There may be a bit more coal in the University’s stocking than some had hoped this Christmas.
A 500-ton wood pellet shipment, scheduled to arrive at UNC in November has now been delayed until March of next year.
The pellets are part of a plan outlined in the 2009 Climate Action Plan to reduce the University’s carbon footprint by combining coal with biomass products, such as wood pellets.
Despite the delay, the shipment delay might be more of a convenience than a setback. Ray DuBose, director of UNC Energy Services, said testing the wood pellets during the winter would reduce the University’s capacity for steam, which provides its heat.
“Testing an alternative fuel during a period of extremely high demand for steam and heat would be problematic,” DuBose said. “We postponed it to March knowing the weather is not as cold and we can run a better test.”
But the delay has caused some concern regarding the University’s ability to meet the 2020 deadline for becoming entirely coal-free.
“This is a huge transition for a 10-year time span,” said Stewart Boss, co-chairman of the Sierra Student Coalition, a group that has been advocating for a coal-free UNC. “It will be pretty challenging to meet the 2020 deadline if we keep delaying the initial test burning.”
The transition to wood pellets was composed as part of the University’s goal to become coal-free by 2020.
Twenty tons of wood pellets were received from Carolina Wood Pellets in September. The pellets then underwent tests to evaluate the way they would flow through equipment designed for coal.
