Fueling Nevada’s Future
What are the Alternatives?
by Lyle Brennan
Once again, gasoline prices have risen above $3.00 per gallon, and the situation in the major oil-producing areas of the world is as unstable as ever. All over the country, people are asking what Americans can do to ensure a reasonably priced source of the fuel we need to keep our economic engines running.
The tourists who provide Nevada’s major source of income need fuel to get here and, once they arrive, the resort industry needs electrical power to keep the neon lights flashing and the air conditioners humming. Those of us who live in Nevada year-round, and conventional businesses that operate here, need fuel and electrical power to maintain our 21st-century lifestyle.
Environmentalists who advise people to “Think Globally, Act Locally” have the right idea by encouraging us to look for solutions to large-scale challenges like this in our own backyards. Nevada Business Journal’s September 2006 issue included an article entitled “Nevada’s Energy Future” that gave a good summary of initiatives in the Silver State to produce alternative sources of power, including geothermal, solar, wind and biomass. In February, Gov. Jim Gibbons signed an executive order to support development of renewable energy in Nevada by streamlining the permitting process for renewable energy projects.
One potential source of fuel is biomass, defined in the Nevada Revised Statutes as any organic matter that is available on a renewable basis, including: agricultural crops and agricultural wastes and residues; wood and wood wastes and residues; animal wastes; municipal wastes; and aquatic plants.
There are many advantages to using biomass as fuel. For example, using waste products in urban areas means local governments avoid costs associated with solid waste transportation and landfills. Harvesting and burning forest and rangeland biomass reduces the threat of wildfires, which is especially important in Nevada’s rural areas.
Most of the electricity currently generated by using biomass is produced by burning wood products to produce steam. In a test program funded by federal grants, the David E. Norman Elementary School in Ely recently installed a steam heat plant that burns approximately 150 tons of biomass per year. The plant was contributed by land management agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Forest Service and the Nevada Division of Forestry.
Biomass can also be converted directly into liquid fuels, called biofuels; the two most common types are ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol is an alcohol made by fermenting any biomass high in carbohydrates. The principal source of ethanol is corn, but researchers are now looking for economical ways to produce it from cellulose and other materials found in all plants. Grass clippings, wood chips, roadside weeds and all sorts of farm waste could fuel the vehicles of tomorrow.
Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil, usually soy or canola oil, and can even be made from recycled oil from fryers in restaurant kitchens. According to the National Biodiesel Board, “Biodiesel is better for the environment because it is made from renewable resources and has lower
emissions compared to petroleum diesel. It is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar. Since it is made in the USA from renewable resources such as soybeans, its use decreases our dependence on foreign oil and contributes to our own economy.”
Despite the advantages of using biomass to produce electricity and fuel, many challenges still need to be worked out before it will be economically feasible. In some cases, the energy needed to grow, harvest and process the biomass is more than the energy produced by the resulting biofuels. In addition, using corn or soybeans to produce biofuel may make corn and soy products more expensive, not only in the U.S., but around the world, which some predict would have a devastating effect on developing countries already struggling with famine.
Despite these challenges, it’s important to continue with research to develop alternatives to fossil fuels, not only because of concerns about global warming, but also because the United States must not be held hostage by countries like Venezuela and Iran that control vast supplies of oil. A prudent strategy would include investigating sources of clean power in Nevada, such as wind, geothermal, solar and biomass, as well as supporting research on ways to make biofuels practical and affordable. Our economic and political future depends on it.
Sources:
Nevada Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Task Force
www.nevadarenewables.org
Nevada State Office of Energy
http://energy.state.nv.us/renewable/biomass.htm
Bioenergy Feedstock Information Network
http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/
National Biodiesel Board
www.biodiesel.org
Lyle Brennan Publisher
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email: lyle@nbj.com
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