VA Center in Battle Creek moves away from fossil fuels

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Center in Battle Creek is switching from power provided by a fossil fuel to a biomass gassification system.  

Nexterra Systems Corp. has entered into a $6.9 million contract to deliver the system to the VA Medical Center. The system will be fueled with clean wood waste, such as wood chips, bark and pallets.

The material will come from wood processing facilities like sawmills or local wood aggregators, who collect woody material from tree trimmings and construction sites.

The new systems will provide clean, carbon-neutral heat and power to the medical center.

Switching from fossil fuels to carbon neutral biomass will allow the VAMC to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 14,000 tons per year, and reduce its carbon footprint by approximately 80 percent--the equivalent of removing 3,500 cars from the road annually.

By using biomass from local sources -- which is in plentiful supply in the region -- the VA Medical Center expects to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, leverage its operational spending locally in support of local industry, and divert debris from landfill.

The move is part of an $18 million project to be done in partnership with DeMaria Building Company and HGA Architects. The project is is part of efforts undertaken to meet the U.S. federal government's commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent by 2020.

"This project is a significant commercial milestone for Nexterra as we expand into the healthcare market," says Jonathan Rhone, Nexterra President and CEO.

Nexterra Systems, a private company based in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, is a leading supplier of biomass gassification solutions that generate renewable heat, power and syngas for institutional and industrial customers.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Darcy Quinn, Nexterra