ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the emerging geographic perspective by examining spatial patterns of innovation and production in a leading U. S. renewable energy industry – biofuel. It identifies regional concentrations of biofuel innovation and examines the development of those innovations to policy initiatives and geographic variations in the structure of the biofuel industry. Understanding the emergence of regional variation in the U. S. biofuel industry sheds light on the development of renewable energy industries by identifying processes and policies critical to industry evolution and its connection to space. Examining the role of innovation is particularly important in renewable energy as these industries lack dominant production technologies, rely on policy support, and face substantial competition from incumbent producers of conventional forms of energy. The Renewable energy and biofuels analyzes the distribution of second-generation biofuel innovation and production, and examines how this industry's structure is emerging as producers attempt to commercialize innovations developed in different locations under regionally varied policy and market conditions.
