Great Lakes Increase Biomass Energy

RENEWABLE ENERGY
Electricity generation from fossil fueled power plants is a major source of the human-caused emissions of heat trapping gases. Burning coal also releases toxic air emissions and causes smog, soot, and acid rain. Any serious effort to reduce our contribution to global climate change must decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and increase generation of electricity from clean renewable sources. The Great Lakes region has a bounty of renewable energy sources available today. By developing these resources, the region could become a leader in clean energy.


Solution strategies:	HARNESS WIND ENERGY	INCREASE BIOMASS ENERGY	DEVELOP SOLAR POWER
Biomass is plant materials and animal wastes used to generate electricity. Biomass is one of the greatest renewable energy resources for Great Lakes states, with the technical potential to provide up to 20 percent of the region's energy needs from tree and grass crops, as well as forestry and agricultural wastes. Increasing energy production from biomass can help reduce climate change emissions, while at the same time revitalizing rural economies in the region.