Politics get in the way of South Carolina biomass

June 20, 2012 – Energy suppliers in South Carolina are saying that they
want coal alternatives, but until biomass becomes available at less
cost, utilities won't buy it.

In an article on the Southeast Farm Press, the general manager of resource
planning for SCANA, Bob Long, says that farmers in South Carolina have not been willing to invest in the long-term contracts necessary to grow crops for use in the bioenergy industry.

Clemson University agronomist and biomass researcher,
Jim Frederick, says that there needs to be a viable market for farmers to make that initial investment.

“But farmers are not going to invest in something
that’s not there, and growing switchgrass instead of other crops is a
major investment for farmers,” he says.

For more information, see the Southeast Farm Press.