Utility Replaces Some Coal With Switchgrass

The New York Times
October 1, 2009, 8:31 am By Clifford Krauss

A replacement for coal? More electricity is already coming from solar and wind sources, so why not from switchgrass?

NRG Energy, a wholesale power generation company that operates in the United States, Australia and Germany, is experimenting with that possibility. The company announced on Wednesday that it has begun a pilot project to replace some coal with locally grown switchgrass and sorgham at its Big Cajun II plant in Louisiana.

In the announcement, the company said, “The Big Cajun II project could lead to commercial-scale projects using biomass fuels to reduce carbon intensity from other coal plants.”

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