Middlebury college is on a march towards economically viable, carbon neutrality by 2016. A biomass fueled district heating and cooling system is the cornerstone of this movement.
Middlebury is ahead of the pack in other ways as well -- they are focused on feedstock availability so that they don't create the "ethanol effect" -- where the popularity of a technology ends up driving up feedstock prices to the point where it kills the economics. Middlebury is working with SUNY, who is working on short rotation willow. We think willow is not getting the attention it should in the feedstock area, being incorrectly eclipsed by switchgrass.
But the other feedstock that shows real promise is processed waste streams. (more on this in another post). Here's the key: Multiple feedstock streams are a stategic way to build a competitive fuel strategy that ensures a cost competitive carbon neutral strategy.
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