2nd Annual Southern Bioenergy Networks Meeting

SAFER Alliance — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:22:04 +0000

On December 5, 2012, the Southeast Agriculture & Forestry Energy Resources Alliance (SAFER) and the 25 x ’25 Alliance brought together leaders of the region’s bioenergy networks for the 2^nd Annual Southern Bioenergy Networks Meeting. The gathering, which was held at the Marion Berry Renewable Energy Center at Mid-South Community College in West Memphis, Arkansas, included discussions of federal policy, industry trends and innovations, and ideas for future collaboration.

Click here to view the meeting agenda.

PowerPoints from several of the day’s presentations are available below:

Dr. Glen Fenter, President, Mid-South Community College

Matthew Markee, President, Recast Energy (443 KB)

Nathan McClure, Chief Forester, Georgia Forestry Commission (4,946 KB)

Joel Murdock, Managing Director, FedEx Express Strategic Projects (945 KB)

Tim Rials, Southeastern Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems, Center for Renewable Carbon (43,044 KB)

Eric Smith, Associate Director, Energy Institute, Tulane University (2,535 KB)

2012 Bioenergy State Fact Sheets Now Available

SAFER Alliance — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:04:50 +0000

Did you know that Alabama spent 14 percent of its Gross State Product on energy in 2010? That Louisiana ranked sixth in the nation for biomass electricity generation that year? Or, that Missouri consumed 5.5 million barrels of ethanol? Learn more quick bioenergy facts about your state via the 2012 Bioenergy State Fact Sheets, just released by the Southeast Agriculture & Forestry Energy Resources Alliance (SAFER). In addition to facts on biomass resources, land uses, energy expenditures and electricity prices, the fact sheets also include a map highlighting the location and type of biomass facilities in each state.

SAFER Bioeconomy Case Study Series – Show Me Energy Cooperative

SAFER Alliance — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:23:43 +0000

Twenty miles off Interstate 70 in rural Missouri, Show Me Energy Cooperative is using state-ofthe- art technology to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels and bring additional revenue streams to the region’s farmers. The 600 producer-owned cooperative’s vision to “create sustainable communities, green jobs, and help the
producer-farmer increase its income per acre” is providing much-needed economic
activity in a state where rural poverty hit 19 percent in 2010.

View and download the case study here.

SAFER Bioeconomy Case Study Series: Mississippi’s Strategic Biomass Solutions

SAFER Alliance — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:00:44 +0000

To borrow a quote from Shakespeare, “What’s in a name?” In the case of the Mississippi Technology Alliance’s Strategic Biomass Solutions (SBS), an evolving organizational mission has meant a name that has also changed over time. While the original focus was on looking for ways to expand the market for Mississippi’s agricultural products via the energy sector, the organization’s strategic direction has taken a more entrepreneurial bent in recent years and goes far beyond the borders of Mississippi.

View and download the case study here.

Bioenergy Advocacy Stakeholders Take Their Case to Capitol Hill: All‐of‐the‐Above Energy Policy Must Include Bioenergy

SAFER Alliance — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:21:08 +0000

Representatives from more than 20 bioenergy stakeholder groups are in Washington today participating in the 2012 Bioenergy Partners Capitol Hill Day. Leaders from the biofuels, biopower and bioproducts industries, as well as agriculture and other related industry interests, are encouraging lawmakers and key decision makers to adopt a diversified national energy strategy that includes bio‐based renewables as a critical component.

An “all‐of‐the‐above” approach to energy policies and investments is expected to be the primary topic of a Congressional staff briefing and panel program in the morning. Afternoon efforts will include small groups making office visits with Congressional leaders and their staff, sharing with them the wide range of issues facing bioenergy, while detailing the opportunities that bio‐based energy solutions provide.

Download and view the press release here.

SAFER Bioeconomy Case Study Series: Bioenergy at Longwood University

SAFER Alliance — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:54:33 +0000

With a mission of serving “as a catalyst for regional prosperity and advancement,” Longwood University has turned its need for energy into an opportunity for regional innovation.

Longwood University’s campus of 4,500 students in Farmville, Virginia, now supplies 85 percent of its heating and hot water needs from bioenergy. The feedstock used to fuel that energy comes from regional mill operations, all within 45 minutes of the campus.

View and download the case study here.

New Report: Arkansas Clean Technology Primer

SAFER Alliance — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:06:52 +0000

The clean technology sector grew at a faster rate than the rest of the Arkansas economy over the last eight years and shows the greatest potential for continued growth, according to a recent report by the Southern Growth Policies Board and released by the newly-formed Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA). The “Arkansas Clean Technology Primer” is the first comprehensive overview of the state’s clean tech sector, which has grown from a handful of companies in 2003 to more than 80 companies today employing thousands of Arkansans, according to the report. “The Primer shows that the clean tech sector represents a significant growth opportunity for our state’s economy,” said Steve Patterson, AAEA Executive Director. “Global demands for energy are rising rapidly and those states that diversify energy resources are most likely to attract new jobs and prosper.”

The Primer cites recent studies by Brookings Institute and the Pew Center on States that agree that while Arkansas endured an overall decline in jobs between 2001 and 2010, the clean tech sector grew from between 7.8 percent and 16 percent depending on methods used to define clean tech. Recent advanced energy job growth in the state includes wind component manufacturers like Nordex USA, Inc. in Jonesboro and LM Wind Power in Little Rock and FutureFuel Chemical Co., a biodiesel manufacturer in Batesville.

Read the executive summary and full report here.

SAFER’s 2011 Year in Review

SAFER Alliance — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:45:20 +0000

Happy New Year!

Take a quick look at what SAFER’s been up to in 2011 and where we’re going in 2012:

Highlights of 2011:

Released the report Implications of Biomass Definitions in January 2011. The SAFER Advisory Council hosted a Congressional Briefing as well as a webinar to share the report’s findings.

Convened a state policy dialogue in Virginia that resulted in the white paper: The Opportunities & Challenges of Virginia’s Bioeconomy. The white paper was also presented at the Virginia Alternative & Renewable Energy Association’s annual meeting.

Convened the Southern Bioenergy Networks Meeting with nearly 40 representatives of bioenergy networks across the South to discuss network development, Southern challenges, and ways to work together as a region.

Completed seven bioeconomy commentaries on topics such as rural job creation, innovation, and public policy.

Published bioeconomy case studies on the Tennessee Renewable Energy & Economic Development Council and the Georgia Bioenergy One Stop Shop.

Co-sponsored Bio Pro Expo 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia; ASES National Solar Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina; and the Southeast Bioenergy Conference in Tifton, Georgia.

All these publications can be found under the “Publications” tab.

What’s planned for in 2012:

Follow up and implementation on the action items identified at the Southern Bioenergy Networks Meeting.

State policy dialogues focused on economic development and the bioeconomy across the South.

Continued publication of SAFER commentaries and case studies.

Update and redesign of the Southern Bioenergy State Fact Sheets.

We look forward to working with you in 2012!

Regards,

Liam Leightley

SAFER Chairman

SAFER Commentary: Discovering Bioenergy Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

SAFER Alliance — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:53:02 +0000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) conducts research all across the bioenergy supply chain. Biologists, ecologists, chemists, material scientists, geographers and economists have teamed up over the past 35 years to better understand and quantify the potential of bioenergy and to advance bioenergy technologies.

While research dollars are flat to decreasing in this time of fiscal austerity, the need for research to enable the promise of bioenergy has not diminished. ORNL is leveraging its research dollars, teaming with other institutions and moving forward. The needs for bioenergy—energy security, rural development, reduction of greenhouse gases has never been greater.

Click here to read the entire commentary, written by Robin Graham, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and SAFER Advisory Council Member.

SAFER Bioeconomy Case Study Series: Georgia’s Bioenergy One Stop Shop

SAFER Alliance — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:37:10 +0000

Georgia grows wood like the Midwest grows corn,” says Jill Stuckey, director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Energy.

In fact, with nearly 25 million acres of forests in Georgia, the state ranks second in the nation, behind only Oregon, in terms of forest acreage. In contrast to Oregon, where many of the forests are on federal land, 90 percent of Georgia’s forests are privately owned.

It’s not surprising then that a desire to find new markets for Georgia’s wood products was a key impetus behind the creation of the Center of Innovation for Energy and one of its core services, the Biomass One Stop Shop.

View and download the case study here.