We believe a paradigm shift in our vision and approach to renewable energy is necessary, specifically with respect to biomass energy. Biomass energy usage is larger than all other alternative energy usage combined which includes wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal. Biomass energy’s cost to produce electricity is less than half that of solar and as with wind and solar it is carbon neutral. Biomass unlike wind and solar is able to produce electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We are a carbon based fuel economy and will be so for some time to come. There are good reasons for this. Carbon based fuels have high energy densities and are easily transported. We believe the focus of renewable energy has been clouded by desires and not actuality. Most of all our energy resources can be traced to solar energy. Wind, hydroelectric, biomass and subsurface fossil fuels are solar based energy sources. We believe that we should keep carbon fuel sources exosurface (above the surface), within the existing carbon cycle and that we should minimize carbon fuel sources obtained from subsurface sources.
The key to large scale usage of biomass is to use the appropriate technology to the fit the biomass facts. Available biomass energy is very large but diversified and scattered throughout the US. Most biomass has low energy density making it economically infeasible to transport to a centralized plant. Densification of biomass is needed to decrease transportation costs to a centralized electric power plant or plant for conversion to other fuels such as gasoline. Biomass exists in many forms each with its own particulars making it not universal to most proposed processes. Making small scale, low cost, universal and mobile capable biomass densifying plants which go to where the biomass exists is key to profitably utilizing the available biomass. Manufacturing in the US of small scale low cost universal biomass conversion plants would allow farmers, entrepreneurs and manufacturers new sources of income and job creation. The goal would be to have this technology become just another piece of farm equipment.
We believe the best method of biomass densification is hydrothermal carbonization to produce biocarbon. Biocarbon is easily transported and can be used with existing technologies already in long term, large scale use to cost effectively produce gasoline, diesel, natural gas and electricity.
