If you attended the annual International Biomass Conference and Expo in Richmond, Virginia, last month, you were among the first to learn that the Biomass Power Association has changed its name to the American Biomass Energy Association. We also unveiled an updated version of our longtime logo featuring a leaf and a lightning bolt—images that we feel well convey that we are turning low-value wood and ag byproducts into renewable, reliable and responsible energy.&nbsp; Although we have a new name and a new and improved logo, very little else is changing. ABEA still has its dedicated team, including Bob Cleaves, Markus Videnieks and myself. We continue to do everything we can to build awareness about U.S.-based biomass energy and the benefits our members bring to their communities and to the nation.&nbsp; The rebranding is the result of a project we undertook with a Washington, D.C.-based public relations firm, Seven Letter, to understand how Americans feel about biomass. Seven Letter led two focus groups of reliable voters, with one group composed of demographically and geographically diverse regular voters and one group composed of self-described “climate-concerned” voters.&nbsp; Somewhat surprisingly, few participants of either focus group had much prior knowledge of biomass. One question asked participants about their impressions of solar, wind, oil and gas, geothermal, coal, nuclear and biomass. Respondents could choose favorable, unfavorable, neutral or “I don’t know about this source of energy.” Biomass had by far the most “I don’t know” responses, with about a quarter of the group indicating they did not know anything about biomass.&nbsp; The good news that came out of our study was that, once focus group participants learned about biomass, they were very supportive and appreciated the need to utilize forest and ag byproducts. They liked that our fuels are organic or plant-derived. And when focus group leaders used the “5 Rs”—recover, recycle, repurpose, renewable and reliable—participants reacted very favorably. They especially liked the “reliable” aspect of biomass, since renewable baseloads are a critical component of an electric grid that is transitioning away from fossil fuels.We decided to adopt the word “American” into our name as well. This wasn’t only because our focus group subjects liked it, although they very much did. We want our name to reflect that we represent American-based biomass energy. The fuel used by our member facilities is nonmerchantable and locally derived, typically coming from within 75 miles of a facility, and its utilization benefits the local community environmentally and economically. &nbsp; After all, there is more than enough biomass available here in America that can and should be utilized. The Department of Energy’s Billion-Ton Annual Report, which came out this month, says that 65 million tons of biomass are going unused annually. Many of those tons of unused biomass represent wildfire risk. Many more of those tons are constantly emitting methane, a gas that is at least 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, according to the U.S. EPA.&nbsp; Going forward, ABEA will continue to focus our efforts on getting electricity included in the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (aka eRINs), emphasizing the carbon and forest benefits of biomass, incentivizing the industry through tax credits and finding ways to use biomass byproducts like biochar and carbon capture and storage.&nbsp; If you’re interested in joining ABEA, we look forward to meeting you. &nbsp;Please contact me with questions or to find out more. Author: Carrie Annand Executive Director, America Biomass Energy Association carrie@usabiomass.org &nbsp;

2024-04-09 - Introducing the American Biomass Energy Association (Biomass Magazine)

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If you attended the annual International Biomass Conference and Expo in Richmond, Virginia, last month, you were among the first to learn that the Biomass Power Association has changed its name to the American Biomass Energy Association

Introducing the American Biomass Energy Association

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