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Using Grass For Electricity
John Caveny operates a farm in central Illinois. He was one of the state's first cultivators of miscanthus gigantus, a type of grass that can be burned for heat or electicity generation. Caveny predicts biomass will start small but if properly managed and marketed, could become utility scale. (Photo by Shawn Allee)
Energy experts are thinking through how to replace coal that's burned in American power stations. One alternative is to burn plants, because they can produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. This is called biomass power. In the Midwest, there's talk of growing millions of acres of grass for biomass. Shawn Allee looks at whether the region's up to the challenge:
Producer: Shawn Allee
Release Date: February 9, 2010
Running Time: 3:34