Released on: March 4, 2008, 1:07 pm

Press Release Author: Mark Morgan / Bonhag Asociates

Industry: Environment

Press Release Summary: Lebanon, NH (March 4, 2008) -- Bonhag Associates, a leader in
sustainable and renewable energy systems, of Lebanon, NH, was honored with the
prestigious certificate of Greenhouse Gas Reduction from the US Environmental
Protection Agency. This tribute to their innovative engineering successes includes
Bonhag's ten combined heat and power (CHP) projects in operation during 2007. These
CHP projects have benefited our environment with an estimated reduction of 20,500
tons of carbon during 2007 as compared to traditional methods of heat and power
production. This amount of carbon reduction is equivalent to planting 4,437 acres
of forest or removing one year of emissions from 2,958 automobiles. The continuing
operation of these CHP projects will enable similar results to be realized every
year. Bonhag Associates plans to add more CHP projects to its resume each year,
allowing for even greater environmental benefits in the future.

Press Release Body: Wayne T. Bonhag, PE, owner and principal officer of Bonhag
Associates is proud of these achievements and continues pursuing CHP and other
environmentally friendly engineering solutions for his international set of clients.
With over forty years of energy experience, Bonhag Associates brings his projects
in at nearly 30% less then other engineering firms. Such a large savings is made
possible by the distributed nature of the company, which includes an international
assortment of engineers capable of innovative and cost effective solutions. Bonhag
is known for bringing in projects on time and below budget, while maintaining an
environmentally friendly, sustainable approach.

Bonhag Associates' innovative engineers work as mechanical, electrical, and energy
engineering consultants for large commercial buildings, industrial, institutions,
and government, providing:
. Planning and Programming
. MEP/FP Buildings Innovative Design
. Process Analysis and Design
. Energy Systems and Design
. Problem Solving
. Code Review and Forensic Analysis

For more complete information on Bonhag Associates, call toll free: (888) 448-5180
or E-mail: wbonhag@bonhagassociates.com

Photographs of CHP systems are available upon request from Mark Morgan
mdmorgan3@verizon.net

Press release written and distributed by Mark Morgan and Lynne A. Morgan, Morgan
Business Development 3-3-2008



CHP System Description
A CHP system is one that takes a single fuel and makes both electrical power and
thermal for heating, domestic hot water, cooling, or process. There are a number of
ways to accomplish this, based on the particular energy profile of the facility.
Bonhag Associates selects systems and subsystems that are proven and apply
innovative approaches that keep you on the cutting edge to achieve outstanding
results. In this way, they are able to assist their clients in optimizing their
energy expenditures appropriately. Bonhag Associates has vast experience in
providing engineering planning, analysis, design, commissioning, and troubleshooting
for a wide variety of CHP systems. As a design team, they select the correct type
and size of system for each facility. Over forty years of experience in the
mechanical, electrical, and energy fields allows them to integrate systems in such a
way as to provide their clients with excellent, hands-on, practical results.

Company Contact Information
BONHAG ASSOCIATES, PLLC
314 Poverty Lane
Lebanon, NH 03766-2705
Phone: (603) 448-5180
Fax: (603) 448-2632
P.O. Box 1155
White River Jct., VT 05001-1155
Phone: (802) 479-7303
Phone Toll Free: (888) 448-5180
E-mail: solutions@bonhagassociates.com
Website: http://www.bonhagassociates.com

A CHP related article by Wayne T. Bonhag:

Biomass Gasification Systems in the Combined Heat and Power Market
By Wayne T. Bonhag, PE, PP. LEED AP

With the present high costs of both electrical and thermal energy, the use of
biomass (wood chips, pellets, and other sustainable green fuels) is an excellent
choice especially when coupled with a combined heat and power (CHP) application. The
reason that this is an exceptional choice for those facilities in the Northeast part
of the United States and Canada is that there is an abundance of wood chips and
sustainable fuel. The gasification process is extremely clean so that air emissions
are minimal, electrical and thermal delivery is localized to the need therefore
minimizing transmission losses, and the use of a single fuel to provide both the
electric power and the thermal requirement significantly increases the efficiency of
the overall plant.

What is a true biomass gasification system? A true biomass gasification system is
designed to convert a fuel such as coal, coke, and wood fuel into a combustible gas
which is termed "producer gas." This clean producer gas may be used for a fuel in
engines, gas turbines, boilers, generators, and many other applications. In fuel
firing devices such as boilers which have burners, this fuel will not need to be
cleaned and cooled since the hotter gas will enhance the firing of the boilers. In
fuel firing devices such as engines and turbines, this producer gas will be further
cleaned and cooled so the engine and turbine continues to perform over a long period
of time in the manner in which they were designed.

From a historic perspective, gasifiers have been in the world for hundreds of years.
They come in all sizes from small coal or coke-fired units which have been used in
automobiles to much larger fixed-site units that are used to produce both electrical
power and thermal energy. They become more viable based on need, thermal-electric
balance, fuel cost and avoided energy cost. A gasifier unit like a linear hearth
gasifier is now on the open market in New Zealand, Europe, Asia, and in the United
States. This technology is the product of many years of commercial gasifier design
and fabrication experience by a number of firms. In order for a unit to be cost
effective and applicable to a project, it must be fabricated by skilled craftsman,
using the highest quality materials available; it must be durable, properly
controlled automatically, and be reliable. The single item that makes this
technology a gasification unit instead of a combustor is that the control of oxygen
to the fire box is controlled so that pyrolysis occurs instead of oxidation. There
is no excess air present as there would be in a combustor unit approach. This
technology, then, promotes a cleaner operation with much lower emissions and ash
from wood chip fuel. This also means that a gasification unit has the capability to
develop more energy from the same amount of raw fuel, thus providing a fuel savings
on the front end of the system.

The entire system of fuel storage, fuel handling, wood moisture preparation chamber,
gasifier, cleaner, cooler, and delivery piping to the device is what makes up a
total gasification system. In the properly designed system, this is designed for
totally automatic operation with all the run modes and safety shut downs. Depending
on the sensitivity of the installation, some degree of redundancy is required to
assure that the system continues to operate during maintenance shut downs and
emergency shutdowns.

The combination of a good quality biomass gasifier with a true combined heat and
power (CHP) application will provide optimum energy production at a facility. This
melding of technologies allows the maximum amount of energy to be obtained from the
fuel stock and delivered to the site in either electrical power or thermal energy. A
properly designed facility to do this will achieve the result that the owner is
anticipating for the benefit of the firm and with the proper socioeconomic
attributes.

In studies that we have completed on a number of biomass CHP projects, we have
determined that utilizing gasification in the process is a major cost savings to the
operating cost from fuel resources alone when compared to other t3pes of wood chip
systems because of the reduced fuel requirement. When comparing this technology to
natural gas, propane, and fuel oil, biomass gasification provides an excellent
solution. In fact in many analyses that we have completed on various sized projects,
we have found a simple payback between four (4) and six (6) years.

In order to implement a gasification project one needs the following:
1. A host site with a good balance of thermal and electric energy consumption. 2. An
adequate source of biomass fuel at a reasonable cost. Presently the cost per million
BTU of wood chips is in the range of $2.00 to $2.75 per million BTU, depending on
quality and location. This biomass fuel cost is significantly less than conventional
fuel costs.
3. A knowledgeable engineering resource to properly design the systems and subsystems.
4. A resource for financing of the installation.
5. The gasification technology being available in a commercially proven, readily
available product. This applies to both systems and subsystems.
6. The ability to operate the gasification plant and all the axillaries.

Thankfully, for all of us within the Northeast region, we are at a juncture in the
energy marketplace right now where all six (6) of the above items have come together
and are available to the interested owner. It is up to the properly educated
owner/operator to bring this technology into being at his facility in order to begin
to gather the energy savings from using sustainable, green, biomass gasification
systems. It will take some demonstration or pilot project to raise the level of
interest in this technology in our area. However, once that demonstration or pilot
is done, owners will be interested in jumping on board with the biomass gasification
technology. In our opinion, using biomass gasification is the right thing to do,
right now.

For additional information, please contact Wayne T. Bonhag, P.E., P.P., LEED AP is
the Principal of Bonhag Associates, PLLC, an innovative consulting engineering firm
located in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Mr. Bonhag has designed a number of varied award
winning sustainable buildings and gasification CHP projects for clients throughout
the United States for residential, commercial, industrial, educational and
hospital-healthcare both in new construction and renovation of existing facilities
and is a member of the USEPA CHP Partnership Mr. Bonhag is a second generation
Mechanical, Electrical and Energy engineer having worked for such firms as Exxon
Corporation, DuPont, Bristol Myers-Squibb and locally, Vermont Gas Systems,
Fujiflim, and Dartmouth College among others. Mr. Bonhag can be reached at
wbonhag@bonhagassociates.com or at 603-448-5180.




Web Site: http://www.bonhagassociates.com

Contact Details: BONHAG ASSOCIATES, PLLC
314 Poverty Lane
Lebanon, NH 03766-2705
Phone: (603) 448-5180
Fax: (603) 448-2632
P.O. Box 1155
White River Jct., VT 05001-1155
Phone: (802) 479-7303
Phone Toll Free: (888) 448-5180
E-mail: solutions@bonhagassociates.com
Website: http://www.bonhagassociates.com