Oil (stored solar energy) comes from a point source. Coal (stored solar energy) comes from a point source. Natural gas (stored solar energy) comes from a point source. Biomass (stored solar energy) is a distributed resource.

Do we know how to get biomass out of the field?

Grain Annual U.S. corn harvest between 1998 and 2002 averaged 242 million metric tons.

Grain The Cargill plant at Blair, NB grinds 175,000 bu/day. Each truck hauls 800 bu. Corn is collected from a 60 mile radius. Depending on travel distance, a truck can make 3 trips per day.

Cotton Atlantic Gin, Emporia, VA 340 farmers 2100 modules 70-day ginning season

Is cotton biomass? Is cotton herbaceous biomass? Can I make fuel ethanol out of cotton?

Sugar Cane Florida Crystals, South Bay, FL 3.6 million tons harvested and processed in 140 day season 24/7 operation How do they do it?

Sugar Cane Corporate agriculture – Production fields surrounding the plant are owned by the company – Company owns harvesting and hauling equipment and schedules these operations – Company owns roads through cane fields – Trucks can make 10 hauls per day Sugar mill burns waste wood during the off- season to generate electricity.

Comparison of Harvest Seasons Corn in Nebraska weeks Cotton in Virginia weeks Sugarcane in Florida---20 weeks Bioenergy in the Southeast---47 weeks

Wood Fuel Pittsylvania Power Station Hurt, VA Wood waste, whole-tree chips 80 MW 150 trucks per day Record:311 trucks in one 24-h period

Wood Fuel Weigh load, unload, weigh empty: 10 min At-plant storage pile, three-week supply in summer, six-week supply in winter At-plant storage pile, 10-day supply in summer Harvest season---50 weeks

Unloading 110 trucks per day. Receiving facility is open 24/7.

Example of at-plant storage: This is the amount of material that is stored on site to insure the plant does not have to shut down. A cotton gin can shut down. A sugar mill cannot shut down. A power plant cannot shut down---when the utility is demanding power.