Biomass energy market red hot

[DoYouEverWonder]

April 3, 2005

Three years ago, the fires were going out at Maine's multi-million dollar biomass energy industry.

Most of the 11 plants built across rural Maine in the 1990s to generate electricity from waste wood were off line for months at a time. A couple shut down permanently. By 2002, an industry that had generated enough power to light 250,000 homes, employed hundreds of workers and provided a market for low-grade wood was fighting for its life.

Today, all the surviving plants are running near capacity, or undergoing upgrades worth millions of dollars so they can restart. Developers are planning a new $80 million plant with enough capacity for 40,000 homes, in the same location that a smaller biomass plant was dismantled last year.

<snip>

But Hall and other experts caution that the current expansion has limits. These plants swallow more than 1,000 tons of a day of sawdust, waste wood and construction debris, so a reliable supply is critical. Also, developers that once before invested in biomass plants based on projected oil prices and expected public-policy initiatives are weighing the risk of being stung again.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/business/stories/050403biomas.shtml

[gizmo1979]

1. wood is also not the answer

If we get too much of this the forests will be gone.We need a better mouse trap.

[Bhaisahab]

4. Here's a solution

Top Her Up With Jatropha
With several commercial trials showing encouraging results, biodiesel may be the next big thing in fuel

This could be the beginning of another green revolution. Only, it won't be in agriculture. Instead, it has the potential to change the energy landscape of India, as well as other crude-deficient, yet oil-guzzling economies.

<SNIP>

Biodiesel is a natural oil that's taken out of several non-edible oil-bearing plants. It undergoes organic and chemical processes to yield fatty acid esters, or a diesel-like product, which can be blended with normal diesel.

Experts predict that, like ethanol, biodiesel can be used mixing it with anything.

In India, the focus is on a wild plant, Jatropha Curcas, which can grow in most places since it requires little water and fertiliser, can survive on infertile soils, and is not eaten by cattle. It's also pest-resistant and has a high-seed yield that continues to be produced for 30-40 years. The seeds are crucial here, for they have a high oil content of 35-40 per cent and the kernels an even higher 50-60 per cent. IOC's R&D wing at Faridabad, Haryana, is also exploring the possibilities of doping diesel with oil extracts from mahua, karanjia, sunflower and rapeseed.

CONTINUED: http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20050328&fname=bio+disel+%28F%29&sid=1
(registration required)

[prairierose]

2. There are other organic materials that can be used...

in biomass. If they have designed these plants only to use wood, that was/is very shortsighted. Pretty much any organic material can be used & a constant source of material is always available in manure.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. That's why industrial hemp needs to be legalized

it would be a great biomass source for a plant like this.

[prairierose]

9. That is only one of the reasons to legalize.....

industrial hemp. There are so many products that can be made from hemp and it could help ease the transition way from petroleum.

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. But the paper and textile industries

would like that, now would they?

[Gregorian]

5. Breed not, want not

I'll just say that perhaps we can heat the homes with biomass, but where are those HOMES going to come from? That's all. Most existing homes have such a low heat constant, we spend a lot of energy just keeping them warm because of their outdated construction. At least biomass is renewable. But if we think about more than one thing at a time, the answer is much more complex than just our source of energy. These are nothing but stopgap attempts to make things look good for a little while. The problem is the population, "stupid". Stop breeding, and all of these problems just go away. Any other alternative is a futile struggle. Biomass, nuclear, solar, it's all just a patch. (With six billion, we need renewable energy. That's not the issue here.) And a patch that doesn't address the myriad of other problems like food, water, education, work, housing, health. Just where are these new houses going to come from? Our forests are already cut. And forests are not just a warehouse for wood products. I think this is the bigger issue. The other side of the coin. We need the photosynthesis. What good is biomass if we have no forests, or land for growing food. Already the central valley of California is no longer the massive garden that it used to be. I'm blown away that we can't seem to address this extremely important issue that is at the bottom of every problem. Noone wants to hear it. More often than not, even at DU, there will be a string of posts to follow my comments, that are less than willing to hear.

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. I have no problem

with appropriate methods of population control, such as cheap and easily accessible birth control and good, realistic sex education.

I will never understand the wacko fundies who are only pro-life when it comes to fetuses and are more then willing to send these fetuses off to war as soon as they grow up. It's just crazy.

[johnaries]

7. I'm not going to argue with you. Increasing population is

th biggest problem facing all of our consumables. Unfortunately, our economy has been based on a growing population throughout it's history. We have to re-think the basis of growing our economy. Bill Gates came up with one answer, re-create the product periodically and don't make it backwards compatible. Therefore, all of his customers are forced to buy new products every 2 or 3 years guaranteeing repeat sales without relying only on increasing the customer base. Of course, the new products have to have enough of a value-add to convince existing customers to buy.

I am concerned about wood biomass fuels, also. Our forests are already in trouble, which is also increasing Global Warming and Air Pollution. Bio-diesel, on the other hand, uses either plant oil or animal fat - even USED fats and oils (imagine the grease traps at McDonald's as an energy source!). There are plenty of alternatives for biomass fuels instead of trees.

I'm all for Hydrogen fuel cells, but it takes energy to create hydrogen. Therefore, hydrogen is not an energy source, merely a way to store and transport energy. Fuel cells, however, can use other fuels as well, including alcohol (biomass) and even gasoline. The difference is that fuel cells get about 100 mpg out of gasoline instead of 20 or 30 (or 10, if you own a Hummer).

The ultimate solution will be using as wide a variety of energy sources as possible.

[4dsc]

8. Is this the answer??

My brother sent me this piece of news..

http://www.ethanolrfa.org/RFA_Fuel_Cell_White_Paper.PDF

Where's the peak oil discussion??