Biomass potential untapped
COLONIE -- Wind power may be the hottest renewable energy source, but biomass is really king of the alternative fuels.
In fact, biomass, which includes wood, ethanol and animal fats, is the No. 1 renewable energy source consumed in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
That's why a talk about the environmental impact of biomass energy production was such a hot topic at an energy and environmental conference held Friday at the Albany Marriott in Colonie.
The two-day event, the Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Protection conference, was organized by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. It was the fifth time the conference has been held, and hundreds were in attendance Thursday and Friday.
"It's an extremely complex problem. Biomass is at a crossroads right now," said Ed Gray, a conference speaker and president of Antares Group Inc., a Maryland energy-consulting firm. "How do we use this biomass best? Every one of these choices is going to have big implications in New York."
That includes how New York will best manage its forests and farmland for trees and crops that would be used in biomass, and how it recycles waste from its landfills and wastewater treatment plants.
Gray estimates that between 60 percent and 70 percent of the waste stream can be used as biomass, but it has to be sorted better to be converted properly to energy.
"We're not putting it to productive use," Gray said. "Biomass can be an incredible player. It is an incredible resource in New York state."
Biomass has also been increasingly used as an energy source in the Capital Region and neighboring areas. Chemical manufacturer SI Group Inc. of Niskayuna has built a wood-fired boiler to produce steam and electricity at its Rotterdam Junction plant, and a company in the Berkshires is planning a $50 million biodiesel plant for the Pittsfield, Mass., area that would use vegetable oils and animal fats as fuels.
Paper manufacturer Mohawk Fine Papers Inc. in Cohoes has trucks that run on biodiesel, which it gets from a distributor in Troy.
But there are both environmental and public health issues to deal with when it comes to biomass.
Thomas Nussbaumer, a speaker at the conference from Switzerland who is an energy technology expert, said wood burning has its own problems, including producing a lot of soot and other particulates that are dangerous. More efficient and less-polluting stoves and boilers need to be developed.
"The time is now; replace your boiler with a state-of-the-art boiler," he said.
There also is the question of whether agricultural land and resources should go to make crops for energy -- or for food.
"There should not be a competition between biomass for energy and biomass for food," he said.
Carl Mas, an associate project manager with NYSERDA, told the audience that the Pace Energy Project, which is affiliated with Pace Law School in White Plains, is working on a study that includes a look at the life cycle of biomass, including greenhouse gas emissions and land-use impacts that should help shape energy policy.
Rulison can be reached at 454-5504 or by e-mail at lrulison@timesunion.com.