Northern Michigan University receives grant from US Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service's Wood Innovation Grant program has awarded the university $114,553 to identify improvements to be made at the university’s Ripley Plant.
Northern Michigan University has received a grant in the amount of $114,553 from the U.S. Forest Service's Wood Innovation Grant program. The grant funding will be used to identify improvements to be made at the campus’ Ripley Plant on the way to aligning the power plant with the university’s Carbon Neutrality Plan.
An article on Northern Michigan University’s website states that the university’s 2023 Energy Master Plan Report identifies the Ripley Heating Plant as the source of 56.6% of the university’s greenhouse gas emissions. These greenhouse gas emissions come from using natural gas to provide the campus with heat, hot water, and air conditioning. 38.4% of the campus’ greenhouse gas emissions come from the electricity the university purchases from Marquette Board of Light and Power.
The goal of the university’s Carbon Neutrality Plan is to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by the year 2040. The plan notes that the university will “develop a plan to potentially transition from natural gas to a renewable fuel, such as biomass or renewable natural gas, at the Ripley Plant.”
Relatedly, the university’s Northern Woodshed Project is a combined effort of the Facilities Department, the Department of Earth, Environmental & Geographical Sciences, the Center for Native American Studies, and the Department of Biology, along with SISU: The Innovation Institute at NMU. The Northern Woodshed Project has been examining the feasibility of discontinuing the use of natural gas at the Ripley Plant and instead using local woodchips to supply energy.
According to the US Forest Service’s website, the Wood Innovation Grant Program “is investing in proposals that expand traditional wood utilization projects, promote using wood as a construction material in commercial, institutional and multifamily buildings, and expand wood energy markets.” It also notes that Northern Michigan University’s grant proposal plans to “restart [a] biomass energy system” that will “[result] in increased markets for low-value wood and support for active forest management.”
For more information about Northern Michigan University, visit the school’s website.