economic 46 development around the globe. This increased demand, as well as global politics, has 47 impacted the costs for these energy products. At the same time, increased use of fossil fuels 48 has been liberating unprecedented levels of CO and other greenhouse gasses (GHGs) 49 2 that must be impacting the global climate. As a result, the world is looking for alternative 50 solutions. Renewable energy is one of the leading options as long as it is pursued in a sus- 51 tainable fashion. Of course, renewable energy has numerous sources, including wind, solar, 52 geothermal, ocean currents/tides, and bio-based energy. The latter category of renewable 53 energy is centered primarily on use of green plant matter, i. e.