Scotts Valley tribal developers pitch bioenergy pilot for Lake County to provide local power and biochar

Tom Jordan, tribal administrator for the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, laid out a pilot program to convert local biomass into electricity and biochar using pyrolysis/gasification technology, telling the Clear Lake City Council the approach is designed to limit greenhouse‑gas releases while creating a marketable soil amendment.

Jordan said the process heats carbon‑based feedstock in a sealed chamber ("to a very high degree, 600 degrees plus Celsius") to produce syngas for power generation and biochar as a residual product. He said biochar returned to soil can sequester carbon and retain water, and that the project aims to use low‑value material from forest management, orchard shells and yard brush that otherwise have little commercial value.

Jeff, a consultant with Omnivio Energy, described potential plant sizes the presenters are exploring: small pilot systems of about 200 kilowatts up to roughly 1 megawatt. He said a 200 kW system running 24/7 is roughly equivalent to a 1 MW solar array on an annual energy basis and emphasized the systems’ demand‑responsive operation as an advantage over intermittent solar and wind.

Presenters said the Red Hills pilot would likely be sized at about 200 kW and could sell wholesale power under a power‑purchase agreement with PG&E or be configured to serve a local load (for example, a community facility or cold‑storage operation). They estimated a potential wholesale tariff near the 12–20¢/kWh range for small wholesale sales and said transportation costs start to erode project economics when feedstock prices approach about $40–$50 per ton.

On environmental and community impacts, the presenters argued the sealed pyrolysis process releases minimal greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and that the biochar can provide an additional carbon‑negative benefit when used as a soil amendment or filtration medium. They said noise from microturbines is modest (they cited roughly 60 dB at typical setbacks) and that plants are compact (no more than about 10,000 square feet for larger units).

Council members asked about storage and truck frequency, feedstock variety, zoning and permitting, and whether electricity would be exported or used on‑site. Presenters said they plan a centralized wood‑processing hub to minimize on‑site grinding, that trucks would deliver chip product (one truck could feed a small system for several days), and that zoning discussions and grid impacts remain to be worked out.

The presenters noted the project is still in early, pilot stages and asked to continue working with county and city staff on site selection and permitting. The council thanked the group for the briefing; no formal action was taken at the meeting.

Ending: City staff and the presenters said they would continue technical and siting work; the tribe and its consultants said they welcome follow‑up questions and more detailed economic analysis as site studies progress.