Pigs, peas, and. power Farmers soon may grow a renewable energy source
Biomass, grown in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner, realistically could be used to supply 50,000 MW (5 Quads) of electric capacity by 2010 and probably twice that amount by 2030. During the past year, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the US Department of Energy each have been evaluating the potential for biomass to become a major renewable energy resource over the next four decades, able to offset some of the US dependency on imported fossil fuels while offering environmental and economic benefits. EPRI's conclusion that biomass could become a truly important feedstock for electric generation in the near term grew out of a series of workshops attended by experts from government, academia, and industry. These experts did not conclude that significant biomass resource development would take place, but rather that it could take place in an economically profitable and environmentally acceptable manner. They identified two major barriers to biomass resource development: a lack of assurance that a reliable market exists for a dedicated biomass energy crop (significantly influenced by the current costs of both coal and natural gas); and current federal agricultural policies, particularly those dealing with price supports for some types of crops and the present constraints on the use of the more than 54 million acres of agricultural reserve program lands. Moreover, the very limited federal budget and program support for biomass energy within both the US Departments of Energy and Agriculture over the past 12 years has exacerbated the risks facing farmers making biomass/biofuels resource decisions and electric utilities considering using biomass resources. A third barrier is the general lack of consensus as to what criteria should be used for the environmentally sound development of biomass.
- OSTI ID:
- 6418803
- Journal Information:
- Public Utilities Fortnightly; (United States), Vol. 131:7; ISSN 0033-3808
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AGRICULTURE
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
BIOMASS
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
MARKET
SUBSIDIES
BIOMASS PLANTATIONS
EPRI
EUCALYPTUSES
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
GRAMINEAE
LOCUST TREES
MAPLES
POPLARS
SORGHUM
SWEET GUMS
SYCAMORES
TAXES
US DOA
US DOE
WILLOWS
CEREALS
ENERGY SOURCES
LEGUMINOSAE
LILIOPSIDA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MAGNOLIOPSIDA
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PLANTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
TREES
US ORGANIZATIONS
090700* - Biomass Fuels- Resources- (1990-)
097000 - Biomass Fuels- Legislation & Regulations- (1990-)
093000 - Biomass Fuels- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects- (1990-)
090800 - Biomass Fuels- Production- (1990-)
095000 - Biomass Fuels- Environmental Aspects- (1990-)