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PFI's Weekly Newsletter

 

 

August 25, 2017

In this Week's Pellet Wire:

PFI Seeks Executive Director - Know Anyone Good?  

We are pleased to announce that Pellet Fuels Institute has opened a search for an Executive Director!

The Pellet Fuels Institute Executive Director Reports to the PFI Board of Directors to fulfill the association's mission. The ED is the key staff member and responsible for communicating effectively with the Board and providing, in a timely and accurate manner, all information necessary for the Board to function properly and to make informed decisions. The ED oversees PFI's fiscal management and oversees the PFI staff, anticipates operating within the approved budget, ensures maximum resource utilization, and maintenance of the organization in a positive financial position. The ED will also work with the PFI Board of Directors, Committees and staff to ensure that the mission is fulfilled through membership, programs, strategic planning and community outreach. The ED is expected to have good written and oral communication skills as well as strong public speaking ability. Other specific job duties follow.

We welcome all references. Please see the full listing here, and direct any prospective applicants to send a cover letter and resume to [email protected] with "PFI ED Job" in the subject line. PFI will consider less than full-time for the right candidate.

Pinnacle Renewable Energy Purchases 50th Pellet Mill from ANDRITZ

MUNCY, Pa. - Pinnacle Renewable Energy recently purchased its 50th pellet mill from ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel, and officials from the company visited ANDRITZ's Muncy, Pa. manufacturing facility on June 20 to see the new bio-fuel pellet mill - a Sprout 26LM II - being made. ANDRITZ pellet mills produce more than 50 percent of all biofuel pellets worldwide.

The site visit included a safety briefing; plant tour; photo opportunity with Pinnacle officials and many of ANDRITZ's production, sales, and engineering team members; a meeting about aftermarket support; and lunch. Pinnacle purchased its first ANDRITZ pellet mill in 2000, when the company was known as Pinnacle Pellet.

"Reaching a milestone of 50 pelletizers only shows the mutual commitment that both parties share regarding safety and excellence," says Scott Bax, Pinnacle's senior vice president, operations. "Pinnacle looks forward to receiving the next 50 units and to continuing this great relationship." 

Please visit PFI's website to learn more.

Send Us Your Photos! This Week Featuring American Wood Fibers

 
American Wood Fibers' Circleville, OH plant has built up its inventory and is ready for winter.

We want to see photos of what's happening with the pellet fuels industry in your neck of the woods. Send us photos with captions - facilities, retailers, production, appliances, happy customers! We'll run the photos in Pellet Wire.

Follow PFI on Facebook and Connect with us on LinkedIn! 

This week, PFI updated its LinkedIn page. We'd like to connect and interact with PFI members and anyone else involved in pellet fuels production! 

Here's how you can help us build our online community:

  1. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn!
  2. Encourage your colleagues and other business associates to follow us.
  3. Send Carrie Annand news or other ideas to post on LinkedIn.

Host an Elected Official at Your Facility for Bioenergy Day - Oct. 18

Wednesday, October 18, marks the day for the Fifth Annual Bioenergy Day. Consider inviting an elected official to tour your facility on Bioenergy Day. Whether it's your town's mayor, a state official, a member of Congress, Senator or Governor, Bioenergy Day is the perfect opportunity to introduce government officials to the pellet industry and its many environmental and economic benefits. bioenergy.

This year, we are highlighting the economic benefits of bioenergy. The presence of bioenergy in a community creates jobs, enhances revenue and forest products markets, and reduces waste. Our video on bioenergy, forest products and forestry in Northwestern Montana will illustrate how manufacturers convert leftover fuels into energy. 

There are many ways to contribute to Bioenergy Day 2017. We've uploaded our Participation Guide on the site to help you brainstorm the ways to mark Bioenergy Day, with some best practices and sample materials. You can also look around the website, www.bioenergyday.org, to see how other groups have approached Bioenergy Day. 

Contact Carrie Annand with any questions on Bioenergy Day 2017 or to register your organization's event. 

Have News to Share on Pellet Wire?

We'd love to feature your company's news in a future Pellet Wire! We want to be the first to know your company's recent developments to share them with the wider pellet fuels industry.

Please be in touch with Carrie Annand at [email protected] with information on your company's growth, job openings, promotions or other news. 

Join a PFI Committee

We welcome and encourage all interested PFI members to get involved in our committees. There are many opportunities to help steer the association. No matter where your expertise and interests lie, we have a committee that will suit you. Help us plan our next conference, shape our policy agenda, lead communications outreach or grow the PFI Standards Program. Visit PFI's website for more information. 

Upcoming Industry Events

September 19-21, 2017: 2017 International Conference on Thermochemical Conversion

June 16-21, 2018: Resources for Future Generations (RFG) 2018

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Fuel Availability

Are you a PFI member pellet manufacturer or distributor that has fuel available? Email [email protected] to have your listing updated or added to the PFI website.

Industry News

Biomass Study Could Help Forest, Economy  
Payson Roundup, Arizona

The region has endured repeated major wildfires in the last 15 years, causing the evacuation or pre-evacuation of thousands of residents and burning well over 1 million acres of precious forest.

The large-scale thinning project, the Four Forest Restoration Initiative, has failed to produce meaningful results. Fortunately, the private thinning bridge contracts have helped keep the once-thriving forest industry alive.

As the forest industry has evolved, two realities exist - much of the supply must come from harvesting small diameter trees, and that ample supply must be produced in a consistent manner.

The former makes biomass plants an integral part of the local industry equation.

Using forest material, or biomass, for power isn't a new concept.

Read Full Article

All in Favor of Wood Burning that's Gentler on the Environment 
Greenfield Recorder, Mass. 

Many arguments exist for promoting wood as a heating fuel source: It's a renewable resource that eases our dependence on fossil fuels. It provides Massachusetts loggers and landowners with a steady source of income and reduces American reliance on foreign oil supplies.

But there's also this inconvenient truth: Massachusetts has more air pollution from wood combustion than any other New England state, according to a Pelham environmental group's analysis of federal data.

That fact, along with the knowledge that burning wood speeds climate change, should give Massachusetts officials pause as they prepare to add boilers fueled by "woody biomass" - wood chips or pellets - to the list of alternative energy sources eligible for government subsidies.

Read Full Article

FutureMetrics Publishes Analysis of Japanese Pellet Market 
Biomass Magazine

FutureMetrics has published a new white paper on the Japanese industrial wood pellet market. The report predicts most of demand growth for industrial wood pellets after 2019 will come from Japan and South Korea.  

According to FutureMetrics, the Japanese and South Korean markets for industrial wood pellets are both driven by policy. The policies are different, but both create demand for industrial wood pellets as a replacement for coal in power plants.

In Japan, pellet buyers are supported by a long-term feed-in-tariff (FIT) and prefer long-term offtake contracts with set terms for prices. According to the report, Japanese policies require that suppliers show that the pellet supply chain meets sustainability criteria. As a result, buyers from Japan prefer to engage with parties from countries with strong rule of law, strong management practices, and stable macroeconomic conditions.

Read Full Article 

 

Pellet Fuels Institute |  [email protected]   | 206.209.5277