Abstract:
Electricity generated from woody biomass material is generally
considered renewable energy and carbon neutral. However, this has
recently been criticized by scientists, who argue that the greenhouse
gas (GHG) emission profile of bioenergy is nuanced and the carbon
neutral label is inappropriate. An initial carbon debt is created when a
forest is harvested and combusted for bioenergy. Because forests
regrow over a period of years, life cycle analyses show that bioenergy
generated from whole trees from forests may not reduce GHG
emissions in the short term, as is required to combat climate change.
State renewable portfolio standards and federal laws and proposed
legislation designed to incentivize renewable energy typically define
eligible forms of biomass that qualify for these incentives. Most of these definitions are very broad and do not account for GHG
emissions from bioenergy. Federal and state laws should incorporate
life cycle analyses into definitions of eligible biomass so that these
laws incentivize biomass electricity that reduces GHG emissions in
the next several decades.