Bio-Business 101: CRFA delegates were reminded that, like any other business, bioenergy enterprises need to know their input costs, variables, risks, and competitors

摘要

THERE are more variables than constants in bioenergy today, and anyone looking for long-term success had best deal with that fact. This was the main take-home message for the more than 300 attendees at the sixth annual Canadian Renewable Fuels Summitheld in early December 2009 in Vancouver. Of course there was also plenty of good news, mostly involving the industry's continued growth despite a struggling economy. Speakers celebrated how far the biofuels sector has come, how much it brings to regional and mostly rural economies, and the technological advances in conversion technology that will improve profitability and reduce the carbon footprint even further. Several speakers even looked to the forest sector as the next best fibre source for expanding ethanol production to meet rising global demand. Still, for those considering an investment in biomass in Canada, there was plenty else to ponder over the two days.