Page 22 - OffGrid East Coast Special Edition 2016

By Andrew Skaling
When we hear public officials orating on the importance of clean and renewable energy to the future of the planet we rarely hear about biomass, in particular, wood biomass. Perhaps it’s because it’s not widely understood or the mere mention of the use of trees in energy production conjures images of clear cut forests and billowing clouds of sooty smoke.
The simple facts, however, are vastly different than the conventional perceptions or limited interest. Wood biomass in energy production is “aces” because it’s clean, it’s green, it’s renewable, it’s cost friendly and, it’s reliable.
Europe leads the way
Europe is the undisputed leader in the environmentally- responsible use and development of new technologies for using wood as a clean energy and heat source. Not only have a number of northern countries led the way in transitioning from fossil fuels to wood based renewables in their large scale power production plants but also,
and perhaps most interestingly, at the community and off-grid business level. As a common example, it is not unusual in urban environments in the Nordic countries to have entire city blocks of housing interconnected to
a localized heating plant. Increasingly, these are taking the form of combined heat and power plants. These
are managed and maintained by a community co-op, a landlord, a private energy firm, the local government
or usually some combination of. An equally common and growing demand exists for off grid farms, rural communities seeking reliable and local energy and businesses, industrial and otherwise, looking to improve their carbon footprint and bottom line.
Biomass comes in many forms
Wood biomass comes in many forms such as wood waste from forest products to tree trimmings or diseased tree removal to traditional but sustainable harvesting from managed forest tracts. A timely and seasonal example of a wood biomass source is the Christmas tree. Municipalities, after they collect them
tttttttttfttfttttfftWOOD:
The unsung hero of
clean and green energy production
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