LIME: Powering Seattle with Leftovers
Lime Planet
Living / Green Food
March 1, 2006
Alternative energy is on the radar today in the Pacific Northwest, as well as in Nevada. A new study found that half of Washington's energy supply could be provided by converting the state's organic waste into energy. The study, reported in The Olympian, determined that 45 sources of biomass produced in the state amount to a million tons — enough to produce 1,770 megawatts of power.The majority of the waste comes from the timber industry, with some also coming from poultry farms. The waste includes wood scraps, kitchen leftovers, and animal manure. It would be turned into biofuel to generate electricity.
Washington's Gov. Chris Gregoire told the paper that "biomass has terrific potential to contribute toward energy independence." The state hopes to get its biofuels industry up and running soon.
[by Hillary Rosner , Syndicated from the Planet section of LIME ]