What directions seem promising?
In Maryland, thinking only about cellulosic ethanol is the wrong way to go. We need to look at more local applications. Switchgrass is one of the more promising things we are working on. There are great options for using switchgrass in selected settings to reduce the use of fossil fuels and also improve water quality. Switchgrass can be grown in riparian buffers and other limited spaces for small-scale energy production. That’s important in Maryland, which has a relatively small land base and lots of water quality issues. There are already short-term opportunities for using switchgrass for direct combustion. We currently burn lots of fossil fuels in stationary applications, mostly for heating water or space. Small-scale systems already exist for using switchgrass in these settings without converting it to ethanol. This is something that can be done now, and the overall benefits—improving water quality, reducing CO2 emissions, and supporting rural economies—are probably greater than wha
