The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is leading a five-day bioenergy study tour and meeting from April ...
April 11, 2016
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is leading a five-day bioenergy study tour and meeting from April 10–14, 2016, that will highlight innovations in DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), provide a better understanding of bioenergy in the southeastern states, and showcase opportunities for a sustainable bioeconomy.
Study tour participants will receive a full-day overview on bioenergy, followed by a bus tour that focuses on sustainability associated with biomass feedstocks, such as perennial grasses and woody residues, as well as harvesting operations, logistics, and use of materials. Virginia Dale, ORNL corporate fellow and Center for BioEnergy Sustainability director, says that the goal of the tour is to create a better understanding of bioenergy opportunities and constraints in the southeastern area.
As many as 70 participants from various organizations will take part in the April 10–11, Southeast United States Bioenergy Meeting, including attendees from DOE and its national laboratories, the International Energy Agency (IEA), universities, industry, and regional stakeholders. The meeting will focus on innovations that support a sustainable bioeconomy.
In addition to presentations from leading bioenergy experts, the tour includes discussions of the wood-based pellet industry with visits to laboratory research and education centers, as well as a forest in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Along the way, participants will also tour switchgrass fields, a cogeneration plant, forests in South Carolina and Georgia, and a wood-pellet production facility.
Researchers from various labs in other regions will highlight their progress in international sustainability, feedstock logistics, and landscape design and modeling. Other discussions during the tour will come from IEA, an organization that studies energy issues related to reliability, affordability, and sustainability.
For more information, read the ORNL press release and follow #BioenergyTour on Twitter for updates from the bus tour.
This event is sponsored by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's BETO. For more information, please visit bioenergy.energy.gov. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for DOE’s Office of Science. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.