Regional Biomass Energy
The cost of energy for home heating and business power poses
an ongoing challenge in the Northeast where winters are cold
and summers can be hot and humid. In the Northern Forest, the
sharp increase in fuel costs after 9/11 has spurred new attention
on “biomass” as a potential fuel source.
Biomass is an alternative to fossil fuel-based energy sources.
Biomass refers to living and recently living material—including
wood and agricultural residue, energy crops, manure and even
municipal waste—that can be used as fuel for heating, cooling,
lighting, transportation and to power machinery. In the Northern
Forest, “woody biomass” is the leading source of biomass.
Biomass has the potential to impact the Northern Forest in positive
ways in regard to both consumption and production. To explore
the potential for woody biomass to provide an increased source
of renewable, sustainable energy for the Northern Forest region,
the Northern Forest Center convened a regional biomass energy
initiative in 2006 in partnership with the Biomass
Energy Resource Center (BERC) and the
University of New
Hampshire Carsey Institute.
In November 2006, the initiative hosted a regional conference
on biomass energy attended by more than 75 specialists in the
realms of forest industry, energy, economic development, finance
and land conservation. Presentations from the conference can
be found online at the www.biomasscenter.org/upcoming.html.
The Center, BERC and the Carsey Institute will use the ideas
generated at the conference to help draft a Biomass Energy Action
Plan for the region. |