The United States of Biomass

Paul Bunyan, the famous american legend, was responsible for destroying many of our precious forest resources. He cut down trees for timber with the ruthlessness of a Mongol. He lived in a time where timber was viewed as merely an economic resource. However, with the emergence of new technologies, wood can now be used to create carbon neutral power in remote areas around the US.

Currently Biomass power generation in the US produces less than 3% of the US's total energy production, whereas, fossil fuels are responsible for over 85%. The US alone releases about 5.9 million metric tons of carbon annually, a staggering number. This represents about 20% of global carbon emissions. With climate change looming on the horizon, something has to be done to combat this problem. Scientists are currently using an enormous amount of resources trying to achieve fusion as a solution to this problem. However, we are squandering a resource that is at our finger tips.

Bioenergy that is produced from the combustion of woody biomass is a largely untapped natural resource. There are over 590 million wet tons of woody biomass available every year. By using biomass to create energy we could potentially produce over 30 GW of clean renewable energy. It may seem a bit contradictory to say that burning woody biomass is clean. However, it is actually 90% cleaner than a coal powered power plant. Another benefit, is that it is renewable. Timber that is burned releases CO2 into the atmosphere, however, it is carbon neutral. Meaning the amount of CO2 released is equal to the amount absorbed by planting another tree. An added benefit is the use of the ash as fertilizer. By removing the ash and using it as fertilizer, valuable nutrients can be successfully reintegrated into the environment.

There is an absurd amount of fuel available as well. Byproducts of sawmills such as saw dust can be compacted into pellets and used as fuel for biomass power plants. Also within our national parks and wooded areas there is a tremendous amount of fallen trees and branches that can be collected and used as a fuel source. This has an added benefit because it reduces the chances of large fires breaking out, by removing fuel from these at risk areas. This has the potential to save millions of dollars in damages and fire costs, as well as reducing the carbon released by wildfires every year. The amount of wood that can be collected is about 540 bone dry tons annually and is equivalent to about 12% of the fuel consumed by the US annually. So I ask why not? Why shouldn't we use this resource that is so close and so clean. It's easy cheap and has a relatively high energy output. So lets ask America to start building a few biomass plants and lets start fighting climate change.

Sincerely,

That Guy