How May We Help You?
The Fuels for Schools and Beyond partners and staff provide a great resource for implementing community biomass energy projects through technical and financial assistance.
Technical Assistance
Pre-Feasibility Assessment
Financial Assistance
Grant Program
Research
Education
Technical Assistance
Our staff can assist you with:
•Determining project feasibility
•Identifying financing opportunities
•Conducting local fuel supply assessments
•Advising on the bidding process for project design, construction and fuel supply
•Information sharing and networking
•Overall support and assistance
The Biomass Utilization program provides technical advice and assistance for any party interested in the concept of using forest wood waste for energy production, including but not limited to the non-profit and public entities that are eligible for the other aspects of the program.
Pre-Feasibility Assessment
Public and non-profit entities may be eligible for a program-sponsored Pre-Feasibility Assessment to determine if your facility might be a good candidate for a biomass energy system.
Download and submit the Application Form to request a Pre-Feasibility Assessment here.
Financial Assistance
The FFS&B program is currently unable to award construction grants to facilities for biomass boiler installations.
We can help identify financing opportunities available for feasibility assessments, project construction, research and development, and program development related to biomass energy.
View Financing Opportunities here or contact our staff.
Grant Program-not currently open
We are not currently offering Fuels for Schools grants.
Montana DNRC has historically conducted a competitive grant program for eligible facilities interested in installing biomass boiler systems. Grant dollars for these biomass projects were made available through directives of the National Fire Plan of 2001 which included specific grant funding under the USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry Economic Action Program for pilot projects to demonstrate new uses of small diameter and under-utilized wood material, as well as projects using proven technologies to use such material. DNRC issued the first competitive Request for Proposals in February of 2005, a second round in 2006, and has since awarded grants to eight facilities totaling just over $2 million. More on these projects.
Research
We are also working to increase our technical knowledge in many areas. We have partnered in and initiated a number of studies to address unresolved questions about various aspects of the program. These include a preliminary study on the potential for expanding the Fuels for Schools concept to other institutions in Montana, a follow-up Montana market assessment study, a study of methods for increasing the efficiency of processing and delivering wood waste from forest management projects to boilers, and air quality and other system monitoring reports. These reports can be found here.
Education
The Montana Fuels for Schools and Beyond staff are a great resource, providing information, technical assistance and support to interested parties and existing biomass boiler projects. Our education and outreach includes utilizing the results of our market studies to conduct focused outreach to facilities in Montana with the greatest potential for biomass boiler installations/conversions; our staff visits with interested facility administrators and regional development planners and architects; and we conduct tours of projects. In addition, we work in collaboration with Montana RC&Ds to display and distribute materials at community events across Montana and participate in conferences across the state and nation. In an effort to share the experiences and lessons learned through years of projects within the Fuels for Schools program, we co-hosted a successful national workshop on implementing biomass boiler systems in Missoula, MT in October 2007. We have also contributed information to the development of Montana’s Climate Change Action Plan regarding the potential of wood biomass energy in the state.
Fuels for Schools Curriculum (5.2 MB PDF) A great resource to engage students in understanding the benefits of a biomass boiler installation at their school. It combines lessons about biomass utilization for energy, wildfire safety, forest health, the wood products industry, and energy and economic issues in the community. This curriculum was developed by staff of the Bitterroot National Forest and Bitter Root RC&D. While developed specifically for use with Darby’s middle school students, feel free to adapt it to your needs.
Making Wood Work: Local Energy Solutions Workshop on Implementing Biomass Boiler Systems. Held October 2007 in Missoula, MT.
