California has the potential to produce ethanol from biomass according to a recent report by the California Energy Commission. The report, issued by the California Energy Commission, said if an in-state ethanol industry is to flourish, a clear state policy must be developed.
The report says creating a renewable liquid fuel from biomass offers a number of potential energy, environmental and economic benefits. But, the obstacles to creating the new industry are as formidable as the benefits.
If ethanol from biomass was used as a fuel additive, California's demand for ethanol could be approximately one billion gallons a year. Currently, only one small ethanol plant operates in California and produces six million gallons a year.
The report also says the technology to produced fuel from the 51 million dry tons of wood chips, rice straw, municipal trash and solid waste produced each year in California, remains in the early stages of development.
The report, Evaluation of Biomass-to-Ethanol Fuel Potential in California, can be downloaded from the Commission's web site at www.energy.ca.gov/mtbe/ethanol
