There has been an increasing demand for wood to burn for energy, but our forests cannot afford to be depleted. Talk instead has suggested planting forests for the specific use of using them as bioenergy. Until recently, burning biomass has been suggested to be a renewable, sustainable energy resource. Recent studies have shown that burning trees is worse than burning coal, … [Read more...]
Benefits of Wood-Based Biomass Energy Production
A lot of people are initially against using wood for energy when they first hear about the idea. To a certain extent it makes sense; they are worried about the state of the forests and the efficiency of wood to provide energy. Despite their reservations, there are in fact a number of advantages in using "woody-biomass" or "pellet fuel" . The US forest service, whose … [Read more...]
SC: a National Leader in Biomass Power
Energy produced by biomass-burning power plants is already powering tens of thousands of homes in South Carolina, and in February the state was acknowledged by the Biomass Power Association for leadership in the growing biomass energy generation industry. The state of South Carolina has certainly made a name for itself in the biomass industry over the past year, installing two … [Read more...]
Timber – A Sustainable Industry?
Timber is a major industry in South Carolina - in fact, it is the number one cash crop, creating over 90,000 jobs and bringing in $17 billion annually to the state's economy. With numbers of that size, one would be quick to assume that the industry in unsustainable. Anyone who has taken an economics class would immediately consider the models of renewable natural resources in … [Read more...]
Potential for logging residues to power biomass plants in SC
The timber industry produces tons of wood residues each year. Residues include anything from the limbs and bark that my come off of timber in the process of logging and transportation, to the debris and sawdust left behind after production of things like lumber and plywood. There is also a practice known as "right-of-way clearing" that occurs around power lines. All vegetation … [Read more...]