A Solution for Change

OUROUR CHANGINGCHANGINGEarth OURClimate CHANGING “We want to see… the efficient production and use of , so that the products we produce and the way we produce them pose no threat to the world’s [,]… economic development… so that more and more of the world’s population can enjoy… the things which the energy supplies… [and] a society in which ideas and knowledge move freely… ”

John Browne, Group Chief Executive, British Company, Why not turn up the ? presentation to the Council of Foreign Relations, , November 13, 1997 The effect—the natural phenome- non by which the ’s traps and holds warmth from the —is vital to our sur- vival. Without it, the Earth’s surface The affects our and play; climate would be about 90°F (33°C) cooler and unable to change can affect our survival support as we know it. Trace ( Our are linked to weather and climate, and dioxide [CO2]), , , , and others) in the atmosphere absorb and retain to energy use. Our search for and use of radiated heat before it escapes into space. —primarily and —could warm the Because CO2 exists in the atmosphere in far larger atmosphere enough to contribute to ever more quantities than other trace gases, it is responsible destructive , serious and sustained , for more than half the . and relentless snowfalls. One way to slow these But too much of this good thing can cause global . If the amounts of CO trends is to increase energy efficiency and develop 2 and other trace greenhouse gases in the atmos- and use clean, sources. Political phere are increased, more heat will be trapped. and business leaders throughout the world recog- This could change climate patterns, temperature, nize that global climate change is real, and are tak- and atmospheric processes. ing steps to reduce fossil emissions.

The U.S. government development of ultra fuel-efficient automobiles and advocates environmental other energy-saving technologies. A cornerstone of the program would give tax credits of $3,000 to The United States has $4,000 to buyers of the next generation of fuel- less than 5% of the world’s efficient to boost development of the vehicles population and consumes expected to be up to three times as fuel efficient as about 25% of the world’s today’s models. petroleum (more than 18 A tax credit of $3,000 would apply to vehicles million barrels each day that get double the current mileage for their class. for transportation and For example, a midsize that now gets 25 mpg other uses). The U.S. trans- would have to achieve 50 mpg to qualify. The portation sector presents credit would later be expanded to $4,000 for vehi- significant opportunities cles with three times the mileage of cur- for improvement, as it is rent models. responsible for about 27% of U.S. energy consump- Problem solving is , tion and 35% of U.S. and big business is working to solve greenhouse emissions. environmental problems “Weather is what The Clinton administra- Many energy-intensive industries are responding happens outside your tion disclosed a $6.3-billion to the climate change challenge. Some oil com- home this morning. package for tax incentives panies are using their best expertise and talent to Climate is what you and research to spur find better ways to extract, , and refine coal, can expect to happen , and petroleum to minimize their outside during your effects on the environment. Additionally, some are 30- mortgage.” finding ways to use their own products to produce energy and other useful coproducts; Curt Suplee, “Untangling the Science of Climate,” National Geographic 193(5):50, 1998. 2 “We [the Administra- tion] see the need to sit down with energy intensive industries to see if they will reduce energy use or use others are looking at possi- renewable sources. . . . What is ? Projected Fuel Sales bilities associated with and Associated Carbon Savings* If we can do for The term biomass encompasses a wide alternative energy sources. spectrum of materials that range 15 Many auto makers have from agricultural and what we have done said they plan to have cars to municipal wastes to grown 12 for recycled copying in showrooms that run 50 specifically to make biofuels, such as paper we can really to 70 miles on a gallon of bioethanol and . The tech- gasoline. They are also nologies used to convert these 9 make an impact.” biomass feedstocks vary, and the alter- exploring fuel cells, hybrid Dan Reicher, Assistant Secre- native fuels produce similarly low technolo- 6 tary for Energy Efficiency amounts of when and Renewable Energy, U.S. gies, and the use of alter- combusted. But by using alternative Department of Energy, as native fuels such as fuels we can offset the use of petro- 3 quoted by By Marc Benjamin leum products. So if we use, for exam- in The Bakersfield Califor- ethanol. They manufacture ple, ethanol produced from plant nian, April 29, 1998 flexible-fuel vehicles that 0 2010 2020 material (which is made from atmos- Billions of gallons of ethanol sold can operate on gasoline or pheric carbon) we are not putting car- Million of tons of carbon emissions any blend of ethanol in bon in the air that has been trapped avoided gasoline as high as 85%. as oil for millions of . *Projections based on ongoing research These vehicles have been used in government fleets for several years, and now the manufacturers are modifications. Higher-level blends (85%, known as offering them for no additional cost to consumers. ) can be used in flexible-fuel vehicles.

Biofuels can be part of the solution Biofuels reduce Biofuels such as bioethanol contribute little or no Converting biomass feedstocks to biofuels is an environmentally friendly process. So is using bio- CO2 to the buildup of greenhouse gas emissions. Bioethanol is a versatile fuel that can be mixed fuels for transportation. When we use bioethanol with gasoline in 10% blends (E10), and potentially instead of gasoline, we help reduce atmospheric

in 20% and 22% blends, known as E20 and E22, CO2 in three ways: (1) we avoid the emissions respectively. It can also be used to manufacture associated with gasoline; (2) we allow the CO2 ethyl tertiary butyl (ETBE), an octane-enhanc- content of the fossil fuels to remain in storage; and

ing fuel additive, to produce a more efficient and (3) we provide a mechanism for CO2 absorption by relatively clean-burning fuel that requires no growing new biomass for fuels. Because of their compatibility with the natural , bio- fuels offer the most beneficial alternative for reduc- “Despite the many ing greenhouse gases from the transportation sector. remaining uncertain- Our nation’s biomass base is extensive ties about the (about 200 million dry tons of various waste feed- and the risks of the stocks are available annually). Using a fraction of process [climate this resource could probably supply the equivalent of 350,000 barrels of oil in 2010, or 3.6% of the change], I believe that projected -duty vehicle energy demand. there is now sufficient Increasing biomass use would accelerate the dis- evidence to support placement of fossil fuels and the reduction of trans- prudent precaution- portation greenhouse gas emissions. ary action.” Bus that runs on ethanol Cor Herkströter, Senior Greater Peoria Transit District/PIX03320 Managing Director, Shell Oil 3 DOE offers alternatives Because of their Projected Carbon Emissions from Light-Duty Since the late 1970s, the U.S. Department of Vehicles: Impact of Bioethanol Development compatibility with the Energy (DOE) has invested in research and tech- (in millions of metric tons per year)* natural carbon cycle, nology related to global climate change. DOE’s 400 biofuels offer the most Office of Fuels Development (OFD) manages the 390 beneficial alternative National Biofuels Program and is the lead technical advisor on the development of biofuels technolo- for reducing green- 380 gies in the United States. Together with industry house gases from the and other stakeholders, the program seeks to 370 transportation sector. establish a major biofuels industry that can provide a significant fraction of the nation’s transportation 360 fuels. Its goals are to develop and commercialize 350 technologies for producing sustainable, domestic,

environmentally beneficial, and economically viable 340 fuels from dedicated biomass feedstocks. 330 2010 2020 National laboratories work to support biofuels Baseline Impact of ethanol *Projections based on ongoing research Several national laboratories—primarily Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)—are work- ting up several feedstock R&D centers to support a ing to expand the potential of biofuels technolo- greater variety of energy crops for the widespread

gies in mitigating CO2. In addition to employing use of biofuels. These crops include switchgrass, world-class researchers to conduct work in house, , and hybrid poplars. these laboratories work with numerous subcontrac- At NREL, in-house engineers work with subcon- tors from universities, the private sector, and other tractors to increase vehicle , test research institutes to improve and commercialize alternative fuels, and find alternatives to the inter- biofuels technologies. Through ORNL, OFD is set- nal engine. These strategies will help

reduce CO2 emissions in the transportation sector. Biofuels research focuses on reducing the cost of The carbon cycle and biofuels biomass-to-biofuels conversion technology and CO is part of the Earth’s natural carbon cycle, 2 transferring this technology to the commercial sec- which circulates carbon through the atmosphere, , animals, , , and rocks. This tor. OFD has established an Alternative Fuels User cycle maintains a life-sustaining and deli- Facility at NREL, which helps industry develop cate natural balance between storing, cost-competitive renewable transportation fuels releasing, and carbon. from biomass. The heart of this facility is the By using biofuels such as bioethanol Process Development Unit, which engineers and and biodiesel for transportation, we Bioethanol use to gather data about promising bio- can help restore the natural balance Recycles of CO in the atmosphere. Besides fuels technologies. It houses fermenters, 2 displacing fossil fuels, the feedstocks columns, and centrifuges that take biomass through Bioethanol used to make biofuels require CO2 to the steps to become a fuel. NREL also leads pro- grow, and they absorb what they jects to improve the efficiency of ethanol produc- need from the atmosphere. Thus, much ing microorganisims and to lower the cost of or all of the CO2 released when biomass is converted into a and burned in auto- . mobile is recaptured when new biomass is grown to produce more biofuels. (Continued page 5)

4 From left to right: Farmer and examine switchgrass, a dedicated energy for ethanol production PDU biomass-to-ethanol 9000- liter fermentors BCI biomass-to-ethanol plant in Jennings, , scheduled for operation in the near future

Continued from inside Reducing our CO emissions to eliminate the Photo credits this page, left to right: 2 Warren Gretz, NREL/PIX00305; Warren threat of global warming requires tremendous com- Gretz, NREL/PIX00945; Air Bear Aerial Photography, Lake Charles, LA Government and industry cooperate mitment to changing the way we use energy and to support biofuels the energy sources we use. Part of this commit- OFD is working to improve government/industry ment must be to continue national investment in cooperation with efforts to facilitate industry access research that will improve the competitiveness of to the Biofuels Program’s technologies, , biofuels and propel them into the commercial and facilities. For example, it is working with BC marketplace. International to construct a biomass-to-ethanol We Americans have proven that we can respond plant in Jennings, Louisiana. The primary feedstock to crises. Now we need to respond to a crisis that will be , the waste product of pro- may seem a little less real than an oil embargo or a duction from . Also, OFD is working with flash or a deadly tornado. But if these things Arkenol, which plans to produce ethanol by con- are all intertwined—and the evidence that they are verting in California’s Sacramento Valley, is steadily mounting—we will gladly do what is and with Masada Resources Group, which is plan- needed to protect ourselves, our future genera- ning a municipal solid waste-to-ethanol plant in tions, and our planet. New York state.

We can make a difference Some naysayers argue that the cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is too high and that For more information, contact we should not move too fast. But “environmental “I do not underesti- visionaries” have historically proven this kind mate the difficulty of John Ferrell Office of Fuels Development of negative thinking to be false. Here are a few the challenge that U.S. Department of Energy examples: global climate change 202.586.6745 presents to us. It will David Glassner • From 1975 to 1994 the average gas mileage of take a significant Biofuels Program U.S. automobiles improved by 50%. National Renewable Energy Laboratory • During the same period, the U.S. chemical effort and the best 303.384.6820 talent and technology industry reduced its energy use per unit of out- Janet Cushman put by 40%. we have to solve the Biofuels Feedstock Development Program • Solar, wind, and biomass energy technologies, problem.” Oak Ridge National Laboratory which were in their infancy 20 years ago, are now 423.574.7818 Former DOE Secretary approaching commercialization in many areas. Federico Peña, Address to Carnegie Mellon University, September 15, 1997 5 ENT OF TM EN R E A R P G

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U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of Transportation Technologies

DOE/GO-10098-580 Revised September 1999

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