By Ellen Thompson 11-06-09–There is a move across the country to encourage renewable electrical power and several bills are moving through Congress mandating its usage. While many loudly shout about the positive use of alternative and renewable energy along with the need for America to be independent of foreign oil, they also do all they can to roadblock using wood to create biomass power. The opposition puzzles me and at some point those folks need a serious rethinking of what biomass power means to the future of Montana and the nation’s energy supply.
As is nearly always the case, one size does not fit all and not all power sources are appropriate for all needs. Many studies have been conducted for many years to prove that comment. Solar energy from the sun works when located in places with abundant sunshine for days on end, just as wind power is located usually in corridors where the wind blows a high percentage of the time.
Biomass power, on the other hand, is produced by boilers wherever the raw material is stored. The obvious conclusion from the use of biomass is to have the raw material as close as possible to the plant producing the power. This is what makes sawmill and wood processing facilities a natural for production of biomass power. full story
