Biomass 2009: Fueling Our Future Conference Provides Opportunity for Discussion and Debate about the Future of Biofuels

Sara Boyd, BCS, Incorporated

 

The Biomass 2009: Fueling Our Future conference was hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Biomass Program in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 17-18, 2009.

 

Over 600 people attended the conference, representing a wide range of industries and perspectives—including the investment community, environmental organizations, agriculture, biofuels, petroleum and automotive industries, and federal and state governments. The participants expressed diverse opinions regarding pathways to improved energy security and methods for sustainable development of biofuels. During the technical sessions and active open discussions, several common themes arose:

 

• Biofuels must be a component of our nation’s energy strategy to reduce oil imports. Progress has been made in recent years, but we have a long way to go.
• There are very promising opportunities to develop renewable fuels from an increasing, diverse set of feedstocks and vital research must be continued to pursue these opportunities.
• Long-term sustainability studies are needed to evaluate the full costs and benefits of biofuels and fossil-based fuels in order to make valid comparisons of our fuel supply options.
• There is a continued need to better educate the public and decision-makers on biofuels and eliminate the many misconceptions that remain.

 

Jacques Beaudry-Losique, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy at DOE, provided welcoming remarks and an overview of the direction of EERE. Mr. Beaudry-Losique discussed EERE’s commitment to Administration goals, including job creation and the doubling of energy from clean renewable resources like advanced biofuels.

 

The conference featured keynote and guest speakers, including Senator Benjamin Nelson (D-NE) and Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD). During the “View from the Hill” session, held on the morning of March 17, Representative Bartlett and Senator Nelson discussed the role of biofuels in the U.S. energy portfolio and the policy and research, development and demonstration required for future advances.

 

Senator Nelson provided his perspective as former governor of Nebraska, a state that he helped move to the forefront of ethanol production in 1997 by increasing production from 15 million gallons to more than 300 million gallons. As a proponent of biofuels, Senator Nelson spoke to the need for increased research, development, and support from a legislative standpoint.

 

Representative Bartlett, a scientist and former educator, encouraged conservation as an overarching goal for the energy sector. He acknowledged the need for energy security and challenged conference attendees to discover innovations and new opportunities in sustainable alternative energy.

 

Other activities during the first day included a plenary session titled “Recognizing and Addressing the Challenges,” during which panelists discussed issues related to biofuel development, such as indirect land use. Panelists spoke about challenges in market demand and production and called for an increase in biomass crop yield, citing the need for innovation in the areas of salt and drought tolerance.

 

Later that day, representatives from biofuel industry trade organizations participated in a roundtable discussion, “Perspectives on Outlook and Priorities from Biofuels Industries.” Here, panelists discussed the role of industry in biofuels research, development, and production.

 

On March 18, Sue Ellerbusch, President of BP Biofuels, North America, shared insight on strategies for developing biofuels in a sustainable manner and outlook for global biofuels development. Ms. Ellerbusch also noted the need for transitional technology focused on advantaged molecules as a way to link the current technology of sugar-based biofuels to future cellulosic biofuels.

 

Panelists from the “Long Term Industry Outlook for Transportation Fuels” session on day two provided insight on the potential of future biofuels to achieve market acceptance based on cost, environmental, and demand/supply issues. In an active Q&A session, participants discussed the market and policy challenges unique to the United States that are slowing market penetration of biofuel vehicles as compared to Brazil or Europe.

 

In addition to plenary sessions, attendees participated in smaller breakout sessions throughout the conference, focusing on five technical tracks: Sustainability, Biofuels Commercialization, Advanced Biofuels Technologies, Regulation and Policy, and International Outlook. Each of the sessions offered insight and generated dialogue among attendees.

 

Valri Lightner, Acting Program Manager of the Biomass Program, noted the success of Biomass 2009: “We had almost twice as many attendees this year as we did last year. It’s clear there is a strong interest from the biofuels community and I’m glad we could provide a forum for discussion of critical issues.”

 

Information about the conference, including speaker and panelist presentations and a summary of the technical tracks, is available at www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/biomass_2009.html.