Markets

Target Market Documents

Target Markets

Target markets are industries that are generally large energy users and/or have the ability and need for process thermal energy (cooling and/or heating).

Target Markets are chosen based on several factors:

  • Market sectors, size, and potential
  • Opportunity fuels within our region or specific states
  • Technical and economic viability of the resources
  • Probable system size range
  • Economic, energy, and environmental goals of the state or region

Within the Northwest Region we have ten target markets:

  • Pulp and paper mills
  • Forest products
  • Dairies (anaerobic digestion with CHP)
  • Wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs)
  • Landfill-to-energy CHP systems
  • Food processing facilities (anaerobic digestion with CHP)
  • Colleges and Universities
  • Server farms
  • Rural village utilities
  • Railbelt community utilities

WA

  • Pulp and paper mills
  • Forest products
  • Dairies (anaerobic digestion with CHP)
  • Wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs)
  • Landfill-to-energy CHP systems
  • Food processing facilities (anaerobic digestion with CHP)
  • Colleges and universities
  • Server Farms

OR

  • Pulp and paper mills
  • Forest products
  • Dairies
  • Wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs) and landfill-to-energy CHP systems
  • Food processors
  • Colleges and universities

AK

  • Rural villages/utilities
  • Communities/Utilities on the road system
  • Forest Products

ID

  • Pulp and paper mills
  • Forest products
  • Dairies
  • Wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs) and landfill-to-energy CHP systems
  • Food processors

MT

  • Colleges and Universities
  • Forest products

Overview

Pulp and paper mills

Pulp and paper mills are a classic example of the best utilization of CHP, and have been for decades. Some even produce surplus energy that they sell back to the utilities, which provides additional revenue. Pulp and paper mills are large consumers of "hog fuel," (course wood chips and bark) which is a product of sawmill operations. In addition, mills combust the spent liquors from the kraft and sulphite processes. The steam produced from the burning of the hog fuel and spent liquors usually generates enough electricity and process steam to run the mill.

Studies

Forest products

As a region made up of states with vast forest lands, it is only natural that forest products would be a large industry.

Studies

Food Processing

The Northwest is one of the top agricultural producers in the U.S., which means the necessity of food processing plants. The industry is dependent on energy for the processes required for food freshness and safety. The food industry uses energy for food preservation, safe and convenient packaging, and storage. Food preservation is dependent on strict temperature controls. Safe and convenient packaging is extremely important in food manufacturing and is also energy intensive. Thermal processing and dehydration are the most commonly used techniques for food preservation, and require significant amounts of energy. The food industry uses energy for food preservation, safe and convenient packaging, and storage. Food preservation is dependent on strict temperature controls. Safe and convenient packaging is extremely important in food manufacturing and is also energy intensive.

Approximately half of all energy end-use consumption is used to change raw materials into products (process use). Process uses include process heating and cooling, refrigeration, machine drive (mechanical energy), and electro-chemical processes.

Process heating uses approximately 29% of total energy in the food industry, while process cooling and refrigeration demands about 16% of total energy inputs. Processing uses 78% of electricity with 48% used for machine drive and 25% for process cooling and refrigeration.

Boiler fuel represents nearly one-third of end-use consumption. This energy was transformed into another energy source. For example, boiler fuel can be used to produce steam, which can have end uses.

Studies

Farm Energy/Dairies

Anaerobic digestion is the breakdown (“digestion”) of biodegradable material by bacteria in an oxygen-free environment. An anaerobic digester is an industrial system that harnesses these natural processes to treat waste, produce biogas that can be used to power electricity generators, provide heat, and a soil amendment.

Studies

Wastewater treatment facilities

More than 500 large WWTFs (with influent flow rates greater than 5 million gallons per day [MGD]) around the country use anaerobic digesters to process their waste—thereby producing biogas. If all of these facilities used their biogas to fuel CHP, they would generate an additional 340 megawatts (MW) of clean electric capacity each year. This increase in CHP use would eliminate approximately 2.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually—equivalent to removing the emissions of almost 430,000 cars or planting nearly 640,000 acres of forest. (Source: EPA CHP webpage)

Anaerobic digestion is the breakdown ("digestion") of biodegradable material by bacteria in an oxygen-free environment. An anaerobic digester is an industrial system that harnesses these natural processes to treat waste, produce biogas that can be used to power electricity generators, provide heat, and a soil amendment.

Colleges and Universities

As large complexes of buildings requiring significant amounts of energy (heat, steam, chilled air, hot and cold water and often power), colleges and universities are a market that cannot go unnoticed. Improved energy efficiency goes in tandem with cost reductions. The Northwest has many colleges and universities. This is one of the target markets for the Center.