By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Anybody interested in investing in biomass energy projects is welcome to join the Indiana Biomass Energy Working Group for networking and education about the renewable energy source at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute on Nov. 9.

The religious order installed a biomass boiler on its college campus three years ago and fuels it with donated scrap wood, wood trimmings and Christmas trees.

“We’re not only going to hear about the boiler, but we’ll tour the facilities as well,” said Chad Martin, renewable energy specialist with Purdue University Extension Service and coordinator for the Indiana Biomass Energy Working Group.

The college will mark the latest stop in the working group’s quest to showcase different projects in the state that use biomass fuel. Martin said several Indiana companies may build similar facilities, including specialty crop producers who are interested in using biomass boilers to heat greenhouses.

“We try to pull stakeholders together and streamline the process,” he said. “The working group is designed to get people with a variety of interests in the same room and create a forum for projects.”

The meeting, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., is free and open to the public, though the organizers ask that attendees RSVP. Aside from a tour of the college’s facilities, the program features several speakers with experience from developing biomass projects, a panel discussion and time for networking.

Martin said biomass development is in its infancy, though there are opportunities for expansion. He added. “(Indiana has) an opportunity to capture wood waste from the hardwood industry in the southern part of the state, and crop residues from the northern part of the state.”

For more on the meeting or to RSVP, call Martin at 765-496-3964 or e-mail martin95@purdue.edu