Implementing Systems Engineering in the U. S. Department of Energy Office of the Biomass Program

The DOE Biomass Program is tackling the challenge of advancing biomass energy technologies and systems from concept to commercial adoption with a goal of enabling the production and use of biofuels to help reduce future U.S. oil consumption. The complexity of the biomass-to-biofuels system of systems and the combined dynamics of the existing agriculture, forestry, energy and transportation markets within which it operates pose challenges for reaching consensus on both a concept of operations and preferred strategies for transitioning to a significantly larger biofuels industry that is secure, reliable, environmentally responsible, and supportive of a thriving economy. To ensure that the program is focused on the activities critical to achieving its goal, the program is implementing systems engineering processes, practices, and tools to guide informed decision-making.