Knowledge Bank

The growing concerns of global warming have initiated increasing use of renewable resources including biomass energy all over the world. Clean and sustainable use of energy resources will be pivotal to mitigate the negative environmental impacts of traditional means of electricity generation such as fossils fuels. These issues are even more relevant in Ohio, as its power industry is heavily based on coal, making Ohio one of the top air polluters in the U.S.

This paper develops a dynamic linear programming model (OH-MARKAL) to analyze key policy issues for Ohio’s energy future. Specifically, the model focuses on biomass cofiring as an option to diversify the fuel resource base for Ohio’s power industry. The research findings suggest that CO2 emission will increase by 18 percent by 2029 as compared to 2002 level, if current fuel mix remains unchanged for electricity generation. The model indicates that the proposed use of biomass energy resources will provide up to 7 percent of renewable electricity, thus achieving a 15 percent reduction in the 2002 levels of CO2 emissions in Ohio. Further, to achieve higher environmental goals, Ohio should also include other renewable resources such as wind, hydro, geothermal, or solar power in its power generation mix.