As of March 30, 2011, Wood Bioenergy US tracked 451 wood-consuming, announced and operating bioenergy projects in the continental US.  Electricity (biopower) and wood pellet projects dominate the Forisk database (see table), while cellulosic ethanol projects continue to pursue multiple technologies and end-market options.

In total, these projects represent potential, incremental wood use of 127 million green tons/year by 2021.  Based on Forisk analysis, projects representing only 69.5 million tons/year (55%) pass basic viability screening.  [To download the complete February/March summary of Wood Bioenergy US, click here.]

Strong interest in a practical assessment of wood-based transportation fuels motivated our team to partner with the Schiamberg Group to conduct a comparative analysis of US-based projects.  This research evaluates over 30 projects across 11 technology approaches in 19 states.  Core findings of the analysis emphasize the range of technologies pursued (from off-the-shelf to experimental), to the range of potential timelines for commercial viability to the range of end-product outputs under consideration.  [To learn about a special pre-publication offer, click here or contact Brooks Mendell at bmendell@forisk.com.]