The Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
The shrub willow, which can be burned to make steam and electricity or fermented to make ethanol, or both, is just one of the renewable, homegrown sources of energy under development in Upstate New York. Fertilized by government incentives and by the need to kick the oil and gas habit, alternative fuel projects are sprouting all over region.
The willow's emergence as a potential energy source is the result of two decades of research at the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. Wood is not the only fuel on the rise in Central New York. There are ventures under way to make ethanol from corn, biodiesel from soybeans and methane from coal, to name few. Some local leaders say Central New York could become a hub for alternative energy.
New York City, according to a recent CUNY study, has the potential to emerge as a major solar power player by the middle of the next decade "if the city, state and
federal government work to find new sources of funding and incentives
and remove barriers." The study estimates that by 2030 New York City could satisfy more than 10 percent of its energy needs with solar power.
Photo: the headquarters for the Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, construction starts this year in downtown Syracuse.
