Renewable Energy From Forest Resources In The United States

This book is a compilation of essays on renewable energy from forest resources in the United States. The book covers a variety of topics such as history, technology, economics, and sustainability. The book is divided into three parts, with part one covering historical aspects, part two presenting forest biomass energy assessments, and part three containing five regional case studies. The book has a foreword by Chris Flavin, president of the Worldwatch Institute.

Interest in biomass energy resources from forests, farms and other sources has been rapidly increasing in recent years because of growing concern with reducing carbon dioxide emissions and developing alternatives to increasingly scarce, expensive and insecure oil supplies. The uniqueness of this book is its coverage of biomass energy markets in the US from an economic as well as technical perspective. Existing books typically focus on single markets or technical aspects at the exclusion of economics, and have given greater coverage to biomass energy outside the US. This edited collection has three main parts. Part One provides a historical overview of forest biomass energy use in the US; the major technologies, economics, market prospects, and policies. Part Two presents forest biomass energy assessments, including life cycle and sustainability perspectives, and Part Three includes five sets of regional case studies. After reviewing the history of wood energy use in the US and technology options, the book shows that forests could displace sixteen per cent of domestic transportation fuel use in 2030. Renewable Energy from Forest Resources in the United States includes a Foreword from Chris Flavin, President of the Worldwatch Institute. Review: Solomon and Luzadis give experts from each of these fields a say in this fascinating and timely addition to the series Routledge Explorations in Environmental Economics. Perspectives from more than 30 academic contributors combine to offer a balanced, holistic, and readable overview of the possibilities and challenges associated with increased use of forest biomass for fuel. ... Highly recommended. -- CHOICE (Sept 2009, Vol. 47); M.K. Bomford, Kentucky State University.