Also in the wiki, the Consultation page also has links. See these two past ET diaries in particular: Biofuels and the European Environment , and Limits to Substitutability: BioFuels.
My point of view, briefly: biofuels are no magic bullet. Current production (whether of ethanol or biodiesel) runs up against sustainability problems -- either because of the type of farming involved (water is a major issue) or (in sub-tropical countries in the case where developed economies would import biofuels from Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc) the destruction of rainforest to clear the very large areas needed.
Ethanol from cellulose ("second-generation" biofuels) may turn out to offer a sustainable solution to diversify liquid fuel supply, but this is not yet technically on line. When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
This is a description of a hybrid poplar fired poer plant in Wisconsin. The tree has similar caracteristics to the aspen, but grows faster and would be adaptable to the Eurasian zones I cited.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/analysispaper/biomass/
Pretty good analysis here too. I think the process and the potentials are very interesting, but I am not an industrial engineer. "When the abyss stares at me, it wets its pants." Brian Hopkins
AFAIK this kind of biomass electricity generation works. I don't know anything about costs. (I'm not an industrial engineer either...) When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
