People
University Biomass Facility Fired Up for Sustainable Future
Engineering for the largest wood biomass heating project in Maine led by Mark Power '87
our projects, such as compressed natural gas and
renewables including wood biomass, biofuel and
solar technologies."
Maine has an abundant biomass resource
and that allows the energy source to be cost
competitive.
"In the case of UMF, for example," Power said,
"in addition to a serious concern regarding the
cost and volatility of the fossil fuel market, they
had a significant interest in achieving greenhouse
gas reduction and becoming more sustainable."
The federal EPA recognizes sustainably harvest-
ed wood biomass as a carbon neutral source of
energy.
The UMF plant replaces 95 percent of the
400,000 gallons of oil that was burned annual y to
heat the campus.
Power's team has also installed biomass
heating systems at Maine schools at Caribou
High School, Limestone Community School, Fort
Fairfield Schools and Greenville High School.
"At a time when we are seeing the closure of
paper mil s and biomass generating plants, we
need to do everything we can to make use of our
Photos Courtesy of Mark Power
T
sustainably managed commercial forests," said
he recent launch of an almost
Power. "When we harvest local wood biomass to
When we harvest local wood
6,000-square-foot, $11 million hot
serve our local schools and businesses, we keep
"
water heating plant at the University
biomass to serve our local
Maine people working and allow our commercial
"
of Maine, Farmington (UMF) is a notable
forests to remain economical y valuable as forests.
schools and businesses, we
achievement for Mark Power '87 and the
We keep our local economic engine running and
team from Trane U.S. Inc., an Energy Ser-
keep Maine people working.
keep the energy dol ars in our state."
vices and Controls company and an HVAC
Operational savings associated with the UMF
equipment manufacturer. It is one the latest
and industrial building owners, hospitals, schools
facility are projected to pay for the plant in 10
of many energy retrofit projects in which he's
and municipalities to reduce their energy con-
years and the systems to have at least a 30-year
played an important role.
sumption and their operating costs," said Power.
life expectancy.
Power wil tel you the hands-on and
"Due to the high cost of energy in Maine, in
For Power, al of his experience was brought
multi-disciplined nature of his MMA training in
addition to employing high-efficiency equipment
to bear on the project. "Just as in shipboard op-
Marine Engineering Operations was important
and controls to help modernize buildings and
erations or construction," he said, "you are going
to his success as an engineer in a career that has
reduce their operating costs, we've also taken
to be exposed to and need to have a degree of
taken him many miles across land and sea since
advantage of lower-cost energy commodities in
expertise in al engineering disciplines."
graduation.
After graduation he spent a year with EXX-
ON, then a decade sailing as a Chief Engineer
in the Alaskan factory trawler fleet. In 1998 he
came ashore and spent seven years with Bath
Iron Works where he received his license as a
Professional Engineer (Mechanical) in Maine.
After a brief stint with OSG's tanker fleet in
2005 and 2006, he was hired by Trane where
he and his team now work to develop energy
services projects in Maine and New England.
"Our focus is on working with commercial
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MARINER / 2016 - ISSUE 2

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