University of Illinois Energy Farm gets biomass boiler
A new biomass boiler from Germany will replace the greenhouse's propane gas, release fewer carbon-dioxide emissions and use perennial grasses grown on the university's energy farm to produce heat, The News Gazette reported.
The project is a test system that could possibly power other parts of campus or east-central Illinois farms in the future. It forms part of the university's Climate Action Plan to reach "carbon neutrality" no later than 2050.
"This is going to be a model for us, to kind of get our feet wet, to learn how this thing works, to learn the benefits and some of the challenges of using biomass," said Evan DeLucia, plant biology professor and director of the university's sustainability, energy and environment institute. "I'm optimistic that it's going to lead to bigger projects around campus."
Read more at the Chicago Tribune