Wood Chip Co-Generation System to Heat and Power Vermont Hospital

WOOD CHIP CO-GENERATION SYSTEM TO HEAT AND POWER VERMONT HOSPITAL -- HON. BERNARD SANDERS (Extensions of Remarks - December 15, 2005)

HON. BERNARD SANDERS
OF VERMONT
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2005

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to share with you some information regarding a bold new system that will help a small hospital in my state save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in energy costs, while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pollutants.

North Country Hospital in Newport, Vermont, has instituted an ingenious heating and electricity co-generation system that utilizes biomass wood chips instead of traditional heating oil as its fuel source. It is believed to be the first use of such technology in any hospital in the country. At today's energy prices, this new biomass gasification system could save the hospital as much as $328,000 annually in energy costs.

In addition to providing heat for the hospital complex, the process heats water from the chips into steam, which not only provides a supplemental source of electricity, but will produce the hospital's hot water and also help operate other critical equipment within the hospital, such as sterilization equipment, dishwashers and clothes dryers.

Energy cost savings realized by this environmentally sound energy choice will save the hospital, and hence its patients, substantial money that can be better directed toward critical healthcare services. This system provides an innovative example to hospitals and other public buildings in Vermont, across the country, and throughout the world.

Already, business people, government officials and hospital administrators from other regions are touring the new facility with an eye toward implementing such a system themselves. A company in Spain is designing a system based on North Country's model, with the exception that it will actually burn tomato vines instead of wood chips as its energy source. Surely, a system so versatile has tremendous potential to be effectively used far and wide.

Wood chips are a renewable source of energy, which recycles carbon that already exists in the natural carbon cycle; meaning no new carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere from this biomass energy source. Wood chips are supplied from within Vermont; hence money spent on wood chips stays in the local economy and supports jobs in the area's forest products industry. For buildings 50,000 sq. ft. and larger, fuel cost savings likely more than offset capital financing costs and additional maintenance staff time requirements; hence, in many cases, a system can pay for itself in 5 to 10 years.

I enthusiastically commend the Board of Trustees at North Country Hospital and their innovative staff, especially Larry Labor, Steve Wolff and Terry Robbins, for taking energy matters into their own hands and raising the bar for how local leadership can have national and international significance and positive impact. Each of them deserves high praise for their efforts. They have given us a sterling example of how American hospitals can save substantial money on energy costs, help improve environmental conditions related to heat and energy production, and help support their local job markets in the process. I encourage other hospitals and institutions in Vermont and across the country to study the potential of this new system for their own facilities and to duplicate it where appropriate.

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