Methane released from manure management systems can be captured and used as clean energy to produce electricity. Southeast Asia countries significantly rely on fossil resources. The region is home to 44% of the nation's total energy from woody biomass and a significant portion of other biomass types.25 Not all biomass is recognized as "eligible" to meet federal RES requirements due to differences in federal legislation and tax provisions defining biomass. Henning Steinfeld, Pierre Gerber, and Tom Wassenaar, et al., Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2006, ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e03.pdf. These markets are far from perfect in practice, but have directly connected customers to least-cost renewable energy. Energies. Federal funding from recent and proposed legislation, like the Great America Outdoors Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, and other agency appropriations, can likely fund many of the investment ideas that were not quite ready for short-term support. The next section discusses current and future possible sources of biomass and technologies for renewable energy. Let's dive in to see what this Coal Cost Crossover analysis can tell us about coal plants in the Southeast. 65. U.S. Energy Consumption by Energy Source. The results are clear: continued reliance on coal is expensive, and each of these plants should be evaluated for economic retirement through a comprehensive resource and transmission planning process. The Southeast Asia renewable energy market installed 71.75 GW in 2020, and it is anticipated to reach by 117.17 GW by 2027, at a CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period of 2022-2027. . The locations selected were bounded by a 280-mile radius to allow for a four-hour maximum one-way haul, and trucks offloading biomass every 15 minutes. Alaska Regional Office A decision in the Georgia Power rate case last week failed to provide age-appropriate policy and will ensure Georgia remains a bottom-10 state for rooftop solar. But nowadays, possibilities for use include collection of a portion of this material for burning in a biomass boiler, producing steam for electricity, or processing into biofuels (see below) such as cellulosic ethanol, as technologies and new processes are developed. February 23, 2009. The Southeast Asian renewable energy market is changing rapidly. Solar Power & Energy Storage Mountain West. An official website of the "Hog fuel" is a mixture of wood and bark, usually reduced to 50-75 millimeter-size chips and produced by a "wood hog" (i.e., grinder), from which it derives its name. Methane is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, being 21 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 100 year period. It conducted targeted engagement with key partners and provided opportunities for citizens and organizations to participate in shaping the economic investment component of the strategy. Download Free PDF View PDF. Anaerobic bacteria thrive in the oxygen-free environment, resulting in the decomposition of the organic materials and the production of primarily carbon dioxide and methane. Southeastern lawmakers, who say their states could not meet the targets, say their districts would face higher costs because utilities would be forced to buy credits or make other payments. States and electricity suppliers in the southeastern United States have been most vocal in their concern that they may be unfairly burdened by an RES. The platform was created as a result of the signed memorandum for cooperation and promotion of the corporate supply of renewable energy in Bulgaria, and in a broader aspect in Southeast Europe, between the Association for Production, Storage and Trade in Electricity (), the . Renewable energy project developer, operations manager and energy trading business BayWa re has been steadily establishing itself in the region. Analysts from energy think tank Energy Innovation recently published a report showing that it is now more expensive to continue to run most coal plants than to replace them with renewable energy. Knowledge awaits. http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/pdfs/ornltm-2002199.pdf. Grants, guaranteed loans and tax incentives from the federal government may be viewed by such parties as the best ways for the federal government to encourage renewable energy growth. Addresses historic and/or structural decisions that previously contributed to inequitable access to USDA programs. The Southeast is one of the country's fastest growing economic sectors and one of the only regions without a competitive wholesale electricity market. The USDA intra-agency team continues to engage with Tribal Nations, Alaska Native corporations, municipal governments, local partners and communities, and the public to support economic development planning and implementation efforts. Identifying short- and long-term opportunities for investments that reflect the diverse opportunities and needs in the region. http://www.fao.org/docrep/w7407e/W7407e05.htm. After the municipal solid waste is sorted and separated, much of the remaining material is biogenic and can be prepared for burning in a steam boiler. Competitive wholesale electricity markets, or Regional Transmission Operators (RTOs) and Independent System Operators (ISOs), are public-benefit corporations serving 70% of U.S. electricity customers that arose from electricity restructuring during the late 1990s-early 2000s to cut costs and encourage innovation. A competitive RTO would add 149 total gigawatts of clean energy resources in the Southeast including 62 GW of solar, 41 GW of wind, and 46 GW of battery storage. endstream endobj 211 0 obj <>stream Website by, SACE | Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Analysis finds Renewables cheaper than all Southeast coal plants. http://www.eia.doe.gov/glossary/glossary_r.htm. These states have ample forest resources, generally poor wind resources, and relatively unfavorable solar resources (compared to the Southwest), making biomass among the more readily available renewable energy resources in the region. Joint Press Release - USDA, Sustainble Southeast Partnership, Spruce Root, Southeast Conference, and Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. These investments speak to the opportunities for partnershipthis isnt the first time USDA has invested in southeast Alaska, and it wont be the last, Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small said. Podcasts Factor This! Generating electricity from renewable resources emits far less of such pollutants. Official websites use .gov A .gov Southeast Asia is a very attractive market for renewable energy, owing to its rich renewable resources and surging energy consumption. Dave SjodingRenewable Resources Specialist925 Plum Street S.E., Bldg 3P.O. The electricity industry in the region is still largely subject to traditional rate regulation, and power generation projects historically have been approved by state regulatory commissions which have endeavored to maintain a favorable, low cost business climate. The OneUSDA team recommends distributing the initial $25 million investment into four broad categories: Tribal and Indigenous Interests - $12.5 million (50%) Natural Resources - $6.25 million (25%) Infrastructure - $3.125 million (12.5%) Generation sources within seven states in the Southeast RTO model. The American Clean Energy & Security Act of 2009 "discussion draft" introduced by Representatives Waxman and Markey draws upon H.R. Gasification. Transportation costs associated with biomass will bear strongly on the decision to site a biomass power facility. Doesn't it make more sense to be producing cleaner power, closer to home?," said Stephen Smith, head of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, one of the groups that released the study with WRI. (Photo by Logan Cyrus for The Washington Post via Getty Images). 2023 Scientific American, a Division of Springer Nature America, Inc. hWn0P !u{QE< lJeS=gl^ xngr*X"k"2:BFeJ9*ePUQ_g8[TMvvzb|yYdSlX6-Q7 4!IG97k%9 &Xh%~0N$Y{'(/>0F{9bAmi #Q3zC`#] Q;`d\1GHF'uN"VRd"eqG -Gb7m,Xd/>a)~yf}xw>y `6{R1gL+S!A!{c[=yH . Ending large-scale old-growth timber sales on the. Under the regional agreements, the entities are collaborating with USDA to promote economic diversification and workforce development projects for themselves and other smaller organizations in Southeast Alaska. When examined from a regional perspective, a number of questions have been raised as to the potential impacts on the supply and demand of biomass resources under a renewable energy standard. The utility segment is by far the . This open-ended engagement ensures that investments were paired with a forward-looking approach to plan for longer-term action that are home-grown and responsive to local priorities, complement ongoing partnerships, and are inclusive of the values and peoples in the region. Produced by biological processes of living organisms. SCCO Tribal and Indigenous Interests - $12.5 million, Community Capacity - $3.125 million (12.5%), Resilient Peoples & Place: When a time for peace is facilitated through partnership, Creating a Tribal Restoration Workforce - Fish Alaska Magazine, Forest Service to start improvements on Wrangell blueberry lands next spring - Wrangell Sentinel, Biden-Harris Administration Invests More Than $37 Million to Improve Recreational Sites and Cabins on National Forests and Grasslands | USDA, The SalmonState: Bringing the sockeye home | Juneau Empire, Local priorities and USDA funding strategies meet up in Southeast Alaska High Country News Know the West (hcn.org), Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategys webpage, Guiding Recommendations & Potential Long-Term Investments, Initial Investment and Recommendations Summary, Traditional Technical Knowledge and Cultural Use of Forest Products. This cooperative agreement is truly an innovative approach taken by the USDA, said Richard Chalyee esh Peterson, President of Tlingit & Haida. Energy Innovation has released updated analysis comparing the cost of continuing to operate coal plants to replacing them with solar, wind, or batteries. If a 15% RPS goal would require 6,000 MW of renewable energy in the Southeast, then developing even 4 biomass plants of 100 MW capacity66 and all 27 GIS identified sites at 40 MW would result in 1,480 MW of capacity, less than one-third of the needed total. A principal argument made by supporters of an RES is that it would provide benefits to the environmental goals. The intra-agency team reached out to schedule tribal consultations and sessions to engage and inform participants about the strategy and engage in discussions about opportunities for economic investments. Inorganic wastes are reduced to low volume, inert solids.41 The technology is being used commercially in several installations around the world, with the first U.S. facility scheduled to be operational in 2011.42, A potential national renewable electricity standard would rely on biomass as one of the nation's most widely available resources that could be used to meet requirements.43 With many states already moving forward on advancing renewable energy goals, the acceptability of an RES may come down to regional views on the availability and suitability of renewable energy resources for meeting RES requirements. For the purposes of this discussion, southeastern states include Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Our USAID [United States Agency for International Development] Clean Power Asia program made huge investments in clean power and is projected to help the region avoid 30 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 15 years, he continued. Energy demand also grew an average of 6% per year, one of the fastest growth rates in the world. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) called the RES a "moving target." Nepal has achieved 78 per cent of energy access, while Bangladesh achieved 95 per cent of energy access. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. In the southeast region especially, biomass may be the most readily available opportunity for meeting RES goals, but compliance may still be a challenge. The report was released today as lawmakers negotiate over whether to scale back the renewable electricity standard in the bill sponsored by Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). The pulp and paper industry dominates the cogeneration sector today fueled largely by biomass from wood wastes. You may opt-out by. Actual job growth may actually be even higher when factoring in better regional competitiveness. Daniel Cusick, "Southern utilities led effort to squash Senate RPS proposal," Earth News, June 26, 2007. Our long-term strategy will include establishing an interagency lead for the Sustainability Strategy, establishing a team charter for the Alaska-based OneUSDA team, and empowering shared leadership within the region by aligning programs with locally developed strategies such as the Blueprint for Southeast Alaska, the Visitor Products Cluster Working Group, the 2025 Economic Development Plan, and the All Landowners Working Group, among others. Senator Bingaman discussion draft, Title VIII, Renewable Portfolio Standard, 111th Congress. As we celebrate USAIDs achievements in energy in Thailand and across the region, we also look to the future and partnerships that will continue to strengthen energy investments in the region, facilitating the transition to a clean energy future and enhanced regional energy security, said ChargdAffairesHeath. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from biomass sources are considered practically neutral, as biomass sources take in CO2 during their growing cycle and release it when burned. A nationwide renewable electricity standard is a major goal for Democratic leaders and environmentalists. Using them. This has fuelled economic growth and permitted higher living standards. Explore our digital archive back to 1845, including articles by more than 150 Nobel Prize winners. These enormous savings come from cheaper wind, solar, and storage displacing more expensive-to-run coal, along with an RTO-led regional transmission planning scheme where all seven states share power resources and expand transmission to most efficiently meet regional electricity demand. No, of course not. Despite being "green" resources, renewable energy installations are not without aesthetic or environmental challenges of their own. In the short time since the Secretarys announcement, over 270 investment proposals were received totaling more than $276 million. Work continues with southeast Alaska partners on additional projects to meet the strategys initial $25 million commitment. This qualitative assessment included review of the following elements: The depth of interest, and diversity of communities and partners that submitted investment ideas, indicates that USDA is well-positioned to support economic, cultural, and ecological resiliency in Southeast Alaska for the long-term. The Southeast has also mostly retained a vertically integrated utility model, and most utilities in the region have not joined a Regional Transmission Organization or Independent System Operator (collectively known as, RTO). A "Renewable Electricity Deployment Fund," proposed in H.R. Spruce Roots mission is to drive a regenerative economy across Southeast Alaska so communities can forge futures grounded in this uniquely Indigenous place, said Alana Peterson, Executive Director for Spruce Root. Recently, Duke and Southern confirmed they are considering a centralized, region-wide, intra-hour energy exchange called the Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM). Waste-to-energy facilities in operation today are typically able to meet clean air standards and requirements.38. Access to the resource is critical to a facility's economic feasibility. This visit reinforces USDAs commitment to locally driven collaborative work towards shared outcomes in southeast Alaska communities. http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=1975. Governments Across Southeast Asian Countries Are Accelerating Renewable Energy Investments With increasing global environmental concerns, governments across Southeast Asian countries plan. The strategy prioritizes USDA resources and capacity to better serve the broader economy of Southeast Alaska. Retrieved from Raysonho . March 2022 SASS meeting in Juneau, Alaska. Analysts from energy think tank Energy Innovation recently published a report showing that it is now more expensive to continue to run most coal plants than to replace them with renewable energy. Southeast Alaskas culture, people, and economy are interwoven with the Tongass National Forest. This increased renewable generation plays a significant role in advancing sustainability goals and reducing carbon outputs. Thus far, two bills have been introduced in the 111th Congress that would amend PURPA. May 2008. http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/table1.html. Creating hundreds of thousands of high-wage jobs in clean energy. Figure 1 shows various types of biomass resources in the United States by annual tonnage per square kilometer available in individual counties. Creating a Southeast Renewable Energy Manufacturing Powerhouse With a national renewable standard, the Southeast will become a manufacturing leader in the U.S. renewable energy industry. research demonstrates how much a competitive regional electricity market would benefit the Southeast U.S. Chapter 4 highlights regional and national targets and examines the policy and institutional frameworks for scaling up renewables across the region. Transitioning away from dirty fossil fuels is not just a question of fair competition for clean energy power providers, it's a matter of justice for communities disproportionately burdened by pollution. The OneUSDA team recommends distributing the initial $25 million investment into four broad categories: In alignment with SASS, the Forest Service is refocusing resources on the Tongass National Forest to implement an integrated forest management program that includes watershed and wildlife habitat restoration, sustainable young-growth harvest, and old-growth harvest for small timber sales and cultural uses. Sustainable management of southeastern woody biomass supplies could help to meet any RES target. Congress has been debating establishment of a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) to encourage increased use of all forms of renewable energy including generating electricity from biomass sources (H.R. In 2022, the global community held firm in its commitment to a net zero future, amidst a challenging year with continued impacts from the COVID pandemic, war in Ukraine, energy security concerns and rising living costs worldwide. Energy demand in Southeast Asia has increased on average by around 3% a year over the past two decades, and this trend continues to 2030 under today's policy settings in the STEPS. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, Biomass Cofiring: A Transition to a Low-Carbon Future, March 2009, http://www.eesi.org/030409_cofiring. 26 USC 48. USDA Forest Service photo. . Unless the utility can put its finger on the scale, this analysis indicates the portfolios where these coal plants are phased out should be less expensive than ones where these coal plants continue to operate. The team used a two-pronged approach to gather public input. The difference between these two types of resources is that renewable resources can naturally replenish themselves while nonrenewable resources cannot. Wind turbines have been called ugly and noisy, and the cooling needs of solar thermal facilities in desert locations may require the use of scarce water resources. The intra-agency team collected diverse public input to inform opportunities for priority investments and in reducing administrative barriers that support a diverse economy, enhance community resilience, and conserve natural resources. Major benefits for public health and the climate. Share sensitive information only Forest Biomass and its Role in a National Renewable Electricity Standard. Combustion of fossil fuels also produces the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. corporations in a process that reflects the immediate and long-term needs and opportunities in the region. website belongs to an official government organization in the AF&PA points to a study of the effects of a 20% RPS by their counterparts in Europe, which concluded that simple power generation from biomass (i.e., wood and recovered paper) should only be considered when recycling is no longer feasible to maximize economic and environmental benefits.56, In contrast, the Biomass Power Association says that its members cannot profitably compete with the pulp and paper industry for supplies of woody biomass at existing prices of $60 per bone dry ton (BDT), and must seek alternative supplies in the $40 per BDT range, or lower.57 Thus, other sources of biomass are targeted. Much of the debate over an RES revolves around whether there is a need for a federal requirement for renewable energy use by electric providers and whether the momentum in the states is truly moving the use of renewable energy forward. Biomass grown for energy is commonly seen as carbon neutral and most biomass sources are low in sulfur content, so sulfur dioxide emissions are reduced. 35, Landfill gas from decomposing organic matter in landfills can be collected and used to generate electricity, if it is present in suitable quantities and is of a high enough quality in its energy content.36 As such, landfill gas is usually a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, and may contain other contaminants requiring treatment or removal before the gas can be used as fuel to produce steam for power generation.37, As an alternative to burying the volumes of trash collected by cities and towns, waste-to-energy facilities can use municipal solid waste directly as a fuel source to generate electricity. They have also been critical to integrating variable renewable energy wind and solar and capitalizing on resource diversity over larger geographical areas. See http://www.pnl.gov/aisu/pubs/14660.pdf.