Low-lying fields often flood after heavy rains, sometimes requiring those acres to be replanted or even leading to total crop losses. The problem occurs often enough that some Iowa State University scientists wonder if planting grasses in those flood-susceptible sections might make more sense than corn and soybeans.

European plant researchers developed and tested under field conditions a method of biomass production on heavy metal contaminated (HMC) sites that simultaneously improves soil quality and function.

Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy says that 1.2 billion tons of biomass would be available at $40 or less per ton by 2040, and 1 billion tons would be available by 2030, for conversion into biofuels.

An ambitious political agreement on increasing renewable energy use in Europe was reached today between negotiators from the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council. Today’s deal means that two out of the 8 legislative proposals in the Clean Energy for All Europeans package (adopted by the European Commission on 30 November 2016) have been already agreed by the co-legislators. On 14 May, the first element of the package, the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive, was adopted. Thus, progress and momentum towards completing the Energy Union are well underway and the work started by the Juncker Commission, under the priority “a resilient Energy Union and a forward-looking climate change policy” is delivering its promises.

The renewable energy industry associations give a cautious approval to the outcomes of the negotiations between the European Union co-legislators on the Renewable Energy Directive, setting the objective for renewable energy deployment in the upcoming decade. The 32% renewable energy target to 2030 is a welcome improvement compared to what had been proposed back in November 2016, which was based on outdated assumptions set in 2014. Yet, it does not quite set the European Union on a pathway consistent with the requirements of the climate mitigation objectives set in the Paris Agreement.