The 20 or so biomass energy projects that are planned, under construction, or on line in Minnesota exemplify “risk taking at its best,” says Ron Bowen (below), founder and president of Prairie Restorations, Inc., a Princeton-based company that creates and manages native-plant landscapes. (One of those biomass projects is the Koda Energy plant scheduled to begin operating in December in Shakopee, a joint venture of Rahr Malting and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community that was covered in “Starters” in August.) After all, Bowen points out, there are a lot of unknowns, not least of which is how much energy is stored in an acre of, say, prairie grasses and flowers, and how that energy level will vary based on a multitude of factors.
Another unknown, Bowen says, is where all the prairie grass would come from. He cites a recent estimate that if 2 million to 5 million of Minnesota’s cropland acres were converted to biomass plantings (likely marginal acres that aren’t ideal for food crops), the harvested energy would be enough to replace much of the oil, natural gas, and coal used in the state. A sticking point is that seed for that much planting doesn’t exist in Minnesota, he says, and even nationally, his industry isn’t ready for such large-scale demand. Granted, corn stalks and other food-crop residue are also biomass, but he foresees a shortage of seeds for the diverse grasses that are regarded as some of the most environmentally friendly and efficient forms of biomass.
In his 31 years in business, Bowen has seen his customers’ interests change from primarily aesthetic (“put something pretty out there”) to more functional (soil rehabilitation, water retention). Now, he’s ramping up his seed production and gearing up for the next wave of functional plantings that biomass energy will require. “I think new industries will emerge” not only in harvesting and burning biomass, Bowen says, but in planning, planting, and managing biomass crops.
