Announcing the next in the U3A Speaker series. In this, Andrew Lang will talk about bioenergy technologies, our sustainable biomass feedstocks, how other countries have developed bioenergy, and what the potential is for Australia.
Biomass is the largest source of renewable energy across the EU, and worldwide, providing more renewable energy consumed than all other renewable energy sources together. Industrial plants producing power from biomass are significantly lower capital cost than wind or solar per MW of electricity produced, biomass-to-energy creates far more permanent jobs, and, as well as being a source of power-on-demand, biomass provides industrial/urban heat and transport biofuels.
Andrew Lang is a farmer and farm forester from Derrinallum, managing about 130 hectares of multipurpose farm sawlog woodlots. His expertise covers converting biomass to energy. He was involved in the Beaufort hospital project replacing LPG with sawmill residues for producing all hospital heat. He was president of the Victorian Bioenergy Network until 2023.
Andrew has worked as a farm forestry project officer for the Department of Primary Industries (Vic) and also ran a contract planting team and operated a portable sawmill. He was Chair of SMARTimbers Cooperative, which, since formation in 2002, marketed about $1 million worth of value-added milled sugar gum building product. He is also secretary of Farm Forest Growers Victoria, which in 2013 is guiding the implementation of the Victorian Farm Forestry Industry Action Plan.
This is sure to be an interesting and informative talk. Wednesday 26th August at 10:30 am at the Port Fairy RSL Hall, Bank Street Port Fairy. Free to all Port Fairy U3A members, a gold coin donation from non-members to defray the cost of hiring the hall.
