12-015 Code Vt. R. 12-020-015-X
Act No. 56 of the Acts of 2015 established a Renewable Energy Standard and Energy Transformation Program for electric utilities in the State of Vermont which specifically includes biomass to produce electricity. Act 56 amended Chapter 87 of Title 10 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated to add a new section 2751, which requires the Commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to adopt rules that establish renewability standards for forest products used to generate energy by distributed renewable generation and energy transformation projects within the Renewable Energy Standard. 10 V.S.A. § 2751. These standards may include minimum efficiency requirements for wood boilers and requirements for harvesting and procurement. In developing these rules, the Commissioner shall consider differentiating the standards by type of forest product and scale of forest product.
The policy and purpose of the Biomass Renewable Energy Standard is to promote the sustainable use of forest resources and to ensure long-term forest health and sustainability through harvesting and procurement of biomass.
This rule is adopted pursuant to 10 V.S.A. § 2751, 3 V.S.A. § 801(11) and 3 V.S.A. § 2853(5).
The Biomass Renewability Energy Standard applies to all utilities that: offer incentives on wood-fired appliances as part of their Tier III programming; or all generation from biomass electric generation facilities; or combined heat and power (CHP) facilities that utilities claim towards their Tier II requirements.
To qualify as a Tier II Distributed Renewable Energy Project for the purposes of this Rule and Chapter 89 of Title 30 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, biomass electric generation facilities and combined heat and power (CHP) facilities shall comply with the following:
To meet the renewability standard for the purposes of Chapter 89 of Title 30 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, wood-fired appliances shall either receive a permit to construct from the Vermont Air Quality & Climate Division, or meet the minimum performance requirements set forth in Table 1. The Table 1 performance requirements apply to all wood fuel types, including cord wood, wood pellets, green wood chips, dry wood chips.
Table 1
Appliance | Performance Requirement |
Pellet Stove | Must be EPA Certified on date of installation |
Wood Stove | Must be EPA Certified on date of installation |
Automated Pellet Boiler or Furnace | $(greater than or equal$)85% efficiency** |
Wood Chip Boiler | $(greater than or equal$)78% efficiency*** |
Cordwood Boiler - Up to 350,000 Btu's | Must be EPA Certified on date of installation |
Cordwood Boiler - Over 350,000 Btu's | Not Eligible |
Micro CHP Facility | $(greater than or equal$)85% efficiency** |
District Energy System | DES that capture waste heat from an existing installation are fully eligible |
** Meaning a higher heating value or gross calorific value of 85 percent or more on a peak efficiency basis and as measured by an accredited lab or organization.
*** Meaning a higher heating value or gross calorific value of 78 percent or more on a peak efficiency basis and as measured by an accredited lab or organization.
12-015 Code Vt. R. 12-020-015-X
2/10/2022 Secretary of State Rule Log #22-005
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
10 V.S.A. §2751, 3 V.S.A. §801(11) and 3 V.S.A. §2853(5) and 30 V.S.A. §8005( c)(2)