Existing Biomass Infrastructure and Theoretical Potential Biomass Production in the U.S.

Abstract

The recent and projected status of energy production and consumption in the U.S., resulting in substantial dependencies upon foreign oil, has continued to provide pressure on domestic energy security. All told, bio-energy systems, and biomass crop production in particular, will be important elements of national security, economic vitality, and public policy. Using biomass crop estimates based upon models developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we identify potential biomass crop production zones within the contiguous 48 states of the United States using spatially centered analytic methods. The Midwest and the South regions of the United States are, by far, the largest regions of potential production. However, the Midwest region holds a number of advantageous positions over the South in relation to social and economic competition, which is likely to hinder the development of a bio-economy in the region. Furthermore, we include here the physical location of existing biofuel refinement plants as a measure of the currently available infrastructure. The implications of these spatially advantageous zones for energy policy for alternative biomass crop production are discussed.

Perennial Biomass Grasses and the Mason–Dixon Line: Comparative Productivity across Latitudes in the Southern Great Plains

“…There are many environmental gradients that transverse the southern two thirds of the US Great Plains. In the often-cited biofuel crop regional adaptation map [30] (Electronic supplementary material (ESM) Fig. S1), there is a break in adapta-tion regions running east to west through eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas.…”

Southeast Regional Clean Energy Policy Analysis (Revised)

“…Challenges in the development of a biomass market include the reluctance of farmers to switch to biomass crops if they are unsure if there will be a demand for the crops and the reluctance of potential investors to make large investments in biomass energy without long-term commitments from growers (Howell et al 2010;Porter et al 2009). …”

“…The Southeast has sufficient local renewable energy resources to support a strong clean energy economy (Howell et al 2010;NREL 2010b;Porter et al 2009). Most notably, the region is rich in untapped biomass resources, including residue resources (e.g., from forests, agriculture, mills, viii in untapped biomass resources, including residue resources (e.g., from forests, agriculture, mills, and urban waste) (NREL 2010b).…”

“…Accounting for potential crop yield, land costs, and production costs, the researchers identified the most viable biomass crop production zones across the country for the two types of dedicated energy crops (switchgrass and the short rotation woody crops) (Howell et al 2010;Porter et al 2009). …”

Land Developability: Developing an Index of Land Use and Development for Population Research

“…Similar work includes the extent of land development (Cowen and Jensen, 1998), qualitative environmental corridors (Lewis, 1996), quantitative environmental corridors (Cardille et al, 2001), and work dealing with growth management (Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility, 2002). Journal of Maps has also published a number of studies using spatial analysis of land use and development (e.g., Dilisio and Russo, 2010;Levine and Kaufman, 2008;Porter, 2008;Porter et al, 2009;Ramirez et al, 2007).…”