In the constant march toward more environmentally responsible energy solutions, two terms have been used – or are thought of – interchangeably: “renewable” and “clean.”
One need look no further than the debate swirling around Gov. Chris Sununu’s veto of a bill forcing ratepayers to subsidize wood-burning biomass plants. Supporters tout these biomass plants as supportive of the forestry industry through the use of their “renewable” fuel (wood).
But one thing these biomass plants do not produce is “clean” energy. Wood-burning to generate energy is inefficient, dirty and economically unsustainable. The forestry industry has no interest in dispelling the largely held assumption that the energy produced benefits the environment by relying on the confusion between “renewable” and “clean” energy. The confusion only helps their cause.
If our goal is to make choices that help our environment by reducing carbon emissions, we need energy solutions that are both “renewable” and “clean.” Don’t be fooled into propping up an unsustainable industry – because, while biomass plants use renewable fuel, it’s not clean.
LEAH JOHNSON
Hopkinton