Click here for a detailed PDF of the conference program.
Link to PDFs of conference presentations below. Please note that some have 2 parts due to website file size limitations.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Opening Plenary Session
Brian Brashaw, Chair, Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass and Director, Wood Materials and Manufacturing Program, University of Minnesota Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute, Duluth, MN
Keynote Address: Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass: A Midwest Vision
Part 2
T.J. Morice, Vice Chair, Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass and VP Marketing and Operations, Marth Wood Shavings Supply, Marathon, WI and William Strauss, President, FutureMetrics, Bethel, ME
The Northeast Biomass Thermal Vision: Accomplishments and Strategy!
Adam Sherman, Consultant, Biomass Energy Resource Center and Northeast Biomass Thermal Working Group, Burlington, VT
Green Energy, Green Jobs!
Part 2
Christiane Egger, Deputy Manager, O.O. Energiesparverband (Upper Austrian Renewable Energy Agency), Linz, Austria
Session 1: Biomass Resources and Demographics
Urban Wood Biomass Procurement and Processing
Jeff Guillemette, Biomass Fuel Manager, Environmental Wood Supply, LLC, St. Paul, MN
Forest Biomass Procurement and Processing
Eric Maki, President, Midwest Forest Products, Hayward, WI
Harvesting and Processing Agricultural Residue and Energy Crops
Jay Van Roekel, Biomass Business Unit Manager, Vermeer, Pella, IA
Economics of Torrefaction Plants and Co-located Businesses
Douglas Tiffany, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
Midwest Residential Heating Fuel Use Assessment
Fred Iutzi, Program Manager and Xiaolan Liu, Research Coordinator of Renewable Energy, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL and David Ripplinger, Assistant Professor, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
Session 2: Community/Institutional Real World Projects – Success Stories
Deep Portage Environmental Learning Center Advanced Wood Combustion
Norm Moody, Vice President and Secretary, Deep Portage Environmental Learning Center, Hackensack, MN
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center
Peter Smerud, Executive Director, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Finland, MN
Bart Johnson, Engineering Instructor & Program Coordinator, Itasca Community College, Grand Rapids, MN
Brad Jones, Natural Resources Instructor, Itasca Community College, Grand Rapids, MN
Pinecrest Medical Care Facility
Dave Vandermissen, Assistant Maintenance Supervisor, Pinecrest Medical Care Facility, Powers, MN
Pork and Plants Greenhouse, LLC, Altura, MN – Video presentation
Session 3: Biomass Thermal Market Development (in Area B)
Biomass Heating Feasibility Guide
Becky Philipp, Project Manager, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Waseca, MN
Al Doering, Senior Associate Scientist Coproducts, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Waseca, MN
Pellet Market Development Strategies
Jennifer Hedrick, Executive Director, Pellet Fuels Institute, Arlington, VA
Life Cycle Inventory of Wood Pellet Production and Utilization
John Katers, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, WI
Low Income Heating Assistance Program – Biomass Heating Opportunities
Kevin Vesperman, Administrator, Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Energy Services, Madison, WI
Session 4: Combined Heat and Power and Commercial Real World Projects – Success Stories
Marvin Windows Biomass Heating
Keith Landin, Manager of Facilities Engineering, Marvin Windows, Warroad, MN and Brad Baumann, Environmental Manager, Marvin Windows, Warroad, MN
Lew McCreery, Biomass Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Morgantown, WV and Dale Allard, Chief Energy Engineer, Chillicothe VA Medical Center, Chillicothe, OH
Providence University College and Theological Seminary
Bruce Duggan, Director, Buller Centre for Business, Providence University College & Seminary, Otterburne, Manitoba, Canada and Daniel Lepp Friesen, Principal, DLF Consulting, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Gary Moore, Director Facility Operations, Gundersen Lutheran Hospital, LaCrosse, WI
Minnesota Power Industrial Co-Generation Facilities
Kris Spenningsby, Project Development Leader, Minnesota Power, Duluth, MN
Session 5: Thermal Heating Fair
Thermal Biomass Heating in Local Food: Silver Bay Eco-Park
Bruce Carman, Eco-Park Project Coordinator, City of Silver Bay, Silver Bay, MN
Michigan YMCA Camp – Efficient Cordwood Thermal Heating
Lew McCreery, Biomass Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Morgantown, WV
Biomass Fuel Delivery Technology
William Strauss, Founder, Maine Energy Systems, Bethel, ME
Friday, April 26, 2013
Session 6: Advancing Biomass Thermal in the Midwest
Swedish Biomass Study Tour and Opportunities for Minnesota and the Midwest
Ellen Anderson, Senior Advisor to the Governor on Energy & Environment, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, St. Paul, MN
Community-Driven Sustainable Bioenergy in Northern Minnesota
Kathryn Fernholtz, Executive Director, Dovetail Partners Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Effective Feasibility and Planning Strategies for Combined Heat and Power Projects
Mark Spurr, President, FVB Energy, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Comprehensive Feasibility Assessments for Biomass Thermal and CHP Projects
Dan Wilson, Vice President, Wilson Engineering Services, Meadville, PA
Policy Strategies for Advancing Biomass Thermal in the Midwest
Jim Kleinschmit, Rural Communities Program Director, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, MN and Brendan Jordan, Program Director, Great Plains Institute, Minneapolis, MN
The Importance of Education and Advocacy in Advancing Biomass Thermal in the Midwest
Joseph Seymour, Executive Director, Biomass Thermal Energy Council, Washington, DC
Closing Session
Capitalizing on Heating the Midwest Conference: Conference Charge and Closing
T.J. Morice, Vice Chair, Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass and VP Marketing and Operations, Marth Wood Shavings Supply, Marathon, WI and Brian Brashaw, Chair, Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass and Director, Wood Materials and Manufacturing Program, University of Minnesota Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute, Duluth, MN