Technical Assistance for Outreach Efforts on Biomass, Renewable Energy Policy Project

ANTARES provided research and a written report on issues related to biopower and the environment. The report included two case studies: 1) one examining the operation and impacts of a dedicated wood-burning power plant, and 2) one examining the operation and impacts of biomass co-firing with coal. ANTARES also wrote a concise chapter on key issues related to growing crops such as switchgrass for power and steam generation. Issues examined included impacts on soil, air, water and biodiversity, economics, alternative fates, and basic information on operations. This information was incorporated into a larger report published by the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) that was delivered to environmental advocacy groups involved in green power standard and policy development efforts associated with biomass and other renewable energy technologies.

Along with staff from REPP, ANTARES also presented the results at two workshop meetings designed to educate environmental advocacy groups on biomass energy. In addition, ANTARES has also provided technical information and biomass supply curves (cost vs. quantity) to REPP for use in numerous policy analyses and reports, including Powering the South: A Clean and Affordable Energy Plan for the Southern United States. Powering the South was the result of over a year’s effort by REPP and southern advocacy groups looking for a pathway to a clean, affordable energy future for the South. The focus of the effort was to explore how the power generation mix of the South could be changed to drastically reduce pollution and not raise the price of electricity to end-users. One key conclusion of the report was that biomass technologies would have to play an extremely large role if these goals are to be accomplished. A number of the policies suggested in the report have been strongly debated in Congress during recent years.