About Us

Michigan Biomass is a business coalition that advocates for the state’s domestic biomass energy industry. Its members operate power plants in the Lower Peninsula, mostly in the northern half close to the natural resources and forest products industries that produce their fuel.

Their job is recovering energy from locally generated, sustainably sourced organic material like residues from forest management, timber harvest and habitat maintenance and development. It is an integral part of Michigan’s long history with forestry and the companies that turn those resources into the materials and products that enrich our everyday lives, including electricity recovered from the tops, limbs and byproducts of forest products manufacturing.

Michigan is a leader in the U.S. in the generation of renewable electricity from wood fiber generated through sustainable forestry and that forest products industry that would otherwise enter the waste stream. Instead, biomass energy producers divert that material from the waste stream and use it as biofuel to generate around-the-clock renewable electricity.

Renewable electricity from forest management and a robust forest products industry

Domestic biomass power plants are scaled to match the supply of wood residues that can be sustainably sourced from within 50 miles, on average, which keeps the money they spend on fuel in the community. In doing so, biomass energy

  • Lends economic support to rural communities that depend on these resources for jobs and quality of life
  • Provides a market for forestry and ag sector residues that turns disposal costs into sales revenues
  • Provides technical support to the region’s electrical grid
About Us

About the Staff

Gary Melow is the director of Michigan Biomass. He’s been a part of the biomass power industry since 1999 and has been involved in state and federal energy policy work since 2007. In this capacity he works to promote the benefits of biomass energy, engaging in community outreach, stakeholder collaboration and governmental affairs.

Prior to entering the biomass energy industry, Mr. Melow worked in human resources development and administration for an automotive supplier and spent more than 10 years in print media and publishing. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Central Michigan University.

Contact Us

Have more questions about the biomass power generation? Do you have sustainable wood or ag-based materials suitable for biomass fuel? Would you like someone to talk to your company or group about biomass power? Thoughts to share? Let us know by completing the e-mail form with your message.

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