GDF Suez is the owner and operator of Polaniec biomass power plant The project is 80% fuelled by wood chips and 20% by agricultural waste the world’s largest biomass power plant The project is 80% fuelled by wood chips and 20% by agricultural waste The zl1bn ($290m) biomass power plant was built at the site of the existing 1,800MW Polaniec power station in Polaniec The plant became operational in November 2012 The existing Polaniec power plant has eight 225MWe turbines fed by coal and biomass The biomass unit was initially planned for a capacity of 190MW but increased to 205MW during the construction stage It features a circulating fluidised bed (CFB) boiler which is capable of burning biomass fuel exclusively The environmental impact assessment (EIA) for substituting the coal fired boiler with CFB boiler was conducted during 2009-2010 Construction of the biomass fuelled power plant was undertaken to complement the European Union’s target to generate 15% of energy from renewable sources by 2020 The plant will cut down carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.2 million tons (mt) a year Alstom is retrofitting the plant by replacing the existing turbines of units one to seven with new steam turbines and overhauling the components to improve the turbine capacity and the plant’s service life The upgrades are targeted for completion by 2014 steam pressure of 127.2bar and a temperature of 565ºC The steam generated by reheating has a pressure of 20bar and a temperature of 565ºC Wood chips are produced during the chipping process at the fuel yard while the agricultural wastes are supplied from within 100km radius of the plant The wastes poured into the boiler are fluidised due to the heat The entire bed is lifted and the fuel circulated to the top of the furnace where the solid parts are separated and brought back to the furnace The heating surfaces are provided with moderate thermal loading and the fuel is added to the furnace along with additives to prevent accumulation of unwanted materials and fouling of the furnace Measures to avoid corrosion and fouling of the convective pass are also taken into consideration by applying corrosion resistant materials Corrosion and fouling of the boiler is constantly checked by the online diagnostics which have been put into place The Western Wood Energy biomass plant is the first commercial-scale power station of its kind in Wales Tractebel Engineering carried out the EIS for the ongoing Polaniec biomass power plant Tractebel Engineering also provided the milling feasibility study of agri-biomass for unit eight of the Polaniec power station supply and erect the CFB boiler island to Foster Wheeler The scope of work included designing and supplying the steam generator and other supporting instruments preparing the biomass yard and building and commissioning of the biomass island Foster Wheeler’s subsidiaries in Finland and Poland were also involved in executing some of the contractual works Laborelec provided technical support to GDF Suez for the design of the biomass power unit BRUKS Klöckner supplied the chipping line for the biomass power plant which included the drum chipper and handling equipment Emerson Process Management equipped the plant with the Ovation expert control system and AMS Suite predictive maintenance software to control the boiler It also provided automation services such as complete project management Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network is the world's biggest 100% biomass-fuelled power plant is the world’s biggest 100% biomass-fuelled power plant which was constructed at the site of the 1,800MW Polaniec thermal power station in Polaniec The PLN1bn ($290m) biomass power plant unit is entirely run on a mixture of 80% wood chips and 20% agricultural by-products Commercial operations at the plant began in November 2012 at the existing Polaniec power plant features a state-of-the-art circulating fluidised bed (CFB) boiler which is capable of using difficult to burn biomass as fuel to achieve a net plant efficiency of more than 36% An Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) was conducted during 2009-2010 to look into the possibility of substituting the coal fired boiler in Unit 8 with a CFB boiler The capacity of the Green Unit was increased from the initially planned 190MW to 205MW during construction The biomass power plant aims to help increase Poland’s renewable energy production from 10.4% in 2010 to 12.9% by 2017 It will cut down 1.2m tonnes of CO2 emissions annually and complement the European Union’s target to generate 15% of energy from renewable sources by 2020 sufficient for 320,000 homes and offsets 1.2m tonnes of CO2 emissions per year The existing Polaniec power plant consists of eight units which are co-fired by coal and biomass Each unit previously had a generation capacity of 225MW Construction of the biomass fuelled power unit began in July 2010 and a series of upgrades were carried out The steam turbine of Green Unit (Unit 8) of the Polaniec power station was retrofitted in 2012 to match the configuration of the new biomass boiler the generator and exciter systems were also modernised to increase turbine cycle efficiency including retrofitting of the steam turbines with new high pressure (HP) and intermediate pressure (IP) to increase efficiency The capacity ratings per unit are expected to increase more than 240MW and will significantly reduce CO2 emissions for the entire facility which will extend the plant’s lifetime by an additional 25 years are expected to be completed by the end of 2014 Poland produces 35mt/y of wood waste and 14mt/y of agricultural waste The Advanced Bio CFB boiler at the new plant consumes up to 890,000t of wood chips and 222,000t of agricultural waste annually to produce renewable energy The fuel yard supplies wood chips produced during the chipping process while agricultural waste is procured from within 100km radius of the plant It includes straw pellets or crushed briquettes The chipped biomass is stored in a 24,000m³ open sided A-frame barn roof The steam generated by reheating has 20bar pressure and a temperature of 565ºC The heat in the boiler fluidises the wastes and the entire bed is suspended in the air stream and the fuel is circulated to the top of the furnace The solid parts are separated and returned to the furnace Heating surfaces contain moderate thermal loading while the boiler operates at a lower combustion temperature Fuel spends more time burning in the combustion chamber resulting in naturally low SO2 and NOx emissions and high combustion efficiency A fluidised bed has a high heat capacity which evens out the fluctuations caused by variation in the fuel quality stabilising the combustion and further reducing the emission of harmful gases The boiler is also equipped with an advanced automated control system to continuously adjust the combustion process and predict equipment issues The fuel is added to the furnace along with additives to prevent fouling of the furnace Corrosion and fouling of the convective pass are also avoided by applying corrosion resistant materials Online diagnostics have been put into place to constantly check the corrosion and fouling of the boiler Tractebel Engineering conducted the EIA for the Polaniec biomass power plant The EIA supported the project’s environmental permit application The milling feasibility study of agri-biomass for the Green Unit was conducted by Tractebel Engineering who recommended safe and efficient biomass feeding technology Foster Wheeler was awarded a turnkey contract by GDF Suez for the design supply and erection of the CFB boiler island and fuel yard in April 2010 Foster Wheeler designed and supplied the steam generator and auxiliary equipments and constructed and commissioned the biomass island Foster Wheeler’s subsidiaries in Finland and Poland executed some of the contractual works GDF Suez hired Laborelec for technical assistance for the biomass power unit design including the drum chipper and handling equipment was provided by BRUKS Klöckner and Polimex Mostostal Warszawa The contract to retrofit the existing steam turbine at Unit 8 was awarded to Alstom The company also received a €65m ($89.6m) contract to modernise Units 2-7 in mid-2012 The contract included an option to retrofit the Unit 1 Emerson Process Management provided its PlantWeb digital plant architecture with Ovation expert control system and AMS Suite predictive maintenance software to control the boiler. It also provided automation services including complete project management View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network The author (middle) and her sisters sit among the pumpkins under the black walnut tree at Grobe Fruit Farm in 1995 and Westley (8) sit approximately where the author and her sisters did 25 years prior The author (right) and her sisters pose in front of "How Tall This Fall Grobe Fruit Farm '02." Photo courtesy of Laurie Schumick Westley (8) and Jack (10) chart this years growth with "How Tall This Fall Grobe Fruit Farm 2020." Photo by Rachel Polaniec The pile of pumpkins around the black walnut tree started with James Grobe in 1955; the house was already on the property when the farm was purchased by his great-grandfather Henry in 1905 The pile of pumpkins is a favorite with visitors young and young at heart The front lawn provides a scenic backdrop to fall fun the sight of various implements dotted around the property is a charming bonus Fun fact: Everyone smiles in the Happy Pumpkin Face photo op Grobe Fruit Farm is one of Ohio's century farms Across the street a red barn stands sentry over orchards A sampling of the mouth-watering produce available for purchase Miniature pumpkins decorate shelves laden with Indian corn Bins filled with apples line the walkway in front of the market The market was added to Grobe Fruit Farm in 1950 Fossil fuel interests persuaded the government to waste billions on false schemes that don’t solve the climate crisis Carbon capture is having a moment, and it’s not hard to see why: As Texas Monthly reports “the worldwide carbon-capture market is expected to grow from about $2 billion this year to about $7 billion in 2028.” Last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law devotes billions to advancing the technology, and the new Senator Joe Manchin-approved climate compromise bill would do more to bolster the industry. Meanwhile, atmospheric CO2 levels have now reached their highest levels in human history which limits the federal government’s power to reduce climate pollution is making techno-fixes all the more appealing There’s just one problem: There is no real evidence that carbon capture can or will do what its optimistic name suggests The popular image of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) — promoted by the fossil fuel industry politicians and techno-futurists alike — is a power plant equipped with devices that can grab the spewing pollution before it reaches the atmosphere From there it can be sent somewhere to be safely stored But despite billions of dollars and decades of effort invested, no such facilities exist on any meaningful scale So why does carbon capture maintain its trendy status as a bipartisan climate fix For Democrats frustrated by their inability to pass more meaningful climate legislation it has an intuitive rhetorical appeal: Who wouldn’t want to “capture” carbon pollution “world oil production is hovering at around 100 million barrels daily and is projected to reach 109 million barrels by 2030 even if the theoretical vision of carbon capture were to somehow be realized it would do nothing to alleviate a host of other grave problems associated with fossil fuels Carbon capture would not reduce the other forms of deadly air pollution created by fossil fuel plants or the water contamination caused by fracking Instead of reining in the program, the 45Q program was expanded in 2020. And last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law dedicates roughly $12 billion to promoting various forms of carbon capture but there is precious little evidence to suggest these will ever exist Meanwhile, some projects that are further along, like the massive carbon pipelines being pitched across several Midwestern states, are attracting serious pushback Farmers and other landowners are resistant to handing over precious land to pipeline companies while experts are raising questions about the scientific and technical feasibility of the projects — not to mention the public safety concerns While carbon capture has been marked by a series of failures, there are a handful of successful capture facilities in operation. But it’s important to know what “success” looks like: These projects overwhelmingly use the captured carbon in a process known as “enhanced oil recovery,” a fanciful term for pumping more oil out of existing wells Extracting and burning more oil is not a victory for the climate But by another measure it’s been a resounding Fossil fuel companies have managed to persuade the federal government to waste billions on false schemes that do nothing to solve the climate crisis and it will only continue to worsen until lawmakers pull the plug on these illusions and get serious about stopping pollution at the source we are witnessing a terrifying array of anti-democratic tactics to silence political opposition increase surveillance and expand authoritarian reach Truthout is appealing for your support as Trump and his sycophants crack down on political speech Nonprofits like Truthout could be caught in Trump’s crosshairs as he attacks dissenting groups with bad faith lawsuits and targeted harassment of journalists these attacks come at a time when independent journalism is most needed The right-wing corporate takeover of media has left reliable outlets few and far between with even fewer providing their work at no cost to the reader Who will be there to hold the fascists to account We ask for your support as we doggedly pursue justice through our reporting Truthout is funded overwhelmingly by readers like you Please make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly donation today Wenonah Hauter is the executive director of the national advocacy group Food & Water Watch As Trump and his sycophants work to silence political dissent independent media is a key part of the resistance Support our work by making a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout today Sign in Join now, it's FREE! Maizie Fulford (nee Armstrong) of Clarksburg passed away suddenly at Brightshores Hospital in Owen Sound with her family by her side on Thursday She was predeceased by her cherished husband Elmer in 2018 always keeping up to date with their activities and accomplishments She was the loving mother of Marsha (Keith) Densmore of Port Dover She will be sadly missed by her grandchildren Amanda (Matt) MacEwen of Listowel Darcey Havekes (Taylor Patterson) of London Krista Oakley (Travis Polaniec) of Meaford Dearly loved and missed by sister-in-law Shirley (Jim) Storey of St Catharines and nephew Darren Storey of Clarksburg Fondly remembered by Ken and Jeanie Oakley Maizie was a fabulous cook and baker – tea biscuits and jam and of course the butter tarts and Christmas cookies and squares (that the kids secretly snacked on loved her walks (that included visits) around town when weather allowed her frequent telephone conversations with family and friends and most recently her Friday afternoon “tea-time” with the ladies Maizie was a good friend - and when she believed in something strongly she could also be quite firm in her convictions She was very fortunate to have excellent neighbours who became good friends and as she aged was able to stay in her own home In keeping with Maizie’s wishes there will be no reception or service donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or a charity of your choice would be appreciated Arrangements entrusted to Grey Bruce Cremation and Burial Services the lamp blazes forth in unparalleled glory December’s Magical History Tour is the iconic A Christmas Story House & Museum, located less than 30 minutes east on I-90 in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. The museum’s website, achristmasstoryhouse.com contains pertinent information regarding building layout there it is!” Those six words must be uttered by anyone at all familiar with that classic holiday flick “A Christmas Story,” as they turn from Clark Avenue onto Tremont’s West 11th Street and behold the yellow-with-green-trim home of Ralphie Parker Based on Jean Shepherd’s stories about growing up in the 1940s “A Christmas Story” was brought to life by Bob Clark in 1983 Out of some 20 Rust Belt cities scouted for filming locations primarily due to the cooperation of Public Square-located Higbee’s Department Store (now the Jack Casino) which included keeping its Christmas decorations up through January and allowing construction of a 30-foot-high Santa Mountain While the exact story about how the house itself came to be selected as the Parker residence is unclear the version presented on the tour involves members of the scouting crew wanting smokestacks to be visible from the Parkers' backyard instructing the driver to head toward the source but just so happened to turn onto West 11th Street and the rest the owner of the home took his tidy payment of $20,000 and promptly began renovating the exterior of the house in an effort to avoid any publicity The following years saw ownership changes and additional renovations until 2004 when the house went up for sale on eBay for $99,000 It would be purchased by a man who lived in California when the sellers accepted Brian Jones’ offer of $150,000 Growing up with “A Christmas Story” as part of his family’s Christmas traditions Jones began making and selling replicas of the famous Leg Lamp in 2002 Bolstered by this success and confident in the film’s popular appeal Jones went about transforming the dilapidated old duplex on eBay into the warm family home on the big screen 2006: The interior was stripped down to the studs and completely rebuilt a new double-landing staircase was installed and the contractor – armed with 12 pages of film stills of the home’s interior – went about replicating each room to be as close to the original as possible the exterior was stripped of its many updates and returned to its former state A Christmas Story House opened on Thanksgiving weekend with an estimated 4,300 fans touring the home from which the engaging and genuinely funny Ernie took the group across the street to the house up the front stairs onto the porch and in through the front door and would continue for the tour’s duration While some of the filming did take place on a soundstage in Canada (astute visitors will spot the slightly different layout) entering the house really is like stepping into the movie itself Ernie gave a little spiel about the house’s history as a filming location and conversion into the museum we see today then gave us the go ahead to “run wild” for the next 15 minutes crawl into the cupboard under the kitchen sink hop in the large wooden crate labeled “Fragile,” and even handle the “Major Award” gleaming in the window we browsed through the toys and collections in Ralphie and Randy’s bedroom decoded Little Orphan Annie’s message in the bathroom Parker’s sewing room (the only part of the house that is roped off being host to actual objects from the 1940s) Ernie led everyone through the kitchen and out onto the back porch where Ralphie almost shot his eye out From there we could take in the Parkers' back yard including the original shed where Black Bart’s men were defeated by Old Blue and as such are displayed behind glass in typical museum fashion toys from the Higbee’s display window and the blackboard with "A+++" written by actress Tedde Moore (as teacher Miss Shields) The museum’s self-described holy grail is an “official Red Ryder range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time [a sundial],” one of six custom guns made by Daisy for the movie one belongs to actor Peter Billingsly (as Ralphie Parker) and the third went on display at the A Christmas Story House & Museum in 2015 (after being purchased from Prop Master you’ll know it’s an original if it has the sundial indicating that it is for a left-handed person like Peter Billingsly More impressive than the valuation of its collections is the benefit brought by A Christmas Story House to the city of Cleveland and the community. Through the non-profit A Christmas Story House Foundation the Neighborhood Restoration Project provides grants to the house’s neighbors for projects to fix up and improve their own houses The foundation’s largest fundraiser is the annual A Christmas Story Run a 5K/10K starting in Public Square and ending at A Christmas Story House This year’s run takes place at 9 a.m 7; while it is probably too late to register if you find yourself hankering for some early Christmas cheer consider heading to A Christmas Story House I live in Westlake with my husband and our three sons I work as an Alterations Specialist at David's Bridal My family and I take part in War of 1812 reenactments throughout the summer For now I content myself with antiquing and Keurig sampler packs Finwood Estate in Elyria is decorated for Christmas and open to the public This month’s Magical History Tour is at Finwood Estate located less than 15 miles from the Westlake/Bay Village area next to Lorain County Community College in Elyria Information in this article was sourced from the city of Elyria’s web page on Finwood Estate and from Annette Solet recreation supervisor for the City of Elyria From the tangled black mass of skeletal trees lining Abbe Road blazes a multitude of Christmas lights beginning near the street and stretching back into the surrounding woods snaking its way to the brightly-lit house twinkling merrily through the branches: It's Christmas time once more at Finwood Estate Originally built in 1929 as the private residence of common pleas Judge Guy B Finwood Estate is now owned by the city of Elyria and operated by the Elyria Parks Department throughout the year for private rentals Finwood's doors are flung open to the public as the property is transformed into a veritable winter wonderland known as Holiday at Finwood recreation supervisor for the City of Elyria and prime mover behind the event The current displays have undergone a significant evolution from the first iteration a Christmas tree in the front yard and in the living room Today an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 LED lights illuminate the property (the majority of which remain up year-round – a lift is used to get the lights into the higher branches of the trees) The outside is primarily done by Jay Horwedel maintenance supervisor of the Parks Division with work beginning in August setting up the temporary items She divides the two-story redbrick Tudor home into two sections: the traditional downstairs mannequin trees and Santa present every night while the upstairs is geared towards children and focused around a theme “I will tell someone I am starting to work on Finwood and they will say ‘What is the theme?’” This year’s is movies featuring "Trolls," "Minions" and "A Year Without a Santa Claus." Santa Claus is very much a presence in the Holiday at Finwood experience Seated in the living room aglow with the lights from the Christmas tree and sparkling décor engages each as they recite their wish list and sends the happy youngsters back to Mom and Dad with a coloring book and a candy cane for good measure Santa and the interior of the home will continue to be available through Dec while the exterior lights will remain on for the rest of the month Holiday at Finwood is sure to leave a lasting impression “I really believe Finwood is that feel-good program that promotes the community and holiday spirit,” noted Ms Horwedel and I] want to make sure that we can help people have long lasting memories of the holidays.” a visit to Finwood at Christmastime was a must I am happy to be continuing the tradition and passing it on – from generation to generation Wishing all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year I live in Westlake with my husband and our two sons October’s Magical History Tour will get you all set for trick-or-treating at North America’s largest candy store: B.A Sweetie’s on Brookpark Road in Cleveland conveniently located right off of I-480 East rainbow-swirl lollipop loudly proclaiming to all far and wide that there is candy to be had within these walls Walking into the warehouse calls to mind the (paraphrased) words of Willy Wonka: “Don’t lose your head Don’t get overexcited!” This is quite a tall order as the 40,000-square-foot candy store is stuffed to the brim with every kind of candy imaginable. Meandering through the soaring rows of sweets Nostalgia has a home here too, featuring Bonomo Turkish Taffy Still can’t find exactly what you’re looking for There are also candy-making supplies for the ultra-industrious.  Founded in 1950 by brothers-in-law Frank Stansny and Al Tokar Bag A Sweet Candy Company began in the basement of Al’s home in Broadview Heights, where the two bagged bulk candy until they moved to a building on Brookpark Road In 1892 they sold the company to current owners Tom and Judi Scheiman the company moved around several times and underwent various iterations throughout the following decades The current location opened in 2015; Sweetie’s Soda Shoppe parlor and Sweetie’s Golfland Park share the five-acre campus.  If you need a sweet treat after looking through all that candy the 6,000-square-foot attached Sweetie’s Soda Shop serves ice cream Signature flavors include classic chocolate pineapple upside down cake and campfire s’mores or combine any flavor ice cream with any of the 200 varieties of soda pop for a unique ice cream float And for some post-treat fun (and calorie-burning) head on out to the Golfland Park for 36 holes of mini golf.  there’s plenty of fun for everyone at B.A For now I content myself with antiquing and Keurig sampler packs.