A Life Cycle Assessment of CoalSwitch®, shows the pellet made from lumbermill waste by Active Energy Group, reduces CO2 emissions by 99 percent relative to coal and 97 percent relative to natural gas. The report was produced by Life Cycle Associates, an independent business and environmental consulting firm, based in California, specializing in life cycle analysis of fuel production pathways.
“This Life Cycle Associates analysis provides significant independent confirmation of the reduced greenhouse gas emissions incurred in the production of CoalSwitch®,” said Michael Rowan, CEO of Active Energy Group. “These conclusions provide much needed data to prospective customers of CoalSwitch® who have asked for this information from AEG in recent months. We can now confirm CoalSwitch® is not only sustainably sourced, but also provides significant performance improvements in greenhouse gas emissions as compared to coal and natural gas. CoalSwitch® continues to demonstrate that in addressing immediate environmental concerns, it is the next generation biomass fuel. At a time when the world is seeking not just a stable energy supply, but a sustainable one, CoalSwitch® is well-positioned to become a fuel of choice.”
The comprehensive life cycle analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for woody biomass includes emissions associated with feedstock collection/production and transportation, the production of process fuels, the delivery of the product to the power plant, and the burning the fuels. Upstream emissions included natural gas feedstock extraction, processing and transmission as well as imported grid power. Downstream emissions consisted of transport and distribution emissions from delivering wood pellets to the market. It also considered that wood pellets are made from lumbermill waste and forest residue that would otherwise generate GHGs either through the process of decomposition or burning.
In early 2022, AEG received positive results of independent co-firing testing that demonstrated CoalSwitch® burns cleaner and produces fewer pollutants than coal while also outperforming other white pellets.
