According to a new report released by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the industrial and commercial heating industries could make a move in a different direction in the Northeast due to forests. Forests in the Northeast have demonstrated the potential to replace as much as ¼ of the liquid fossil fuel currently consumed by these two industries.
Researchers at the Cary Institute have indicated that under prime conditions there is potential for forest biomass to be used to not only provide a new source of energy, but also create jobs, and develop incentives to land owners. Essentially, the forest biomass can be used as an alternative energy source, which would ultimately reduce the need for fossil fuel consumption.
For forest biomass to prove useful as an energy source, the forest must be in top condition. Although the Northeastern United States is a suitable area to use forest biomass, under the best conditions, forest biomass could replace only approximately 1.4% of the regions total fossil fuel energy. According to Dr. Thomas Buchholz, a researcher at the University of Vermont’s Carbon Dynamic Lab, and co-author on the Cary report, other locations such as Maine and New Hampshire have demonstrated a greater potential for forest biomass energy use. The research has shown that Maine could replace 49% of its liquid fossil fuel dependence in the home-heating sector; while New Hampshire could replace as much as 84%.
While it is possible that forest biomass could play a large role in a low-carbon energy future, authors of this research are quick to warn that the Northeast is not necessarily an untapped resource. Rather, its forests should be used with care to decrease any degradation that may happen as a result of overuse. The research was primarily conducted in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Within these states, careful study showed that using forest biomass for heat was “more effective in replacing liquid fossil fuels than converting it to a cellulosic ethanol for road transport. Biomass burned in combined heat and power plants reduces fossil fuel use more than five times more effectively than substituting gasoline with cellulosic ethanol.”
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