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Biomass development takes center stage Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Agri News staff writer
LITTLE FALLS, Minn. -- Biomass development took center stage at two recent workshops.
The biomass field days in Grand Rapids and Little Falls were geared to landowners, loggers and energy businesses focusing on biomass marketing and sustainability.
Much of the day-long workshop centered on wood sources. Harvesting for energy in forests can be a good management tool, said Jodie Provost, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife specialist. Harvesting brush and some trees can help keep forest growth under control and reduce the devastation of forest fires. Management is key since harvesting without a plan for the forest can displace wildlife.
Sustainability was part of the workshop's message, said Dean Current, program director of the University of Minnesota Center for Integrated and Natural Resources Management.
"When we look at this, we want to see how we can be sustainable so there is no cause for environmental damage and so we can improve on the management of our resources."
Biomass development is in its infancy, he said. Minnesota's Renewable Energy Standards, calling for 25 percent of the state's energy to come from renewable sources by 2025, are one reason biomass workshops attract interest.
Ethanol markets are very well developed, he said. Cellose use for ethanol, however, is still a few years from practical market.
Several Minnesota companies are using biomass -- including Laurentian Energy in Virginia; Minnesota Power in Grand Rapids; FibroMinn in Benson, and Central Minnesota Ethanol in Little Falls.
Hybrid poplar, willows and switchgrass are three sources of biomass that have good potential in energy markets, Provost said. The economics of harvesting and processing biomass material is the largest impediment to its use.
The largest areas of need are in the metro, northeast and central Minnesota while the northwest and southern Minnesota markets aren't as well defined. A few new consumers are developing or looking at biomass feasibility, he said. Most electric suppliers using biomass are in the northeast and central. |
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