South Carolina’s forest resources are more plentiful than ever, one of the reasons why the biomass industry is poised to take off in our neighboring state. Indeed, just last year, state-owned public energy utility Santee Cooper opened South Carolina’s first two biomass energy generating facilities, and at least two more plants are set to open across the state in coming years.
So what is it that makes biomass so attractive exactly? Biomass Magazine offers a few suggestions. The first is especially relevant to the energy sector that my group represented today, but also to the everyday consumer: biomass’ contribution to energy price deflation. Biomass can be an important part of a utility’s energy portfolio because of its dependability, especially compared to fossil fuels. Biomass is a local resource in South Carolina and utilities can easily draw upon it as a supplemental fuel source in times of increased energy demand, such as during the cold snap earlier this year.
Biomass also provides the opportunity to increase the efficiency of forestry and forest maintenance. Timber harvesting, mill production, and other practices leave 8.8 million tons of woody residue annually in South Carolina alone (according to this US Forest Service report), all of which could be used to provide energy to homes across the state. The productive use of these residues to yield clean energy supports the third benefit of biomass, its sustainability. The article from Biomass Magazine linked above refutes criticisms leveled against biomass regarding its carbon impact, stating that “When practicing sustainable forestry, the carbon supply of the forest was not reduced, even when factoring in the use of 2 million tons of wood pellets each year for biomass.” Biomass industry operations within forests therefore do not compromise the forests’ ability to act as carbon sinks and biomass certainly releases fewer carbon emissions than other carbon-based fuel sources like coal or natural gas.
Without my South-Carolina-energy-representative hat on, I would have some concerns about regulating the biomass industry as it grows in the future. Governments in the southeastern US will have to make sure that the biomass industry does not encroach on animal habitat or the rights of minority groups to a clean environment, among other things. But, if biomass can increase the efficiency of timber harvesting by providing an outlet for waste residues and also save local governments money, I think it really could be here to stay.
Sources:
http://www.edf-re.com/about/press/edf_renewable_energy_and_santee_cooper_dedicate_the_pinelands_biomass_proje/
http://www.biomassmagazine.com/articles/10063/biomass-growth-in-2014-will-the-trend-hold
http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/rp/rp_srs046.pdf