Executive Summary
- A combination of circumstances has opened up unprecedented opportunities for biofuel development.
- They include higher energy costs, low commodity prices and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- The use of switchgrass as an alternative heating fuel is emerging as a solution that addresses all these problems simultaneously.
- North American farmland has a unique natural capacity for producing grasses that are highly suitable for use as a substitute fuel.
- The development of new burning systems for pelletized grass has opened the door to cost-efficient use of switchgrass as a heating fuel.
- In terms of carbon dioxide emissions, the burning of biofuel pellets is far superior to rates for conventional fuels.
- The economic advantages of widespread conversion to the use of biofuel pellets for thermal energy are considerable.
- Further development of this nascent industry will profoundly alter North American energy markets in a positive direction.
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