Thursday, February 6, 2014

Farm Bill to help US biomass industry

One of the main topics of the upcoming 2014 International Biomass Conference and Expo which will take place March 24-26 in Orlando, Florida will no doubt be the passage of the Farm Bill, which is expected to provide a significant boost to US biomass industry.

This long-awaited bill means that the US government will do its share to ensure rapid development of the domestic biomass industry as an important part of the nation's desire to have more energy from renewable energy sources in years to come.

Several major US biomass companies had nothing but the words of praise for this bill which should give close to $900 million in dedicated funding to programs such as Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) and the Community Wood Energy Program (CWEP).

US biomass industry is one of the fastest growing renewable energy sectors that doesn't just provide bigger share of renewables in nation's energy mix, it also provides economic benefits in terms of new jobs, particularly in rural areas.

Unlike some other renewable energy sources biomass fuel is very efficient and reliable though there are still some controversies such as whether biomass is carbon neutral or not. In any case, it is lot cleaner fuel than coal and oil.

The International Biomass Conference will not only discuss the Farm Bill's impact on the biomass industry, but also the current state of biomass industry, and the future development. Biomass is certainly one of the most important renewable energy sources, trailing only hydropower as the second most important renewable energy source in the country.

0 comments: