Biomass for Renewable Energy

BLM Colorado supports the development of renewable energy in the state, including biomass.  Biomass is considered any organic material such as non-commercial by-products of forest management projects.  BLM Colorado produces thousands of tons of biomass annually through various forestry, fuel hazard reduction, and range improvement projects.  Examples include timber sales and mechanical treatments of small diameter trees to reduce fuels.  However, much of the biomass produced is left on-site in the form of chips or piles of woody material that have been little-used due to limited demand in Colorado.  With the development of new pellet plants in Northwest Colorado, more facilities plan on using biomass for heating and blending wood with coal for power generation. Currently, BLM Colorado’s most active renewable biomass programs are:

- Providing wood chips to Black Hills Power in Canon City, CO.

- Providing dead and dying Mountain Pine Beetle infested trees to contractors who supply pellet plants in northwest Colorado.

- Providing thousands of cords of firewood for home and business heating throughout western Colorado. 

Solar

Solar radiation availability in the Southwest is some of the best in the world, and the BLM manages 30 million acres of public lands with solar potential. Currently, no commercial-scale solar energy facilities operate on BLM Colorado public lands. However, the BLM has received more than 220 applications for solar energy projects making up more than 2.3 million acres of land, mostly in California, Nevada, and Arizona.  About 5 percent of those applications are from New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. 

The BLM is presently working with the Department of Energy (DOE) on the preparation of a joint Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for solar energy development on public lands. The PEIS will assess environmental impacts associated with the development and implementation of agency-specific programs that would establish environmental policies and mitigation strategies for solar projects, and amend relevant agency land use plans in six western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.

The PEIS will also designate tracts of U.S. public lands in the West as prime zones for utility-scale solar energy development, fund environmental studies, open new solar energy permitting offices and speed reviews of industry proposals. Under this initiative, 24 tracts of Bureau of Land Management-administered land located in six western states, known as Solar Energy Study Areas, would be fully evaluated for their environmental and resource suitability for large-scale solar energy production.  The objective is to provide landscape-scale planning and zoning for solar projects on BLM lands in the West, allowing a more efficient process of solar development. 

In Colorado, four Solar Energy Study Areas have been identified. These areas were chosen based on the criteria that they be a minimum size of 2,000 acres, be near existing roads and existing or designated transmission line routes, and have a slope of less than 5 percent.

The Draft PEIS is expected to be available for public review and comment in late summer or early fall 2010. Additional details about the PEIS can be found on the solar energy development PEIS web page.

For more information about solar energy development on public lands please visit the solar energy national web page or see the Questions and Answers document

Wind 

Wind power is used for practical purposes such as generating electricity, charging batteries, or pumping water. Wind turbines capture the kinetic energy in the wind and convert it into electrical energy. Utility-scale turbines are mounted on tall towers, usually 200 feet or more above the earth's surface where the wind is stronger and less erratic. In utility-scale power applications, multiple turbines are connected to the utility grid to provide electricity when the wind blows.

Although numerous wind energy resources exist in Colorado, no commercial wind facility has been constructed on public lands in the state.  Much of the commercial wind-harnessing activity on BLM public lands takes place in California. 

The BLM completed a Programmatic Wind Energy Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) in 2005, amending 52 land use plans in nine western states that identified potential development of more than 3,200 megawatts of wind energy on BLM public lands in the next 20 years – enough to provide electricity for nearly 1 million homes each year.  For details about the PEIS, please visit the wind energy development Programmatic EIS Information Center.

For more information about wind energy development on public lands please visit the wind energy national web page.

Geothermal

Although numerous hot springs and geothermal features exist in Colorado, no commercial geothermal activity has begun on public lands in the state. Much of the geothermal activity on BLM public lands takes place in California and Nevada. Other states with geothermal activity include Utah and New Mexico.

The BLM and the Forest Service have completed a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for leasing geothermal resources on lands they manage.  For details about the PEIS, visit the project website.

For more information about geothermal leasing on public lands please visit the National BLM web page.

Hydrologic Energy

A total of 251 potential BLM (?) sites have been identified and assessed for hydropower potential in Colorado.  These sites are predicted to have capacities ranging from 0.5 kilowatts to 125 megawatts, with most sites having capacities less than 5 megawatts. New hydropower facilities may directly or indirectly affect BLM administered lands, either through land exchanges, rights-of-way actions, or alterations in stream flow and riparian habitat. Even though hydropower provides a clean source of energy, there are potential environmental impacts.  Hydropower projects have the potential to alter stream temperature, flow, and aquatic and riparian habitats.  Project proponents that want to develop such facilities that may affect BLM administered lands must complete the appropriate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis to address cumulative effects.

Hydropower is created by running water from a reservoir through a hydraulic turbine that spins and drives a generator shaft to create electricity. The distance between the water’s sources to its outflow (called the “head”) is a major factor when determining a site’s potential for hydroelectric generation. The greater the elevation change, the greater the potential for power generation. Hydropower facilities are useful for power regulation purposes (keeping supply and demand in balance), and restoring a grid after a blackout. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “large hydropower” refers to facilities that have an energy generation capacity of more than 30 megawatts. Unlike small scale hydro, large facilities are typically more capital-intensive and require the construction of some, if not all, of the following: dams, impoundments, powerhouses, and transmission lines.

For more information visit:

National Renewable Energy Laboratory - http://www.nrel.gov

Report on Hydropower in Colorado - http://hydropower.inl.gov/resourceassessment/pdfs/states/co.pdf

Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 - http://www.blm.gov/flpma

Governor’s Energy Office -  http://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/hydropower.asp

US Geological Survey – http://www.usgs.gov

Department of Energy - http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - http://www.ferc.gov

Bureau of Reclamation - http://www.usbr.gov/power/index.html