Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
t
e C h n o L o g y
There is a need for technological improvements that will improve water use effi-
ciency, increase plant productivity (make plants more productive in the environments
in which they must be grown), improve the efficiency with which plants capture solar
energy, improve biomass collection and handling, improve the efficiency with which
energy in biomass is converted into useful forms, and in general improve the energy
efficiency in all aspects of bioenergy production and use.
A challenge is to make the production of energy feedstock as great as possible
from each unit of land and to do this as sustainably, efficiently, and at as low a cost as
possible. One problem is that photosynthesis, while effective, is not a very efficient
method of energy capture. Design and development of energy crop plant varieties
that capture solar energy with improved efficiency would increase yields of biomass
per unit land area and decrease the land needed for energy production. Efficient tech-
nology must be developed to convert biomass feedstocks to desired energy forms.
Feedstocks with the characteristics that match the capabilities of conversion pro-
cesses to convert them to desired forms of fuel, whether liquid or solid, need to be
developed. Design of crops to be used as energy feedstocks and of the conversion
technology for processing these crops must be done collaboratively such that the
overall system is efficient and economical.
The good news is that the technology we need to begin the transformation to a
low-carbon economy exists, and the investment dollars are available if the policy
ground rules are properly established. A great deal of investment and effort will be
needed to make this vision real, but the hard work of ushering it in can become a
powerful engine for growth, competitive advantage, and jobs.
P
of L i C y
Under current energy policies, bioenergy is generally unable to economically com-
pete at the point of sale with fossil energy. Therefore, policy changes are needed
to aid the purchaser of energy to make choices that are in society's best interest—
policies that incorporate the externalities of security, environment, and economics
associated with fossil energy, along with benefits and negatives of bioenergy—into
the prices of energy at the point of sale. Expansion of biomass energy production
must be addressed as part of an overall energy policy, an overall agricultural policy,
and an overall economic development policy. These policy actions will require rec-
onciling the interests of the existing fossil industry with those of the developing bio-
energy industry and aligning both with the interests of society in general. This is not
an easy task and, despite energy supply and use concerns, a task that policy makers
have chosen not to deal with seriously. Political action has not been taken because
there is no sense of urgency. Unfortunately, it appears that a sense of urgency will
not likely occur without a crisis.
Humans must develop a new way, a plan for sustainable use of the world's
resources, including energy, water, air, and soil. These issues are also addressed
in other chapters (see Chapters 15, 16, 18, 19, 23). The plan must be developed and
implemented collectively among the entire Earth's population. It is obviously an
