ABSTRACT
This chapter continues the discussion of OUT technologies that began in Chapter 6. Biomass energyBiomass energy comes in many forms and is a large natural and renewable resource. Biomass resources include wood, which has long been used as a source of heat when burned, grasses and other crops, algae, municipal and industrial waste, and animal and human wastes (manure). Useful energy can be obtained from a number of these resources through direct combustion or conversion to alternative liquid and gaseous fuels. When I first took over responsibility for the renewable electric programs, this particular low-budget program was largely focused on wood. It supported efforts to develop fast-growing trees, more effectively combust wood and bagasse (sugarcane residue) for heat and biogas production, and mixing biomass fuel in the form of wood pellets or sugarcane residue with coal in power-generating boilers.
