If you wonder what the future might hold for renewable energy markets, one needs look no further than Sweden. Surprising to those in the US, biomass has now surpassed oil to become the number one source for energy in Sweden. The Swedish government has set the bar even higher — according to the Wood Resource Quarterly, Sweden is targeting 50% of all energy coming from renewable energy by 2020.

Contrast Sweden’s 32% biomass utilization with the United States where only 3.8% (Lawrence Livermore Lab) of our energy comes from our biomass resources. This paints a pretty dismal picture of the US policy on biomass-based energy utilization, especially when one looks at the plentiful resources the country offers.