Georgia Offers Support for Biomass-to-Energy Projects
by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine) The 2011 Southeast Biomass Conference & Tradeshow kicked off in Atlanta today. Nearly 325 professionals and 60 exhibitors are taking part in this year’s event, which has a strong regional focus. Jill Stuckey, director of the Center of Innovation for Energy at the Georgia Environmental and Finance Authority, opened the general session with a keynote address focused on Georgia’s biomass potential and the economic benefits it could bring to her state.
…The future of drop-in biofuels development also looks strong in Georgia. “The jet fuels industry is really, really pushing in this area,” Stuckey said. “We are working [on about] four biomass-to jet fuel projects right now…We are very excited about that because we have the busiest airport in the world. We utilize about 1 billion gallons of jet fuel in Atlanta every year.”
…When approaching an economic development office, Stuckey stressed that a project pitch should focus on what is good about the company and its technology. Don’t spend the entire meeting trashing the technology of others, she said. She also encouraged companies to offer realistic numbers as far as price and output. In addition, she cautioned companies not to make unrealistic promises to give away substantial profits to charity, or deny the fact that they could benefit from assistance offered by the economic development office.
Regarding Stuckey’s organization, she spoke of a unique “one-stop-shop” she has developed to simplify a company’s process of gathering relevant federal and state regulatory information. Professionals representing a wide range of regulatory issues all meet face to face. Companies are scheduled in one-hour intervals to explain their projects to this group of state and local officials, who then answer questions regarding permitting, regulation and any services they might be able to offer to expedite project development. READ MORE
