Multiple national imperatives are driving a switch from fossil-based energy sources to renewable energy, such as efforts to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change and a push to improve homeland security by reducing reliance on foreign sources of petroleum. Two important components of the portfolio of renewable energy solutions are the conversion of plant biomass to liquid transportation fuels and the production of combined heat and power (CHP) from sustainably produced biomass. Both of these can address the major national imperatives if the production, consolidation and conversion of biomass to either liquid fuel or combined heat and power are accomplished in ways that have highly favorable net returns on energy investment.