Families across the U.S. still rely heavily on fossil fuels to heat their homes during the winter months. These fuels include propane, heating oil and natural gas, according to Renewable Energy World. Some families rely on electricity-powered heaters, which are more efficient than fossil fuels. Still, when a region experiences days of extreme cold, these […]
Renewable Energy Takes the Lead in Europe
This week our attention is drawn to a remarkable increase in the use of renewable energy in Europe. Recent reports indicate that Germany, had impressive growth in renewables through the first half of 2014. Germany is relying more on renewables – wind, solar, hydro and biomass – with an extraordinary 28.5% of its energy coming entirely […]
The Biomass Thermal Utilization Act Provides 30% Tax Credit on High-Efficiency Wood Boilers
Imagine someone handing you a $3,000 check. And this is after saving over 70% on your heating bill by using a high-efficiency biomass heating system. That’s a pretty sweet deal. This image is one step closer to reality with the introduction of the Biomass Thermal Utilization Act of 2013. The proposed BTU Act would amend […]
EIA: Expect 20% Increase in Heating Bills for 2012/13 Winter
According to the EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration), the average US home heating with fuel oil will spend almost 20% more this year on heating as compared to last year. In their annual Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook Report, they indicate that the return of normal winter conditions and increases in fuel prices will […]
BioEnergy Atlas
Last month, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released the BioEnergy Atlas, a Web portal that provides access to bio-energy analysis and mapping tools. The visualization tools, BioPower and BioFuels Atlas, allow users to view related bio-energy data on a single map. Some of these data include biomass feedstocks, bio-power and […]
Biomass to … Antifreeze and Plastic Bottles?!?
Begin with some wood chips, some solid chemistry, and add a good dose of luck and you get — plastic? Some chemists at Iowa State University uncovered a potentially game-changing method for making antifreeze, polyester and plastic bottles out of biomass rather than petroleum. The conversion process is based on the chemistry of super-critical fluids […]
A Bold Vision for 2025: Heating the Northeast with Renewable Biomass
A new study released by the Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) and four other organizations outlines a bold plan that calls for a significant increase in the use of renewable resources for space heating to 25% by the year 2025. In the plan, biomass gains the largest ground from 4% to over 18% followed by […]
The Super Fuel?
Imagine a biomass fuel that: Produces more biomass per acre (20-25 dry tons) than any other non-food biomass plan, Can be grown on a wide variety of soil types and under a wide range of climatic conditions, Reaches harvest-able maturity in 18 months and may be harvested every 9 months, Has a plant lifespan of […]
Understanding Biofuels
With fuel prices where they are these days, there is a lot of talk about domestically available options. One type of fuel that is central to the debate is biofuel. You may recognize them by their other names – ethanol, biodiesel, biocrude, methanol and methane to name a few. Don’t freak out on me, this is not your high school chemistry class, but […]