Projects of Interest
Green Choice VirginiaOur Bioenergy Future
Va Biomass Energy Group
Upcoming Events & Registrations
Visions for a Sustainable & Just Community, Panel Discussion hosted by the Sierra Club—Piedmont Chapter, 1:30 pm, Mar. 14, Main Library in CharlottesvilleClimate Change in Virginia: Challenges & Opportunities, Fluvanna County Democratic Committee, 7 pm, Mar. 19, Fluvanna County Library in Pleasant Grove
Climate Change in Virginia: Challenges & Opportunities, Appomattox Democratic Committee, 7 pm, Apr. 7, Jamerson Library in Appomattox. Contact: Frank Poynter at fjpoynter@mac.com
Biofuels & Biomass Potential in Virginia, 7 pm, Apr. 13, for more info visit the Williamsburg Climate Action Network, Williamsburg, VA, http://www.williamsburgclimate.org
Earth Day @ The Pavilion (tabling & display), all day event, Apr. 18, Downtown Mall, Charlottesville
Climate Change in Virginia: Challenges & Opportunities, Campbell County Democratic Committee, 7 pm, Apr. 20, place TBA
Earth Day in Nelson Co., all day event, Apr. 22
Media Activity
Al Weed to appear on WINA's "The Schilling Show," for a Climate Change panel discussion, Mar. 31, 12 noon. Tune in to AM 1070!Read the latest PPV editorial on carbon pricing, published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Jan. 15, 2009
Web Extras
GlossaryNews
Links
Sponsors
Andritz Sprout
Potomac Supply Corp
Va. Dept. of Forestry
Va. Dept. of Mines, Minerals & Energy
Partners
Va. Tech, Dept. of Biosystems Engineering
Biomass Power
Biomass power, to distinguish it from biofuels used in vehicles and home heating, refers to biomass which is directly burned (combusted) to generate electricity in a power plant. Some feedstocks will overlap; others can only be used one way. The technological and socio-political issues, however, differ greatly. While the debate over biofuel infrastructure continues in the media, co-firing biomass power plants are well-tested and already used in 49 states.
Virginia is no exception to that trend; the Commonwealth already produces some megawatts of electricity from wood-fired generators and could produce substantially more. Wood, warm season grasses, municipal waste and landfill gases can easily be burned to produce electricity.
Cellulosic material can be co-fired with coal to lessen carbon loading, as well as reduce other pollutants associated with burning coal. The efficient use of biomass electricity, for example, could postpone or even cancel the need for new coal fired plants and the unhealthy mountaintop removal practices used to feed them.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Biomass Power Program at NREL has and excellent introduction to biomass co-firing available as a .PDF file at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy99osti/24933.pdf.