Bioenergy

The biomass energy industry is emerging and poised to grow rapidly in Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia is already using warm season grasses as a directly fired fuel source at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital in Burkesville, VA; this facility alone will likely require 1,600 acres of dedicated warm season grass crops in close proximity to the facility. Because the significant cost savings compared to fuel oil or other energy sources, the Commonwealth of Virginia is evaluating the biofuels strategy for several other state facilities. Ultimately their need for feedstock could surpass 37,000 acres statewide. In addition to these state requirements, several large biomass energy developers are evaluating the use of warm season grasses as a fuel source for heating facilities, drying wood pellets, etc. Dozens of projects are currently being proposed and/or developed in Virginia, and no doubt many others are in the works throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. Income received from these emerging opportunities is still unknown but a diversity of energy sources including biomass are being tracked daily. For example, see the summary provided by Biomass Rules, LLC at http://www.biomassrules.com/energy_value_basics.html. An example Biomass Rules, LLC’s recent energy values summary is provided below.

Biomass Rules Energy Values Summary


Using these grasses for bioenergy makes a great deal of sense because they can be grown on marginal soils, on lands that are currently fallow or not ideal for growing crops used for human consumption.