Look What's Possible!

In Europe, many countries have already made huge strides toward becoming more energy independent, as well as efficient by using biomass fuels.

For example, in an article, "Austria Flexes Its Bioenergy Muscles" by Jane Burgermeister, it states that, "All the European Union countries are required to increase their use of renewable energies by an average of about 11 percent to boost the EU's share of renewables in the energy mix from about 8.5% today to 20% by 2020...In line with this, Austria has been given a national target of generating 34 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, up from the 23.3 percent today."

Kasimir Nemestothy, Austrian Chamber of Agriculture says, "If you look at all the countries in the top of the EU table when it comes to producing renewable energy, they all make use of bioenergy. Austria, Sweden, Latvia and Finland all have abundant forests. Bioenergy around the globe has a huge potential." He also agrues that that America could apply some of the lessons from Austria's biomass industry to tap its own gigantic bioenergy resources.

So why hasn't America applied these bioenergy lessons?

Well, actually, some parts of America have been making great use of biomass fuels! Take an organization like Fuels for Schools and Beyond, for example. Their mission is to "promote and encourage the use of wood biomass as a renewable, natural resource to provide a clean, readily available energy source suitable for heat and power in public and private buildings."

Fuels for Schools and Beyond has helped implement community biomass energy projects through technical and financial assistance in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. As of 2/28/2008, the total estimated annual fuel savings for all of their projects was $1,831,000. See a breakdown of how each facility saved!

Below is a map of all the projects Fuel for Schools and Beyond has either completed or is in the process of converting to biomass fuel.


Visit Fuel for Schools and Beyond online or read more articles about Bioenergy News & Information on Renewable Energy World.