Photo from UNIAN
About eight million hectares of land unsuitable for agriculture can be used for alternative energy projects, says a USAID project chief.
Ukraine will easily do without Russian gas throughout the upcoming winter, says USAID Municipal Energy Reform Project head Diana Korsakaite.
As an alternative, the country could use energy from waste incineration, the expert told Obozrevatel.
It is the waste from forestry and agricultural production facilities that could be used for energy needs.
"First, it's in order to produce heat from biomass. Second, it's in order to produce electricity from biomass. This means that with the help of local green, clean forest, or agricultural waste we can reduce the consumption of fossil resources for generating heat or electricity," explained Korsakaite.
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The expert listed a variety of resources that can be used under this method: corn, canola, waste from grapes, sunflower, sawdust, twigs, cones, and even cherry or apricot stones.
"In Ukraine, there are lands not very suitable for agricultural business. There is about eight million hectares of such land. And, oddly enough, it can be used for growing willow, poplar, and other fast-growing plants, which can then be successfully used in energy," Korsakaite said.