Bio-methanol: How energy choices in the western United States can help mitigate global climate change

Kristiina A. Vogt, Daniel J. Vogt, Toral Patel-Weynand, Ravi Upadhye, David Edlund, Robert L. Edmonds, John C. Gordon, Asep S. Suntana, Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir, Michael Miller, Patricia A. Roads and Michael G. Andreu

Renewable Energy, 2009, vol. 34, issue 1, 233-241

Abstract: Converting available biomass from municipal, agricultural and forest wastes to bio-methanol can result in significant environmental and economic benefits. Keeping these benefits in mind, one plausible scenario discussed here is the potential to produce energy using bio-methanol in five states of the western United States. In this scenario, the bio-methanol produced is from different biomass sources and used as a substitute for fossil fuels in energy production. In the U.S. West, forest materials are the dominant biomass waste source in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, while in California, the greatest amount of available biomass is from municipal wastes. Using a 100% rate of substitution, bio-methanol produced from these sources can replace an amount equivalent to most or all of the gasoline consumed by motor vehicles in each state. In contrast, when bio-methanol powered fuel cells are used to produce electricity, it is possible to generate 12–25% of the total electricity consumed annually in these five states.

Keywords: Forest fires; Biomass; Methanol; Electricity; Gasoline; C emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:34:y:2009:i:1:p:233-241

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2008.03.010

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