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<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Greg—</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>It should be roughly true if what is burned is replaced by what is grown.
A full accounting (on which others on the list are more expert) would also
account for GHG emissions (and other impacts) associated with processing and
transportation. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>The nice thing about straw and hay is that they require little energy
and chemical input compared with crops. They don’t need replanting and roots
remain intact, protecting the soil. And they usually need little or no
fertilizer or pesticide. The downside is that the energy density is
modest. So costs, fuel usage, and emissions associated with transportation are
significant. This limits the distance at which straw or hay as fuel is cost-effective
or GHG beneficial.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Regarding trees for biomass energy, my understanding is that efforts on
dedicated energy crop trees focus on quick growing coppicing (grows back after being
cut down) trees like willow and poplar (I’m sure there are other species
being investigated). They can be harvested after several years rather
than several decades.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Rodney Sobin</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Virginia</span></font> Department of Environmental Quality</p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Postal: </span></font>P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA 23218-1105</p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Street: </span></font>629 E. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219-2429</p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Tel. 804-698-4382 fax 804-698-4264 </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>rsobin@deq.virginia.gov </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>________________________________________________________</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>DEQ Innovative Technology http://www.deq.virginia.gov/innovtech</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>DEQ Distributed Energy Resources
http://www.deq.virginia.gov/innovtech/der1.html</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Meeting the Climate Change Challenge</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>September 17-19, 2008</span></font>,</p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Richmond</span></font>, Virginia</p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>www.vsbn.org/coves2008</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>-----Original Message-----<br>
From: discuss-bounces@ghgnetwork.org [mailto:discuss-bounces@ghgnetwork.org] On
Behalf Of Greg Monty<br>
Sent: </span></font>Thursday, July 24, 2008 12:11 PM<br>
To: discuss@ghgnetwork.org<br>
Subject: [GHG Network] Carbon Neutrality from burning Straw</p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>I just read that a company will produce electricity by burning
straw. The claim is: "straw will be burned to power a steam
turbine that generates electricity. The process is almost carbon-neutral
because the amount of CO2 generated will equal the CO2 absorbed by the straw
when it was growing."</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Is this really true? An extension of this argument would be that
we should cut down the forests and burn the wood...afterall, it will be carbon
neutral as the amount of CO2 generate will equal the CO2 absorbed by the trees
when they were growing! I guess this argument only would be true for
trees when the forest has been fully replanted and the trees have grown to the
same exact size (probably 30-60 years in the future). For straw, it may
be an easier argument since the growing cycled is less than one year.....as
long as they continue to plant more straw year after year.?</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>_______________________________________________</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Greenhouse Gas Inventory Experts Network</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>www.ghgnetwork.org</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
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