Tag: biomass

AUSTRALIA should aim to run its economy on renewable energy sources by 2051, a new analysis argues, with rural areas playing a leading role in the creation of energy from biomass. Within 40 years, given an early commitment, 90 per cent of Australia’s transport fuel and 20 per cent of its electricity generation could come from bio-methanol or ethanol produced from wood, according to the report, “Powerful Choices”. For this to happen, currently cleared farmland, by 2051, will need to carry 40–60 million hectares of timber in plantings tightly integrated with traditional cropping and livestock production systems. The opportunities for regional renewal are immense if rural areas become centres of energy production in this way, he says. While a 30 per cent loss of rural land to trees is significant, the report's author Barney Foran points out that there is currently considerable difference between the productivity of the top 10 per cent of farmers and that of the average farmer. “If the average comes halfway...