ADVERTISEMENT

Oct. 17 marks the first-ever National Bioenergy Day, which is being celebrated by trade associations, schools and universities in 13 U.S. states and one Canadian providence.

On and around Bioenergy Day, 25 events are being held to demonstrate firsthand the benefits of bioenergy, which includes biomass-to-electricity, thermal heat generated from wood, wood pellet manufacturing, and forestry.

“In planning National Bioenergy Day, we wanted the focus to be on the role bioenergy plays in communities,” said Bob Cleaves, president of the Biomass Power Association. “The goal was to bring audiences, ideally people who benefit from bioenergy, to biomass facilities to witness firsthand what goes on.”

Some of the day’s events include:

In Livemore Falls, Maine, ReEnergy Holdings is hosting a tour of its biomass power facility. The 38 MW facility uses biomass produces power for about 37,000 homes.

Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., is hosting tour of biomass demonstration projects, including an energy cabin and greenhouse digester, as well as a poster session and reception featuring biomass projects across the region, and a panel discussion with state and regional biomass energy researchers and development partners.

At Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss., the land-grant institution's Sustainable Energy Research Center and the MSU Energy Institute are hosting open house and tours at the SERC pilot scale facility. The 7,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art pilot scale facility houses technology for converting biomass to transportation fuels. Bioenergy Day visitors will have a chance to see biofuels production firsthand, and learn more from MSU faculty, staff and students about bioenergy's wide-ranging impact.

The National Bioenergy Day initiative was sponsored by the Biomass Power Association, Biomass Thermal Energy Council, American Council on Renewable Energy, Pellet Fuels Institute, Forest Landowners Association, U.S. Industrial Pellet Association, and Biomass Magazine.

Click here for a map of the day’s events.