Interact with the entire Southeast renewable energy community and hear from key players Effective Networking Connect with speakers and attendees in the Networking Lounge or via secured, private messages Schedule 1-on-1 meetings or group calls using built-in video chat features on our virtual platform FEATURED SPEAKERS Kathryn Arbeit Actual job growth may actually be even higher when factoring in better regional competitiveness. Biomass has been characterized by advocates for an RES in the Southeast (i.e., Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia) as the regions main renewable resource which could be used to meet a standard. Sustainable management of southeastern woody biomass supplies could help to meet any RES target. Proposing to restore the 2001 Roadless Rule protections. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) states: Biomass represents about two-thirds of the Southeast's near-term potential for expanding renewable energy. Southeast Asia (SEA) region has huge solar potential as it is located near the equator. The Southeast Renewable Energy Summit is the ONLY conference covering this burgeoning market that gets key state policymakers, critical decision makers, and leading utility executives and renewable energy players from the most dynamic states in the region including North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Conversely, this situation could potentially benefit landowners in the region who have seen prices for wood fall with the economic decline of the forest products industry. It also eliminates all coal generation by 2040. Tribal and Indigenous Interests - $12.5 million, Community Capacity - $3.125 million (12.5%), Resilient Peoples & Place: When a time for peace is facilitated through partnership, Creating a Tribal Restoration Workforce - Fish Alaska Magazine, Forest Service to start improvements on Wrangell blueberry lands next spring - Wrangell Sentinel, Biden-Harris Administration Invests More Than $37 Million to Improve Recreational Sites and Cabins on National Forests and Grasslands | USDA, The SalmonState: Bringing the sockeye home | Juneau Empire, Local priorities and USDA funding strategies meet up in Southeast Alaska High Country News Know the West (hcn.org), Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategys webpage, Guiding Recommendations & Potential Long-Term Investments, Initial Investment and Recommendations Summary, Traditional Technical Knowledge and Cultural Use of Forest Products. Energy consumption in Southeast Asia nearly doubled between 1995 and 2015, growing at an average pace of 3.4% annually. The terms RPS and RES (renewable electricity standard) are often used interchangeably, as no material difference exists in program goals. New resources (such as dedicated biocrops) or other biomass sources (such as municipal solid waste) may need to be used if biomass from forest residues and forest product industry wastes do not prove sufficient to meet RES goals. USDA will leverage its resources to support these efforts including programs to strengthen small businesses, broadband, renewable energy production, local foods and agriculture production, water and sewer infrastructure, healthcare, housing, outdoor tourism, silviculture support and others as appropriate. hXKk0+?F3SCwCL6{-+$B The majority of that capacity is expected to come from new energy crops.46, Opponents of an RES say goals for new renewable energy generation are unfair and cannot be easily met in the timeframes under discussion. (907) 586-8806, https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r10/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=FSEPRD950023, What is the OneUSDA Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy, On July 15, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Southeast Asia used construction equipment market is expected to reach a value of $1,470 billion in 2029 from $1,012 million in 2022, growing at a CAGR of approximately 5.48% The Earthmoving. Despite ambitious long-term climate announcements, Southeast utilities are still heavily reliant on expensive-to-run coal plants and are doubling down on risky new gas infrastructure investments, instead of clean technologies of the future. Out of the seven states included in the model, only North Carolina has a meaningful renewable portfolio standard. She has expertise in renewable energy, energy efficiency, coal retirements, energy market modeling, and, Copyright 2023 cleanenergy.org / Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. This included virtual Open Houses, an online feedback tool, an information-filled website, and a dedicated email address for submitting input, letters, and/or existing plans or specific investment proposals. Georgia Power Company, Georgia Power Seeks Approval for Coal Plant Conversion to Biomass, August 22, 2008, http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-22-2008/0004871944&EDATE=. However, the regions major user of woody biomass and producer of wood wastes is the forest products industry. Nationwide, Black Americans are exposed to 1.5 times as much PM 2.5 compared to white Americans. Renewable energy in Southeast Asia is a growing sector with a market size of $205 billion and capital investments totaling $11 billion between 2020 and 2022. United States. This exciting new partnership will allow us to bring even more conservation benefits to southeast communities that address food security and local agricultural production.. Today, biomass [electric power] generation is mainly associated with the use of mill and agricultural wastes. Renewable energy currently accounts for about 10% of U.S. total energy production according to the U.S. Department of Energy.1 Biomass is the largest source of renewable energy2 in the United States. Biomass Resources: The Southeastern United States and the Renewable Electricity Standard Debate, Renewable Energy Resources in the Southeast, Forest-Based Resources: Wood Wastes and Black Liquor, Other Potential Sources of Biomass Energy, Landfill Gas and Municipal Solid Waste [Waste-to-Energy], Potential Biomass Use in the Southeast for RES Requirements, Summary of Barriers and Challenges to Greater Use of Biomass, Technological Challenges and Opportunities, http://www.eia.doe.gov/glossary/glossary_r.htm, http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/table1.html, http://www.eia.doe.gov/glossary/glossary_b.htm, http://americanhistory.si.edu/powering/past/history4.htm, http://www.eia.doe.gov/glossary/glossary_c.htm, http://www.ferc.gov/market-oversight/mkt-electric/overview/elec-ovr-rps.pdf, http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/jul/23/germany.greenbusiness, http://www.ferc.gov/market-oversight/mkt-electric/overview/2009/03-2009-elec-ovr-archive.pdf#xml=http://search.atomz.com/search/pdfhelper.tk?sp_o=4,100000,0, http://www.dsireusa.org/glossary/glossary.cfm?CurrentPageID=8&EE=1&RE=1#con, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energy_in_brief/electricity.cfm, http://www.saferalliance.net/projects/bioenergy_roadmap.pdf, http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/pdfs/ornltm-2002199.pdf, http://www.fao.org/docrep/w7407e/W7407e05.htm, http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/faqs/index.html#overview4, http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/fta_biomass_cofiring.pdf, ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e03.pdf, http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/landfillgas/landfillgas.html, http://wasteage.com/news/waste_epa_report_applauds/, http://www.eia.doe.gov/glossary/glossary_g.htm, http://www.recoveredenergy.com/d_plasma.html, http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/21029/?a=f, http://www1.eere.energy.gov/ba/pba/pdfs/bio_overview.pdf, http://thehill.com/business--lobby/southern-co.-takes-aim-at-renewable-energy-bill-2007-05-08.html, http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-22-2008/0004871944&EDATE=, http://www.rechargenews.com/energy/biofuels/article171226.ece, http://www.pprc.info/html/millclosures.htm, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090325.wforestry0325/BNStory/National/, http://www.afandpa.org/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Releases1&template=/PressRelease/PressReleaseDisplay.cfm&PressReleaseID=936&PressReleaseCategoryID=10&ShowArchives=0, http://www.cepi.org/content/default.asp?pageid=10, http://www.epa.gov/oms/renewablefuels/420f07062.htm, http://www.harvestcleanenergy.org/enews/enews_0505/enews_0505_Cellulosic_Ethanol.htm, http://wood.tennessee.edu/NR/rdonlyres/70B5D4FC-FAAB-4DF3-A291-45E39CA5C99A/1310/EconomicAvailabilityofWoodyBiomass.pdf, http://www.esri.com/library/fliers/pdfs/measuringbiofuel.pdf, http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=1975, http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090226/testimony_gruenspecht.pdf. Capitol Hill Publishing Corp, Southern Co. takes aim at renewable-energy bill, May 8, 2007, http://thehill.com/business--lobby/southern-co.-takes-aim-at-renewable-energy-bill-2007-05-08.html. hWn0P !u{QE< lJeS=gl^ xngr*X"k"2:BFeJ9*ePUQ_g8[TMvvzb|yYdSlX6-Q7 4!IG97k%9 &Xh%~0N$Y{'(/>0F{9bAmi #Q3zC`#] Q;`d\1GHF'uN"VRd"eqG -Gb7m,Xd/>a)~yf}xw>y `6{R1gL+S!A!{c[=yH . Energy Information Administration, How is my electricity generated, delivered, and priced?, July 10, 2008, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energy_in_brief/electricity.cfm. In addition, methane34 can be captured from the livestock wastes and burned to produce steam for electricity. %PDF-1.6 % The news was shared during a collaborative virtual, partner-led event hosted by the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida), Southeast Conference, Spruce Root, and USDA leaders. If you wish to learn more the India inquiry, reach out to Saksham Nijhawan at S . Southeastern lawmakers, who say their states could not meet the targets, say their districts would face higher costs because utilities would be forced to buy credits or make other payments. Download CCC Permissions Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. After the municipal solid waste is sorted and separated, much of the remaining material is biogenic and can be prepared for burning in a steam boiler. In these states, most renewable energy projects are utility-owned. Methane released from manure management systems can be captured and used as clean energy to produce electricity. The report was released today as lawmakers negotiate over whether to scale back the renewable electricity standard in the bill sponsored by Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Meanwhile, the coastal areas in the region have considerable potential to harness wind energy. Analysts from energy think tank Energy Innovation recently published a report showing that it is now more expensive to continue to run most coal plants than to replace them with renewable energy. 796 (17)(E)]. However, renewable energy from biomass is the exception. Together, this significant duplication and overbuild of infrastructure costs customers billions. By blending suitable biomass into coal boilers for steam generation, "co-firing" with biomass can reduce the amounts of coal used by as much as 20%. Danielle Jackson, EPA Report Applauds Waste-to-Energy Plants, Waste Age magazine, June 25, 2002, http://wasteage.com/news/waste_epa_report_applauds/. A federal RES mandate and consistent, long-term financial incentives are also seen by supporters as necessary to increase renewable electricity generation to attain the goals of cleaner energy and greater energy security. Since 2016, the USAID Clean Power Asia program has worked with governments and the private sector across Southeast Asia to encourage power sector investments in environmentally friendly, grid-connected renewable energy sources. The paper is a survey of existing research and assessments by the federal government and other experts. Biomass has been characterized by advocates for an RES in the Southeast (i.e., Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia) as the region's main renewable resource which could be used to meet a standard. Investments in energy production in the southeastern United States have long favored base load technologies due to increasing economies of scale from large generation units. USAID and the Embassy have announced plans to continue these efforts through a new program called the Southeast Asia Smart Power Program that will promote utility modernization, energy efficiency, advanced technologies, and regional power trade, and will improve local air quality and mitigate global climate change. http://www.harvestcleanenergy.org/enews/enews_0505/enews_0505_Cellulosic_Ethanol.htm. Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand have achieved 100 per cent or near 100 per cent energy access. (Photo by Rolf [+] Schulten/ullstein bild via Getty Images). website belongs to an official government organization in the See http://www.esri.com/library/fliers/pdfs/measuringbiofuel.pdf. Diversity of biomass resources seems likely to be key to the economic production of biomass-fired power generation. The definition of what constitutes biomass has varied over time with changes in law and regulations, reflecting policy goals and evolution of potential uses. If biomass from forest residues and forest product industry wastes do not prove sufficient to meet RES goals, new resources such as dedicated bioenergy crops or other biomass resources, such as municipal solid waste, may need to be used. Worked with the Government of Laos to support the countrys first-ever solar auction, from auction design to submission of the final auction announcement package. Three regional utilities Tennessee Valley Authority (a federal entity), Southern Company Countries in Southeast Asia have abundant renewable energy resource potential. Nowhere is the debate on biomass resources more pronounced than in the southeastern United States where biomass has been described as the region's best hope to meet RES requirements.44. Together were making a lasting impact across the Southeast. Alabama. A USDA intra-agency team consulted with Tribal Nations and Alaska Native corporations, and engaged with municipal governments, local partners and communities, and the public to support an integrated approach to economic development planning and implementation. RPS requirements oblige electric utilities to provide electricity from renewable energy sources in increasing amounts over a specified period of years. However, biomass would have to be utilized from a variety of sources, with forestry residues and stumps within a 45-minute haul range, and urban wood residues within a 135-minute haul.64, In comparison, Georgia Power's biomass conversion at the former Mitchell coal plant is expected to draw upon waste wood from a 100-mile radius around the facility. The level playing field that markets provide is critical to customers being able to access the clean and renewable power they need to meet their goals.. The OneUSDA team recommends distributing the initial $25 million investment into four broad categories: In alignment with SASS, the Forest Service is refocusing resources on the Tongass National Forest to implement an integrated forest management program that includes watershed and wildlife habitat restoration, sustainable young-growth harvest, and old-growth harvest for small timber sales and cultural uses. The American Clean Energy & Security Act of 2009 "discussion draft" introduced by Representatives Waxman and Markey draws upon H.R. Creating hundreds of thousands of high-wage jobs in clean energy. Unless some balancing mechanism is in place, such as the Bingaman discussion draft proposal to return federal penalties to those states with less renewable energy resources to specifically develop such resources, southeastern states and electric utilities fear that they will become net purchasers of RECs, which will result in a "transfer of wealth" to the sunny and wind-rich states of the Southwest and Midwest, respectively.21 Given the identified concerns over biomass supplies in the southeastern states and the pivotal role the region will likely have in a federal RES debate, issues in this region will be used as the focus of this report. research demonstrates how much a competitive regional electricity market would benefit the Southeast U.S. 32+T9LPs))bRBbZ3H9%D1"za;V+*vJ) |FU8pr!DMf'!IHR While a fully restructured, organized market would take time to establish, the companion policy report recommends ways state legislatures and public utility commissions can introduce competitive behavior in advance of a traditional RTO/ISO. Some states have moved forward with their own RES programs envisioning either an economic benefit or environmental imperative, or both.18 States may argue that a federal mandate could override existing state programs which may have involved years of negotiations among local interests to set goals and timetables. The electricity industry in the region is still largely subject to traditional rate regulation, and power generation projects historically have been approved by state regulatory commissions which have endeavored to maintain a favorable, low cost business climate. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Yes We Can: Southern Solutions for a National Renewable Energy Standard. Engaging in meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock Drill Baby Drill 2.0: The EPA Needs To Start Permitting Wells For Carbon Dioxide Sequestration, Asias Hunger For Energy Will Not Save Russias Economy, all Southeast coal plants cost more to run, proposed the voluntary Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM), New research from Energy Innovation and Vibrant Clean Energy, establishing a competitive wholesale electricity market, investigate the benefits of establishing organized markets, Competitive wholesale electricity markets, These markets are far from perfect in practice, ambitious long-term climate announcements, heavily reliant on expensive-to-run coal plants, doubling down on risky new gas infrastructure investments, a competitive regional Southeast market through 2040, one of the countrys fastest growing economic sectors, offering higher than average wages, the growing number of companies with 100% clean energy goals, may suffer more economic loss from COVID-19 than any other area of the country, 1.5 times as much PM 2.5 compared to white Americans, one of the most damaging pollutants for human health, up to $60 billion each year in 2050 and up to $99 billion in 2090 in costs, only North Carolina has a meaningful renewable portfolio standard. All renewable energy sources combined account for about 10% of the U.S. total energy production. http://www.cepi.org/content/default.asp?pageid=10. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Renewable Resource Data Center, http://www.nrel.gov/rredc/. North Carolina has enacted a 12.5% requirement by 2021 for electric utilities and a 10% requirement for municipal and cooperative utilities. Federal support for research and development is believed by many policymakers to be crucial in making renewable energy technologies more cost-competitive. Addresses critical community capacity needs and/or increases capacity. See http://wood.tennessee.edu/NR/rdonlyres/70B5D4FC-FAAB-4DF3-A291-45E39CA5C99A/1310/EconomicAvailabilityofWoodyBiomass.pdf. Podcast Texas Power Podcast Search Solar Energy Commercial and Industrial Community Solar Distributed Energy Resources Microgrids In regions where the quality or availability of renewable resources may be in question, as for example, in the Southeast,19 some states are concerned that the current RES proposals would subject them to federal penalties. Approximately 53% of all renewable energy comes from biomass sources, represented by biofuels, landfill gas, municipal solid waste, wood and wood-derived fuels, and other biomass feedstocks. corporations in a process that reflects the immediate and long-term needs and opportunities in the region. Because every Southeastern coal-fired power plant is unable to compete in an open market scenario, PM 2.5 pollution - one of the most damaging pollutants for human health - drops to near zero by 2040 along with other harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides. 709 W. 9th Street See http://www.ferc.gov/market-oversight/mkt-electric/overview/2009/03-2009-elec-ovr-archive.pdf#xml=http://search.atomz.com/search/pdfhelper.tk?sp_o=4,100000,0. Meets USDA commitment to ecological, economic, and cultural sustainability. 26 These definitions have varied over time with changes in the law and regulations, reflecting policy goals and technological change. Approximately 16 mills have closed in the Southeast between 2004 and 2007. Increasing electricity generated from biomass sources may be a viable route for compliance with RES requirements nationally, especially as biomass is already the largest source of renewable energy in the United States today. The latter study used geographic information system (GIS) techniques to examine the theoretical effects of transportation infrastructure, distance, and biomass types on potential bioenergy projects in the 27 counties.