ZeaChem, Inc. hopes to start converting poplar trees into
ethyl acetate in Boardman, Oregon, by the end of this year.
And with the help of a $25 million grant awarded by DOE
through the Recovery Act, the company will expand its
biorefinery to produce cellulosic ethanol by 2011.
Today’s challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while meeting the country’s steadily rising demand for electricity make it essential for legislatures and public utility commissions to shift their focus toward mechanisms that make demand reduction as profitable for utilities as increasing supply. (Source: Institute for 21st Century Energy)
Estimated energy demand is charted to grow by almost 50% in the next 20 years.
Public policies such as appliance and vehicle efficiency standards and building codes are responsible for at least 20% of the improvement in the US's energy intensity--energy use per unit of GDP. (Source: Institute for 21st Century Energy)
In 2007, renewable sources of energy accounted for about 7% of total U.S. energy consumption and 9.4% of electricity generation. (Source: EIA)
Electricity generation accounts for about 40% of total U.S. energy consumption. (Source: Institute for 21st Century Energy)
