you don't have to buy natul gas. you can be a self-sustaining energy plant like this by burning this lignin residue. you could not only provide all of the energy needs for a processing plant such as this, you could also potentially sell a green energy byproduct to the local power grid. narrator: by maximizing the energy potential of cellulosic material, nrel's biomass program is helping to pave the way to a new energy future. douglas: with added efficiencies, we think we could very easily get to the point where half or more of the liquid fuels used in the u.s. could be grown here in the u.s. on an annual and cyclical basis. so we would be growing our own transportation fuel. narrator: biomass fuels, along with other renewable energy sources, carbon sequestration, nuclear energy, and new efficiencies will all contribute to providing affordable energy for our rapidly increasing global population and reduce the impact of climate-changing greenhouse gases. funding for this program is provided by annenberg media. for info