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The Bioeconomy Tool Shed

USDA’s Bioeconomy Tool Shed is a web based tool that is a work in progress. The vision of the Tool Shed is to identify “renewable energy opportunities” by providing stakeholders access to agro-, economic, socio-, and technical data and information resources that are relevant to the evaluation of potential opportunities. These opportunities are anticipated to range across the entire supply chain: from feedstock production, to bioenergy production, bioenergy use, and linkages between feedstock production, bioenergy production and use. Types of data and information that will be available will include but not be limited to: land use for producing biomass and energy crops, cost to produce crops and biomass crops, competition for biomass, blending terminals, fuel stations, state and federal policy, USDA guidelines for and financial assistance, and state and federal office locations for agriculture, energy, environmental protection, and conservation. Initially the focus is transportation fuels.

Tool Description
USDA Biorefinery Stakeholder Information System (BioSIS) This tool is designed to assist in evaluating the feasability and opportunities for locating a new biorefinery. It presents information on demographics, landuse, biomass, feedstocks, economics, and financial management. It is organized by potential user type to help users navigate the information.
USDA Biogas Information System The Biogas Information System provides initial assistance in determining project feasibility for biogas system developers and potential partners in assessing opportunities with additional co-substrates and organic recyclables, assistance with best management practices for digester use and land application, particularly in targeted watersheds with nutrient trading potential, and opportunities for electricity production or pipeline injection and use in CNG and EV charging stations.  

Map Galleries

Each Tool Shed application has an associated map gallery. The map galleries provide quick interactive access to the thematic map layers used in the full application, but lack the additional tools and resources provided in the applications.

Related Resources