Research and Education Priorities in Agriculture, Forestry, and Energy - Achieving the 25×'25 Renewable Energy Vision

摘要

A recent paper by the National 25×'25 Agriculture/Forestry Steering Committee lists the high-priority research and education foci, as identified by a variety of public and private vector scientists who provided input, to achieve the vision that "by 2025, America's farms, ranches, and forests will provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States, while continuing to provide safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber." It notes that: The benefits of renewable energy are many: water, geothermal, wind, and solar energy conversion contribute to reduced atmospheric carbon; biomass conversion to transportation fuels enhances national security by reducing dependence on imported petroleum: and all contribute to the economic vitality of rural America. The priorities reflect that scientists recognize major logistical challenges, especially linking energy sources to locations and patterns of energy consumption, and the massive biomass requirement for significant production of transportation fuel. The highest research priorities include modeling of systems to mesh variable wind- and solar-generated electricity with other sources; assessing the relative efficiencies of multiple biological and thermochemacel technologies in yielding consumable energy forms (ethanol, biodiesel, gasoline, syn-gas. bio-oil. or other biofuels); increasing per acre biomass yields and the processing efficiency traits of grasses, woody species, and grains while holding neutral or enhancing impacts on soil, water, and the environment; and modeling systems for efficient handling of the biomass volume. The highest education priorities include ensuring that faculty is equipped to transmit cutting-edge knowledge to the next generation of scientists, professionals, and business leaders; curriculum development: and aggressive extension education that conveys knowledge and research output to policy leaders. conversion industry workers, biomass producers, and the general public. The paper recommends that national and state policy makers fund and encourage this research and education, and that university and federal agency leadership increasingly focus resources and staff on the listed priorities. Excerpts follow.