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Energy TreeEnergy Tree is a unique collaboration between District Energy St. Paul and its next-door neighbor, the Science Museum of Minnesota. |
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Energy Tree: A Biomass Education ProjectEnergy Tree is a unique collaboration between a heating and cooling utility, District Energy St. Paul, and its next-door neighbor, the Science Museum of Minnesota. This biomass educational initiative centers on St. Paul Cogeneration, a combined heat and power (CHP) plant that simultaneously produces heat and electricity using a biomass fuel, clean wood waste, collected from the Twin Cities metropolitan area. St. Paul Cogeneration is owned by Ever-Green Energy, a District Energy affiliate, and Duke Energy Generation Services. Development of a master interpretive plan occurred in tandem with the design of the new biomass-fired CHP plant. One component of the plan was the planting of an actual biomass crop that would eventually become a fuel source for the CHP plant. This goal became a reality in November 2000 when more than 150 fast-growing poplar trees were planted on a small strip of land between the Science Museum and District Energy. Every year since 2005, the Science Museum harvests a portion of the trees to be chipped and burned in the adjacent CHP plant. New trees sprout from the stumps—a perfect example of sustainable, renewable energy. Another key component of the plan was to develop, design, fabricate and install several outdoor interpretive panels. This part of the plan was implemented in summer 2003 with the installation of three Energy Tree exhibit panels. The first panel explains how biomass crops can be grown for fuel. The second panel illustrates how the adjacent CHP plant uses a biomass crop to simultaneously produce heat and electricity. And the third panel discusses community energy and the evolution of the original 1906 District Energy facility. Read more about the Energy Tree project at www.districtenergy.com/CurrentActivities/energytree.html. |
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