Biomass Market Opportunity
"Green Energy" is the current buzzword in the industrialized world.
Europe. Most countries in Europe mandate the increased use of renewable energy for domestic and industrial use. For example, in some regions of Austria, 80% of new homes already use biomass for heating; and the UK building code for sustainable housing mandates 100% of new homes by 2012 to use renewable energy. Wood pellet biomass is the most accepted and most feasible source of this energy and demand for wood pellets in Europe is forecast to increase 10 fold over the next decade from current estimated 7.5 million tons per year to 75 million tons per year.
USA. The USA represents the largest potential for market development in the renewable energy field. President Barack Obama plans to double the use of renewable energy starting 2009 and the Department of Energy has issued $200 Million in requests for small biomass projects and $80 billion for larger federal institutional procurement. The proximity to vast supplies of raw material makes biomass a natural source of renewable energy for the US in its drive to become energy independent from foreign sources of fossil fuels. Sea 2 Sky is ideally positioned to spearhead the drive for biomass energy to become a significant part of the “greening” of the US energy supply.
Canada. The biomass energy industry is in its infancy with great demand potential. Since 2000, British Columbia has had an increasing opportunity to develop a biomass pellet industry due to a large portion of its forests suffering from a pest, the Mountain Pine Beetle. Using the dying wood for the production of pellets before it decays and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere has proven to be the best solution. British Columbia, an emerging user of pellets, has the potential to become one of the largest wood pellet producers in the world. In addition to supplying its own markets, it can ship cost effectively to many markets around the globe. Recently, the Canadian Government has committed to align its environmental policies with those of the US. This will result in federal requests for carbon neutral sources of energy in the near future.
International. There is a significant movement away from fossil fuels and towards renewable fuel forms. Due to concerns over global warming, compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, peak oil and political pressures from Russia and the Middle East, most industrialized nations are desperate for solutions to secure energy supply and are turning increasingly to renewable sources. Biomass is one of the most readily available and economically feasible.