Grants and Contracts Details
Description
The use of woody biomass for energy production has gained much attention
recently not only for its potential as a low-cost supply of power, but also for the potential
environmental and rural developmental benefits it offers. Not withstanding, utilization of a u.s.
derived energy source is of great importance for offsetting our dependence on foreign fuels.
From an environmental standpoint, woody biomass may be a globally important mitigation
option to reduce the rate of CO2 buildup in the atmosphere by sequestering carbon and by
decreasing the use of non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal and oil. In addition, development of
biomass plantations on surface mine lands in Kentucky is of particular interest as a means to
facilitate the restoration of these degraded lands, offset emissions and local impacts from fossilfired
power generation (Hg, S02 and NOx), reduce social outrage for harvesting mature
hardwood stands on existing forests, and to provide economic benefits in the form of jobs and
products to the Appalachian coal region. All of these goals present opportunities for the citizens
of the Commonwealth and are closely aligned with several [5, 6, 16, 26, 32, 42 and 51]
recommendations outlined in Governor Fletcher's 2005 Comprehensive Strategy. We believe
that surface mined lands present an ideal location for establishing biomass/bioenergy plantations
in Kentucky and that research on maximizing productivity on these sites via intensive forestry
management practices will demonstrate this capacity.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 10/1/07 → 6/30/10 |
Funding
- KY Office of Energy Policy: $174,166.00
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