October 21, 2009
Subcommittee Examines Federal Government’s Role in the R&D of Converting Biomass for Heat and Electricity
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Energy and Environment Subcommittee held a hearing to review the federal government and industry’s role in developing technologies that convert biomass feedstock into biopower, focusing on thermal energy (heat) and electricity.
Biomass is a renewable energy source which includes any organic matter that is available on a renewable basis – agricultural crops, agricultural waste and residues, wood, wood waste and residues, animal waste, aquatic organisms, and some municipal waste streams.
“Given the decreasing availability of fossil fuel resources and simultaneous increases in demand, along with concerns over lethal overheating of the earth and ocean acidification, a responsible 21st century energy portfolio will include a renewed commitment to biopower technologies,” stated Subcommittee Chairman Brian Baird (D-WA). “In order to realize the benefits of biomass, new research needs to be funded. Enhanced basic and applied research and commercialization of a diversity of conversion technologies needs to be advanced.”
Biomass is the oldest source of energy. Nomadic hunter-gatherer societies burned wood for cooking and heating. Five generations ago, 90 percent of energy was supplied by burning wood. Currently, biomass only provides 10 percent of the world’s energy supplies. In the U.S. renewable energy (i.e. solar, wind, water, geothermal, and biomass) only accounts for 10 percent of our current energy production and of that 53 percent comes from biomass. According to the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy, 1.3 billion tons of biomass could be available for bioenergy production by 2030.
Previously, biomass has drawn attention for its ability to be converted into liquid transportation fuels. At today’s hearing, Subcommittee Members discussed the research areas and biopower technologies – gasification systems, directed-fired systems, and anaerobic digestion – needed to produce biopower such as heat and electricity. Subcommittee Members questioned witnesses regarding biopower research efforts in the federal government’s research portfolio and the steps needed to overcome barriers for new biopower technologies.
“Biomass feedstocks are vital as the country moves toward a more diverse portfolio of energy sources, especially in the Southeast and Northwest,” added Baird. “In 2005, a report published by the Washington State Department of Ecology and Washington State University found that my state has the potential annual production of over 1,769 MW of electrical power from biomass. This equates to roughly 50 percent of Washington state′s annual residential electrical consumption. Furthermore, in my district we have abundant amounts of forest biomass. When this resource is harvested in conjunction with a sustainable forest management plan, important restoration goals can be achieved, such as wildfire mitigation, watershed protection, wildlife habitat restoration and reduced insect infestation.”
For more information, visit the Committee’s website.
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