08/10/2026
๐ฒ๐ฅ Penns Valley Shares the Impact of Biomass at Agriculture Summit
Congressman Glenn Thompson hosted an Agriculture Summit today at Central Pennsylvania Institute (CPI) focused on forestry, fuel, and fiber across the Commonwealth.
Penns Valley Area School District was honored to be invited to share information about our Biomass Heating Facility and the impact this innovative project has had on our schools, our community, and the local forestry industry.
๐ฒ Did you know?
Our biomass system uses approximately 1,200 tons of woodchips each year to help provide heat to both Penns Valley Elementary Intermediate School and Penns Valley High School.
๐ฐ The system has saved the district approximately $250,000 per year in heating costs.
๐ซ The original project cost approximately $3.3 million, with roughly half of the project funded through grant funding. Through the annual savings generated by the system, the district was able to recoup its remaining investment in approximately seven years.
๐ Now approaching 15 years of operation, our biomass facility continues to provide significant cost savings to the district while utilizing a local renewable resource and helping reduce our carbon footprint.
We were proud to share the Penns Valley story with Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Director of Forestry Sam Cassel, who were among the panelists available to answer questions and discuss the future of forestry, fuel, and fiber in Pennsylvania.
We also had the opportunity to connect with many other local representatives and community leaders who were interested in learning more about the innovative things happening at Penns Valley.
A special thank you to Congressman Glenn Thompson and his staff for hosting this important event and for giving Penns Valley the opportunity to showcase how a forward-thinking investment made nearly 15 years ago continues to benefit our students, our taxpayers, and our community today.
๐ฒ Local Resources. Local Impact. Long-Term Savings.
Itโs a GREAT day to be a Ram! ๐