timberland a USFS FIA designation for forest land containing commercially viable volumes of merchantable 43IPage Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for J Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 ton hr tons a tons yr tops amp limbs total annual heat load TPY transfer transfer time ug m3 uncommitted timberland USFS USFS FIA whole tree yd saw timber ton hour a standard unit of measurement for volume of chilled water also a standard unit of measurement for capacity of steam boilers tons per acre tons per year refers to tree tops and limbs remaining on the forest floor after merchantable timber is harvested and removed a QAT expression referring to energy requirement that must be met by a boiler system over the course of 12 months demand for energy placed by space heating requirements appliances such as domestic hot water coils water chillers steam offtakes etc tons per year refers to delivery of woody material from its original location in a forest to some central collection point adjacent to the forest for further processing and shipment refers to time expended or some rate of delivery of woody material from its original location ina forest to some central collection point adjacent to the forest for further processing and shipment micrograms per cubic meter a QAT expression referring to forested acres in
53. s 4 amp 13 below Se biomass system x Instructions for Page 3 This is where biofuels are selected and managed inthe proposed system The model accomodates a wide variety of system configurations and fuel combinations You will be describing only one your own Proceed line by line through page3 to describe your proposed biomass boilersystem lt Begin by describing the newbiomass boiler select fuels youexpectto use in the boiler how each fuel will be used andinwhat volume it will be delivered Use backup fuel for a built in backup system Also enter costs toj operate maintain and routinely repair the new biomass boiler lt Describe any stand alone auxiliary boiler to be included in the proposed system Ifyou are keeping your existing boilerand supplementing it witha Proposed new biomass boiler describe the newbiomass boilerabove and describe the existing boileras an auxiliary system onthis line Fuels must be apportioned betweenthe new biomass boiler and auxiliary boiler accomplish that inthe input block at the left of the page cells E79 G83 lt This input block cells 179 J83 is where you manage how fuels will be used in the proposed system In column J79 J83 you inform the model which fuels to use inthe biomass boiler andin what proportions You may mix and match fuels in any combination From your earlier descriptionof the existing system on pages 1 2 1
54. s guidance is intended to represent reasonably accurate values distilled and adapted from many credible sources in the literature These QA Default values PM25 MMETWinfuer 79 MUMbEr max number GHG life cycle of retail value Carbon Carbon Nitrogen Sulfur dioxide PM25 modern obsolete boiler age yrs Surccatram miles from fuel unite per typical bulk density coz accruing to bone dry HHY dioxide CO2 monoxide CO oxides Nox boiler boiler for foreet mill distribution delivery ashrecidueas combustion ft3 tonbone equivalent foreign 302 Energy Sources unit MMBTUunit IbtMMBTU IWMMETU Ib MMBTU IWMMBTU IWMMETU Ib MMIBTU obsolescence reridue or SRWC point truckload bone dry efficiency dry Ib MMBTU producter 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ox 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 heatingfueloil gallon 0 138 165 0 35 0 28 0 5 0 014 0 096 20 0x 20 5000 0 0 80 0 0 226 0 65 LoSheatingfueloil gallon 0 138 170 0 35 0 143 0 015 0 014 0 096 20 Ox 20 5000 0 0 80 0 0 226 0 65 naturalgas 100043 1025 120 0 08 0 09 0 001 0 007 0 007 5 0x 0 0 0 0 80 0 0 172 0 0 propane gallon 0 0913 140 0 025 0 165 0 016 0 004 0 004 5 0x 20 800 0 0 s0 0 0 200 0 0 coal anthracite ton 30 228 0 3 0 3 0 03 03 0 09 10 0x 50 24 4 0 83 32 3 330 0 0 coal bituminous ton 26 206 0 3 0 3 22 0 3 0 09 10 0x 50 24 6 0 83 42 9 330 0 o coal sub bituminous ton 21 3 214 0 3 0 3 15 0 3 0 03 10 0x 50 24 8 0 83 54 0 330 0 o coal lignite ton 12 3 213 0 3 0 3 22 0 3 0 03 10 0x 50 24 10 0 83
55. s or environmental review processes Whilst steps have been taken by the tool s authors to ensure that the input data behind it the algorithms which operate within it and its overall functionality are accurate and reliable this cannot be guaranteed The New York Biomass Energy Alliance the New York Farm Viability Institute its agents contractors and sub contractors give no warranty and make no representation as to its accuracy and accept no liability in any way whatsoever for any omissions or errors contained within it nor for any losses incurred either direct or indirect as a result of its use Any person or organization using this tool should satisfy themselves as to the validity of any outputs derived from it 2 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Acknowledgements The Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders User Manual was prepared by the staff of the New York Biomass Energy Alliance with the leadership support and guidance of Dave Grusenmeyer and Eileen Maher of the New York Farm Viability Institute The NYBEA staff would like to acknowledge in particular the two individuals who lead the development and testing of the Quick Assessment Tools and review of the User Manual Steve Bulkley and Rick Handley For reviewing the working versions of the Quick Assessment Tools and advising the project team on default values of each of t
56. ss multiple options at a single site including adding multiple fuels e The Quick Assessment Tool can be used anywhere by adding readily available data and e The Quick Assessment Tool has easy to follow navigation and administration features to permit multiple users to work on a single assessment PRIOR KNOWLEDGE With or without the help of experts you can conduct very detailed complex evaluations of the impacts of biomass projects on the base line conditions in your community using the Full version of the assessment tool This tool is designed for you community leaders economic development officials and planning officials You are not expected to have prior knowledge of biomass based heating systems You can provide as much detailed information as you have available or research with the help of experts or solely depend on the default values by using the Lite version of the assessment tool Expert detail is not required to run the assessment BASIC INPUT CHECKLIST This list describes the information that a novice user can gather prior to beginning the assessment and enter in the 9 basic input pages If all of this information is not available the assessment can be run by accepting the default values built into the model Next to the Quick Assessment Tool Input pages there are instructions and hints on the necessary and optional inputs Basic Information about Existing and Proposed Heating Systems In the nine basic input pages you will be promp
57. t agency or planning department 151Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for a Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 DEFAULTS Tab The DEFAULTS Tab is made up of tables containing information that is used by the model to complete the pages in the INPUT Tab wherever user information is not provided The DEFAULTS Tab is where expert users can modify the defaults and create custom options such as custom boiler fuels for more information on how to create custom fuels go to page 17 of this User Manual Other than to create custom fuels the typical user will have no need to refer to the DEFAULTS Tab The very expert user may on rare occasions desire to alter one or more default values on the DEFAULTS Tab Altering values on the DEFAULTS Tab affects all relevant calculations throughout the spreadsheet so modifications to the DEFAULTS Tab should be carefully considered beforehand Default values are automatically inputted when cells are left blank Values can be examined in the DEFAULTS Tab below Reasonable default values based on contemporary industry standards are made available for energy sources fuel units payroll sales and expenses peak information etc For air permit thresholds it is recommended that you contact your state environmental agency and discuss the specific regulations that would be applicable to your project Default values described here are used to guide background assumptions in the QAT model Thi
58. tandard measurement of exposure to particulate emissions smaller than 2 5 microns during a period of 12 months a QAT expression referring to events occurring after a woodlot has been harvested parts per billion parts per million a QAT expression referring to a boiler fuel intended to consumed in the largest quantity or consumed in preference to any other fuels a QAT expression referring to a biomass boiler and any auxiliary boiler and or supplemental equipment that is being contemplated for a project refers to trees harvested and processed preliminary to paper manufacturing quick assessment tool refers to this spreadsheet simulation of any proposed biomass project a QAT expression referring to selected counties comprising a designated economic region somewhat larger than the local economy comprised of selected townships refers to trees destined for processing into dimension lumber or veneer products refers to the stem of any tree destined to be commercially harvested and processed into lumber square feet square feet per ton hour a QAT expression referring to energy typically required to cool a building through the course of 12 months refers to cultivated biomass such as shrub willow or poplar intended for biomass fuel production a QAT expression referring to time in years required for accumulated savings in annual fuel expense to offset the installation cost of a replacement boiler system 42 Page Woody
59. ted products vi K gt i Sum 705 24 NUM page 3 Proposed biomass system 64 65 Describe for PROPOSED new system S Fuel direct Annual incentive miscellaneous Select fuels subsidy pmt default value Annual expense operating Type of used directly by Intended role of rebate etc Typical fuel typicalfuel to maintain amp expense 66 i S unit fuel delivery volume _ delivery volume i x 167 e project name here 68 69 7o 71 Describe auxiliary heating system 72 Describe solar geothermal etc __ CUSTOM BOILER FUEL 4 ps CUSTOM BOILER FUEL 5 73 Describe auxiliary AC syst CUSTOM BOILER FUEL 6 74 75 76 D Scribe for PROPOSED new system apportion the heat load to the auxiliary boiler 7 anono sna retest MAET portion of total an for calculated annual heat load nameplate Expected a Intended total Calculated suppled by each capacity as of fue annual MMBTU annual fuel system peak heat Square ft heate from selected consumption 78 type project name here e ach b units units 79 Describe bioimass boiler system 80 81 82 83 Describe auxiliary heating system T0 0 84 percent total annual heat load u 4 gt WN RESULTS input defaults O al iawn atesuoees NN OO cs lore AS T 181Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 This feature makes it
60. ted to provide some basic information about the existing systems and the proposed systems This information can be provided by the system operator the manufacturer of the system or directly from the system s nameplate Default values when available are automatically used by the model when the user has not provided customized information Examples of information you will be prompted for include e the age of the existing system e type of heating fuel used for the existing system and the proposed system e annual fuel consumption e total square feet heated e basic economic information in regards to system decommission and proposed system installation e name plate capacity etc Fuels You will be prompted to provide some basic information about the fuels used in the existing and proposed systems Accept the default values by simply leaving input cells blank default values are displayed in green font adjacent to or below corresponding input cells The more specific information you provide for your project the more accurate the model will be It is also possible to create custom boiler truck and equipment fuels see page 17 of this User Manual for more information Information you will be prompted for includes e fuel price e average moisture content e percentage of fuel that is renewable 7 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 e cogeneration information Economic In
61. to diameter of a tree measured at 4 5 feet above ground level a QAT expression referring to the process of taking an existing heating system out of service including physically removing it and completing any necessary remediations to the site eg cleanup of asbestos lead etc an IMPLAN term referring to first order jobs spending etc attributed to an enterprise for example payroll supplies purchased equipment purchased operating expenses etc a QAT expression referring to the after tax portion of payroll available to be expended in an economy for example for rent food clothing vehicles etc a QAT expression referring to energy loss along distribution channels in a system for example heat loss as steam is transmitted from a boiler to several buildings via underground piping calculations allowing for a direct comparison of combined heat power CHP to conventional power generation system performance Distance a chimney rises above nearest obstruction or roof line Refers to portion of energy wasted during conversion to electricity Environmental Protection Agency a QAT expression referring to expense incurred in successfully planting a short rotation woody crop a QAT expression referring to any currently operating heating system that will be replaced or supplemented with a proposed new biomass boiler refers to the process of cutting down trees delivering ie skidding them to a central collection site and manipulati
62. urdens of cost of ownership depletion of finite resources etc also sometimes variable cost refers to expenses incurred in the course of normal business such as money paid for supplies payroll rents utilities etc also sometimes fixed cost refers to expenses incurred to own the business and provide assets such as machinery borrowed money real estate etc that may be necessary to carry out day to day operations airborne molecules and small particles produced during combustion of various fuels a QAT expression referring to the highest level of performance expected of a boiler based on calculations or actual experience maximum rated capacity of any piece of equipment such as a boiler similar to nameplate capacity a QAT expression referring to jobs created or sustained in normal operation of a boiler system does not include jobs created during the construction phase of a project a standard measurement for quantity of human labor expended during 12 months essentially equivalent to FTE or full time equivalent particulate emissions smaller than 2 5 microns diameter 41 Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for J Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 PM 2 5 annual average post harvest ppb ppm primary fuel proposed heating system pulpwood QAT regional economy saw timber sawtimber boles SF SF ton hour short rotation woody crop simple payback s
63. xt basic input screen under the INPUT tab e Clicking Back takes you to the previous input screen in the INPUT tab e Using the Expert Detail tab you can jump to the corresponding expert or detailed input screen Below the orientation is a record of the user s progress through the 9 basic input pages On each of the input pages located on the INPUT Tab for more on the INPUT Tab go to page 11 of this User Manual there is an input status drop down cell shown by the red arrow 101Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 Typical number of fuel Change in change in deliveries existing building existing building during peak default peak Typical peak square feet to thermal month burn rate burn rate unit select time unit heat efficiency When the input page is complete to the user s satisfaction the approved cell should be selected The basic inputs status summary Administrative Checklist 1 on the RESULTS Tab will then show the input page as approved Each input page also has input cells for you to enter names of individual data contributors and reviewers The administrative checklists and review function are set up in order to help facilitate assessments that are being done with multiple users providing input This allows for multiple users to be accountable for gathering information to be used in the assessment After the basic input status summar
64. y is a status summary of the detailed input pages If the detailed input pages are not used the status will read defaults OK as indicated below by the red arrow When detailed input is provided ona detailed input page the status will reflect the additional input when the user updates the detailed input status on the input page as indicated by the orange arrow The remainder of the RESULTS Tab will display the results of your assessment when you have completed entering data as shown in the Schematic of the RESULTS Tab on page 10 of this User Manual Detailed input status Project Description Project detail SS approved Project expert detail defaults OK Project Construction 111Page Woody Biomass Projects Quick Assessment Tool for Planners amp Community Leaders v 1 02 9 2013 INPUT Tab The INPUT Tab is where the user will enter the information described in the section titled Check List The INPUT Tab consists of 27 input pages See the schematic of the INPUT Tab on page 14 of this user manual General instructions for the FULL version Biomass Assessment Tool This analysis integrates specialty areas of economics traffic air quailtyand forestry ina systems context for any of a widerange of possible biomass projects Of necessity the science of each specialty area is grossly oversimplified inthis model but pains have been takento incorporate reasonable assumptions and acceptable approximate default values w
65. y regenerate queue inventory Example County NY 197424 1 2 27 32 0 0 63 1 2 27 32 0 0 63 Sherwood Forest 1000 0 1 35 5 3 0 08 0 1 35 5 3 0 08 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 _ o 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 Regional totals 198424 1 2 27 31 9 0 63 1 2 27 31 9 0 63 60000 l 50000 E Harvested Harvested products 40000 eat existing proposed 103 saan g MBF sawtimber 4135 4135 3 M 4 gt PN RESULTS input Z defaults i lt O Bl Woody Biomass Planners Projects amp Community Leaders Quick Assessment 24 Page Tool for v 1 02 9 2013 Comparing Various Scenarios Often we are interested in comparing two analyses using slightly different inputs in each Perhaps you simply wish to compare one boiler fuel to another perhaps you wish to explore how various counties might be assembled to best define a regional forest or you may need to simulate several alternative configurations of your proposed project In any case comparisons are best accomplished by creating and saving each scenario in a separate Excel file with a unique descriptive filename and the QAT makes this chore quite easy By developing one detailed QAT assessment of your project and saving it as a base case various

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