$10 Million Energy Grant Could Come Randolph's Way

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The Herald of Randolph, June 25, 2009
By M.D. Drysdale

Randolph is in a good position to apply for a grant of $10 million—or even more—to create a system for heating most downtown buildings with a central wood heating plant.

Chris Recchia, the director of the Biomass Energy Research Center in Montpelier, made that statement to selectmen last Wednesday, while asking for a spot on the agenda to explain the whole proposal, hopefully on July 1.

Only two selectmen were at the meeting Wednesday, so no action could be taken, and Recchia spoke only briefly.
What he did say, though, was enough to perk up anyone’s ears.

BERC has previously presented the results of a $25,000 study of the possibility that a wood-burning heating plant could provide heat, via hot water pipes, to much of the village, including the medical center, several manufacturers, the downtown, and dozens, perhaps hundreds, of homes.

The technology is simple and well-tested, being similar to piping systems that provide central heating to far-flung college campuses, for instance.

Providing such systems to villages, however, is a relatively new concept in this country, though it has been successfully used in several European countries.

BERC is interested in providing a model of how a village system could work, with the aim of reducing dependency on oil and its large price fluctuations.

Initial findings of the BERC study showed that the $18 million project would pay for itself if heating oil prices stay at the $2.50 per gallon in the next decade or so. If heating oil goes to$4 a gallon, however, the price advantages of a central wood-heating system appear to be “incredibly compelling,” the selectboard was told in April by a BERC representative.

Energy Bill
What is new as of this month, Recchia told the selectboard Wednesday, is that a new energy bill, passed by the state and drawing on federal funding, has a special provision in it that applies directly to the proposed heating district in Randolph.

The minimum amount of a grant from the program is pegged at $10 million, Recchia said last week.

“That would go a long way to making a district here very much more cost-effective,” he said.

Applications have to be in by July 14. Four other towns in Vermont are expected to apply, but none of them are as “ready” as Randolph, because of the large-scale study that BERC has already performed, he said.

“We (BERC) are working around the country on various biomass projects,” he said. “Of all the places we have been Randolph is among the best positions to apply for this of any communities in the country.”

If Randolph were to take the plunge, it would instantly become a national leader in alternate energy programs, he noted, and might well attract even more assistance.